The Superpower of Empathy – A Gift to the World
My weekend shopping ritual began as I walked through the sliding doors of my local Walmart. The usual took place – a Walmart greeter...
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Julie Duregger
- Feb 1
The Sense of Belonging – A Powerful Connection
I can still remember my third year as a preschool teacher when I received a card in the mail from a mother whose son was in my classroom...
Julie Duregger
- May 26, 2022
Trauma Resources
In this time of horrific loss for children, families, teachers, and communities, we offer the following resources and support. These...
Julie Duregger
- May 1, 2022
How Can Kids Learn Self-Care?
In recent years, we’ve established the value of self-care and how it leads to an overall better quality of life. According to accumulated...
Smart Beginnings
- Apr 1, 2022
Time Out: Term Versus Process - What Are We Really Concerned With? Part 2
Imagine a preschool classroom filled with energetic three- to five-year-old children happily playing in four to five learning centers. A...
Smart Beginnings
- Mar 2, 2022
Time Out – Term Versus Process: What Are We Really Concerned With? Part 1
I can still remember in the late 1980s sternly telling a preschooler in my classroom - “If you don’t stop by the time I count to three,...
Smart Beginnings
- Feb 22, 2022
What Congresswoman Barbara Lee Can Teach Children About Positive Black Self Image: Part 2
Congresswoman Barbara Lee is the highest-ranking African American woman in the U.S. Congress today. Lee represents the 13th district in...
Smart Beginnings
- Feb 17, 2022
What Congresswoman Barbara Lee Can Teach Children About Positive Black Self Image: Part 1
One way to achieve educational equity (the elimination of the predictability of student outcomes based on race, gender, zip code,...
Smart Beginnings
- Jan 27, 2022
Child Care Centers Face Wage Crisis, Staff Shortage
The next time you pass a McDonald’s or Wendy’s, keep the following in mind: Many workers at these restaurants are likely earning more...
Smart Beginnings
- Dec 28, 2021
Every child. Every neighborhood. Ready.
We have a bold vision and everything we do brings us one step closer to achieving it. As we look back on 2021, we wanted to highlight the...
Smart Beginnings
- Oct 7, 2021
A Gender-Balanced Approach to Our Early Childhood Workforce – Part Two
The early childhood education profession has historically been a female-dominated field. Over the years, I have had the pleasure of...
Smart Beginnings
- Sep 23, 2021
Hampton Roads Show - Interview 9/21/21
Looking to the future: What ‘good’ came out of the struggle There is no question that children, parents and educators faced many...
Smart Beginnings
- Sep 1, 2021
A Gender Balanced Approach to Our Early Childhood Workforce – Part One
There is a buzz word in our early childhood community that is getting lots of attention these days. Yes, you know it, the big “D” word -...
Smart Beginnings
- Aug 31, 2021
Hampton Roads Show - Interview
The new school year is right around the corner for students in Hampton Roads. Executive Director, Diane Umstead, joined The Hampton Roads...
Smart Beginnings
- Apr 5, 2021
Got Bias? (Part Two)
It is a known fact that we all have implicit biases. That includes you, and you, and yes, you. These unconscious decisions that guide our...
Smart Beginnings
- Mar 1, 2021
Got Bias?
Picture it… a child care program on the beautiful island of St. Thomas, Virgin Islands just hired their first male teacher to work in the...
Smart Beginnings
- Feb 1, 2021
What will we tell the children, Part II
Last summer, like many other organizations, Smart Beginnings Virginia Peninsula issued a statement and blog post called: What will we...
Smart Beginnings
- Dec 7, 2020
Whistle While You Work
Families know that children should be involved in household chores. But when do you start and how to you make doing chores more...
Smart Beginnings
- Nov 2, 2020
How Parents Can Soothe the Car Line Stress
For many families, a return to school or childcare has meant contending with the morning line of cars waiting to transport their precious...
Smart Beginnings
- Oct 8, 2020
Time Flies!!
As I was looking at a new referral on my desk, I noticed a familiar name and thought, "Hmmm, could it be her? Nahhh, no way!! She...
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