School Newsletter - February 2025
ChildCare Careers
facebook
facebook
877-222-6070 www.ChildCareCareers.com

Directors' Corner

Why Use CCC?

Compliance • Convenience • Control

Compliance

  • We make it easy to always stay in ratio.
  • Our teachers always have the required background checks and credentials.
  • Our staff meets ALL licensing requirements.

We guarantee it!

Convenience

  • Get substitute teachers with just one phone call.
  • Substitutes can be at your center in as little as 2 hours.
  • Everything is already done for you (background check, health screening, and personnel folder).
  • Adjust staff levels effortlessly.
  • Avoid unpleasant conversations. If you do not want someone back, just tell us and we’ll handle it.

Control

  • Change out subs at any time.
  • If you don’t like your sub, send them home within the first two hours and pay nothing.
  • Cancel at any time.
  • No billing surprises (no taxes, fees, or surcharges of any kind).

*************

Activity of the Month!

New-Years-Blue-Hat-CCC

Valentine Flowers

Materials:

  • Valentine Themed Cupcake Papers
  • Pipe Cleaners
  • Green Construction Paper

Instructions:

  • Take a cupcake paper and pinch the bottom of it.
  • Take a pipe cleaner and wrap it around the pinched area.
  • Cut some leaves out of the green construction paper and add them to the pipe cleaner.

Extension:

Put some playdoh in a baby food jar and have the children place the flowers in the jar like it was a vase. When the playdoh dries, they should stand nice. You can also decorate some tissue paper to cover the outside of the bottle.

-Author Unknown
www.preschooleducation.com

"Happy Valentine's Day!"

Valentines-Owl-Heart-CCC


UPCOMING EVENTS
Mar. 29 36th Annual Early Childhood Conference
Ocala, FL
www.cf.edu
 
Apr. 25 - 26 First Up Annual Conference
Philadelphia, PA
www.firstup.org
 
Apr. 28 - 29 Managers and Directors Institute
Newport Beach, CA
www.headstartca.org
 
******************

Teaching Students to Use Failures Productively in Pre-K

By Cara Zelas

In early childhood education, success is often celebrated, while failure can sometimes be seen as moments to avoid. But what if we changed this perspective? Teaching young children how to navigate and learn from their mistakes — whether it’s spilling paint, struggling with a puzzle, or building a block tower that tumbles — can help them develop important life skills like resilience, creativity, and problem-solving. These foundational abilities are key to fostering a growth mindset, where every mistake becomes an opportunity to learn rather than a reason to stop trying.

By embracing failure as a natural part of the learning process, educators can create playful, supportive environments where children feel safe to try new things, explore their ideas, and keep going even when things don’t work out the first time. These early lessons in persistence and adaptability lay the groundwork for lifelong learning and success.

The Science Behind Learning From Failure

Research supports the idea that failure can be a powerful teacher. Carol Dweck’s growth mindset theory demonstrates that when students believe their abilities can improve through effort and persistence, they view failure as an opportunity to grow rather than a reflection of their worth.

In my experience, this process begins as early as preschool, where children naturally encounter opportunities to learn through trial and error, such as navigating social dynamics or mastering fine motor skills. This not only fosters deeper understanding but also contributes to long-term skill acquisition. By normalizing failure in the classroom, educators set the stage for deeper learning, increased resilience, and improved self-awareness.

6 Strategies for Teaching Failure as a Skill in Preschool

  1. Fix It Together center. Create a station with broken or incomplete items (e.g., puzzles missing pieces, a simple toy car with a loose wheel). Invite children to collaborate in fixing or solving the issue, emphasizing teamwork and persistence.
  2. Oops to Awesome wall. Dedicate a wall for children to share a mistake they made (with a picture or a simple sentence) and what they learned from it. Celebrate the “oops” moments as valuable steps in their learning journey. This visual display shows that trial and error can lead to valuable insights. It also normalizes failure as part of learning, fostering a culture of innovation and perseverance.
  3. Try Again Olympics. Set up challenges like balancing a beanbag on their head or jumping over obstacles. Emphasize that it’s OK to not succeed on the first try, and encourage them to keep trying. Encourage perseverance over perfection.
  4. What Happens If? experiments. Incorporate simple science experiments where trial and error are part of the process (e.g., mixing water with different materials to see what dissolves). Encourage predictions and celebrate unexpected outcomes.
  5. Artful Accidents station. Provide materials like washable markers, paints, and clay. Encourage children to turn spills, smudges, or unintended shapes into new art pieces. Highlight how “happy accidents” can lead to creative outcomes.
  6. Try a New Way role-play. Present scenarios where something doesn’t work as planned (e.g., a toy that won’t fit in a container). Ask children to suggest and test new approaches, emphasizing that there’s often more than one solution.

These strategies make learning from failure a natural and positive part of preschoolers’ development, building their resilience and adaptability early in life.

TALKING ABOUT FAILURE IN EVERYDAY MOMENTS

Teaching about failure isn’t limited to structured activities — it’s woven into the daily moments of a preschool classroom. Preschool teachers can model positive responses to mistakes by using encouraging language and guiding children to reflect on what they can try next. For example, if a child struggles to zip their jacket, a teacher might say, “You’re working hard on that! Let’s try it together — remember, every time you try, you get better.”

FAILURE AS A LEARNING ASSET

Mistakes can often be the best teachers for young children. By creating a classroom environment where trying, stumbling, and trying again are celebrated, preschool educators empower children to build essential life skills like resilience, creativity, and problem-solving.

Some educators and parents worry that focusing on failure might undermine confidence or lower standards. However, the opposite is true. By guiding students through the process of analyzing setbacks and celebrating their perseverance, educators build confidence grounded in real achievements.

The goal isn’t to glorify failure but to make it less intimidating. Teaching little ones to embrace mistakes doesn’t mean encouraging them to be careless — it means helping them see mistakes as a natural and valuable part of learning. When preschoolers are supported in understanding their errors, exploring new approaches, and persisting through challenges, they develop confidence in their abilities and a willingness to try new things.

By fostering a mindset that views failure as a stepping stone, educators nurture emotional intelligence in early childhood. When children encounter setbacks, they practice regulating their emotions, staying optimistic, and approaching challenges with determination. Our role as early educators isn’t just to celebrate successes but to guide children in discovering that every stumble is an opportunity to grow, learn, and thrive.

*Excerpts taken from “Teaching Students to Use Failures Productively in Pre-K” by Cara Zelas
www.edutopia.org – Edutopia, George Lucas Learning Foundation.


******************

Happy-Valentines-Day-Banner

We’re here for all of your staffing needs.
Call us anytime at 877-222-6070.
© ChildCare Careers www.ChildCareCareers.com