Focus on Quality Sustainability “Quality” is the buzzword in most conversations about early childhood and school age programs. Research shows and it is widely recognized that children enrolled in high-quality programs are strongly associated with positive developmental outcomes and school success...

Fireflies and Facilities This is the summer for the Fireflies! During the week of August 8, the Fireflies classroom will undergo a much needed overhaul that will include the installation of new flooring, counter tops, and cabinets, and a fresh coat of paint. The Peanuts room (next door to the...

All About the Sugar For over thirty-eight years PIC has prided itself on BOTH the highest quality work with children and families and in having a strong local, state, and national advocacy voice on issues concerning early childhood care and education. Early childhood is getting attention like never...

PIC Plants... Cookies without the Calories! It was wonderful to see the enthusiasm that spread through PIC as the annual Plant Sale got underway last week. On its opening day, the online store had over 200 visits and did over $2,000 in sales. By the end of the first week, over $5,000 in plants had...

Diversity Like No Other As someone who has been in the field of early childhood education for nearly thirty-five years, I have visited many, many early childhood programs via consulting, conferences, and accreditation validation work. What I learned is that child care programs tend to be...

A Call-to-Action for PIC Families At the city, state and national levels, early childhood education is the language everyone is now speaking. For PIC, this presents a time of great opportunity. In addition to the interest in our field, this is a time of significant investment by both private and...

December 2015 PIC is a special place that encourages children in their growth and development. How do we do it? We believe in the power of play. If you share our belief in the power of play, I hope you will consider the Parent-Infant Center in your end-of-the-year giving. With over 30 years of...

Still Passionate After All These Years With over 30 years in the field, I am delighted to say that my passion for Early Learning has not died! Since returning from the annual conference of the National Association for the Education of Young Children (NAEYC), I have found myself spending considerable...

Community at its Finest Fall is certainly a time that we see community at its finest at PIC. We have a series of events where families come together because of and/or on behalf of PIC. Potlucks We started the school year with our annual series of Classroom Potlucks, a longstanding PIC tradition...

Let's Learn About Holidays I’ve written a lot about how so much of the strength of PIC's program comes from its diversity. Being part of a diverse community means that our children have wonderful opportunities to learn about holidays and traditions that are different than their own. I am asked often...