We are in a season of transition, and I’m not talking about transitions from breakfast to free play, from dancing to caregiving routines… No. That’s not the kind of transition I’m talking about today.

July and August mark a period of transition in our school calendar. Let’s use July as an opportunity to refresh our programs: rearrange our learning environments, reflect on our checkpoint observations, and consider how we can make our spaces more welcoming, intentional, and supportive of children’s development.

Let’s exchange materials, dust off our books, and rethink what is truly best for our infants and toddlers.

In August, we will begin our professional development topics for the year. Our central theme will be Free Movement. This topic will guide all of our Professional Learning (PL) Days throughout the school year.

We will also explore other important topics. For example, in October we will welcome FCCERS specialists who will share how this tool can be used effectively to strengthen the quality of our programs. We will also complete our annual Infectious Diseases training, along with several other valuable professional development opportunities.

But most importantly, what can you expect?

We are going to think deeply about movement, specifically, the movement of children from birth to three years of age.

Spoiler alert: You’ll want to wear comfortable clothes to our PL Days!

Together, we’ll explore gross motor development and movement, and the role they play in children’s emotional, social, cognitive, and physical development. We’ll reflect on what it means for us, as caregivers and educators, to understand movement and intentionally support it.

We’ll even begin with a fundamental question:

What do we really mean by movement?

This year, we will move ourselves to think differently about movement so that we can better support children’s development at their own unique pace.

That’s what you can expect… and we’re just getting started.