A Recipe for Self-Care
We are off and running! A new school year is upon us, and early childhood educators have been busy getting their classrooms ready for...
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Smart Beginnings
- Aug 15
Caring for the Ones that Care for Our Children: Enhancing Your Child Care Staff Morale
My days as an early childhood director were memorable ones. It provided me opportunities to not only support high-quality learning...
Smart Beginnings
- Jul 31
Child care is limited and expensive in Hampton Roads — and it’s not getting easier
(this article originally appeared in the Daily Press on March 29, 2023) Fruits and vegetables, electricity, gasoline, milk, eggs —...
Smart Beginnings
- Jun 9
My Sankofa Experiences, Part 3
My Sankofa experiences were invaluable to me, for they guided me toward more self-acceptance during my Kenya East Africa visit, and...
Smart Beginnings
- May 24
My Sankofa Experiences, Part 2
Last month I shared what I called a “Sankofa” experience that helped me to find out more about myself. Sankofa is a word from West Africa...
Smart Beginnings
- May 24
My Sankofa Experiences
This is part one of a three-part blog that relates to the importance of culture. We need to “Sankofa”!…go forward but go back. Sankofa...
Smart Beginnings
- May 24
The Superpower of Empathy – A Gift to the World
My weekend shopping ritual began as I walked through the sliding doors of my local Walmart. The usual took place – a Walmart greeter...
Smart Beginnings
- May 24
The Sense of Belonging – A Powerful Connection
I can still remember my third year as a preschool teacher when I received a card in the mail from a mother whose son was in my classroom...
Smart Beginnings
- May 24
Trauma Resources
In this time of horrific loss for children, families, teachers, and communities, we offer the following resources and support. These...
Smart Beginnings
- May 24
How Can Kids Learn Self-Care?
In recent years, we’ve established the value of self-care and how it leads to an overall better quality of life. According to accumulated...
Smart Beginnings
- May 24
Time Out: Term Versus Process - What Are We Really Concerned With? Part 2
Imagine a preschool classroom filled with energetic three- to five-year-old children happily playing in four to five learning centers. A...
Smart Beginnings
- May 24
Time Out – Term Versus Process: What Are We Really Concerned With? Part 1
I can still remember in the late 1980s sternly telling a preschooler in my classroom - “If you don’t stop by the time I count to three,...
Smart Beginnings
- May 24
What Congresswoman Barbara Lee Can Teach Children About Positive Black Self Image: Part 2
Congresswoman Barbara Lee is the highest-ranking African American woman in the U.S. Congress today. Lee represents the 13th district in...
Smart Beginnings
- May 24
What Congresswoman Barbara Lee Can Teach Children About Positive Black Self Image: Part 1
One way to achieve educational equity (the elimination of the predictability of student outcomes based on race, gender, zip code,...
Smart Beginnings
- May 24
Child Care Centers Face Wage Crisis, Staff Shortage
The next time you pass a McDonald’s or Wendy’s, keep the following in mind: Many workers at these restaurants are likely earning more...
Smart Beginnings
- May 24
Every child. Every neighborhood. Ready.
We have a bold vision and everything we do brings us one step closer to achieving it. As we look back on 2021, we wanted to highlight the...
Smart Beginnings
- May 24
A Gender-Balanced Approach to Our Early Childhood Workforce – Part Two
The early childhood education profession has historically been a female-dominated field. Over the years, I have had the pleasure of...
Smart Beginnings
- May 24
Hampton Roads Show - Interview 9/21/21
Looking to the future: What ‘good’ came out of the struggle There is no question that children, parents and educators faced many...
Smart Beginnings
- May 24
A Gender Balanced Approach to Our Early Childhood Workforce – Part One
There is a buzz word in our early childhood community that is getting lots of attention these days. Yes, you know it, the big “D” word -...
Smart Beginnings
- May 24
Hampton Roads Show - Interview
The new school year is right around the corner for students in Hampton Roads. Executive Director, Diane Umstead, joined The Hampton Roads...
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