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Welcome to your fall 2025 edition of the Birth-to-Three Quality Initiative Newsletter! We hope to bring you information and inspiration for your work with North Carolina’s youngest learners.
Fall seems to be the time for me to reflect and consider what is next or where I am going; whether it be in life, my career or in my work advocating for NC’s babies, toddlers, teachers, families and the workforces that support those groups. I have found myself pondering how to provide support for the classroom workforce when it seems that at every turn, there are roadblocks. When I look at the team that we have so carefully put together to be in the classroom providing tips, listening to your needs and stories, I see a group that is not only passionate but so very knowledgeable and experienced in finding the WHY and HOW to care for babies and toddlers. The B-3QI team brings stories of teachers who are also passionate, caring, knowledgeable and working so hard to be there for babies and their families. THANK YOU to the classroom teachers, floaters, directors AND the birth-to-three specialists that are doing the oh so hard work of providing education, safety and caring for our youngest!
I hope that you find some tips, tricks and reminders in the content of this revamped newsletter. We are listening to you and have added some content that you can use right NOW, as well as made a commitment to create content that rotates through so the newsletter is not as long.
One thing that we are doing is sending you an email with the Professional Development content dates and descriptions, separate from the newsletter. We hope this communication does not overwhelm your email but gives you a concise reference and place to find the content that you need.
Remember to take time to play in the leaves!
-Ginger, NC B-3QI Project Manager
You can find additional information by clicking on the blue buttons and green links throughout our newsletter or by visiting our website.
| | These activities are designed to be developmentally appropriate and easy to add to your lesson plan. They include NCFELD alignments and tons of fun for your young ones. | | |
Transformational Learning: What Does It Mean for You?
By Dr. Robin Warfield, Birth-to-Three Coaching Manager
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Transformational learning is the process of acquiring new perspectives and skills that change the way you view and interact with the world around you, which includes your relationships with peers, your colleagues, your family and yourself. This particular type of knowledge is born out of self-reflection: thinking about the experiences you have had and the insights you can take from them. As birth-to-three specialists, our team members want to support this type of learning through the Practice-Based Coaching (PBC) and Transformational Coaching (Hine, 2019) frameworks.
Our birth-to-three specialists regularly engage in their own reflection, using particular prompts and templates to maximize the benefits of the exercise. To provide a taste of what this might look like for you, we offer an activity below meant to bring about a deeper understanding of self, the beliefs you carry and where they came from and how those beliefs affect your thoughts and feelings, your behaviors, and ultimately, the circumstances you encounter. Try the following when you have about 10 to 15 minutes of quiet time to yourself, perhaps during a lunch break or at night before you go to bed.
My Frame of Reference
(Taken from Transformational Coaching for Early Childhood Educators, 2019.)
Instructions:
- Write anything that is part of your own frame of reference–what influences how you view the world. Write your filters, values, past experiences, culture, gender, ethnicity and so on in a few paragraphs. Do not worry about writing in complete sentences.
- Once you have thought about the beliefs you have and share with your family and members of your community, reflect on how those beliefs are apparent in your interactions with children, families and coworkers.
- What do you appreciate about those beliefs? Which beliefs might you want to change, ones that do not feel like they fit with what is important to you?
Want to know more? Transformational Coaching for Early Childhood Educators is a reflective guidebook with the goal of helping early childhood professionals attain sustainable, ongoing habits of self-reflection, critical thinking, problem-solving and lifelong learning to facilitate transformational, lasting change. This book can be used by supervisors working with staff or peer-to-peer in a group or self-coaching capacity.
Reference
Hine, Constant. (2019). Transformational Coaching for Early Childhood Educators. Redleaf Press.
| | By Kimberly Peele, Region 3 Birth-to-Three Specialist | | |
Take your classroom display to the next level! You can increase the quality of display in your classroom by:
- Having many colorful pictures, posters and photographs.
- Change seasonal displays regularly.
- As a teacher, point out and talk to the children about the materials that are displayed on the walls.
- Add photographs of the children and their families, pets or other familiar faces, and place them at eye level for the children to see.
- Add 2 mobiles or other 3-dimensional objects to the classroom for the children to see.
- Extend your talk about the displayed materials to the children.
Reference
Harms, T., Cryer, D., Clifford, R. M., & Yazejian, N. (2017). Infant/Toddler Environment Rating Scale: Third edition. pg23. Teachers College Press.
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Monitoring, But When Will I Find the Time?
By Amanda Bea, Former Region 6 Birth-to-Three Specialist
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The day is so busy! How do I fit monitoring into our already jam-packed schedule? Being familiar with milestones for your age group is the first step. We know that all children grow on their own timeline, and being familiar with milestones will help you better understand where each child is developmentally to be able to support them in their learning journey inside your class.
Here are some tips to make monitoring go more smoothly and feel less intimidating.
Tips and tricks for monitoring:
- Pick a milestone or two to monitor weekly.
- Use a checklist to add the date, milestone and child’s name to save time and to help keep track of progress quickly throughout the day.
- Sticky notes: write down a quick note about what you see or hear to jog your memory when you are organizing their portfolio.
- Take a quick video during free play to observe later during planning/ naptime to notice things you may not have been able to see during the chaos of free play.
Your families are an important factor when monitoring children. Get your families involved by having them download the Milestones Tracker app. Families can use this app as a resource to stay informed about their child's development and take early steps if they notice any concerns.
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The Importance of Connection
By Demeka Bryant, Region 2 Birth-to-Three Specialist
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Being a center director can sometimes feel like you're alone in this BIG early childhood world. It is important to have connections with other early childhood directors. Connecting with other directors can help alleviate some stress, brainstorm new practices and feel better supported. Below are some suggestions that will help you connect and build relationships with other center directors:
- Setting up a lunch date with another director to chat.
- Sharing ideas.
- Discussing enrollment tracking, billing, parent communication and attendance.
- Comparing lesson plans, assessments and payroll practices.
- Talking about emergency preparation planning.
- Sharing examples of financial planning and business budget strategies.
- Discussing different ideas for coaching, problem-solving and working with staff.
- Having conversations surrounding strategies for getting families involved.
- Signing up to be a part of online training opportunities and meetings that are created specifically for childcare administrators.
Remember, these are just some helpful suggestions to help you get started by connecting with other center directors. Brainstorm together as you build relationships!
| | Shared by Karen Mintz, Region 6 Birth-to-Three Specialist | | |
Self-Awareness: A Self-Care Practice
By Priscilla Hayes, Region 6 Birth-to-Three Specialist
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Being able to recognize and understand your thoughts, emotions and behaviors is what allows us to be self-aware. The more deeply you know yourself, the more effectively you can handle both personal and professional relationships. Cultivating self-awareness requires honest and curious reflection.
The authors of Culturally Responsive Self-Care Practices for Early Educators (Nicholson, et al., 2020) believe your understanding of “knowing what frustrates you or triggers you” helps build our self-awareness. The Resilient Oakland Communities & Kids (ROCK)’s Trauma-Responsive Classroom Toolkit includes a tool to help you identify triggers or stressors. Here is the link to the website: https://www.oaklandsmartandstrong.org/rock-toolkit.html. Completing this process will help you understand which behaviors trigger a stronger emotional response from you and why.
We encourage you to develop strategies to care for yourself during these triggering moments. Resources for Resilience, an organization in Asheville, has provided us with video examples of how we can reset after triggering or stressful moments. We have provided you with the links:
With modifications, you may be able to lead your children through some of these reset tools.
References
Nicholson, J., Driscoll, P.S., Kurtz, J., Márquez, D., & Wesley, L. (2020). Culturally responsive self-care practices for early educators. Routledge.
Resources for Resilience. (2022, May 23). Rapid reset tools: Sing & hum and tap side-to-side [Video]. YouTube. https://www.youtube.com/watch?v=HHJXPvHAEtM&list=PL3aeVvdusaIarMIqycZWvY7WcmbnrG6Lm&index=6.
Resources for Resilience. (2022, January 19). Rapid reset tools: Take a sip & ground [Video]. YouTube. https://www.youtube.com/watch?v=SeSSnDkp8RI&list=PL3aeVvdusaIarMIqycZWvY7WcmbnrG6Lm&index=8.
Resources for Resilience. (2022, May 23). Rapid reset tools: Take a walk & orient [Video]. YouTube. https://www.youtube.com/watch?v=s0SOY_iBgf0&list=PL3aeVvdusaIarMIqycZWvY7WcmbnrG6Lm&index=5.
Rock Toolkit. Oakland Starting Smart and Strong. (n.d.). https://www.oaklandsmartandstrong.org/rock-toolkit.html.
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Read Early and Read Often with Young Children!
By ShaKaren Dade, Region 7 Birth-to-Three Specialist
We are about to enter a new season: fall! You may be wondering what stories you can read about fall. Well, you don’t have to wonder anymore. I have a few books to share with you that are all about fall. You will go on many adventures with some of our friends as they explore all things fall. You will go on a leaf hunt, watch a squirrel protect his leaves and so much more. So, get ready for some reading fun! Happy reading!
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Goodbye Summer, Hello Autumn
A story about a girl who goes out in nature, saying “hello” to all animals and nature, who say “hello” back to her, and she learns what they do during autumn.
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We’re Going on a Leaf Hunt
A version of the bear hunt, but with a fall twist. Three children go up a mountain, through the forest and across a lake to find colorful leaves.
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The Leaf Thief
A cute story of a squirrel who thinks someone is out to steal his leaves. He doesn’t realize that autumn is coming and that nature itself is changing.
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The Biggest Pumpkin Ever
A story of two mice who fall in love with the same pumpkin. However, both of the mice want to use the pumpkin for different reasons. One mouse wants to enter it in a contest while the other wants to turn it into a jack-o’-lantern.
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What Should Art Look Like in My Toddler Classroom?
By Joy Davidson, Region 1 Birth-to-Three Specialist
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According to NC FELD, art supports development primarily within the Cognitive Development domain, under the Creative Expression subdomain. "One key goal from the North Carolina Early Learning Progressions states: Children demonstrate self‑expression and creativity in a variety of forms and contexts, including… visual arts…"
That means art activities for toddlers should:
- Enable open-ended visual expression, not teacher-directed products like the kinds you may find often on Pinterest or other platforms. These may look cute and be crafty, but if the teacher is doing most of the work then it does not reflect children’s expression or development!
- Encourage children to explore materials and express creativity in their own ways, like providing paper, crayons, markers, and other items that children can use as they choose them.
The concept and benefit of process art—where the focus is on the creating rather than how the final product looks—is widely recognized as the most developmentally appropriate for early childhood. Key benefits include:
- Fostering fine motor skills, problem-solving, language development, and social-emotional growth as children interact with peers and materials.
- Supporting self-confidence, creative thinking, and intrinsic motivation when children lead their artistic exploration.
For example, allowing toddlers to freely explore paint, clay, or collage materials invites curiosity and supports expressive language—as seen when a child shapes with play dough and builds vocabulary through pride in sharing their creation. For more information, check out these brief articles that provide ideas and rationale for process art with our youngest:
| | Please share this newsletter with your colleagues and friends! | | | | Early Years leads efforts to strengthen accessible and affordable high-quality early care and education by providing support for families, communities and the workforce. | | | | |
