Fredericksburg Parent

FredParent July2016

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www.FredParent.NET • 39 Sponsored Material Join us July 14 for the live conversation on Do you have questions for Smart Beginnings? We'll be chatting with them live on our Facebook page July 14 at 8 pm. Come join the conversations! facebook.com/FredericksburgParent a sk t h e e x p e rt Q: What is VA Quality? SBRA is the fiscal agent for VA Quality for the North Central region, which includes Planning District 16 and Culpeper, as well as Rappahannock, Fauquier, Prince William, Manassas City and Manassas Park. VA Quality was formerly known as Virginia Star Quality Initiative (VSQI). This is a voluntary program that early learning programs can sign up to be a part of. VA Quality offers continuous quality improvement resources and support to its child care centers, preschools and family child care homes. Technical assis- tance, training and work plans are offered to the programs to help to improve the quality of care that they provide. The areas of focus are: basic health and safety, educa- tion and qualifications, curriculum and assessment, environment, and teacher-child interactions. Selecting a program for your child to attend can be a confusing and long process. It is also one of the most important decisions that a family can make. A sign of quality to look for is participation in the VA Quality. Early learning matters and we are working to build top quality early learning programs for all of our region's children. Q: Tell us a little about the Al's Pals program. Al's Pals: Kid's Making Healthy Choice for life is a resiliency-based curriculum that we offer to early childhood programs in the community serving the preschool population of 3-5 year olds. Over 40 centers in our region have received the training and materials through SBRA to implement the program in their classrooms. Al's Pals has been introduced to Head Start and Virginia Preschool Initiative faith-based, non-profit, and for-profit facilities. Q: In what ways does the "Passport to Kindergarten" program work to bridge the gap between preschool and kindergarten? Passport to Kindergarten is an initiative that provides training to early childhood teachers to help facilitate the transition from day care or preschool to kinder- garten. It also offers programs and workshops for children and their parents to help prepare them for this significant change. In addition, a regional kindergar- ten enrollment day is coordinated by SBRA to ensure that all children are regis- tered early to fully prepare the schools, their services, and families for the first day and thereafter. One of the ways that parents can check for readiness is to refer to Virginia's Foundation Blocks for Early Learning (http://bit.ly/k-building-blocks). This is a set of comprehensive standards for 4-year-olds. They measure a range of skills and knowledge essential for 4-year-olds to be successful in kindergarten. Families should keep in mind that all children develop at their own rate. They will master some skills sooner than others based upon experiences and interests. Q: What can I do to help my child get ready for kindergarten? Parents can help their child to prepare for the transition by establish- ing a daily routine that includes bedtime. Getting enough sleep, eating nutri- tious breakfasts every morning, and engaging in physical activity is a good start. Encouraging children to do tasks independently, such as opening food contain- ers, will prepare them for taking care of their own needs in a busy cafeteria lunchroom. Reading together every day helps your child in becoming a reader, as does attending story time hours at the library. Spark discussions about the first day of kindergarten and your child's feelings about separation. Your local librar- ian can suggest titles of storybooks about going to kindergarten that can help you start these talks. This is an exciting time for families, and good preparation can aid in making it a positive transition for everyone! "...supporting early childhood education is a smart investment with a proven return."

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