“im•pact     n     the strong effect that something or somebody has”

The two pictures below reminded me recently of the incredibly broad impact of the Children's School in the lives of children beyond the walls of our own building.  These children are participants in the “Ndirande Handicapped Club”, a community center program for children whose handicapping conditions prevent them from attending the public schools in Malawi.  Children's School playdough (see October's newsletter for the recipe) has become a favorite activity in the 18 months since we sent the recipe and key ingredients with a teenager who conducted a Girl Scout project in Ndirande (Malawi) during a year abroad. One can easily imagine similar impact of the food our families recently donated or the school kits we collected in September.

We have an even more substantial impact by actively participating in our own professional development and that of other educators.  For the fall semester, we have trained two masters level student teachers from the University of Pittsburgh, four undergraduate psychology interns, one associates degree student from the Community College of Allegheny County, and 2 high school interns from Allderdice.  During November we co-hosted a leadership conference, during which 11 educators from the City Colleges of Chicago toured our center and 65 educators from the western PA region participated in discussion groups led by our staff.  This weekend, we will participate in the annual conference of the Pittsburgh Association for the Education of Young Children (PAEYC).  Mrs. Bird and Miss Hancock will share our approach to structuring our environment and routines so that we have as much time and energy as possible to devote to deepening our children's learning experiences.  Mrs. Simpson and Mrs. Rosenblum will discuss the many ways we partner with parents to enhance our program's effectiveness.  I'll be talking with administrators and other leaders about how to stay focused in an often-chaotic environment so that we can best accomplish that which we value most.  In all of these ways, we are equipping our Children's School collegues to improve the programs they offer to young children and their families, with the expectation that these enhancements will continue to grow over the years.

Thank you for the direct positive impact you have on our school community to help us best influence all of our children's development. We also appreciate the ways that you support our staff members as they impact the early childhood field. Together we are giving a gift that multiplies by making a lasting difference in many educator's and their children's lives.