Fun activities, aligned with the PA Early Learning Standards, to help your child have a successful Kindergarten year. 
Congratulations to you and your recent graduate. The Kindergarten year is complete!

What should you and your child do now?
  1. Keep learning throughout the summer. Visit your local library for new books and activities that will keep alive her love of learning. Try some activities listed below!
  2. Stay active. Summer is the perfect time to help your child engage in fun activities, like swimming, biking, tree climbing and just playing!
  3. Share your child's Kindergarten experience with PA's Promise for Children! What made this year of Kindergarten special for your child? What were his favorite moments? Send them to Mary at marhal@pakeys.org.

Because your child has graduated from Kindergarten, this will be the last edition of the Kindergarten, Here I Am news you will receive. If you are an early learning professional who has subscribed to this enews, you will still receive it.

If you have another child entering Kindergarten, you can click here to sign up again! If you have questions, please email Mary at marhal@pakeys.org.
We Are Learning in May
Try these activities, then read a book about it. Click here to print this list.

We are learning Science Thinking and Technology
Do it!
Make a list of your favorite animals. Play Animal Charades with your family. Take turns choosing an animal, acting out the animal's movement, and see who can guess what animal is being demonstrated. Add animal sound and music to the activity. Use the internet or a book to find and practice the sign for the names, sounds, and movements of the animals in the game. 
Read it!
Two Bad Ants by Chris Van Allsburg. This Moose Belongs to Me by Oliver Jeffers.

We are learning Social Emotional Development
Do it!
With your child, plant flower or vegetable seeds in a soil filled cup or the garden. Talk about what living things need to grow (minerals, food, air, water, sun). Remember to water and tend to your plant. Watch it grow and change. Allow your child to touch and feel the dirt, water and seeds throughout the process. For families who are learning a language, create labels and signs in both languages. Describe the changes you see with rich language and descriptive words. Create a visual story of the plants growth or the planting process.
Read it!
The Enormous Potato by Aubrey Davis. Muncha! Muncha! Muncha! by Candace Fleming.  

We are learning Scientific Thinking and Technology
Do it!
Cut open some fruits and vegetables and look for seeds. Talk about why fruits and vegetables are part of a healthy diet. Provide an opportunity to smell, taste, and feel the fruit. Talk about the different foods your child can and cannot eat and why. Use pictures and words to label where the food can be kept in the home. 
Read it!
Tops & Bottoms by Janet Stevens. If You Hold a Seed by Elly MacKay.   

We are learning Language and Literacy
Do it!
Ask your child to think about animals that travel on land, in water, or on land and water. Draw a picture of land and water and have your child draw a picture of the animals according to where they travel. Talk about why they live in that habitat. Provide pictures or toys animals for the children to handle and play with. Talk about where they live and why.
Read it!
Fish Eyes: A Book You Can Count On by Lois Ehlert. On The Farm by David Elliott.
The Importance of Independent Play

Sasha, 18 months old, stacks blocks on top of each other, then knocks them down, only to build them again.
 
Rachel, two and half years old, takes books off the shelf, looking through pages and sharing the story with her stuffed animals.
 
Jamie, four years old, hooks play trains together and runs them along imaginary paths.
 
What do all of these have in common? They’re all examples of independent play!
 
Research has shown the importance of play. Play can enhance brain structure and function and promote executive function (the process of learning). While interaction with adults and other children during play builds important cognitive, language, and self-regulation skills, independent play also has benefits. When a child plays alone, it can foster imagination and creative play, build persistence and problem-solving skills, and teach patience and resilience. Find out how you can help your child develop independent play skills.
Opportunities for Families

Pennsylvania's Community Inclusion for All shares a highlight of upcoming virtual learning events and opportunities for families. Check out these resources!
 
In this interactive training institute, participants will learn how to apply lessons learned from ground-breaking research designed to change the way we talk about family engagement and its importance. These framing strategies will help shift the conversation from family engagement being “nice to have” to being a “must have.” This Training Institute includes three sessions. Registrants must commit to attending all three sessions.
Session 1: Tuesday, May 11, 2021, 10:00 - 11:30 am ET
Session 2: Tuesday, May 18, 2021, 3:00 - 4:30 pm ET
Session 3: Tuesday, May 25, 2021, 10:00 - 11:30 am ET
 
May 21 Deadline: Family Scholarships are Available for the DEC Conference. The Division for Early Childhood will be offering a limited number of Family Scholarships in the amount of $500 to support families to attend the conference to take place Sept. 21-25 in New Orleans. These scholarships can be used to pay for costs related to travel and hotel accommodations. Families, please consider applying! We would love to hear your voice at the conference. Apply for a Family Scholarship here. Please submit an application for the scholarship by May 21, 2021. Awardees will be notified by June 11, 2021.
 
August 2-5: 2021 National Autism Conference, offered as a virtual opportunity as part of the efforts to maintain public health and safety in the face of the coronavirus outbreak. Anyone may watch free of charge.
Love Your Teacher?
Share Your Story!

Help celebrate Teacher Appreciation Week, May 3-7, 2021!
 
Teachers play an important role in shaping the lives of Pennsylvania's youngest learners. They work with families, children and partners to ensure that each child has opportunities to learn and grow.
 
Are you a parent or family member whose child loves their teacher? Share:
  • Your child's favorite teacher's name and early learning program or school
  • Why he or she is your child's favorite teacher-why is this teacher special?
  • A picture of your child and their favorite teacher!
 
Email your story to Mary at marhal@pakeys.org. Your story may be highlighted on PA's Promise for Children website and Facebook page during Teacher Appreciation Week! Although Teacher's Appreciation Week runs May 3-7, we will continue to publish stories as they're received. 
You're Invited to Join A Free Treasury Webinar

The PA Treasury is offering free webinars for parents, employees, grandparents, etc. on its savings programs. The next one is upcoming on May 18 and Treasury has shared information to make sure that all families and those who work in the child care and education fields can also attend. Please share the information below on Treasury’s upcoming May 18 webinar!

Keystone Scholars provides Pennsylvania babies with a $100 investment that can help jump start families` savings for future higher education.

The Bright Future Booster provides an additional one-time $50 deposit to Keystone Scholars babies whose parent(s) are WIC participants and who give birth between January 1 and June 30, 2021.

The PA Savings Pledge offers Pennsylvania residents incentives to save for a child aged 0-18. Take the pledge to save and you`ll be entered in monthly drawings with more than $5,000 in prizes up for grabs.

The PA 529 College and Career Savings Program helps thousands of Pennsylvania families save for a child`s future education while providing great tax benefits. PA 529 plans may be used at most colleges and universities, many technical, career and vocational schools and even for K-12 tuition.

Click here to register to join a free Treasury webinar on Tuesday, May 18, 2021, 12:00 PM - 1:00 PM to learn about how to participate and benefit from these programs.
National Children's Mental Health Awareness Day
Often when we think of children's health, we think of things related to physical health, such as colds and flu, asthma, or broken bones. But children are much more than their physical bodies, and children's health encompasses more than physical health. 
 
The well-being of the whole child includes a healthy mental and emotional state as well. Just as children suffer from physical illnesses and injuries, they can also suffer from emotional and mental disorders. Your child's health can also affect how well she learns!
 
National Children's Mental Health Awareness Day on May 7, 2021, is a day for everyone to learn about and promote positive youth development, resilience, recovery, and the transformation of mental health services delivery for children and youth their families.
 
Click here to learn why positive mental health is essential to a child's healthy development from birth. There's also information on how a parent's mental health can affect their child.
 
Pennsylvania CHIP offers care for children by providing benefits to cover behavioral health care. Visit www.chipcoverspakids.com for more information on the mental health services covered by PA CHIP and how to apply.


The  Our Kids....To Infinity & Beyond! on Facebook is for family members who have, and professionals who work with children who are Deaf or Hard of Hearing. The focus is on advocacy, self-advocacy, self-determination. This is a safe place to ask questions, get advice, or share stories!
 
Join more than 1,000 families connecting and engaging through the Our Kids....To Infinity & Beyond! Facebook Group. 
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The Office of Child Development and Early Learning (OCDEL) provides families access to high quality services to prepare children for school and life success. 
  
Find more information about Quality Early Learning in Pennsylvania