
Early Education News & Nuggets
Find out more information about your area from your Senior Coordinator:
May 2022
Rich soil, seeds, small hand shovel, water, and gloves. What comes to mind with these supplies? Perhaps a prop box for a classroom center? Or, perhaps, supplies for an outdoor classroom? Recently I used these supplies for planting a vegetable garden and am excited for the bounty of cucumbers, peppers, carrots, tomatoes, and squash that I can share with family and friends. Preparing this garden had me thinking about the planting of seeds in the hearts and minds of children and the harvest of souls for Jesus. As early educators we have the blessing of preparing the soil, planting seeds of Truth and Love and nurturing those seeds toward a beautiful relationship between each child and their Heavenly Father. In order to nurture and water those seeds of Truth for our children, staff or families, we must ensure we are replenished. Intentional time cultivating our hearts by spending devoted time with our Creator will supply us with what we need to cultivate the gardens of Truth and Love for others. We encourage you to connect with us or another community that will encourage you, challenge you, and pray for you. We have many upcoming opportunities for you and would love to connect with you!
Cultivating Resilience - A Designed to Flourish event
Save the date and prepare for a full day of professional development designed specifically for Christian early educators. The keynote and breakout presenters will bring relevant teaching practices from a biblical worldview to support educators in their continued growth and development for the roles in which they serve.
- August 2, 2022 The Hope Center, Plano, TX
- October 1, 2022 BIOLA University, La Mirada, CA
- October 15, 2022 Lancaster Bible College, Lancaster, PA
- February 4 or 25, 2023 Virtual Conferences
EE Leader Connect
Dr. Cindy Barnum, Eastern Division – second Tuesday of every month, 9:30 AM EST
Kim Brucker, Central Division – second Wednesday of every month, 12:00 NOON CST
Dr. Suzie Mohler, Western Division – second Thursday of every month, 9:00 AM PST or 4:00 PM PST
Join your divisional EE Coordinator each month as we network on our Early Education Leader Connect. It is always a wonderful time to connect with other early education leaders, be encouraged through devotions and prayer, and have conversations about a relevant topic. If the time does not work for you, the sessions are recorded and are available in the EE Leader Connect Community.
ACSI Leadership Networks: Early Education Leader Peer Support
4th Wednesday each month at 2:00 p.m. or 5:00 p.m. (ET)
Join Dr. Penn for leader support networks in the Leader Café on the fourth Wednesday of each month. These meetings will provide early education leaders the opportunity to informally share ideas, challenges, and engage in building biblical community. Dr. Penn will deliver timely information to support transformational leadership, resources aligned with key ACSI initiatives and ensure you receive consistent information about what is important to you such as recruiting and retaining students and staff, increasing revenue streams, navigating the changing CDC recommendations and more. We will also review best practices in implementing each of the Flourishing School Culture domains with industry experts. Join the Early Education Leaders Network for access to recordings and additional resources.
Early Educator Peer Support Network
3rd Monday of each month at 7:00 p.m. (ET)
Would you like to expand your knowledge and enhance your teaching practices with young learners? Engage with peers in a professional learning community where you will be equipped with ideas to biblically integrate, problem solve, lesson plan, and learn about trends in early childhood education to enhance your teaching skills. Mark your calendar and join Dr. Althea Penn and early education peers for the April, May, and June sessions. Join the Early Education Network for access to recordings and additional resources. ACSI members can earn 1 clock hour CEU for engaging with each live session.
- May 16 - Nurturing Learning Environments and Curriculum
- June 20 - Cultivating & Measuring Growth Through Observation, Screening, Assessment and Documentation
Let’s flourish together,
The EE Team
Jeannie, Althea, Suzie, Kim, Cindy, and Rachel