Early Childhood Teacher Study Online

10 Things ECE Teachers are Studying Today

What are early childhood teachers studying today? Curriculum for ECE teachers is constantly evolving to keep up with the latest topical trends and innovations. Young children live in a world where computers, tablets, smartphones, music players and gaming devices are readily available, including in their classrooms. Anyone studying to become an ECE Teacher needs to keep up with these trends in technology. The best way to do that is to get your ECE training online and we highly recommend getting your professional development training at ChildCare Education Institute (CCEI.)

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ChildCare Education Institute (CCEI,) the industry leader for online professional development, offers courses that cover the latest in everything from technology and STEAM to bullying, attention disorders and more. Every early childhood teacher and their staff can benefit from the online ECE training at CCEI. Here at Kids Creative Chaos, we've taken several courses and enjoyed each one of them, including CCEI122: Active Learning in Early Childhood course! Check out our review, here. We’ve also reviewed CCEI's online professional development for early childhood teachers in these past articles: Professional Development for Preschool Teachers and ECE Continuing ED Online. No matter how long you've been teaching, you'll discover something new and have an “a-ha” moment during CCEI’s course training.

Personally, I’ve taken many courses online and offline receiving certificates and credits toward my ECE (Early Childhood Education Certification) and CCEI is the best! ChildCare Education Institute offers certificate programs and coursework that meets the requirement for national credentials including the CDA. CCEI also has online certification programs for Director and Early Childhood Credentials. CCEI, a Council for Professional Recognition CDA Gold Standard™ comprehensive training provider, is nationally accredited by the Distance Education Accrediting Commission (DEAC) and is accredited as an Authorized Provider by the International Association for Continuing Education and Training (IACET.)

Below, is a list of the most popular things ECE teachers are studying. What are you most interested in studying? After you’ve taken a look at the list, let us know your thoughts in the comments below the post.

10 Things ECE Teachers Should Study

Here’s a list of TOP 10 trending topics that ECE teachers are studying today (that teachers wouldn’t have studied 10 years ago), according to CCEI:

• Children on Devices: CCEI’s CHD103: The Child’s Digital Universe: Technology and Digital Media in Early Childhood online course shares the latest research and recommendations regarding children's use of technology and digital media and ways in which digital devices are reshaping childhood and early childhood education.

• STEM and Robotics: Children are growing up in an increasingly digital world, and technology, coding and robotics in schools are getting a lot of attention. CCEI’s courses  CUR113- STEAM: Enhancing STEM Education with the Arts and CUR123: Robotics in Early Childhood Education: Hands-On and Playful Approaches helps teachers explain robotics to children.

• Trauma Informed Care: ECE providers work with diverse groups of students from all walks of life. Statistics show that 26% of children living in America will experience some sort of trauma in their life prior to the age of four. CCEI offers SOC108: Establishing Trauma Informed Practices in Early Learning Environments which focuses on ways to incorporate trauma informed practices into the environment and interactions with children. 

• Mindfulness: Mindfulness practices can prevent instances of undesired behavior, increase focus and engagement and promote a feeling of ownership and empowerment for children. As an additional benefit, classroom communities tend to be more empathetic and kind. CCEI offers SOC106: The Value of Mindfulness in Early Childhood which explores calming and reflective approaches when working with young children.

• Spirituality: CCEI’s CHD109: Supporting Spiritual Development in Early Learning Environments is based upon the work of Deborah Schein, author of the book titled Inspiring Wonder, Awe and Empathy – Spiritual Development in Young Children. The course explores what spiritual development is and why it is important to overall development. Participants will also learn how to create moments within their learning environments that promote spiritual development in young children.

• Caring for Allergies: Child food allergies are on the rise in the United States and continue to be a public health concern. CCEI’s CCEI119: Food Allergies in the Early Care Setting online course provides an overview of food allergies and basic safety principles to employ in the early care setting. Upon completion of this course, teachers will be able to provide a safe environment for children and staff who suffer from food allergies, identify the eight major food allergens, list the theories associated with the rise in food allergies and identify the importance of food labeling and packaging.

• Dual-Language Learning: In some areas, non-native English speakers may make up the majority of a classroom. It is important for all early childhood educators to be prepared to meet the challenges of guiding a child toward English fluency while maintaining fluency in (and respect for) their home languages and cultures. CCEI offers CHD102: Dual Language Learning in the Early Childhood Environment to provide early childhood professionals with strategies and tools for helping young children develop language and literacy skills in English.

• Attention Disorders: CCEI offers courses like SPN102: Attention Deficit Disorders to help child care providers understand the symptoms, subtypes and common treatment strategies associated with attention disorders.

• Diversity and Inclusion: CCEI’s CCEI640: Creating a Multicultural Environment online training course helps teachers define the goals of multiculturalism, plan and implement an anti-biased classroom, incorporate multiculturalism into learning centers and other classroom activities and promote cooperative social skills in diverse classrooms.

• Bullying in the Classroom: Although bullying has been around for years, today’s teachers are more proactive about reducing bullying. CCEI’s GUI100: Bullying in the Preschool Environment online course helps teachers bring empathy and compassion to the classroom as a way of reducing bullying behaviors.

As you can see, CCEI’s course offerings are full of valuable information that keeps up with the latest trends in early childhood teacher study online. Whether you run a daycare from your home, homeschool preschool, or teach in a public early childhood classroom, CCEI has courses for you.

CCEI has over 35+ certificate programs offered in both English and Spanish! They’ve graduated over 15,000 early childhood professionals from its CDA and other certificate programs -- with over 5 million online coursework completed. Its web-based coursework is available 24/7/365. You can see a full list of certificate programs on their website here, but below are just a few of them:

● CDA (Child Development Associate)

● FCCPC (Florida Child Care Professional Credential)

● Director’s Certificate

● NAC (NECPA National Administrator Credential® Certificate)

Becoming a preschool teacher or caregiver is a rewarding experience, but it takes patience and perseverance. Not everyone is cut out for such an important career choice. When this is your calling in life, you want to be the best teacher possible for your students. Keeping up on educational trends is key to providing your preschool class a positive experience that will pave the way for their future educational endeavors. It's important to find a balance between fun activities and the solid building blocks of education. We always try to make learning fun.

If you're in need of continuing education for your early childhood program or for a new career in early childhood education, start here with our review of ChildCare Education Institute. CCEI offers many amazing continuing education courses for professional development in early childhood education. Their extensive course list is full of lessons that are relevant and current for today’s ever changing ECE programming. 

I encourage everyone involved with childcare and early childhood education, whether you work in a brick and mortar environment or a virtual environment, to sign up for a course or two. And for new CCEI users, you can take a trial course a NO COST!  To stay current, be sure to follow the recommendations on the top 10 things ECE Teachers are studying today. I love that they offer so many course options and each course is informative and easily applicable to your lesson plans and teaching technique. Check out CCEI today!

For more preschool and early childhood activities, follow us on Pinterest.

To read more about our experiences with CCEI's online professional development for early childhood teachers read these articles: Professional Development for Preschool Teachers and ECE Continuing ED Online.

Becoming a preschool teacher or caregiver is a rewarding experience, but it takes patience and perseverance. Not everyone is cut out for such an important career choice. When this is your calling in life, you want to be the best teacher possible for your students. Keeping up on educational trends is key to providing your preschool class a positive experience that will pave the way for their future educational endeavors. It's important to find a balance between fun activities and the solid building blocks of education. We always try to make learning fun.

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5 Signs That Your Child May Need a Tutor

Is it time for a Tutor?

Do you need a tutor for you child? Is your child bringing home one bad report card after the other? Have you noticed your child has difficulty studying or doing homework on a particular subject? If so, you should probably consider hiring a tutor to help them study.

This post contains Amazon affiliate links.

Most children occasionally struggle with school, but when it turns into a rapid decline in grades, frequent meltdowns, and hating going to school, it's time to get a plan in order.

So, what are the signs that your child may need a tutor? Keep reading to learn 5 important signs that you're child may need a tutor.

1. Homework Meltdowns

If your child has regular homework meltdowns, it's probably because they can't understand the task or subject. Of course, don't rule out an optical issue. Be sure they have regular eye check ups. School work might be too advanced for your child's skill level and cause them stress and anxiety.

This is a great time to hire a tutor to help with breaking down tasks and concepts in a simpler way. Tutors often have simple tricks for remembering math facts or other educational short cuts. No matter what the homework, with a tutor's help, your child will gain confidence knowing they can tackle it with better organization and time management skills.

Become a Tutor

2. Slipping Grades

If your child's grades are slipping gradually or unexpectedly, talk to their teachers to get some insight on the matter. Of course, also talk to your child to see what's going on and if there's a subject they feel they is difficult and frustrating.

When it comes to learning and getting higher grades, getting your child tutoring lessons is very effective in boosting their ability and self-esteem

3. Behavioral Changes

School stress is normal and most children experience stress on some level throughout the school year. However, when the stress over reading, doing homework, and studying for tests becomes chronic, it can start to affect your child's personality, behavior, or happiness in a negative way. This is the time to look into what's happening. In most cases, it is related to difficulties learning or understanding a subject and it might be a good time for a tutor. (Of course it can also be related to eye health, bullying, or a problem with a teacher. so be sure to talk to your child and always ask, "How was your day?")

4. Lack of Interest in Learning

If you notice your child doesn't have any interest in studying or learning, this if often a sign of learning difficulties. Sit with your child and discuss their feelings about school. Then, decide together on hiring a tutor to help.

Math is one of the more difficult subjects for many children and can take down their self-esteem and motivation to learn. A math tutor for kids will not only teach your child how to solve mathematical problems, but they can also provide math tips on easier methods for learning.

5. Learning Disabilities

If your child is still having difficulties, even after tutoring, you might want to test them for possible learning disabilities. These include dyslexia, ADHD, visual processing issues, and dyscalculia. You might be surprised by the results. We were!

We were able to target the best type of treatment. You'll be able to find the best tutor for your child's specific needs.

Does Your Child Need a Tutor? These Tips Will Help You Decide

If you've been wondering if you need a tutor to help your child with school, these tips should help you decide. Before you hire one, talk to your children's teachers and see what additional concerns that they may have. This will help you find the right tutor for your child.

For more kids and parenting tips, check out some of the other articles on my website where you'll find kids activities, school tips, and games ideas.

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CLEP Exams List for Homeschoolers

Study for CLEP Exams Online

Have you heard of CLEP? CLEP is an acronym for the College Level Examination Program. Students can take CLEP tests to earn college credit and test out of certain subjects. Studying for CLEP Exams is a great way to save money on college expenses. But before you take the tests, you'll want to be sure that you know the material. A great way to prep for CLEP is to find a CLEP Exams list for homeschoolers, high school, or any one wanting to do continued studying in college. Click the following link for more information about their online homeschool program.

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Study.com is an education company dedicated to making education accessible and helping students lower the cost of their higher education. They've just launched a bunch of comprehensive credit-by-exam prep products that can help high school homeschoolers earn college credit.

What Are CLEP Exams?

CLEP exams measure a person's knowledge of college-level material for college level subjects. These exams can benefit continuing education students, military personnel and college students.


CLEP exams are taken through a college or at a local testing center. Exams take between 90 to 120 minutes to complete and each one is around $85. The test is free for men and women serving in the military.

CLEP and DSST exams are prior knowledge assessments that allow students to earn real college credit just by passing a test. Study.com educational resources include comprehensive study guides and practice tests to help students prepare for these exams, earn college credit, and save money on their education. Not only is this a great way to prep for the CLEP and DSST exams, it's also a good educational resource for homeschool education. 

We were given a 90-day free trial of Study.com. I took some time to peruse the resources. The site is very easy to navigate. I like how all of the CLEP study guides are organized with a listing of the most popular exams up front. After you do a study guide, you can take a practice exam. 

There are exams for both CLEP and DSST. In case you don't know, DSST or the DANTES Subject Standardized Test, is  a test to help the U.S. Military earn college credit outside of a traditional college setting. DSST scores are accepted at over 1900 institutions across the United States and are a great way to accelerate progress on a degree, prepare for a post-military career, or transfer real life experience into more affordable university credit.

The CLEP exams list is extensive, offering study guides in many areas that contain comprehensive CLEP curriculum for your exam. The lessons are short and engaging and break down the written material into short, 8-minute videos. My twelve year old homeschooler, started with a psychology study guide session. She won't be taking the CLEP exams any time soon, however, she enjoyed the lesson and wants to continue to do all of the study guides as a part of her daily homeschool routine. I'm on board for that! She thought the videos were easy to comprehend and even mentioned that she didn't get bored! Score for Study.com.

You might also be interested in ECE programs for continued education.

On the Study.com site, you'll also fine quiz assessments that help students find any learning gaps that they may still need to prep for before taking the CLEP exams. Another thing we noticed is the study guides allow users to go back and review the material. Some other programs we try don't allow you to rewatch videos, so this is nice bonus. If you're still not doing well on the assessment, you can take advantage of their Instant Answers feature and get a quick reply from a subject matter expert.

We truly enjoyed everything Study.com had to offer and recommend that you hop over and check them out before you sign up for the CLEP exams.


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Homeschool Country Study Fun Lesson on Afghanistan

Homeschool Country Study Lesson on Afghanistan

Today, Alaina from, The Cooks Next Door is guest posting. Homeschooled herself, she now homeschools her own children. Alaina is living proof homeschooling works! She is a Dental Hygienist by trade, and her brother is studying Architecture. So, sit back, relax, and learn about Afghanistan in this country study lesson for homeschoolers. Enjoy!

Afghanistan Homeschool Craft Time.

One of our favorite homeschool activities is to study different countries and cultures! I like that it develops an interest in the world, gives an appreciation of other cultures, and includes many subjects. 

We studied the country of Afghanistan and made flags out of construction paper (you can find images of the flag online), listened to music (youtube), identified and colored Afghanistan on maps, made a traditional dish (see below), read books (check your library) and wrote the capital and country. 

There are many free activities and coloring pages available online that make preparing for nearly any country study easy! I found several free geography printables here. We spent time talking about the political and religious climate of the country as well as the culture and traditions.

Afghanistan Flag Making.

I like that these homeschool activities include art, home economics, music, writing, cultural studies, and geography. We will often assemble a simple book with pictures, copy work, flag and anything related to the country we are studying – it’s nothing fancy but it helps the kids remember our work and they are so proud of it! Country studies are definitely a highlight for us!

Here is the delicious recipe we made. The kids were able to help with supervision, and I find that it makes them so much more inclined to try new things. We loved it on naan or pita bread - kind of  like a pizza! It made the perfect lunch and ending to our country study.

Recipe for Afghanistan Dish: Sabse Borani.

Sabse Borani Recipe

4 cups fresh spinach leaves, chopped
1 medium onion, thinly sliced
2 cloves garlic, minced
2 tbsp. vegetable oil
1 cup lightly drained plain yogurt (drain about 1 hr – easiest method is to place the yogurt in a coffee filter and let stand)

Place damp spinach in a skillet and cook until wilted (can cover). Drain and squeeze to remove excess water. Heat oil in a large skillet, sauté onion at low heat until golden, add garlic and sauté briefly, then add spinach, and cook for a minute or two more. Let cool. In a bowl, smooth yogurt and add spinach mixture. Stir to combine. Season with salt and pepper to taste.

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