In her blog article, Some Benefits of Multiage, or Mixed Age Learning Environments, Lilian Katz writes about some of the benefits of Multiage Groupings.  She writes, "In classrooms where the Project Approach is implemented, multiage grouping has benefits for the older children, who get genuine opportunities to lead, and even to teach, younger ones how to deal with various challenges that come up during extended project investigations. The older ones encounter occasions to modify how they explain something to the younger ones and how to write things down for them, and perhaps read a book to them." 

She goes on to write about the intellectual benefits for younger children, which include, "opportunities to learn from older ones how to solve a wide range of practical and academic problems. Younger children have frequent occasions to observe older ones when they are drawing during a field trip and constructing representations of what they had observed when they return. Younger children can also observe how older ones pose questions to visiting experts who come to the group to share expertise."

Discover how Infant & Toddler, and Preschool & Kindergarten Mixed Age Learning Environments work at Small Blessings by listening to what our families have to say:

The Peace Table helps preschool, kindergarten, and school age children to see all problems as solvable, allows perspective sharing, and scaffolds them in their attempts to “solve the problem” within an environment where adults assist children to feel empowered to actively solve interpersonal problems. The Peace Table is a safe and peaceful place to go to solve problems nonviolently with their peers. Does simply adding a Peace Table to a classroom insure there will be peaceful solutions to every problem?  Not at all. At first, children require a great deal of adult support and input in negotiating their problems, and often, it is the adult who guides the discussion. 

The steps which can be followed to guide these conflict resolution discussions are:

• Initiate the mediation. "It looks like there is a problem here." Or, "what’s happening here?"
• Clarify each child’s perspective. In this step each child is given the opportunity to explain his/her perspective on the situation. Helping them with feeling sentences, "I feel ____ when you _____." A poster with feeling pictures is on hand to help them show their feelings when they can't find the words.
• Summarizing. In this step, the teacher clearly articulates a summary of each child’s perspective.
• Generating alternative solutions. What can we do about this problem? In this step, the teacher supports children’s generation of alternative solutions. A Solution Kit (such as this one provided by The Center on the Social and Emotional Foundations for Early Learning) is printed and used to aid children.
• Agreeing on a solution. Here, both children agree on a solution to the problem. It is critical to allow sufficient time for children to arrive at a mutually satisfying solution.
• Following through. The teacher checks with the children later to be sure that the solution actually satisfied everyone. You had a problem with that doll before. You two solved that problem. Did your solution work?
• As the children gain more skill with the Peace Table, the teacher allows them time to solve the problem on their own.

The Peace Table is one tool used at Small Blessings as part of the approach to social interactions that encourages children to peacefully interact with each other. This approach helps children to see all problems as solvable, allows perspective sharing, and scaffolds children in their attempts to “solve the problem” within an environment where adults assist children to feel empowered to actively solve interpersonal problems. The Peace Table is a safe and peaceful place to go to solve problems nonviolently with their peers. 

Does simply adding a Peace Table to a classroom insure there will be peaceful solutions to every problem?  Not at all. At first, children require a great deal of adult support and input in negotiating their problems, and often, it is the adult who guides the discussion. These discussions provide opportunities for everyone involved in a conflict to feel empowered and to participate in generating solutions to the problem. This process is effective with many types of problems and conflicts thatarise daily in an early childhood classroom. As time goes on and children gain more experiences with the problem-solving process, they are able to become more and more independent in clarifying misunderstandings and nonviolently solving their problems at the Peace Table.

Our teachers and parents talk about the Peace Table at Small Blessings:

Parents and caregivers are the most important contributor to a child's urge and ability to read and write. As children realize that using language to get their needs met, their language increases quickly. Children need experiences that introduce them to the skills required to listen, speak, read, and write. What we as adults take for granted, requires coordination of multiple, sometimes complex, skills. Childcare Exchange writes, "Every child’s birthright is the capacity to grasp spoken as well as written language. From achieving success in school and career, to forging loving bonds with family and community, language mastery is a lifelong asset."

Mastering language takes alert observation skills and the ability to focus on small details--which kids are good at, especially when properly motivated and gradually prepared.  Here are a few ideas to build skills needed to help children learn to read and write:

• Be a good role model. Talk with children daily. Make them real back and forth conversations about things that interest the kids. Don’t lecture and ramble on. It’s boring and puts your own language skills to more use than the child’s.
• When you converse with the children, be engaged, animated, and responsive. Avoid responding with vacant “uh-huhs” or children won’t be able to refine their own speaking skills through give and take conversation.
• Within kids’ eye-shot, read daily for pleasure as well as business.Keep books, newspapers, and magazines around. When kids ask a question you don’t know, be honest and show that you, too, turn to books to learn.
• Visit the children’s library together often.
• Work on puzzles and play matching and memory games.
• Read together daily. With younger kids, you should read out loud. As children begin to read, take turns reading aloud. And be warned, even when children can read, don’t assume they no longer want you to read aloud to them. Some kids pretend they CAN’T read because they’re afraid their parents will stop reading to them!
• Show how reading and writing are used in real daily life. Take a grocery list to the store with you. Let your child check off items placed in the cart. Explain how you read signs in aisles to know where to find specific foods. At restaurants, point out items on menus that inform people of choices.

To learn more about how to help your child master these skills, attend this month's Coffee With the Director on February 4th with the topic being Emerging Literacy Skills. For even more information, attend on March 3rd for Every Child Ready to Read!

How does a birth to three classroom work? Zero to Three writes, "In the day-to-day give and take of good infant/ toddler child care, children and their caregivers relate in a way that looks much like a dance, with the child leading, the caregiver picking up the rhythm and following." 

Kids Care Academy, and N.A.E.Y.C. center in Columbus Ohio made the following video, which I hope will help you understand how a birth to three classroom works, best practices for this age group, and how successful it can be for child, parent, and care giver.