Old Firehouse School Chat

Until recently, it was assumed that young children can't really be empathetic and understand the perspectives of others. OFS directors Alexandra Dutton and Lizz Nolasco discuss the recent research that demonstrates that children can develop empathy as young as a year old. They share some strategies help adults teach empathy to young children. In order to live in a democratic society and be part of a community that considers the needs of others, we have to help children grow to understand their emotions and how those emotions impact others.

Book referenced: Handbook of Moral Development

Edited By Melanie Killen, Judith G. Smetana

Alexandra is joined by Pam Remensperger (OFS TK teacher) and Dr. Daniel Meier, SFSU professor, to talk about literacy development in children. We know that reading to children leads to later reading success, but how? What can educators and parents do to support their child's literacy skills? When should a parent expect their child to learn how to write? All this and more will be discussed in this educational and insightful podcast!

Daniel mentioned the podcast, Sold a Story: https://features.apmreports.org/sold-a-story/ that discuss some of the problems with how America handles reading education.

OFS Directors Alexandra Dutton and Lizz Nolasco talk with author and educator Mike Huber about inclusion in preschool. It's becoming increasingly common to see children of diverse abilities in mainstreamed settings. What does inclusion look like in preschools? What are the benefits of classrooms designed for children with a diverse range of abilities? Mike answers all of these questions and helps us understand that inclusion is wonderful for every child.

Find more of Mike's work: Inclusion Includes Us on Facebook, his book:

Inclusion Includes Us book and his podcast, Teaching with the Body in Mind

Language develops in young children at such a wide range, how is a parent to know when something is a concern? Dorothy and Alex are joined by Seven Bridges Speech Pathologists Shannon Kong and Jordan Weck to discuss language milestones for children 0-5, and when to seek additional support.

Learn more about Seven Bridges Therapy: https://www.sevenbridgestherapy.com/

American Speech and Hearing Association: www.asha.org

We invited Dr. Monica Gandhi back to share her expertise on the illnesses we are seeing in all of our preschools. Recorded on Nov. 1, 2022, Dr. Gandhi talks about RSV, vaccinations, long Covid in children, and how to protect our children and families in the holiday season. Her extensive knowledge on Covid and public health allows us to look ahead to plan for illnesses this winter.

Some articles mentioned by Dr. Gandhi:

https://www.thelancet.com/journals/laninf/article/PIIS1473-3099(22)00544-8/fulltext

https://jamanetwork.com/journals/jama/article-abstract/2796961#:~:text=Postacute%20sequelae%20of%20SARS%2DCoV%2D2%20infection%20(PASC),that%20included%20659%20286%20children.

Dorothy talks with Chelsea Bryson (OFS Assistant Director) and Madison Montoya (OFS Preschool Teacher) about how children are doing 2 1/2 years into this pandemic. They share their insights about children's mental health, current research into children's development, and how to help children move forward.

Follow Madison on TikTok and Instagram @theteachmadison

OFS Program Directors Alex and Lizz are joined by strength-based coach and educator Emma Tempest to discuss how strength-based teaching/parenting can change your perspectives. We all have a negativity bias that highlights things that we don't like or that go wrong, but what if we instead looked for strengths in ourselves, and in our children? Her ideas help us to see how teaching and parenting can be more joyful for us and for our children.

Find your strengths: https://viacharacter.org/account/register

Learn more about Emma's work: https://makeyourownrainbows.com/meet-emma/

With Covid vaccines finally being approved for children under the age of 5, we have a lot of questions! Alexandra Dutton (OFS Lafayette) is joined by Lizz Nolasco (OFS San Rafael) to talk to Dr. Yasuko Fukuda. Dr. Fukuda is a pediatrician in San Francisco who is the current chair of the California AAP, and has been on the board of the California Immunization Coalition. She will answer questions about the new vaccines and help us understand how Covid has affected young children's health.

Want to get your child vaccinated for Covid? Check out https://covid19.ca.gov/vaccines/ to learn more!

Ever wonder how children learn language? What about children learning more than one language? Alexandra Dutton, OFS Lafayette Program Director, is joined by OFS San Rafael Program Director Lizz Nolasco and Elodie Resurrection from Ecole Bilingue to discuss the way dual language learners acquire language. They put to rest some of the myths about learning multiple languages as young children, and share ways to support language development at home.

What do you do when you're frustrated and can't complete a task? How do you model resilience and perseverance to your children? Michele Bailey, MA Ed. joins OFS Program Director Alexandra Dutton, MA Ed. to discuss Growth Mindset. Growth Mindset is an idea coined by Dr. Carol Dweck about helping children see the value in their potential and their efforts, rather than only in their results. It's a game changer for both children and adults.

The books discussed were:

Rosie Revere, Engineer by Andrea Beaty

Ish by Peter H. Ray

Fantastic, Elastic Brain by JoAnn Deak

After the Fall by Dan Santat

The Girl Who Never Makes Mistakes by Mark Pett and Gary Rubinstein

Beautiful Oops by Barney Saltzberg