If you are attune to any media source, you are probably hearing about the tough economic times our country is facing.  As the holiday season approaches, many families are reaching deep into their pockets to try to scrape up enough money to give their children the expensive gifts they want – or DO THEY?

ACTUALLY, the holidays can be a stressful time for children.  As we know, children thrive on schedules and routines.  Holiday parties, family gatherings, and the overindulgence can be difficult for children. 

Keep in mind, some of the best gifts you can give to children involve NO MONEY at all:

·         Children appreciate when the adults in their lives create and celebrate traditions with them.

·         Children value the gift of time from the special adults in their lives.  Take the time to enjoy giving a child your full attention. 

·         Children need adequate sleep, nutrition, fresh air, and exercise.  Ensure children’s health needs are being met during these eventful times.

·         Children need help with schedule changes and the added excitement of the holidays.  Be realistic, be prepared, and communicate feelings with children such as tired, excited, and anticipation.

With Mother’s Day and Father’s Day right around the corner, it is a great time to reflect on our relationship with the parents in our care.   Parents hold a uniquely important role as their child’s first and most important teacher.  Our role, as early childhood educators, is to support the important work parents do.  Many times parents will come to us to share their frustrations, sweet stories, or simply just to be listened to.  There are several things we can do to ensure we fulfill our role well:

• Listen and withhold judgment when parents share a concern
• Use humor to make light of situations, when appropriate
• Allow parents to find their own way in the journey of parenting
• Affirm parents for making choices that work for them

Another way to help parents is to practice making nonjudgmental statements.  For example, we may say to a parent: “It’s OK to be firm with your toddler”; “I am glad that putting your child to bed early works for you”; “Keep taking baby steps toward your goal.”  Be sure parents are armed with resources to assist them.  Blogs are a relatively new tool that provides support, assistance and a forum for parents to talk with other parents about child rearing.

Share these Parenting websites and enjoy them yourself:

• Minnesota Parent:  The Journal of Family Living     (check out their blog)
• Minnesota Department of Education     (check out their blog)
• National Center for Infants, Toddlers and Families   

Honor the mothers and fathers in your program today by reflecting on changes you can make in supporting their efforts.  The most important knowledge for educators is that parenting is hard work and our support can make a difference!

As the weather warms, children and staff will be venturing outside as often as possible.  Outside play has often been seen as time for the children to burn off energy and time for the staff to socialize.  However, outside time should be a valuable learning experience for everyone.  

Learning does not end when they walk outside…….. but rather a stepping stone to stimulate the children’s natural curiosity.

Being outside helps children grow and develop - physically, socially, and emotionally.  Jump rope rhymes are an excellent way to develop language skills as well as a great physical activity.  The physical activity may also help them avoid childhood obesity while enjoying the great outdoors.

Children learn through exploration, discovery and the power of their imagination while noting the different types of trees or animals, and a chance to talk about science - for instance, how plants grow with sun and water. Kids love to be outdoors this time of year.  Here are a few other ways to set up an outdoor classroom:

• Art activities can be expanded when done outdoors and cleaning up is easier
• A reading corner can be under a shady tree or bush
• Meals and snacks can be picnics
• There are many opportunities to explore and observe nature outdoors. Children can watch bugs, birds, animals, and see how plants grow. They can look for changes in trees and bushes from spring to summer to fall
• There's more space for circle games and marching bands
• Music activities can be done outdoors
• Quiet times can include looking at the clouds or birds flying overhead
• Sand boxes are great for digging, pouring, and imaginary play with cars, trucks, and other small toys.

The best outside time is well planned….. just like the rest of your day. 

In honor of April being National Child Abuse Prevention month, it is the responsibility of early childhood professionals to recognize signs of abuse and neglect and know the procedures for helping the children and their families.

Caregivers’ Responsibilities:

• Know your state’s law and regulations
• Be familiar with signs
• Keep written records of your observations
• Teach children self-protection strategies
• Report cases of suspected abuse or neglect
• Provide a stable, secure, consistent loving environment
• Help build a strong, positive relationship between parents and their children

Child abuse is like a virus - an infection that is often passed on from one person to another.  This infection spreads very quickly to others in the population.  Unless you avoid people altogether, it is almost impossible to go a day without encountering someone that has either been abused, is or has abused someone, or is very close to someone that has experienced an awful situation. The ‘virus’ infects the entire community with callousness and cynicism, anger and violence, crime, drugs, and disease.  The effects of child abuse are often a life-long problem and process that many need to go through. Children that are abused are missing out on the joy of childhood.  Abused children also have poor self-image, low self-esteem, depression, and inability to love and trust other people.

85 to 90% of the abusers are people the children know.  Therefore, do not be afraid of the stranger, but rather be aware of those that have access to your children – the coach, the teacher, the neighbor, the relative. 

Teach children self-protection strategies:

• Reinforce rules through books, role-playing, and examples
• Goal is to empower children
• Never take a gift from a stranger
• Never go anywhere with a stranger
• Only talk to people you do not know when you are with your mom or dad
• Your body is your personal property
• Never let anyone touch the private parts
• Teach the children that they ‘swimsuit area’ are the place on your body that no one should touch. 
• Talk to children about safety – teach them to use the telephone

Resources for Early Childhood Professionals and Parents:

• Child Abuse   
• Darkness to Light  
• There is No Excuse  
• Protect Kids  
• Stop it Now   
  

Bring Communities Together for Children – Children Bring Communities Together

Rasmussen College’s Brooklyn Park campus will come together to honor children and families and to thank early childhood teachers during the Week of the Young Child (April 13-19, 2008).  As part of the national Week of the Young Child, Rasmussen College is honoring young children and all those who make a difference in children’s lives.

“All young children need and deserve high-quality early learning experiences that will prepare them for life, and Rasmussen College has a great opportunity to do our part to help young children,” said Cecelia Westby, Early Childhood Education Faculty.  “Week of the Young Child is time to recognize the importance of early learning for all young children, and to bring families, children and early childhood teachers together to help give all young children a great start.” 

Week of the Young Child, sponsored by the National Association for the Education of Young Children (NAEYC), is an opportunity for early childhood programs across the country, including child care and Head Start programs, preschools and elementary schools, to hold activities to bring awareness to the needs of young children.    

• Event:   Week of the Young Child
• Date/Time:   Wednesday, April 16 from 5-8:00PM
• Location:   Rasmussen College’s Brooklyn Park Campus
• Your Hosts:  Rasmussen College, Early Childhood Students and Faculty

Bring your family and join us for early childhood activities, early literacy, parenting materials and more!

Register by contacting Beckie Blake at 763-493-4500 or by email at by April 9th.

Primary Caregiving is an important factor—possibly the most important—in a system of high quality care and education of young children.  Primary care means a child is assigned to one primary caregiver.  This teacher acts as the main point of contact for a child and their parents and therefore has the most knowledge of the child’s needs, preferences and interests.  Some caregivers express hesitation when they hear the word ‘primary’.  However, primary does not mean only.  All teachers are responsible for all children in their care.  The primary caregiver is first and foremost responsible for bonding with the child during the most personal times.  Attachment with a caring adult is critical for a child to grow and develop.

Considerations for a successful Primary Caregiver:

• Communicate.  Share messages about child to all teachers.  Help teachers understand some of the important day-to-day issues to provide the best care and education for individual children.
• Attachment.  Develop a special bond with each child; nurture the child during feeding, diapering and playing routines.  
• Teach.  Match experiences to each child; provide developmentally appropriate materials and equipment that promote development of individual children.  
• Observe.   Assess each child for developmental progress.  Discuss child’s experiences with other teachers and parents to ensure individual children experience high quality care and education. 
  

Primary Caregivers promote specialness in each child within the primary caregiver-child relationship.  Through Primary Care, and consequently ample nurturing, each individual child will thrive.

High quality care for infants and toddlers can enrich children’s early experience and provide critical support to their families.  When describing ‘quality care’, many experts in the Early Childhood field use a variety of concepts in their descriptions. Elements of quality care include the child’s safety, meeting the needs of the individual within the group, small group size, and responsive planning.  However, there is one theme that seems to be high on everyone’s list ~ the relationship between caregiver and the family.  

Taken from ZERO TO THREE’S  Caring for Infants and Toddlers in Groups:  Developmentally Appropriate Practice, nurturance, support, security and predictability let children know that they can count on being loved and cared for in the child care setting.  Nurturance is the warmth, feeding and protection that infants expect from quality care givers every day.  Support is the care giver helping the child achieves the developmental milestones that a child goes through the first years of their life.  Security is concerned the ‘safe haven’ for infants and toddlers ~ creating an atmosphere where the child knows that nothing bad will happen here.  Predictability is the feeling of knowing what to expect next because the flow of the day follows a sequence.

Parents forming and sustaining a respectful relationship with their child’s caregiver is a vital competent of quality care. Two-way communication between the teacher and the family builds mutual respect, cooperation, and shared responsibility for the child’s well being. By sharing information, each party will become more comfortable with each other’s feelings while looking out for the best interest of the child.  Also, sharing expectations is essential in providing quality care to not only infants and toddlers, but to all children in care. 

This week the Federal Reserve cut interest rates in an effort to help families all across the United States deal with economic hardships.  This includes families dealing with mortgage foreclosure, debt, and credit card problems.  Why do families get into trouble financially?  How can this be prevented?

One way that parents can prevent financial problems for their children is by teaching them about the value of money, how to spend it wisely, and how to budget it to meet their needs.  A common question raised by parents is how old should my child be when I start to teach them about money?  The overwhelming response to this question is that it is never too early or too late to start!  Young children can learn to count and sort money by value as well as recognition of types of coins and which coin can be used in certain situations.  As children grow older, they can use money to sharpen their math skills.

Teaching a child to save money is also a great way to start them on the path to financial freedom.  Buy them a piggy bank and teach them to watch their money add up.  If your child is begging for a new toy, set a saving goal with them.  Help them to understand that in order to buy things they have to save their money and not spend it foolishly.  Children feel a great sense of pride at being able to work towards a goal and accomplish it.  Saving money will not only help them financially, but it will also improve their self-esteem.

There are a number of great resources available to parents on how to teach children about money, including “Money Doesn’t Grow on Trees” by N. Godfrey and C. Edwards and Parenting.  Many local banks even offer savings programs for children to teach them the value of the dollar.  All it takes is for parents to start talking about money with their children. 

Who knows?  Maybe if more families would make raising financially responsible children a top priority, our country would not be in the economic trouble it is in today!

Parents today realize that technology is a part of their children’s day—even young children are exposed to electronics.  Technology and play have become interconnected and that is not going to change. 

According to David Walsh of MediaWise.org, the average American child:

• Watches 25 hours of television each week
• Plays computer or video games for 7 hours each week
• Accesses the Internet from home for 4 hours each week (among those who have Internet access)

Another source of technology trends can be found by reading the article, Tech Toys for Tots.  This article examines current trends in technology for young children demonstrated at the Consumer Electronics Show, first ever, “Sandbox Summit.” 

Limiting Screen Time

The American Academy of Pediatrics (AAP) feels strongly about recommending the amount of time children spend in front of a screen be limited.  For example, AAP cautions against screen time completely for children under age 2 and no more than one to two hours a day of quality programming for older children. 

Increasing Book Time

Parents have the primary role in influencing what and how much technology impacts their young children in their home.  A strong way to counteract the influence of technology is to think about these questions:

• Does your child, even young toddler, have their own library card?
• Do you make regular visits to your local library?
• Do you have books in your home?
• Is reading with your child a regular part of your routine?

We can acknowledge the influence of technology while pushing back to ensure children receive what they need in the form of books and time with caring adults.  The importance of activities and play (without screen time) will come from us—the adults and parents responsible for giving our children the best.

It has been said that. . .

the best gift you can give children is your PRESENCE. 

Reading is a wonderful way to give your full attention to the children in your care while adopting a Play-full presence.  Through selecting good literature, smiles, giggles and amusement can be shared—a recipe for Play-fullness!

The Hennepin County Library provides a fantastic service through the Birth to Six link.  Teachers can find wonderful, Play-full ideas such as, Fingerplays, Online Fun, Booklists and more!  To get you started, I have some book recommendations below.  Remember, be present—it is the best gift you can give!

Favorite for Babies:   Bark, George  
Easy Picture Book  by Jules Fieffer

Favorite for Toddlers:   What Color is Your Underwear? 
Easy Picture Book  by Sam Lloyd

Favorite for Preschoolers:   Smile a Lot! (Nancy Carlson's Neighborhood) 
Easy Picture Book by Nancy Carson

Reading is Play-full when you choose great books!

Do you have any favorites?