Chatting with the teachers at Emerson Academy
I have missed so much in the past few years the flexibility to build community connections and get to have a more in-depth relationships with the resources available to children with special needs in Pflugerville and Round Rock!
While chatting with a local BCBA a few weeks back, I was given information about Emerson Academy, a non-profit, inclusive child development center located in Round Rock. It’s known around town as the “preschool with the goats”. You had me at inclusive preschool but add goats into the mix and you know I’m doubly sold!
Stacy Bell, their Executive Director, has 30 years of experience in working with the special needs community and is the co-founder of the Emerson Foundation. Emerson’s team of educators includes individuals of a variety of cultural backgrounds, ages, and experience levels. Their teacher with the most years of experience has over 20 years in the field as an early childhood educator! What a gift! I spotted many teachers sporting t-shirts proclaiming their support of kindness, inclusivity, neurodiversity and the LGBTQ+ community. There’s not a doubt in my mind when I enter this school that all are welcome here.
As we discussed creating a language-rich environment at home via coaching parents on language development and play, we also brainstormed how these strategies we might offer to parents would play out directly in their classrooms.
(All this discussion while my pants were absolutely covered in the bright golden fur of their wonderful golden retriever mascot, Quincy! Quincy is the kindest pup you’ll ever meet!) :)
We spent some time considering what all is involved in a daily routine - noting that the routine of getting dressed includes thinking about:
Where you’re going that day
What the weather might be like
Where your dirty clothes go
What kind or color bow you’re going to wear
…and so much more!
All opportunities for us to embed language! Why daily routines, well, because if you’ve read my previous blogs, then you know that they’re:
Functional
Repetitive
We’re already doing them!
After chatting about routines, we went on to discuss the power of play. Briefly going through the stages of development of play, which for those who don’t know include:
Exploratory play (mouthing toys, banging objects, etc.)
Relational play (using two objects together)
Functional play (using an object as it’s intended - such as pushing a toy car)
Symbolic play (where the magic happens and the playground can be turned into a spaceship!)
It might surprise you to know that I wasn’t great at play when I first started as an SLP, it was something I had to learn! Parents and educators are no different, it takes practice to be creative in play, to build language in play, and to build connection in play. So if you’re feeling like it’s not jiving for you, keep playing.
Early childhood educators are so integral to child development and I’m so glad that I got to sit with these teachers this week and share valuable information about language development with them. When you choose Where Language Blooms as your provider, you’re helping to create these opportunities at no cost to those facilities, creating a community of knowledgeable and empowered educators and therapists to support our children. Thank you!
