July 10, 2023 BabyTalks Series: Fostering Inclusive Play for All Infants and Toddlers In this BabyTalks webinar, attendees will learn how play varies across individuals, families, cultures, and communities. Join Beth Zack, PhD, and Marie Baeta, MA, from the National Center on Early Childhood Development, Teaching, and Learning to explore the importance of moving away from a “one size fits all” approach to play. Those that attend will discover ways to make play accessible, culturally relevant, and meaningful to all infants and toddlers. This webinar is offered with English and Spanish captioning. Key topics that will be discussed during this webinar include: Infant and toddler play through a lens of equity, inclusion, and cultural responsiveness. Strategies to create playful learning experiences that are accessible and meaningful to all infants and toddlers. This webinar benefits Head Start and child care program directors, managers, and administrators serving infants and toddlers, teachers, home visitors, and family child care providers, TTA providers, program office staff located in Regional offices and Washington, D.C., Head Start Collaboration offices. Register Certificates of completion are available for this webinar.
September 17, 2020 Recess Helps Students Reach Their Full Potential As we begin a very different school year, the Recess Advocacy Team continues to elevate play and provide support to educators and families. Recess is key to helping students reach their full potential within the classroom and beyond. Several studies show that recess increases children’s attention span and productivity in the classroom. New Resources from the Recess Advocacy Team Send a letter to your child’s teacher The Recess Advocacy Team updated their student letter asking teachers to remember the importance of play to reflect our current times. Instructions: (1) Download the letter (2) Enter information for the teacher, your child’s name, and your name in the editable boxes (3) Save the letter with your information (4) Send the electronically signed letter via email If your child is attending school in person, you can still download, print, and share a hard copy. Play and Physical Activity Resource Guide for Educators and Families The Recess Advocacy Team compiled a list of resources for educators and families to make sure play and physical activity are a part of childrens’ days and serve as a foundation for their learning, growth, and development. This list includes resources, activities, and considerations for ensuring play shows up in our daily lives—and ways that educators and families can incorporate play/physical activity into children’s learning. Families are encouraged to share this resource when sending the letter to the teacher. Learn More About the Recess Advocacy Team The Recess Advocacy Team is a group of organizations dedicated to health, wellness, education, and play with a focus on recess practices and policies in pre-k through sixth grade. You can learn more about the Recess Advocacy Team on the Playful Pittsburgh Collaborative website.