|
Early Childhood Education |
 |
 |
|
Early Childhood Education is critical to the success of students and our public education system. The California Federation of Teachers (CFT) is working to organize early childhood educators and gain appropriate levels of support to enable our children to succeed. If you are an early childhood educator and you are interested in finding out more about how you and your co-workers can form a union, please contact Sandra Weese at
This e-mail address is being protected from spambots. You need JavaScript enabled to view it
or 510.523.5238, ext 14.
To hear more about our efforts please sign up to receive the CFT's free e-newsletter, Small Talk. This newsletter is dedicated to keeping front line early care and education professionals in touch with each other and efforts around California to support and improve early care and education.
_________________________________________________________________________________________________ |
|
|
Career Ladder Project - Survey Results |
|
|
|
Click here to download the pdf. document with Survey Results: |
|
Colorin Colorado has New Resource for Preschool |
|
|
|
New Resource for Preschool English Learners: Colorín Colorado has a new page on Resources for ELLs in Preschool. This section offers classroom resources to support preschool English language learners and includes classroom strategies, parent tip sheets, related research reports, bilingual PreK information, and online guides and tools.
The American Federation of Teachers (AFT) is proud of our contribution to the development of Colorín Colorado and continues to be a strong supporter of this free web-based service that provides information, activities and advice for educators and Spanish-speaking families of English language learners (ELLs).
Colorín Colorado is an educational initiative of WETA, the flagship public television and radio station in the nation's capital. Major funding comes from the American Federation of Teachers, with additional support from the National Institute for Literacy and the U.S. Department of Education, Office of Special Education Programs.
Colorín Colorado is the leading website for teachers and parents of English language learners! The website includes lots of articles, resources, and ideas to support ELLs at school and at home. Just click on the link below to get started: www.colorincolorado.org |
|
CFT co-sponsors Early Learning Advocacy Day |
|
|
|
 Early Learning Advocacy Day took place on June 15 in Sacramento, with more than 350 early learning supporters from across the state—including teachers and providers, parents, business leaders and others—coming to the state Capitol to advocate for high-quality early care and education programs. Participants met with more than 100 state legislators and staff members to share their stories about how high-quality early learning programs have benefited California’s children, families and communities.
In this time of unprecedented fiscal crisis, Early Learning Advocacy Day, hosted by the California Association for the Education of Young Children and Preschool California and co-sponsored by 60 organizations including the California Federation of Teachers (CFT), showcased the strength of our coalition of early care and education supporters. Advocates spoke with one  voice to tell legislators that in these tough economic times, high-quality early learning programs are a critical long-term investment for California.
Supporters heard from an impressive lineup of early learning speakers, including current State Superintendent of Public Instruction Jack O’Connell, Santa Clara County Superintendent Charles Weis, State Superintendent of Public Instruction candidate Larry Aceves and Donita Stromgren of the California Child Care Resource and Referral Network. Guest speakers Assemblymember Joan Buchanan, Assemblymember Julia Brownley and Senator Carol Liu reiterated the importance of California’s early care and education programs and asked advocates to remind their legislators that “our children are worth fighting for.”
Photo, top-right: CFT ECE Committee members Betty Robinson-Harris, Elaine Francisco and Elaine Merriweather at Early Learning Advocay Day 2010.
Photo, Bottom-left: Elaine Francisco and the San Mateo team visiting with Assemblymember Jerry Hill. |
|
AFT members help build playground for Seattle kids |
|
|
 Members of the American Federation of Teachers (AFT) joined more than 200 volunteers from the Amgen Foundation, the Tiny Tots Development Center (TTDC), KaBOOM! and residents of the local community on Saturday, June 5 to build a new, safe playground at the Tiny Tots Development Center in Seattle, Washington.
The new playground’s design was based on drawings created by children who participated in a Design Day event in March and it will provide nearly 500 children who attend TTDC with a safe place to play. Previously, the children who attend Tiny Tots Development Center had old, out-dated equipment to play on, which was removed to make way for the new playground.
The playground is one of seven being built by KaBOOM! and the Amgen Foundation across the U.S. and Puerto Rico this year, and one of more than 150 that KaBOOM! will lead across the country in 2010 in an effort to provide a great place to play within walking distance of every child in America.
California Federation of Teachers Early Childhood Education Committee member Betty Robinson-Harris traveled to Washington to help erect the playground at Tiny Tots. She reported that she had an amazing experience and was very proud that the AFT had supported this very worthy effort. |
|
|
|
|
