I recently asked our CLASS Community to nominate a family child care provider they thought deserved to be in the spotlight. I asked for stories of teachers whose high-quality classroom interactions are making a difference in the lives of the children they cared for. We had so many lovely stories and nominations, but our winner was Vicki Schumm from Fargo, ND. Vicki is the owner, teacher, and everything else at Vicki's Childcare, her family child care program she has run from her home since 2010.

Childhood traumatic stress occurs when violent or dangerous events overwhelm a child’s or adolescent’s ability to cope. The signs of traumatic stress are different in each child and young children often react differently than older children. As children and teachers return to classrooms, many of them may be communicating their traumatic experiences while at home through their behavior. To better understand what that could look like, we reached out to Jimmy Venza, P.h.D. and Amber Ricks, Psy.D. of The Lourie Center for Children’s Social and Emotional Wellness. 

My kids have been home since March 14th. Sure, not technically home the whole time, we’ve taken many walks and explored just about every park our area has to offer. But they haven’t been to a store, or a friend’s house, or school. 

What does high-quality early learning look like during the Coronavirus Crisis? And how can we as educators, researchers, childcare providers, and family members, provide it? Lisa Guernsey, director of the Teaching, Learning, and Tech program and senior advisor to the Early and Elementary Education Policy program at New America, presented on this topic at our 2020 InterAct Now: Virtual CLASS Summit. Below are a few of the ideas she shared. You can also watch the entire recording provided at the bottom.

When schools abruptly closed due to Covid-19, teachers everywhere were given a new challenge—supporting students from home. This Teacher Appreciation Week, we at Teachstone want to celebrate the teachers impacting families and say thank you to teachers everywhere.

Here are a few thoughts from some of our team on the impact teachers are having on their families' lives.

As the Community Manager with Teachstone, I have been able to talk to many observers, trainers, coaches, and general CLASS lovers. I have found a common thread among these groups: a desire to connect with other CLASS users and put their CLASS knowledge to use.

We often hear from CLASS Observers that are interested in observing more classrooms. Meanwhile, many organizations—particularly smaller organizations or those doing research studies—don’t have Certified CLASS Observers and are in search of observers in their area.

In construction, a scaffold is a temporary structure used by workers to access heights and areas that are hard to get to. This is exactly what educators are doing when they scaffold for students. A student is having a hard time reaching a new height—understanding a concept, answering a question, or completing an activity—and the teacher provides just enough support to allow the student to succeed. 

Before the 2019 InterAct Class Summit in Nashville was even over, we were already excitedly planning 2020! But before we get too ahead of ourselves, let's take a quick look back at the incredible presenters, attendees, and staff that made 2019 possible. We had nearly 400 participants from all backgrounds—teachers, caregivers, mentors, coaches, trainers, implementation leaders, administrators, assessors, researchers, and more. However, their common passion for improving classroom interactions and empowering life-changing teachers was evident.

A language-rich environment is vital to children’s early learning and social-emotional development. A language-rich environment isn’t just a room with books and a variety of print; it’s a room where children hear and participate in talking, singing, and reading.

We're excited to share a sneak peek of just a few things you'll see at the 2019 InterAct CLASS Summit coming to Nashville April 15-16. In addition to everything you've come to expect (engaging sessions, interactive learning opportunities, delicious food, opportunities to network with other educators and thought leaders, and more), this year we're hosting a special free, pre-summit event! We're screening the film No Small Matter, the first feature documentary to explore the most overlooked, underestimated, and powerful force for good in America today: early childhood education.