My most used resources...

On the right hand side of my page I have listed a plethera of resources for the Early Chilhood Professional. I also wanted to share with you 4 resources I have been using with my staff . They are great reads and have provided great help! Enjoy!

• Powerful Interactions: How To Connect With Children To Extend Their Learning                            by:Amy Laura Dombro,Judy Jablon, and Charlotte Stetson
• Caring For Our Children: National Health and Safety Performance Standards                                  A Joint Collaborative Project of American Academy of Pediatrics, American Public Health Association, National Resource Center for Health and Safety in Child Care, and the Maternal and Child Health Bureau.
• Tender Care and Early Learning: Supporting Infants and Toddlers in Child Care Settings                By: Jacalyn Post and Mary Hohmann
• Growing Minds: Building Strong Cognitive Foundations in Early Childhood                                     By: Carol Copple

Here are some quotes from professionals that really inspire me. I hope they do the same for you as well! ENJOY!!!

Marian Wright Edelman-Health & Wellbeing

“Service is the rent we pay to be living. It is the very purpose of life and not something you do in your spare time.”

 “If you don't like the way the world is, you change it. You have an obligation to change it. You just do it one step at a time.”

 “Never work just for money or for power. They won't save your soul or help you sleep at night.”

Maria Montessori- Research & Academia

“The things he sees are not just remembered; they form a part of his soul.”

“Of all things love is the most potent.”

“These words reveal the child’s inner needs; ‘Help me to do it alone’.”

Louise Derman Sparks-Video Segmant

“I have a passion to make sure all children are taught in environments and ways to truly nurture their ability to grow and develop.”

“Children are still trying to figure out our identities.”

“I find adults finding their voice because of this line of work.”

                            "Every Mission Begins From a Strong Foundation."

My Childhood of Memories

   
I was surrounded by family throughout my childhood. I was more fortunate than most in this aspect. I'd like to introduce you to my family and tell you a little bit about how they each influenced and supported me in my younger years.

Dad- My father is a strong man. He worked hard and still does to this day. My parents didn't have much so he did whatever he needed to make sure we had a roof over our head and food on the table. He spent a lot of time teaching us that nothing in life is free. If you want it then work hard for it. My father didn't go to college after high school. When I was about 10 he went into the police academy. This had the most impact on me because I saw how hard he had to work and how much more difficult it was for him trying to take care of 3 young girls and juggle 2 jobs. I was so proud of him when he graduated and I still remember that night to this day. It made me realize that I needed to go to college straight from high school and not wait for tomorrow with what can be accomplished today.

Mom- My mother made our house a home. She taught me to be independent and to rely on myself to get to where I want to go in life. Although my mother did a ton of things with us as children and worked extremely hard to provide for us it wasn't until I turned 20 that I learned the most important lessons from her. I hold in me now an even deeper feeling of importance for my family. My husband, son, and I are a tight knit unit and I don't know if our lives would be the same had certain events in my life with her hadn’t occurred.

Nanny & Poppy (mom's side) - My grandparents are like a second set of parents to me and my sisters. My parents went to work extremely early in the morning (4:30am) and they would drop us off there. My grandparents would get us ready for school, make us breakfast, and get us to school. We'd return after school and they would help us with homework and make dinner for us. We learned how to cook, clean, and how to fix things. To this day my sisters and I say their house is the "safe" house. No matter what happens in life you can always go to Nanny and Poppy's house.

MomMom & PopPop (dad's side) - My MomMom and PopPop showed me a tremendous amount of love as child. My grandfather would say I was his favorite. I learned the value of hard work from them. My grandfather had a bird shop and my grandmother was a homemaker with 5 children! My PopPop always told me how important it was for me to go to college. He never missed a beat to tell me how proud of me he was. He showed me this support and love all the way until the day he passed away. I miss him more than I could ever tell you. He impacted my life and my sisters in a way we will never forget.

Megan- Megan is my middle sister and she doesn’t let people forget it. We are a year apart in age. We were and still are each other’s best friend. We did everything together as children. We played on the same sports teams, had the same friends, and even got into trouble with each other. We are each other’s support system. I know if there is ever anything I need or just need to vent she is there. My relationship with my sister is where I learned the importance of being a mentor. I always wanted to set a good example for her and I hope I did.

Kathryn- She is my youngest sister. We are about 6 years apart. Growing up she showed me the importance of patience because I felt I had to excerpt it so much! I didn’t understand her all the time as she was always in my room, trying to wear my clothes, and makeup. The age difference made it hard. We were close though despite all of the differences. We have this bond that is unbreakable and I think it is safe to say we are extremely protective of each other.

I don't have any childhood pictures of myself (sad I know). This is my favorite picture though. It's of me and my husband on our wedding day. :-) Not exactly current (it's six years old) but a good one! 

Passion has many faces

Passion has many faces. It can be cool and calm, firey and direct, or thoughtful and indepth. I have been reading a lot about passion this week. It has pushed me to reflect on my experiances in education and business since opening an early childhood center of my own in 2007. After going through some things and taking a long hard look at my past I want to share a letter with you I wrote in 2009. The Commonwealth of Pennsylvania had a budget impasse and it forced many centers to close. Many people went into debt trying to take out a second mortgage to finance their business costs as well as the thousands of people who lost their jobs. Rather than to bore you with further explanations of what fuels my passion for early childhood I thought I would just "show" you my passion. Please don't get me wrong there are many many things in ECE that I am passionate about but still to this day this one incident drives me to push more and more. A fair warning to the reader: This letter is a mix of a professional and personal view and hopefully you'll understand why by the end. I have never professed to be a writer so here it goes...

~Nicole

OPERATION SMART START

PRIVATE PRESCHOOL AND CHILDCARE CENTER, INC.

1100 BLUE VALLEY DRIVE

                                                PEN ARGYL, PA 18072                                        

                                                Phone: (610)881-4200

                                                Fax: 610)881-4200

                                                Email: ossi@rcn.com

                                                                                                                                                                August 4^th, 2009

Dear Mr. President, Governor Rendell, State Senators, and Local Representatives,

                My name is Nicole Rutt and I am the owner/director of Operation Smart Start Private Preschool and Child Care Center, INC. located in Pen Argyl, PA. Today I write to you in severe concern and fear over the progression of our state budget. I hope you will take the time to read my letter as well as my fellow practitioners who share my feelings.

                Yesterday August 3^rd, 2009 I received a letter in the mail from our local Community Services for Children agency. In it was news that early childhood centers such as Operation Smart Start would only be receiving 50% of the tuition that was accrued for the month of July for families receiving Title XX subsidy assistance. If the budget is not passed we may see nothing for the month of August and I could be stuck with a debt of $8,000.00.

                The families in the Slate Belt community that receive this assistance rely on it. Our area has been hit hard over the last couple of years and more so recently with the economic hardship that has been nationwide. Big businesses have left our town and families have no choice but to travel 40 minutes at least to find good employment to support their children. It is no secret that private costs for child care are a hardship for most families. They rely on assistance to put their children in quality centers with qualified staff. I ask this question out of great concern for the children and pray you have come up with an answer. If the budget doesn’t pass and the families loose this assistance is there a plan for the children? Have you thought of where they will go and who will help them developmentally? If this money is not accessible it will affect the families which will affect the early childhood centers. If parents cannot work are we prepared as a commonwealth to take a harder hit to the economy?

                All early childhood centers across the state will have to start making cuts if they have not done so already. We will have no choice but to cut meals, staff pay, professional development assistance (which I would like to point out is a state requirement), developmental resources, and curriculum resources. I am not going to bore you with the research on early childhood and how this could devastate the progress we have made in being a commonwealth to offer such high standards in early childhood education. You know the statistics, you know the outcomes, and you know this is vital. If you aren’t aware of the dire need for early childhood education I ask you to contact your local head start, colleges/universities, look up www.naeyc.org/www.pakeys.org, or simply talk to a parent. Any parent who has had their child in a Pennsylvania Early Childhood Center will tell you that practitioners across the state work diligently to offer the best care and education possible. We participate in programs such as Pennsylvania Keystone Stars to exceed the standards. As a state are you ready to reflect the standard that we are willing to down grade our education system? My high school had a saying that has been with me since I graduated… “Leading by Example”. Isn’t that what we are all supposed to be doing for the children who will eventually be making the same decisions you are right now. Lead by example and show them that YES! Our children are important and we will take whatever steps necessary to ensure that this budget will pass and YES! Our children come first.

                My letter to you would unfortunately not be complete unless I included what this would do to me as a business owner. Right now I pride myself in being able to offer my staff a little bit higher pay than what centers pay in our town. Without the budget passing I will have to cut the pay to my staff, which I have to tell you is a decision I won’t be able to accept or live with. The practitioners in my center work hard. They do this job because they love it not because they will become rich. If you are a parent you can understand how difficult it can become to take care of one, two, even three children. Now amplify this by 20. Our practitioners not only have to make sure our children are developmentally and educationally prepared to enter our public school system but they have to be a shoulder to cry on, someone to play with, a nurse when everyone is sick, and a referee for when there just isn’t enough play-doh. They not only do all of these things but they provide children with a safe environment, unconditional love, nurture, and a child hood worth of memories for the child who aren’t as fortunate as others. Cutting pay would be a slap in the face to these dedicated individuals. If anything we should pay them much more.

                All centers are faced with the children who do not get enough nourishment at home for various different reasons. Being able to offer meals is a reassurance for staff and parents alike to know that no matter what children are being fed 3 healthy filling meals a day and 2 healthy snacks. Statistics and research prove time and time again that this is a necessity for children as it helps to engage learning and of course the obvious benefit eating has. Providing meals is a huge cost. Each month a center can spend thousands and thousands of dollars on this one aspect alone. I fear that if we aren’t able to continue to offer this service and parents have to provide meals some of our children will go hungry. The goal is to decrease hunger not increase it. A child does not ask to be put in these circumstances. It is not fair to ask them to go without.

                Down the road I will have to increase my tuition to private paying families so that we can continue to operate. This alone will drive families away and create a hostile environment. My goal as a young business woman, mother, and wife has always been to treat my clients as if they are family. We all struggle and need some help from time to time. I understand the many trials and tribulations families can have raising a child and trying to work. I personally do not believe that this is a fair way to treat clients who have been dedicated to our facility.

                On a personal note, I cannot begin to tell you the devastation this will cause my family. My husband and I are young and have worked extremely hard to get to where we are today. Our son, Dylan, is the center of our world and every decision we make is based on whether or not we would be compromising the support we give him emotionally, mentally, and financially. Taking a loss if the budget continues to not pass is not an option. We will lose everything we have. We will not be able to bounce back. The way things are going now with the budget I am not making much and often have to watch when I deposit my check. When is the last time you worried about money?

We opened the center so that I could watch my son grow up and have a career as a teacher. My objective grew when I met several other parents who shared my thoughts. The women I have employed have quickly become my friends, my sisters, and my family. I along with my husband and son consider these families our family and it would be devastating to see everyone take such a hard hit.

Everything I have is in this facility. I cannot imagine my son not being able to come in and see his friends or teachers…it would break my heart. I cannot imagine what I would even tell him if I had to shut the doors to my school. How do you break something like this to a child? Will you have the words for me if something like this occurs?

                In concluding my letter I urge you to come up with an acceptable agreement and pass this budget. Everyone is going feel the effects otherwise…especially the children.

                I invite you to stop at Operation Smart Start if you would like to see the value of this program. If you question the hard work and dedication staff members put in, you will be able to see it from the moment you walk in. If you would like to see the benefits, the necessity, and the children then I would like you to come on over and check us out.

Thank you for taking the time to read my letter. If you have any questions or concerns please do not hesitate to contact me and I will be more than happy to speak with you on this matter.

                                                                               

Yours in Education,

                                                                                     Nicole R. Rutt

Great things come in small packages!

I met “Q” when he enrolled at Operation Smart Start in the winter of 2009 when he was about 9 months old. Other than being in foster care our center did not know much about his life. He was an extremely adorable little guy and had a lot of love to give. As time went on we started to learn his story…

                Q’s biological mother had made some not so good decisions during her pregnancy. She received no prenatal care and it is believed she often decided to partake in alcohol and/or illegal substances. Her lifestyle was a little crazy and she just did not know how to put another life before her own. Q was born in February of a leap year. We aren’t quite sure whether he had adequate pediatric care immediately after birth. I believe the luck of the leap year was on his side though because on one horrific night everything changed…

                Q’s biological mother decided to take the life of another person at gun point with her child in her arms. For obvious reasons the courts removed the child from her custody immediately. When this happened he was placed with an angel through foster care. Her name is K and I can happily tell you that now 4 years later K is Q’s very proud mother.

                There are struggles to overcome. Q has impaired hearing, eye sight, and at the current time it is believed that he lacks the ability to smell and taste. To add more to the mountain top he is also diagnosed PDD/NOS. Besides having severe dietary and sensory issues Q struggles to verbally communicate. Despite all of these factors he is a very happy and energetic little boy. Although Q can’t always communicate with us you just know he is trying to find the best in every situation.

                Every day he comes to school with a team of people. Now, when I say team I mean like the amount of people you see with a famous movie star on the red carpet. He has OT, Speech, TSS, a Mentor, and Behavioral Therapy Services (just to name a few because yes…there are a whole lot more). All of his team members have partnered with the teachers here at Operation Smart Start and we have become this unified army front to provide any and all services available so that he may succeed in all aspects of life.

It has been amazing to see the progress he has made over the last few years. Now at 4 years of age he can read, write, count to probably about a million, recognize all letters and numbers, and spell just about anything. He knows every word to the Eagles fight song and can lead a group in a series of yoga and meditation positions. He is loved. He gives love. He is happy. He has made some huge successes in the 4 years he has been with us and I just know that when he’s old enough…we’ll be hearing about Q and the genius things he’s done.

                I am supposed to be telling you how this child has touched my heart. If the above alone hasn’t touched your heart in some way allow me to continue on for a little longer. Words alone could never explain to you how this child has impacted not only my life but the life of every person around him. He is the true definition of hope, strength, and courage for what he fights through on a daily basis. On my worst day or when I feel like throwing that “pity party” for myself I stop and remind myself of Q. In my 28 years on this earth I have not had to encounter nearly half the struggles this 4 year old boy has… yet everyday he smiles. If everyone could take a lead from Q the world would truly be a happier place. He has shown me that nothing is impossible with a little elbow grease and some love. He also reminds us all on a daily basis that “life is not measured by the number of breaths you take, but rather by the moments that simply take your breath away.”

Oh The Place You'll Go...

The decisions we make through out life have lead us to where we currently are. Some have thought about a career in early childhood education from a young age while others have come to the realization later in life. No matter when you made this commitment it is one that we all strive for together. There are many challenges and rewards to this endeavour we have taken but we do it with pride and excitement as we mold the minds of young ones. You may not know what tomorrow will bring but today will always hold hope for the future.
I look forward to sharing my blogs with you and hope to learn from all of you as well!

~Nicole