As a parent of a baby, toddler or preschooler have you ever asked "When should I start teaching my child? Is it too early?" No matter the age of your child between 0 and 6 years old, you have already started. Would you like to know how to support your child's learning? With fun and play?
Parents really are the first teachers and learning starts before children are even born. Your little ones have learned to talk, walk, explore, and communicate with your help. It may feel like they would do this anyway and that it is a natural process but your guidance has influenced their learning.
Barbara Allisen, also known as Mrs. A, is a kindergarten teacher, with years of experience in the classroom, and has witnessed the impact that parents have. She wants to support you as you help your child learn with ideas, tips, and suggestions for learning and play.
Mrs. A. says that "Gazillions of brain connections form in the early childhood years and parents can encourage even more. Early learning is crucial to both children's mind and mindset." To support your child to be a powerful learner you don't need to turn your house into a preschool, but your home can be a place for all kinds of fun and play that will encourage learning and development.
This year many children will start a new adventure called kindergarten. And many parents and caregivers are asking,"Is my children ready for kindergarten?" "What does my child need to know before kindergarten?" and other questions. At the other end of the teeter-totter is "Isn't this the school's job, to be ready for kids?"
Children need connections to nature, and what better time than summer vacation? All over the world, communities are looking at solutions for getting families outdoors to boost this awareness and to encourage interaction with the natural world and environment around us. 
Summer time, and the kids .... need something to do. In case you are asking, "What could a teacher know about keeping kids busy in the summer?", we get lots of practice figuring out answers because we ask the busy question several times a day, 5 days a week for 9 or 10 months, and for a couple of dozen kids at a time. In kindergarten, sometimes I felt like I was the only student and instead there was a room full of 5 year old teachers, all teaching me about ways to PLAY. (I mustn’t have been a very fast learner because I seem to have been there for quite a few years. Somehow, tho, the kids always stayed five years old.)
Education for all children begins within a child's family. Between one-third to one-half of children will spend time in a step-family situation. The changing family dynamics can create challenging issues for children. Not only are there new rules and expectations for children to learn, there are past ways of coping that children need to unlearn. 
