March 2015
AzAEYC Newsletter
Message from the AzAEYC President
Greetings Colleagues,
Did you know when you join your local affiliate that you become a member of both Arizona AEYC and NAEYC? I
joined the Valley of the Sun Association for the Education of Young Children (VSAEYC) when I was a student at
Phoenix College. I was instantly connected to a community of people who were also interested in young children.
My college instructors encouraged me to not only join NAEYC, but to become active in my local association.
What did my NAEYC do for me as a college student? I was happy to receive Young Children, which at that time
was printed in black and white. This was before the Internet! I looked forward to reading through the articles in
YC and finding information that I used in my preschool classroom and to support my college class assignments. I
learned from mentors through my engagement with VSAEYC.
Much has changed since I first joined VSAEYC and NAEYC. I'm now an early childhood professor preparing
teachers, but continue to be a lifelong learner. The Arizona AEYC was organized in 1986, and I'm now President
of the state association. Young Children is available electronically, and I can easily access archived issues.
Teaching Young Children is another publication for classroom teachers. NAEYC has just unveiled a new Strategic
Direction document and becoming even more strategic in expanding their services to deliver member services.
Blogs and tweets are just another way to communicate to members.
So what does AzAEYC and NAEYC offer students? Membership in NAEYC provides students an opportunity to
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Arizona Association for the Education of Young Children
belong to a professional network, leadership development, and service options. Throughout the state on college
campuses students are engaged in community activities that directly benefit children and families. For example,
students at Yavapai College in Prescott collect school supplies in May to help support summer programs for
children. Read the Yavapai College student chapter Spring Newsletter to learn more about what students are
engaged in and upcoming events.
If you are already a member of AzAEYC and NAEYC, thank you for being a voice for young children! Share your
NAEYC story with others and encourage others to get involved!
http://www.naeyc.org/affiliates/forms/students
Regards,
Martha Muñoz
AzAEYC President
NAEYC Membership Retention Campaign
Arizona AEYC
AzAEYC has been selected for participation in the NAEYC Affiliate Membership
Retention Campaign. AzAEYC (and collaborators: Yuma, Northern, Southern
AZ, and Valley of the Sun) will collaborate with NAEYC to develop and receive
customized technical assistance through January 2016. Stay tuned for more
details about this upcoming membership campaign!
LEARN MORE ABOUT AzAEYC AND NAEYC MEMBERSHIP
Free Early Childhood Student and Professional
Leadership and Networking Event
Learn about VSAEYC Membership!
Monday, March 30th, 2015, 4-6 PM
Tea, Refreshments, and Presentation ~ 4:00-4:30 p.m.
VSAEYC Member Panel Discussion and Networking ~ 4:30-6:00 p.m.
Northern Arizona University North Valley Campus
15451 N. 28th Ave.
Phoenix, AZ 85053
Are you interested in learning how to strengthen your knowledge, learn with early childhood experts,
and find relevant resources as a student and educational professional?
Please join Valley of the Sun Association for the Education of Young Children (VSAEYC) for tea and light
refreshments to learn more about National Association for the Education of Young Children (NAEYC) membership
for students and professionals and opportunities for local involvement. Information on upcoming professional
development and free educational publications will be available.
REGISTER TODAY!
Learn more about the event.
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Arizona Association for the Education of Young Children
Questions? Contact Veronica Brown Perrone, VSAEYC Vice President of Membership and Communication at
[email protected].
LEARN MORE ABOUT THIS VSAEYC MEMBERSHIP EVENT
Celebrating our Youngest Learners!
April 12 -18, 2015
NAEYC Week of the Young Child Toolkit and Resources
Need help planning your WOYC event?
These tools will help you! They include ideas on how early childhood programs
and other organizations can celebrate early learning and thank teachers. Adapt
these materials to announce your WOYC to families, your community, and the media.
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Week of the Young Child News Release
Social Media Guide
Proclamation by Mayor/Governor
Radio Public Service Announcement
For Families Flyer
Graphics
Activity resources are also available for each day of the Week of the Young Child:
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Music Monday! - April 13, 2015, Sing, dance, celebrate, and learn
Taco Tuesday - April 14, 2015, Healthy eating and fitness at home and school
Work Together Wednesday - April 15, 2015, Work together, build together, learn together
Artsy Thursday - April 16, 2015, Think, problem solve, create
Family Friday - April 17, 2015, Sharing family stories
LEARN MORE ABOUT THE WEEK OF THE YOUNG CHILD
SAzAEYC 29th Annual Awards Brunch
Save the Date!
Saturday, April 18th, 2015
8:30 - 11:00 AM
Hotel Congress
311 E. Congress Street
Tucson, AZ 85701
LEARN MORE ABOUT THE SAzAEYC 29th ANNUAL AWARDS BRUNCH
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Arizona Association for the Education of Young Children
VSAEYC Día del Corazón
Register Today!
Friday, April 17th, 2015
4:00 - 6:30 PM
Mesa Community College, LB 300
1833 W Southern Ave.
Mesa, AZ 85202
Learn more about the event and register today!
VSAEYC Becky Lyddon Memorial Scholarship
April 1st Deadline
This $500 scholarship was created to honor Becky's life-long dedication to professional development and the
field of early childhood education, and to recognize an individual currently working in early childhood who is
pursuing a Bachelor's or Master's degree in ECE. In addition, this individual demonstrates a commitment to the
community and dedication to work on behalf of young children and families. This scholarship will be awarded
at the 3rd annual "Día del Corazón" celebration on April 17th.
Apply Online Today!
LEARN MORE ABOUT THE VSAEYC BECKY LYDDON MEMORIAL SCHOLARSHIP
NAEYC Governing Board Election Results
The National Association for the Education of Young Children is pleased to
announce the results of the 2015 Governing Board Election. As NAEYC
strives to ensure that all children learn and thrive in a society dedicated to
guaranteeing they reach their full potential, we are deeply grateful to all of the candidates who were willing to
serve and to the members who participated in this election.
Please join NAEYC in welcoming the newest additions to the Governing Board:
President-Elect
Deborah J. Cassidy
Professor, Human Development and Family Studies, University of North Carolina at Greensboro
Serving one year as President-Elect, two years as President, and one year as Past President
beginning June 1.
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Arizona Association for the Education of Young Children
Board Member at Large
Iliana Alanis
Associate Professor, Early Childhood and Elementary Education, Department of Interdisciplinary
Learning and Teaching, College of Education and Human Development, University of Texas at
San Antonio
Board Member at Large
Vincent J. Costanza
Executive Director, Race to the Top-Early Learning Challenge, Trenton, New Jersey
Board Member at Large
Krista Murphy
Coordinator, Early Childhood Instructional Programs, Orange County Department of Education,
Costa Mesa, California
Board Members at Large serve a four-year term that begins on June 1.
LEARN MORE ABOUT THE 2015 NAEYC GOVERNING BOARD ELECTION
Family, School and Community Engagement
Resources
U.S. Departments of Education and Justice Release Joint
Guidance To Ensure English Learner Students Have Equal
Access To High-Quality Education
On Jan. 7, 2015 the U.S. Departments of Education (ED) and Justice (DOJ) released joint guidance reminding
states, school districts and schools of their obligations under federal law to ensure that English learner students
have equal access to a high-quality education and the opportunity to achieve their full academic potential. In
addition to the guidance, the Departments also released tools and resources to help schools in serving English
learner students and parents with limited English proficiency. Resources include:
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Fact sheets in English and in other languages about schools' obligations under federal law
to ensure that English learner students can participate meaningfully and equally in school.
to communicate information to limited English proficient parents in a language they can understand.
A toolkit to help school districts identify English learner students, prepared by ED's Office of English
Language Acquisition. This is the first in a series of toolkits to help state education agencies and school
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Arizona Association for the Education of Young Children
districts meet their obligations to English learner students.
For additional information from the Office of Civil Rights, click here. For additional resources including previous
guidance released on this topic, click here. For information about the Department of Justice efforts to provide
equal educational opportunities to all students, click here.
Understood.org
The Understood.org website is a comprehensive, free resource for parents of children struggling with reading,
math, writing, focus and/or organization. The site serves children who face academic and social challenges
despite being smart and capable. Created by 15 nonprofit organizations, Understood.org is a resource that
empowers families through personalized recommendations, free daily access to experts, practical tips and
comprehensive resources, and a safe community of support space.
LEARN MORE ABOUT FAMILY AND COMMUNITY ENGAGEMENT AT ED
The Office of Early Learning
News and Resources
Building High-Quality Systems: The ECTA Center Completes its New System Framework
After 18 months of development, the ELCTA Center have created a comprehensive tool-the
System Framework-designed to support states in building and sustaining high-quality early
intervention and preschool special education systems. Read more here.
Early Learning as a School Improvement Intervention
At the 2015 National Title I Conference , Jana Martella of CEELO, joined Libby Doggett, Lenay
Dunn, and Carlas McCauley in presenting Early Learning as a School Improvement Intervention,
an "overview as to how early learning strategies can improve achievement as a school
improvement intervention. Also, key research on the impact of high quality early learning
programs will be presented." The Policy Report on Integrating Early Learning Strategies in the
SIG program, a related resource, is available here.
Young immigrants and dual language learners: Participation in pre-K and Kindergarten
entry gaps
A new blog from Milagros Nores, Associate Director of Research for NIEER, highlights findings
from a recent CEELO webinar. Both discuss what it means to be Hispanic and a DLL (a dual
language learner) or Hispanic and come from a home with immigrant parents, and the impact of
each factor on Kindergarten readiness.
New Publication Released
The Cooney Center and members of the Aprendiendo Juntos Council (AJC) released three new
publications that take a closer look at the way Hispanic-Latino families engage with media. Read
more here.
Little Kids, Big Questions: A Parenting Podcast Series From ZERO TO THREE
ZERO TO THREE's podcast series Little Kids, Big Questions addresses some of the most common
(and challenging) issues facing parents of babies and toddlers, such as: helping a baby learn to
sleep through the night; dealing with a picky eater; and learning to set limits on children's
behavior. Read more here.
LEARN MORE ABOUT EARLY LEARNING AT ED
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Arizona Association for the Education of Young Children
Inspire Early Childhood Leadership Conference
With Dr. Lella Gandini
April 10 and 11, 2015
Pinnacle Presbyterian Preschool, 25150 North Pima Road, Scottsdale, AZ 85255
Dr. Lella Gandini is best known in North America as the leading advocate for the
Reggio Emilia approach to early childhood education. She is coauthor or coeditor of
such works as Insights and Inspirations from Reggio Emilia: Stories of Teachers
and Children from North America; The Hundred Languages of Children: The Reggio Emilia Approach to Early
Childhood Education; and Beautiful Stuff!: Learning with Found Materials. She holds a Doctorate in Education and
has taught at the University of Massachusetts, Lesley College and Smith College. Dr. Lella Gandini is the U.S.
Liaison for the Dissemination of the Reggio Emilia Approach on behalf of Reggio Children, Italy.
Also presenting are Dr. Gigi Yu, Eric Bucher with the Arizona Science Center and award-winning
author Conrad Storad. If you are looking for quality professional development, this conference is for you and
your staff.
Discounts:
NAEYC/VSAEYC members save 10%!
Students save 25% with valid student ID!
Register 4 teachers from your center, and the 5th teacher's registration is free!
Space is limited! REGISTER TODAY!
LEARN MORE ABOUT THE INSPIRE CONFERENCE
Tenth Annual Great Arizona Teach-In
April 25, 2015
9:00 AM - 3:00 PM
Renaissance Phoenix Glendale Hotel and Spa
9495 West Coyotes Boulevard
Glendale, Arizona 85305
This event is free to candidates and provides "one-stop" services, offering resources to
become an Arizona education professional. Over 100 districts and charter schools from
around the state will be at the Great Arizona Teach-In, searching for qualified personnel to serve Arizona
students. At this event, participants can:
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Interview for an education career;
Obtain onsite certification information, access fingerprinting services, and receive résumé reviewing assistance;
Learn about degree programs/certificates offered by Arizona colleges and universities; and
Network with education professionals from around the state.
REGISTER TODAY!
Learn more about the event.
If you have any questions, please check out www.teachinaz.com or contact Tracy Faulkner at
[email protected].
LEARN MORE ABOUT THE GREAT ARIZONA TEACH-IN
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Arizona Association for the Education of Young Children
AzAEYC Mission
AzAEYC advocates for and promotes the well being of all Arizona's young children and their
families by improving the quality of early care and education for every child and providing and
supporting high quality professional development opportunities and resources for early
childhood professionals.
LEARN MORE ABOUT AzAEYC
2015 AzAEYC Governing Board
Martha Muñoz
President
[email protected]
Dawn Craft
Past President
[email protected]
Linda Pauley
Treasurer
[email protected]
Lena Malofeeva
Vice President of Membership
and Communication
[email protected]
Michelle Saint Hilarie
Vice President of Policy
and Advocacy
[email protected]
Le Anne Lawhead
Vice President of Professional
Development
[email protected]
Shanna Kukla
Secretary
[email protected]
Julia Butler
Member-at-Large
[email protected]
Terry Doolan
Member-at-Large
[email protected]
Donna Cohn
SAzAEYC Affiliate Representative
[email protected]
Kimberly Flack
VSAEYC Affiliate Representative
[email protected]
Jonathon Adam H. Gonzales
Member-at-Large
[email protected]
Elizabeth Taylor
NAzAEYC Affiliate Representative
[email protected]
Ana Bribiesca
YAzAEYC Affiliate Representative
[email protected]
LEARN MORE ABOUT THE AzAEYC BOARD
A Special Thanks to Our Sponsors!
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Arizona Association for the Education of Young Children