Northwest AEA Preschool Newsletter

May 2022

Your communication hub!

EnJOY! ~Joyce, Brenda & Shelley

Book of the Month Club!

Sign up for the Book of the Month Club beginning in the fall of 2022!! Available for accredited preschools in Northwest AEA and Prairie Lakes. If you're not interest in that, then you might want to try Teaching Books that are available through the AEA system. When it comes to books, we've got your back!!

Summer Learning Loss & How to Prevent It

Much research has been done on summer learning loss. According to Oxford Learning, here are THE FACTS ON SUMMER LEARNING LOSS

• The equivalent of one month of learning is lost after summer vacation
• 2.6 months of math skills are lost over the summer
• 2 months of reading are lost over the summer
• 6 weeks are spent re-learning old material in the fall to make up for summer learning loss


What can you do to help your students so they aren't a summer learning loss statistic? Share the Summer Learning for Preschoolers newsletter with their families. Encourage them to keep their children's minds engaged throughout the summer; the benefits will pay off for a lifetime.

Summer Newsletter for Families

Share the SUMMER LEARNING FOR PRESCHOOLERS newsletter with families when they are looking for learning activities to do with their children this summer. You can share this link: https://www.smore.com/7vjrc

Teacher Tips of the Month

New AEA Digital Resources coming in 2022-23!!

Iowa’s AEAs provide students and educators with no-cost access to high-quality, vetted digital

resources. They are proud to announce their lineup of digital instructional resources for the 2022-23 school year, including six new offerings! Students, educators and parents have 24/7/365 access to these ebooks, streaming videos, encyclopedia, reference materials and more! Click HERE to learn more about AEA Digital Resources.

Upcoming Northwest AEA Early Childhood Professional Development Opportunities

Preschool Academy

Do you or will you have teachers or administrators new to Statewide Voluntary Preschool? Do you wish to learn more about connecting the pieces of the IELS, IQPPS and TS GOLD? If so, join us on August 11th from 9 to 3 and meet others just like you. Click HERE or on the flyer to register.

Kick off Your Year Learning Conference

Join us in LeMars on August 10th!


This one day learning conference will focus on the theme -- EQ before IQ and will have learning sessions catered to all PreK-12 educators and administrators.

  • Register today for early bird registration of $50. This rate expires on May 13th! You can register at this link bit.ly/NWAEAkickoff22 Don't miss out on this affordable rate!

If you have any questions about the learning conference or session proposals please email the Learning Conference Team at learningconference@nwaea.org

Intentional Teacher 2022!

Many districts are doing a deeper dive into literacy. Because of that, we want to share what that looks like in preschool settings. This year, we will be learning about the Science of Reading and building literacy skills in young children. You will again have a choice between two face-to-face dates, then join us in three Zoom sessions as we go further into literacy for young children. Click on the flyer to learn more.
Northwest AEA Early Childhood PD Plan 2022-23

Here you have access to professional development designed specifically for early childhood staff for the 2022-23 school year.

Connections is shared monthly on the 1st & 3rd Tuesdays

This publication alerts you to resources and professional development occurring at Northwest AEA. Check it out (or look for it in your Inbox).

Northwest AEA Summer Learning Opportunities

See ALL courses available for educators teaching grades PK-12

Non-negotiables in Iowa SWVPPs

On April 26th Preschool Administrators of SWVPPs were invited to a Zoom session in which Northwest AEA early childhood consultants shared the "non-negotiables" for those implementing statewide voluntary preschool programs. The session was recorded; you can access the recording HERE. Here is a copy of the slideshow; links embedded are live.

Congrats STEM Scale-Up Awardees!!

At least 20 of our early childhood programs in Northwest AEA were awarded or have access to one or more of the STEM Scale-Up Programs this year!! Congratulations!!! The Iowa Governor's STEM Advisory Council is a proud contributor to the mission of Future Ready Iowa.
Early Childhood State Coordinating Team

The Iowa Department of Education has regular meetings with early childhood representatives from across the state as a way of sharing information from the DE, listening to our voices and concerns, and collaborating with each other to create solutions.

April 13th EC State Coordinating Team Summary

This month you'll find a lot of info regarding changes in IGDIs. Click HERE to see what was discussed.

IGDIs help desk

We all need a little help now and then. myIGDIs has made it easy for us to connect with them. Use THIS LINK to access the myIGDIs help desk from Renaissance.


Click on the April 2022 myIGDIs Newsletter for more info.

Autism Help Desk

On the 2nd Wednesday of every month, The Northwest AEA autism team is offering an Autism Help Desk two different times of the day, 7:30-8:30 a.m. and 3:30-4:30 p.m. The Help Desk is to support the implementation of evidence-based practices in the structures and strategies for students with characteristics of autism. If interested, please contact Beth Tisher at btisher@nwaea.org or 712.222.6382. The next Autism Help Desk is scheduled for May 11, 2022.

PD opportunities in the state of iowa & internationally (see below)

Free to Play Online Summit

Head, Hands, Heart- that's what it's about this year. It's FREE; it's for 4 days; it's from May 14-17. Click HERE to learn more!

Trauma Informed Care Conference, June 7-8

Registration Deadline May 27th. Click HERE to learn more.

"The Inclusion Event of the Year"

You are invited by Dr. Kristie Pretti-Frontczak and Dr. Julie Causton to attend the 2022 VIRTUAL Summer Leadership Institute held August 8-10, 2022. Early Bird registration is available through May 17th.
Want more preschool newsletters?

Visit our Northwest AEA website where you'll find not only previous EC Newsletters, but a wealth of other resources as well!

Northwest AEA Early Childhood Consultants

We hope to be your first contact for timely and ongoing early childhood support. We want to assist you in improving the performance outcomes and well-being of your young learners.


Joyce, Brenda & Shelley