The Creative Center for Childhood Research and Training, Inc. (CCCRT)

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Overview The Creative Center for ChildhoodResearch and Training, Inc. (CCCRT)The Creative Center for Childhood Research and Training, Inc. (CCCRT) is co-located with the Creative Pre-School, the home of the Beyond Centers & Circle Time Curriculum. The Creative Pre-School program is used as a lab school for training and research conducted by consultants from CCCRT in coordination with Creative Pre-School staff. CCCRT consultants tour over 3,000 interested adults through Creative’'s model program each year.CCCRT offers educational resources, professional services, scholarly publications and state-of-the-art training to adults working within the field of early childhood education and care.The goals of CCCRT are to provide training and conduct research that focuses on the development of young children with and without disabilities, create high quality early childhood programs, and teach others how to organize early childhood programs for excellence. Through over 25 years of research and 35 years of direct experience with young children, the staff at the Creative Pre-School and the consultants of CCCRT have perfected the Beyond Centers & Circle Time Curriculum.Board of DirectorsSusan C. BrooksExecutive Director, Creative Pre-SchoolChair, CCCRTChild Development SpecialistPamela C. Phelps, Ph.D.Owner, Creative Pre-SchoolVice-Chair, CCCRTEarly Childhood ConsultantLaura L. Stannard, Ph.D.Secretary/Treasurer, CCCRTKindergarten/School ReadinessLiteracy Consultant

Consultants The CCCRT board members and consultants have worked together for over 30 years and remain committed to research and training focused on the variables that define quality early childhood programs. CCCRT consultants have made a significant impact in communities throughout the United States, Indonesia, Singapore, and Japan.All consultants are members of national and professional organizations as well as local, state, and regional affiliate groups including the National Association for the Education of Young Children (NAEYC), the Council for Exceptional Children/Division of Early Childhood (CEC-DEC), the American Educational Research Association (AERA), and the Zero to Three National Center for Infants, Toddlers and Families.Pamela C. Phelps, Ph.D.Owner, Creative PreschoolEarly Childhood SpecialistDr. Pamela Phelps is the creator of the Creative Pre-School Model Program and the author of the Beyond Centers and Circle Time Curriculum. After nine years of teaching kindergarten and first grade in Florida's public schools, she retired from the system to start her own early childhood program. With the help of talented, dedicated staff, she has perfected the programming and today the Creative Pre-School is recognized as a national and state model for the inclusion of children with disabilities, nationally accredited, and a Florida "Gold Seal" program.She is the Vice-Chair of CCCRT and active in local, state, and national professional organizations. She works as an advocate for young children and their families on both the state and national levels. She is a past chair of the State of Floridas Coordinating Council for Early Childhood Services appointed by the Commissioner of Education for the State of Florida and a past member of The Florida Interagency Council for Infants and Toddlers. She has published articles in professional early childhood and special education journals; directed research in early childhood settings; and regularly conducts workshops for educators and parents on play and play environments, behavior management, and numerous other topics related to young children.During the fall of 1992, Dr. Phelps was recognized as Volunteer of the Year by The Florida Association of Volunteer Agencies for Caribbean Action and as the Child Care Advocate of the Year for her work on behalf of young children by Big Bend Community Coordinated Child Care. In March of 1994, she was chosen Public Citizen of the Year by The Big Bend Unit of the National Association of Social Workers, Inc.; and in May of 1998, she received The Outstanding Women Award from the Tallahassee Branch of the American Association of University Women. Dr. Phelps was presented the Research in Education Award by the Florida State University chapter of Phi Delta Kappa in August of 2002 and, most recently, received the Superhero Award from the Tallahassee 25 in January of 2005.Laura Stannard, Ph.D.Kindergarten/Literacy/School Readiness SpecialistDr. Stannard has over 30 years of experience teaching young children. She began her career in the public school system, has taught the Creative Preschool Kindergarten for over 25 years, and has participated in training sponsored by the Gesell Institute. She approaches and plans each kindergarten child's experience for a total development perspective.Dr. Stannard completed her Ph.D. in the Spring of 1999 at Florida State University. Her research was a longitudinal study linking the construction play of four-year-old children to success in mathematics in later school years. This study correlated the level of construction play evidenced by four-year-old children enrolled at the Creative Preschool in 1982 with their math test scores and grades. Her work substantiates the importance of construction play for young children.In addition to teaching young children, Dr. Stannard was formerly an adjunct faculty member in the Department of Special Education at Florida State University. She is currently an early childhood consultant with the First Words Project at the Department of Communication Disorders at Florida State University. She is also a board member with the Creative Center for Childhood Research and Training, Inc.Dr. Stannard has presented at educational conferences on the national and international level including The National Association for the Education of Young Children (NAEYC) and the American Educational Research AssociationSusan Brooks, BSExecutive Director, Creative PreschoolChild Development SpecialistSusan Brooks has more than 35 years of experience working with young children and their families. She has directed the pre-school program at the Creative Pre-School for over 30 years. As Director she is responsible for the total pre-school program, all teacher organization and training, and parent conferences. Ms. Brooks holds a Bachelors Degree from Florida State University in Child Development She is a very knowledgeable early childhood professional, who has been a CDA trainer and is constantly engaged in all on-site staff training experiences.She is the Chair of The Creative Center for Childhood Research and Training, Inc.. In this capacity she organizes tours through the Creative Pre-School program provides supervision for students in training, and has oversite responsibility for research activities Ms. Brooks has been a member of the National Association for the Education of Young Children since 1984 and participates in local, state, and national conferences.

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Phelps Resume.pdf

Stannard Resume.pdf

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overview

consultants

about us

CONSULTING AND TRAINING

conferences CCCRT works in collaboration with many organizations including:Local child care and family child care providersCoalition offices statewideThe Agency for Workforce Innovation - Office of Early LearningHead Start administrators, teachers and paraprofessionalsPublic school systemsFaith-based providersHealth care personnelThe private sectorCCCRT has been one of the major sponsors for the "One Goal Conference" in Tampa, Florida for the past 15 years. This conference has gathered together as many as 1,300 early education and care providers and leaders from around the state of Florida. The "One Goal Conference" was was originally called The Pre-K Conference and was sponsored by The Florida Department of Education. In the mid-nineties, it was specifically re-designed by a committee of experts in the various related fields in order to create a collaborative forum where concerns for young children and their families could be addressed.Consultants from CCCRT present workshops and keynotes at local, statewide, regional, national, and international conferences on a wide variety of topics. Please contact us and we'll be delighted to assist with your specific training needs.

topics CCCRT consultants can help with all aspects of young children's education, care and development. CCCRT consulting specialties include:Designing Inside & Outside Play EnvironmentsAssessing & Critiquing Existing Play EnvironmentsPlanning for Facility Construction or RenovationSite EvaluationPersonnel AssessmentTraining/Workshop TopicsCurrent workshop topics include (but are not limited to) to the following:Play OverviewPlay & the ChildDramatic PlayConstruction PlayEmergent Literacy & School ReadinessMildred Parten’s Developmental Definitions for Social ParticipationScaffolding Children's PlayPlay Organization & EnvironmentsCounting Play SpacesPlanning for Fluid Play OpportunitiesSelecting Developmentally Appropriate Play MaterialsPlaygrounds: Designing Out-Door Play SpacesUnderstanding the Developmental Stages of PlayObservation Scale for Stages of Children’s Block ConstructionsObservation Scale for Stages of Children’s Art ProductsObservation Scale for Stages of Children’s Bead StringingObservation Scale for Stages of Children's Emergent WritingObservation Scale for Children's Stages of CuttingObservation Scale for Children's Dramatic PlayDevelopmental Implementation of IEP GoalsPortfolio & Anecdotal RecordingInclusionTypical & Atypical Child DevelopmentImplementation of Full Inclusive ProgrammingSupporting & Empowering FamiliesDesigning & Implementing a Full-Inclusion Program for Children Birth through KindergartenBehavior Management Conflict ResolutionStaff DevelopmentAdult-to-Child & Child-to-Child CommunicationDevelopmentally Appropriate Behavior Management for the Home & Group Care Setting

bcct The Beyond Centers & Circle Time Curriculum Certified Training ProgramCCCRT consultants offer two annual train-the-trainer institutes for individuals who want to become certified to train early childhood educators in the BCCT curriculum. The infant toddler module, Beyond Cribs & Rattles is usually offered in February of each year while the Pre-K module, Beyond Centers & Circle Time is typically offered in the summer. Both programs provide an understanding of typical child development as a basis for observing ALL CHILDREN and for providing and scaffolding play.The BCCT curriculum teaches the importance of structuring the play environment for age-appropriate milestones. Emphasis is on the application of theory and research to the play of young children.Individuals who complete a certified training ” program are prepared to train adults who work with young children and professionals who direct early childhood programs.In addition to the annual certified train-the-trainer sessions offered, CCCRT provides workshops and certified trainings in Beyond Differences & Diagnoses and Beyond Centers & CircleTime Curriculum Pre-K Theme Series by request. Please contact us for more information regarding these workshops and to discuss your specific training needs.

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conferences

bcct trainings

topics

consulting and training

UPCOMING WORKSHOPS

Upcoming Presentations and Trainings:

Beyond Centers & Circle Time

Train-the-Trainer

March 5-8, 2012

Tallahassee, Florida

Beyond Cribs & Rattles

Train-the-Trainer

July 15-18, 2012

Tampa, Florida

BCCT Training Flyer 2012.pdf

Registration Form.pdf

Credit Card Form.pdf

upcoming workshops

SUPPORT MATERIALS

BCCT Curriculum

BCCT and Math

BCCT and Mathematical Thinking
The Beyond Centers and Circle Time Curriculum Theme Series provides early childhood educators with easy to implement daily experiences that are designed to offer children opportunities to explore materials and discover mathematical knowledge. Counting, sorting, classifying, creating patterns, measuring, and just playing with numerals are a part of each days lesson plan. This Math Supplement offers additional ideas of experiences that can be substituted or exchanged to add more density to these daily plans. Incorporating experiences that will support young childrens acquisition of mathematic knowledge is easy and can be a lot of fun.To download a copy of this complete article, click on the icon to the right.

Math Supplement (less pics).pdf

BCCT and Science

BCCT and Scientific Thinking
Young children are born scientists. At birth they are interested in their environments and respond quickly to positive experiences. Adults often inadvertently stifle this natural interest in the world by embedding unfounded fears of animals and objects in an effort to keep them safe. When young children leave quality early childhood programs and enter schools that redefine their scientific interests to fit a narrow curriculum focus of science, their knowledge and interest in science diminishes (US Department of Education, 2007). For young children science is not just facts in a content area, but a way of thinking and feeling about the world. The young childs eagerness to understand the world around him provides knowledgeable adults with a window of opportunity for creating a strong love of science and a curiosity and enthusiasm that will support his desire to learn for the rest of his life.To download a copy of this complete article, click on the icon to the right.

BCCT-Scientific Thinking FINAL.pdf

BCCT and TN Standards

BCCT and The Tennessee Standards
The Beyond Centers and Circle Time Curriculum is designed to provide early educators with examples of experiences that support the development of the whole child, in all domains. Each child has a unique developmental rhythm and a quality curriculum provides daily opportunities for him to engage in experiences that will allow him to practice and develop the skills and knowledge needed for later school success. The Tennessee Early Childhood Early Learning Developmental Standards for children birth-five years are embedded in the daily schedules and lesson plans of the BCCT Curriculum materials.To download a copy of this complete article, click on the icon to the right.

BCCT_TN Alignment.pdf

BCR and FL Standards

BCR & The Florida Standards
Beyond Cribs and Rattles (BCR) was written with the Florida Early Learning and Developmental Standards in mind. The author of BCR worked on committees that focused on the writing of the standards and trained the standards trainers in communities across the State of Florida. Video footage taken at The Creative Pre-School which is the home of the Beyond Centers and Circle Time Curriculum trilogy was used to help trainers create learning situations for the early care educators that attend their workshops. Every facet of the BCCT, BCR, and BDD curriculum is infused with information that has been written to guide adults working with young children towards the creation of quality environments that will support the total development of young children.To download a copy of this complete article, click on the icon to the right.

BCR side x side B-5 standards.pdf

BCCT Implemenation Plan

BCCT Implementation Plan
A Beyond Centers & Circle Time Implementation Gauge for Three through Five-Year-Old Environments

BCCT Implementation FINAL.pdf

BCCT and VPK Side-By-Side

BCCT and VPK Standards Side-by-Side
The daily schedule presented in the theme series is used as an outline to present the correlation between the proposed experiences and the Florida Voluntary Prekindergarten (VPK) Standards.

Side by Side-3.pdf

BCCT and Math

BCCT and Science

BCCT and TN Standards

BCR and FL Standards

BCCT Implemenation Plan

BCCT and VPK Side-By-Side

Publications
Pamela C. Phelps, Ph.D.Hanline, M.F., Fox, L., & Phelps, P.C. (1998). Community child care inclusion: The development of two children. International Journal of Disability, Development and Education, 45(4), 469-488.Hanline, M. F., Milton, S., & Phelps, P. (2001). Young Childrens Block Construction Activities: Findings from 3 Years of Observation. Journal of Early Intervention, 24(3), 224-237.Levy, A. K., Schaefer, L., & Phelps, P. (1986). Increasing preschool effectiveness: enhancing the language abilities of 3- and 4-year old children through planned sociodramatic play. Early Childhood Research Quarterly, 1, 133-140.Phelps, P. C. (1986). An investigation of the functional relationship between play space allotments, play materials and the social behavior of toddlers. Unpublished dissertation, The Florida State University.Phelps, P.C. (1984). Creative playgrounds for preschool children. Early Child Development and Care, 17(1), 23-36.Phelps, P. C., & Chiricos, C. (1991). Infant/toddler 10-hour training module, Tallahassee, FL: The Department of Health and Rehabilitative Services (HRS), State of Florida in collaboration with the Creative Center for Childhood Research & Training (CCCRT).Phelps, P. C., & Hanline, M. F. (1999). Lets play blocks! Creating effective learning experiences for young children. Teaching Exceptional Children, 32(2), 62-67.Phelps, P. C., Lally, J. R., & Torres, Y. L. (1994). Caring for infants and toddlers in groups: Necessary considerations for emotional, social and cognitive development. Zero-to-Three, National Center for Clinical Infant Programs, 14(5).Phelps, P.C., & Wolfgang, C. (1983). Solving problems within the day care context. Early Child Development and Care, 13(1), 87-100.Reiser, R.A., Tessmer, M.A., & Phelps, P.C. (1984). Adult-child interaction in children's learning from "Sesame Street," Educational Communication and Technology: A Journal of Theory, Research and Development, 32(4), 217-223.Stannard, L., Wolfgang, C. H., Jones, I., & Phelps, P. (2001). A longitudinal study of the predictive relations among construction play and mathematical achievement. Early Child Development and Care, 167, 115-125.Wolfgang, C., & Phelps, P.C. (1983). Preschool play materials preference inventory. Early Child Development and Care, 12(2), 127-141.Laura L. Stannard, Ph.D.Stannard, L., Wolfgang, C. H., Jones, I., & Phelps, P. (2003). Advanced constructional play with LEGOs among preschoolers as a predictor of later school achievement in mathematics. Early Child Development and Care, 173(5), 467-475.Stannard, L., Wolfgang, C. H., Jones, I., & Phelps, P. (2001). A longitudinal study of the predictive relations among construction play and mathematical achievement. Early Child Development and Care, 167, 115-125.Wolfgang, C. H., Stannard, L. L., & Jones, I. (2001). Block play performance among preschoolers as a predictor of later school achievements in mathematics. Journal of Research in Childhood Education, 15(2), 173-180.

block scale.pdf

block.reading.math longitudinal.pdf

Followup block and reading and maths2.pdf

Wolfgang-Stannard-Jones.pdf

Wolfgang,.pdf

Stannard,.pdf

presentations
To download the handout from a presentation, click on a pdf image below.

Sensorimotor to Symbolic.pdf

BCR Play.pdf

publications

bcct curriculum

presentations

support materials

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The Creative Center for Childhood Research & Training, Inc.

2746 West Tharpe Street • Tallahassee, FL • 32303 850.422.1080 Phone • 850.422.1283 FAX