Giving to others has always been important to Fireflies Lead Teacher Joann Schock . When she first started teaching, she recalls speaking with then Executive Director Marni Sweet about ways to the have children involved in helping their community. For years, Joann's Fireflies have had regular...
December 2013 As a friend of the Parent-Infant Center, you already know that PIC’s high quality early care and education programs have been ahead of the curve for the past 35 years. This past summer and fall, I watched children gather cucumbers and tomatoes from our expanded garden (and later eat...
Conversation Starters As parents it is natural to want to know as much as possible about your child’s day at school. But sometimes it can feel like pulling teeth to get a couple of words about your child’s day! Getting children to talk about school is often harder than simply asking “how was your...
Children Need Nature: The real value of PIC's Magic Circle Outdoor Classroom A few years ago, I attended my very first workshop on nature playgrounds. While I have always loved taking children on trips to nature centers and to local parks with lots of greenery, I had never thought about the concept...
Encouraging Young Engineers I’ve been thinking and writing a lot about STEM (Science, Technology, Engineering and Math) education as part of the Early Childhood Education degree that I am pursuing at Temple University. In particular, I’ve been addressing the underrepresentation of women and ethnic...
Never Too Young to Read Lately, the infants in the Caterpillar Room have shown great interest in reading books and looking at pictures. The older children in the classroom can go over to the book corner and get a book of their choice. They will sit and turn the pages and make different sounds like...
This week, PIC children enjoyed sharing classroom activities with very special guests! There was plenty of imaginative play, reading, sensory exploration, art projects, conversation, dress up, and a whole lot of love! Thank you to all our grandparents and grandfriends who came out to discover PIC.
Composting at PIC is not really a new thing. PIC's Roadrunner preschool classroom and After School Center have been worm composting since 2001! But more recently, the entire Center has gotten involved and the amount of organic materials we collect has increased. During the week, all of our...
While a teacher at PIC from 1993-98, Lisa Hoke's son Alexander attended PIC's After School Center. Lisa's daughter Becca began in the Early Learning program and then attended After School. As an alumni parent, Lisa returned to PIC to serve on the PIC Board of Directors from 2008-13. This year she...
The following article written by PIC After School Teacher Carolanne Mitchell appeared recently in the Fall 2013 Pennsylvania School-Age Child Care Alliance newsletter. Blogging with 8-11 year olds Blogging with kids is a great way to get them writing and to teach 21st century skills. I started...
