Resources from Mississippi Forum on Children and Families

Mississippi Forum on Children and Families

Resource Title: Big School Newsletters
Price: Varies on Quantity
Author: Jane P. Boykin & Betty Trotti
Description: The letters are written to promote school readiness from a child’s point of view. The ten Big School Newsletters are sent to students that have registered for kindergarten. The letters are sent every week throughout the summer before the children start kindergarten. The letters address children’s concerns about what is going to happen to them at Big School. The Big School Letters encourage reading and promote school readiness. They also give the child much needed self-assurance about the new adventure they are about to begin.

Resource Title: Community Classrooms
Price: Varies on Quantity
Author: Jane P. Boykin & Betty Trotti
Description: Community Classrooms is a community development approach to early childhood education. Produced by the Mississippi Forum on Children and Families with the initial development supported in part by the Bell South Foundation, Community Classrooms affirms the important role a community plays in supporting parents and preparing children for school success. Community Classrooms has a parent guide that is 32 pages in an easy to read format that assists parents in identifying the teachable moments of everyday life. There are 13 community classrooms in the parent guide. Each classroom is detailed with a description, eight “Words to Know”, and five “Lessons to Learn”. The guides are splashed with bright colors and simple artwork that parents and children will enjoy. Preparing children for school success is not a difficult job- it’s a joyful job! Teachers in Community Classrooms use three simple curriculum principals: Look, Talk, Listen. Because of the bel! ief that Children are Born to Learn and their Communities are full of teachers, Community Classrooms is designed to use the environment children grow in.