Elevating Early Childhood

It’s no secret that early childhood teachers everywhere have seen changes in their students’ behavior since the pandemic began.

And because of that, teaching young children is now more challenging than it ever was. 

Kids are bouncing off the walls and full of energy… sometimes, a little bit too much energy if I’m being honest.

However, this doesn’t have to be a perpetual issue in your classroom.

I’m here, and I'm about to share an easy way to help reduce your preschool behavioral woes.

Yes friends, today, I’ll be sharing with you one simple solution to help improve behavior in your classroom by creating a calming and soothing environment your students can thrive in.

All right, are you ready?

Let’s dive in!

Key Takeaways:

Are you experiencing behavioral issues in the classroom? (00:00)

Early childhood facts you need to know (06:57)

Let’s talk… COLORS! (08:25)

What about lights? (11:36)

Natural elements (12:52)

Some objections you might hear (17:06)

Additional Resources:

- Visit our website to find tons of pre-K teaching resources here.

- Get my book “Teach Smarter: Literacy Strategies for Early Childhood Teachers”.

- Learn more about my exclusive mentorship program, “Teaching Trailblazers”.

- Get the Boho Bundle here.

- Get cool blue fluorescent light diffusers here.

Elevating Early Childhood is an early education podcast dedicated to helping Pre-K, Preschool, and Kindergarten teachers teach better, save time, and live more.

If you enjoy the podcast, please follow, rate, and leave a review on your favorite podcast platform.

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Onward & Upward!

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Disclaimer:

Pre-K Pages is a participant in the Amazon Services LLC Associates Program, an affiliate advertising program. The word “affiliate” means that we may earn a small commission if/when you click on or make purchases via these links at no additional cost to you.

As a policy, the Company will only affiliate with products, services, consultants or experts that we believe will provide value to our customers and followers.

You recognize that it remains your personal responsibility to investigate whether any affiliate offers are right for you and will benefit you. You will not rely on any recommendation, reference, or information provided by the Company but will instead conduct your own investigation and will rely upon your investigation to decide whether to purchase the affiliate product or service.

Teaching Trailblazers

Teach Smarter: Literacy Strategies for Early Childhood Teachers 

As I’ve discussed in the last episode of Elevating Early Childhood, learning how to write your name as a preschooler takes a lot of work and dedication from both the teachers and the students.

Continuing on with the theme, today, I’ll be discussing whether you should be teaching your pre-k students to write their names in capital letters or lowercase letters.

This episode is also for those of you who are wondering why some kids can write their names beautifully while others cry at the thought of having to do so.

All right, are you ready?

Tune in now!

Key Takeaways:

Teaching children to write their name (00:00)

Some facts for you (02:52)

Here’s what you can do (09:55)

Answering your most burning questions (12:14)

Additional Resources:

- Visit our website to find tons of pre-K teaching resources here.

- Get my book “Teach Smarter: Literacy Strategies for Early Childhood Teachers”.

- Learn more about my exclusive mentorship program, “Teaching Trailblazers”.

- Watch episode 57 here.

- Get golf pencils here.

- Get triangular pencils here.

- Get triangular crayons here.

- Get thin pipsqueak markers here.

- Get your name activities bundle here.

Elevating Early Childhood is an early education podcast dedicated to helping Pre-K, Preschool, and Kindergarten teachers teach better, save time, and live more.

If you enjoy the podcast, please follow, rate, and leave a review on your favorite podcast platform.

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Onward & Upward!

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Disclaimer:

Pre-K Pages is a participant in the Amazon Services LLC Associates Program, an affiliate advertising program. The word “affiliate” means that we may earn a small commission if/when you click on or make purchases via these links at no additional cost to you.

As a policy, the Company will only affiliate with products, services, consultants or experts that we believe will provide value to our customers and followers.

You recognize that it remains your personal responsibility to investigate whether any affiliate offers are right for you and will benefit you. You will not rely on any recommendation, reference, or information provided by the Company but will instead conduct your own investigation and will rely upon your investigation to decide whether to purchase the affiliate product or service.

Teaching Trailblazers

Teach Smarter: Literacy Strategies for Early Childhood Teachers 

Writing your name as a preschooler is no easy feat.

It takes work, dedication, and the right writing activities from you, their preschool teacher. 

This is why, today, I’ll be sharing some super fun (and super easy) name writing activities you can do with your preschool students.

But before we start, let’s address the elephant in the room, shall we?

Writing is one of those developmental milestones that’s individual to each child, and that means that not every child will benefit from the same activities.

This is especially true for younger children (3 years old and younger), who may not be ready to learn how to write their name until they’re older.

However, for 4 to 5 year olds, the activities in today’s episode are perfect.

All right, are you ready to learn more?

Tune in now!

Key Takeaways:

Name writing activities (00:00)

The elephant in the room (01:51)

Who’s ready to learn writing? (04:12)

What you’ll need (05:45)

Writing practice (22:06)

Problems you might encounter (27:29)

Additional Resources:

- Visit our website to find tons of pre-K teaching resources here.

- Get my book “Teach Smarter: Literacy Strategies for Early Childhood Teachers”.

- Learn more about my exclusive mentorship program, “Teaching Trailblazers”.

- Get your pre-k name bundle here.

- Check out name activities for preschool here.

- Check out our literacy archive here.

Elevating Early Childhood is an early education podcast dedicated to helping Pre-K, Preschool, and Kindergarten teachers teach better, save time, and live more.

If you enjoy the podcast, please follow, rate, and leave a review on your favorite podcast platform.

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Onward & Upward!

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Disclaimer:

Pre-K Pages is a participant in the Amazon Services LLC Associates Program, an affiliate advertising program. The word “affiliate” means that we may earn a small commission if/when you click on or make purchases via these links at no additional cost to you.

As a policy, the Company will only affiliate with products, services, consultants or experts that we believe will provide value to our customers and followers.

You recognize that it remains your personal responsibility to investigate whether any affiliate offers are right for you and will benefit you. You will not rely on any recommendation, reference, or information provided by the Company but will instead conduct your own investigation and will rely upon your investigation to decide whether to purchase the affiliate product or service.

Teaching Trailblazers

Teach Smarter: Literacy Strategies for Early Childhood Teachers 

Hello everyone, and welcome back to a brand new episode of Elevating Early Childhood!

It’s been a while, so I hope you’re as excited as I am about catching up.

In this week’s episode, I’ll be talking about something every early childhood classroom -in my opinion- should have: A writing center.

Writing centers are a great way to teach young children how to use their imagination. Plus, they're also the perfect getaway to teaching them language and how it works

I always get asked questions about how to set up writing centers and what kind of materials are needed etc..

Writing centers can be pretty tricky, so it’s completely understandable if some of you feel overwhelmed.

Lucky for you, I’m here to help.

Today, I’ll be sharing with you everything you need to set up a successful and super fun writing center in your classroom.

Ready to learn more?

Tune in now!

Key Takeaways:

Writing center tips and tricks (00:00)

Space can make or break your writing center (03:51)

You need the right materials (08:57)

What to start the year with (23:31)

The benefits of a writing center (24:26)

Additional Resources:

- Visit our website to find tons of pre-K teaching resources here.

- Get my book “Teach Smarter: Literacy Strategies for Early Childhood Teachers”.

- Learn more about my exclusive mentorship program, “Teaching Trailblazers”.

- Learn more about preschool writing centers here.

- Check out our F*R*E*E* Center Essentials Guide here.

- Get editable center signs here.

- More about writing center materials here.

- More about classroom labels here.

- Get your name card bundle here.

- Get our F*R*E*E*  Printable Letter Squares here.

Elevating Early Childhood is an early education podcast dedicated to helping Pre-K, Preschool, and Kindergarten teachers teach better, save time, and live more.

If you enjoy the podcast, please follow, rate, and leave a review on your favorite podcast platform.

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Onward & Upward!

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Disclaimer:

Pre-K Pages is a participant in the Amazon Services LLC Associates Program, an affiliate advertising program. The word “affiliate” means that we may earn a small commission if/when you click on or make purchases via these links at no additional cost to you.

As a policy, the Company will only affiliate with products, services, consultants or experts that we believe will provide value to our customers and followers.

You recognize that it remains your personal responsibility to investigate whether any affiliate offers are right for you and will benefit you. You will not rely on any recommendation, reference, or information provided by the Company but will instead conduct your own investigation and will rely upon your investigation to decide whether to purchase the affiliate product or service.

Teaching Trailblazers

Teach Smarter: Literacy Strategies for Early Childhood Teachers 

Every single year, I get so many questions about the first days of school.

And so, I thought, why not have an episode about it? After all, that first day of school is a pretty big deal, not just for the students, but also for professional educators like you.

That is why I’ve created a free printable lesson plan to go along with the episode! I’ll also explain how to use it, so make sure you watch the whole thing!

But, did you know? It's not just the first day of school that's crucial, it's actually the first ten days, and you should be focusing on them as much as you can.

Why is that?

Simply because those first ten days of school will set you and your students up for a successful year. And who doesn't want that?

So, how do you make sure they go as smoothly as possible?

Join me now to discover the answer to that question (and a few tips you can use to help yourself and your students transition smoothly into the school year).

Let's dive in!

Key Takeaways:

Focusing on the first ten days of school is important (00:00)

First, let's start with a quick story (00:56)

Tip #1: Always go for quality over quantity (03:38)

Tip #2: Less is more (04:27)

Tip #3: No product art in the first ten days (06:28)

Tip #4: Ignore the teacher next door (08:02)

Tip #5: Troubleshooting (10:26)

Why the first ten days of school are sacred (12:53)

Check out my free First 10 Days of School Lessons Plans (17:20)

Use engaging, fun books in those first ten days (19:54)

Additional Resources:

- Visit our website to find tons of pre-K teaching resources here.

- Get my book “Teach Smarter: Literacy Strategies for Early Childhood Teachers”.

- Learn more about my membership program “Teaching Trailblazers”.

- Get our free First 10 Day of School Lesson Plan here.

- Get your 2021 Soar to Success Summit pass here.

Elevating Early Childhood is an early education podcast dedicated to helping Pre-K, Preschool, and Kindergarten teachers teach better, save time, and live more.

If you enjoy the podcast, please follow, rate, and leave a review on your favorite podcast platform.

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Onward & Upward!

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Disclaimer:

Pre-K Pages is a participant in the Amazon Services LLC Associates Program, an affiliate advertising program. The word “affiliate” means that we may earn a small commission if/when you click on or make purchases via these links at no additional cost to you.

As a policy, the Company will only affiliate with products, services, consultants or experts that we believe will provide value to our customers and followers.

You recognize that it remains your personal responsibility to investigate whether any affiliate offers are right for you and will benefit you. You will not rely on any recommendation, reference, or information provided by the Company but will instead conduct your own investigation and will rely upon your investigation to decide whether to purchase the affiliate product or service.

Teaching Trailblazers

Teach Smarter: Literacy Strategies for Early Childhood Teachers 

What is the Science of Reading? And what should preschool teachers know about it?

In this week's episode of Elevating Early Childhood, I answer these two questions and more. 

But I won't be doing this alone! 

Yes friends, this is an interview episode! And in it, I will be discussing this hot topic with the lovely Allison McDonald.

Allison is the creator and founder of the early childhood website No Time for Flash Cards. She's also an author, a mom, and a rockstar early childhood educator!

Today, she and I will be discussing all things Science of Reading and what early childhood professionals need to know.

Are you ready?

Let's dive in!

Key Takeaways:

Discussing the Science of Reading (00:00)

Meet Allison (00:42)

Shifting the Balance: 6 Ways to Bring the Science of Reading into the Balanced Literacy Classroom (05:28)

The importance of oral language development (07:00)

Why you should be more intentional (11:19)

The importance of building background knowledge (14:46)

Moderate planning is okay (19:20)

Phonological awareness and phonemic awareness are key (20:47)

The four factors of future reading success (25:12)

Additional Resources:

- Visit our website to find tons of pre-K teaching resources here.

- Get my book “Teach Smarter: Literacy Strategies for Early Childhood Teachers”.

- Learn more about my exclusive mentorship program, “Teaching Trailblazers”.

- Check out Allison’s latest book, Everyday Preschool.

Elevating Early Childhood is an early education podcast dedicated to helping Pre-K, Preschool, and Kindergarten teachers teach better, save time, and live more.

If you enjoy the podcast, please follow, rate, and leave a review on your favorite podcast platform.

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Onward & Upward!

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Disclaimer:

Pre-K Pages is a participant in the Amazon Services LLC Associates Program, an affiliate advertising program. The word “affiliate” means that we may earn a small commission if/when you click on or make purchases via these links at no additional cost to you.

As a policy, the Company will only affiliate with products, services, consultants or experts that we believe will provide value to our customers and followers.

You recognize that it remains your personal responsibility to investigate whether any affiliate offers are right for you and will benefit you. You will not rely on any recommendation, reference, or information provided by the Company but will instead conduct your own investigation and will rely upon your investigation to decide whether to purchase the affiliate product or service.

Teaching Trailblazers

Teach Smarter: Literacy Strategies for Early Childhood Teachers 

The one thing teachers don't have a lot of besides money is time. There's never enough time in the day to finish everything that needs to be done!

That's why in this episode, I'll be sharing my 10 favorite classroom must-haves; items that have saved me time or made my teacher life easier.

Some of these things I've used for a very long time and I couldn't live without in my classroom, while others may be new to you. 

My purpose isn't to get you to buy a bunch of things. Instead, I'm sharing my perspective about things that I like and have found helpful in the classroom.

That way, you won't have to waste your time and money on stuff you don't need. 

This is going to be a fun episode, so stick around!

Key Takeaways:

#1 - Personal laminator (02:38)

#2 - Spring-loaded scissors (07:49)

#3 - One-touch stapler (10:20)

#4 - HP Instant Ink wireless printer (13:20)

#5 - Nut and bolt drawer organizer (18:58)

#6 - Paper cutter (23:42)

#7 - Creative Station Xyron machine (23:50)

#8 - Sticky pockets (29:29)

#9 - Clear tubs (32:32)

#10 - Iris rainbow cases (35:16)

Additional Resources:

- Visit our website to find tons of pre-K teaching resources here.

- Get my book "Teach Smarter: Literacy Strategies for Early Childhood Teachers".

- Learn more about my exclusive mentorship program, "Teaching Trailblazers".

Links to the supplies mentioned in this episode:

- Scotch Laminator: https://amzn.to/3m2tGxA

- Scotch Laminating Pouches: https://amzn.to/2ZdJ6X8

- Fiskars Adult Spring-Loaded Scissors: https://amzn.to/3B8tzEZ

- One Touch Stapler: https://amzn.to/3Gbw0dW

- HP Printer: https://amzn.to/3GdUbsa

- Xyron Creative Station (9 inch): https://amzn.to/3nkZM7i

- Rainbow Photo Keeper: https://amzn.to/3GcX2kZ

- Sensory Bin Storage Boxes: https://amzn.to/3vE3bSj

- Clear Label Pockets: https://amzn.to/3m7C7rN

- Sit Spots: https://amzn.to/2ZbeaXo

- Wireless doorbell: https://amzn.to/3CaETlp

- Electric whistle: https://amzn.to/2ZcqCpO

Elevating Early Childhood is an early education podcast dedicated to helping Pre-K, Preschool, and Kindergarten teachers teach better, save time, and live more.

If you enjoy the podcast, please follow, rate, and leave a review on your favorite podcast platform.

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Onward & Upward!

--

Disclaimer:

Pre-K Pages is a participant in the Amazon Services LLC Associates Program, an affiliate advertising program. The word "affiliate" means that we may earn a small commission if/when you click on or make purchases via these links at no additional cost to you.

As a policy, the Company will only affiliate with products, services, consultants or experts that we believe will provide value to our customers and followers.

You recognize that it remains your personal responsibility to investigate whether any affiliate offers are right for you and will benefit you. You will not rely on any recommendation, reference, or information provided by the Company but will instead conduct your own investigation and will rely upon your investigation to decide whether to purchase the affiliate product or service.

Teaching Trailblazers

Teach Smarter: Literacy Strategies for Early Childhood Teachers 

Time young children spend in learning centers is precious for their development. And yet, it’s one of those strictly school-related activities, which is why we must do our very best to set them up for success.

Creating a successful learning center requires lots of strategic planning and effort. There are many questions you need to answer first, including…

How many centers should you create? 

How long should the center time be? 

What are the centers going to be about? 

How will your students know which centers to go to?

I know, right?! Makes your head spin! And that’s just barely scratching the surface.

Luckily, in over 20 years of teaching, along with 11 years in mentoring early childhood educators, I’ve gained plenty of experience with learning centers, as well as methods for improving and fine-tuning learning centers. 

For this episode of Elevating Early Childhood, I’m going to share my top 5 methods, along with some additional tips to help tie everything together.

Alrighty, Changemakers! Let’s get to it!

Key Takeaways:

How to create learning centers that set kids up for real success (00:00)

Questions you NEED to answer before creating a great learning center (01:39)

Do THIS if you’re having challenges with learning centers (02:35)

My top methods for fine-tuning your learning center time and make it run smoothly (06:29)

Method 1: Applying labels so kids could recognize and organize them easier (7:24)

Method 2: Creating a picture schedule for clarity on the order of their daily activities (8:48)

Method 3: Making visual routines explaining how each learning center works (10:36)

Method 4: Adding a visual planning component to your center time (11:54)

Method 5: Implementing a cleanup routine at the end of center time (15:20)

Real results from someone who implemented these learning center methods (16:48)

Additional Resources:

- Visit our website to find tons of pre-K teaching resources here.

- Get my book “Teach Smarter: Literacy Strategies for Early Childhood Teachers”.

- Learn more about my exclusive mentorship program, “Teaching Trailblazers”.

- Get my FREE guide on how to create successful learning centers here.

- Get our Teacher Success Bundle here.

Elevating Early Childhood is an early education podcast dedicated to helping Pre-K, Preschool, and Kindergarten teachers teach better, save time, and live more.

If you enjoy the podcast, please follow, rate, and leave a review on your favorite podcast platform.

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Onward & Upward!

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Disclaimer:

Pre-K Pages is a participant in the Amazon Services LLC Associates Program, an affiliate advertising program. The word “affiliate” means that we may earn a small commission if/when you click on or make purchases via these links at no additional cost to you.

As a policy, the Company will only affiliate with products, services, consultants or experts that we believe will provide value to our customers and followers.

You recognize that it remains your personal responsibility to investigate whether any affiliate offers are right for you and will benefit you. You will not rely on any recommendation, reference, or information provided by the Company but will instead conduct your own investigation and will rely upon your investigation to decide whether to purchase the affiliate product or service.

Teaching Trailblazers

Teach Smarter: Literacy Strategies for Early Childhood Teachers 

Have you ever entered your email address to download a freebie...and then been disappointed by what you got? I know I have plenty of times! 

When you’re trying to find new ideas for your classroom, freebies can be very helpful. But it can also go in another direction—one where you catch yourself thinking...

“Huh? That’s it? I could’ve Googled that!”

So when I create freebies and bundles, I’m particularly mindful of trying to provide the very best resources and in plentiful fashion. 

And for quite some time, I’ve been making a list of my favorite alphabet activities and games—things I’ve picked up along the way that I found precious and effective but were too small to give away individually.

Recently, I’ve finally collected enough to finish my bundle, and today I want to tell you all about it!

We have a bunch of games to break down—car games, board games, magnetic letters... You name it! 

And for each and every one, I’ve created printables that I’m going to share with you for FREE at the end of this episode.

There’s a lot for us to explore, so let’s get going!

Key Takeaways:

THIS is why you need fun alphabet learning activities in your classroom (00:00)

How I created this super freebie with printable alphabet games and activities (01:11)

Alphabet Learning Game 1: Alphabet Fishing (02:32)

Alphabet Learning Game 2: Alphabet Board Game (11:13)

Alphabet Learning Game 3: Alphabet Roads (15:42)

Alphabet Learning Game 4: Alphabet Sensory Cards (18:11)

Alphabet Learning Game 5: Chicka Chicka Boom Boom Magnet Tree (21:26)

Alphabet Learning Game 6: Parking Lot (23:53)

Alphabet Learning Game 7: Puppy Chow Letters (27:14)

Alphabet Learning Game 8: Wikki Stix Alphabet (29:10)

How to download my free alphabet games and activities printables bundle for free (31:15)

Additional Resources:

- Visit our website to find tons of pre-K teaching resources here.

- Get my book “Teach Smarter: Literacy Strategies for Early Childhood Teachers”.

- Learn more about my membership program “Teaching Trailblazers”.

- Get my freebie bundle by entering our Podcast Launch Giveaway.

Elevating Early Childhood is an early education podcast dedicated to helping Pre-K, Preschool, and Kindergarten teachers teach better, save time, and live more.

If you enjoy the podcast, please follow, rate, and leave a review on your favorite podcast platform.

--

Onward & Upward!

--

Disclaimer:

Pre-K Pages is a participant in the Amazon Services LLC Associates Program, an affiliate advertising program. The word “affiliate” means that we may earn a small commission if/when you click on or make purchases via these links at no additional cost to you.

As a policy, the Company will only affiliate with products, services, consultants or experts that we believe will provide value to our customers and followers.

You recognize that it remains your personal responsibility to investigate whether any affiliate offers are right for you and will benefit you. You will not rely on any recommendation, reference, or information provided by the Company but will instead conduct your own investigation and will rely upon your investigation to decide whether to purchase the affiliate product or service.

Teaching Trailblazers

Teach Smarter: Literacy Strategies for Early Childhood Teachers 

One of the biggest challenges teachers face with teaching the alphabet is getting the letters to stick.

You spend weeks teaching, following your curriculum, doing everything by the book. Everything seems to be going great. The kiddos are getting it! And then...

Poof! They forget all of it! As if you’ve never even mentioned it before! Has this ever happened to you? Because it’s happened to me plenty of times.

When I was a young student teacher, I had an opportunity to shadow a kindergarten teacher following the Letter of the Week curriculum. Remember—this was a long time ago, so back then, it was considered a perfectly suitable way of teaching children the alphabet.

And after just several weeks of working there, it became clear just how ineffective this method was. The kids struggled to retain what they’ve learned, and some didn’t know any letters whatsoever!

Luckily, these days we know better!

Children do NOT learn the alphabet linearly, from A to Z. It is a global process that requires a lot more than rigid schedules, worksheets, and a funny letter P-themed costume.

So in this episode, I will share an excellent method for teaching children the alphabet, which is fun, effective, and backed by research.

Let’s dive in!

Key Takeaways:

Why the letters of the alphabet CAN’T be taught in 26 days (or even weeks)? (00:00)

The biggest challenge teachers face when teaching young children the alphabet (00:41)

How I learned firsthand that the Letter of the Week curriculum is highly ineffective (02:19)

Why teachers need to teach smarter and not harder? (04:42)

How do young children learn to identify letters? (06:18)

How to teach letters of the alphabet in a way that’s, fun, effective, and backed by research (08:20)

Additional Resources:

- Visit our website to find tons of pre-K teaching resources here.

- Get my book “Teach Smarter: Literacy Strategies for Early Childhood Teachers”.

- Learn more about my exclusive mentorship program, “Teaching Trailblazers”.

- Get my FREE guide on how to teach letters of the alphabet to young children here.

Elevating Early Childhood is an early education podcast dedicated to helping Pre-K, Preschool, and Kindergarten teachers teach better, save time, and live more.

If you enjoy the podcast, please follow, rate, and leave a review on your favorite podcast platform.

--

Onward & Upward!

--

Disclaimer:

Pre-K Pages is a participant in the Amazon Services LLC Associates Program, an affiliate advertising program. The word “affiliate” means that we may earn a small commission if/when you click on or make purchases via these links at no additional cost to you.

As a policy, the Company will only affiliate with products, services, consultants or experts that we believe will provide value to our customers and followers.

You recognize that it remains your personal responsibility to investigate whether any affiliate offers are right for you and will benefit you. You will not rely on any recommendation, reference, or information provided by the Company but will instead conduct your own investigation and will rely upon your investigation to decide whether to purchase the affiliate product or service.

Teaching Trailblazers

Teach Smarter: Literacy Strategies for Early Childhood Teachers