Message from Deputy Chancellor Dr. Kara H. Ahmed

Dear Early Childhood Education Community,

I have had the privilege of visiting several schools and programs during the first two weeks of this school year! The energy and excitement felt among adults, and children alike, have been beyond inspiring. Equally inspiring have been the many examples of The Creative Curriculum being implemented, including those below, with our leaders creating a rich and responsive environment to drive children’s engagement and learning from the onset:  

Literacy and Math Development Several classrooms, like those at Our Kids Place Country Day, in Queens, led by Director Merlyn Peters and Education Director Leslie Peters, had defined interest areas with shelves and containers labeled with pictures and words fostering children’s literacy development - as well as their mathematical, cognitive, and self-help skills - starting on their very first day of school! In District 23, led by Superintendent Dr. Khalek Kirkland, the Brooklyn Landmark Elementary School displayed children’s names throughout the interest areas of the classroom. Principal Joyce Beckles-Knights has ensured young children are provided with multiple opportunities to see text that is personal and interesting to them, like their own name, which is a primary support for letter and letter-sound recognition for our youngest learners. At District 5’s P.S.154 Harriet Tubman and District 3’s P.S.84, led by Principals Elizabeth Jarrett and Dr. Evelyn J. Lolis respectively, systems were in place, through the use of written numbers and pictures, for children to independently decide which interest area they wanted to play in and to draw on their counting skills to determine if there was enough space for them to join in the immediate. Thank you to District 5 Superintendent Sean Davenport and District 3 Superintendent Kamar Samuels for their leadership across these school communities! 

Study Facilitation In District 22, led by Superintendent Julia Bove, a teacher at P.S. 889 guided children through the large group experience of touring each interest area, as outlined within the first few days of the Beginning of the School Year study. Helping children understand the environment around them, and the materials they can access in each interest area, is a significant experience for young children at the start of the school year to support their ongoing learning. What made this experience especially engaging for children was the teacher’s personal approach, facilitating with incredible enthusiasm and joy which was felt by all in the room! Thank you to Principal Lucy Militello for her leadership of the teachers in her school community to ensure the individual strengths and interests of every child inform all learning experiences!  

Establishing Routines Led by Superintendent Dr. Crystal Bonds, children attending the District 29 Pre-K Center at Jamaica Avenue had access to a daily schedule, displayed at their eye level, empowering them to understand what comes next during their school day. Establishing predictable and consistent routines for children at the beginning of the school year is critical in supporting children’s ability to navigate the classroom and accomplish daily experiences independently. In addition, at arrival time, children participated in a daily attendance routine of moving their name and picture from “at home” to “at school,” followed by a large group discussion counting the

children at school and at home, talking about the letters in the children’s name, and helping children learn the names of their friends. Thank you to Principal Melody Davis for developing daily routines for young children while integrating key literacy and math concepts and skills into each experience and building classroom community!  

Thank you to all the school and program leaders for not only ensuring a seamless and successful school launch, but for providing intentional and consistent learning opportunities for all children from the very start! Watch the video below to see more examples of children’s learning and extraordinary leaders from my visits to schools and programs during these past two weeks! 

Here is to a wonderful week three of the school year! 

Thank you for your leadership, always. Enjoy today and enjoy the work.   

In Partnership, 

Kara H. Ahmed, Ed.D.

Deputy Chancellor, Early Childhood Education