A model early childhood program for children 18 months to 12 years old, LCCC’s Children’s Learning Center’s mission is to provide care for LCCC and University Partnership students enrolled in semester courses or completing educational business on campus, LCCC faculty and staff and then the community. But what really makes this center stand out is the quality of care it provides and that the center’s teachers have, at a minimum, an associate degree in early childhood education or related field.
“We have very little turnover, so we have staff that have been here for over 30 years and that are very dedicated to providing a safe, secure learning environment for all of our children,” says Katie Noles, administrative teacher, program and operations at the center.
Here are three great tools to use to engage with young learners and get them to talk about their feelings, put names to their emotions and learn skills for self-regulation, all of which are key focuses at the center:
Strictly No Elephants, a book by Lisa Mantchev, a great read aloud title for parents and kids to share and discuss.
Fill a Bucket: A Guide to Daily Happiness for Young Children, by Carol McCloud and Katherine Martin, to teach them how to experience the joy of giving and receiving.
Regularly talk with your child about how they are feeling, using feeling charts, and have them expand on why they feel a certain way. Those are a jumping off point to discuss different feelings and emotions.
