KIDLINKs A newsletter serving families…Published by the Orange County Parent Child Center February 2011
www.orangecountypcc.org
BostonMama.com Blog by Tracy March 2010
“As a parent and clinical psychologist, I frequently am asked for parenting book recommendations, and I have always found this a difficult task. For one, I haven’t met many books that I find useful enough to be a go-to general recommendation. Another issue is that many parenting books seem to offer lots of strategies and tips in a very general way, which doesn’t help you tune in to your parenting instinct. Or they espouse a great philosophy of parenting with no or very vague ideas about what this philosophy would look like on the front lines, so to speak.
Well, at very long last I have found a book that I am willing to recommend to anyone who asks. Simplicity Parenting: Using the Extraordinary Power of Less to Raise Calmer, Happier, and More Secure Kids by Kim John Payne and Lisa M. Ross is, in my opinion, the perfect blend of philosophy, instinct, and how-to, and it’s all backed by the kind of research and developmental information that makes you go, “Hmm.”
What the authors have crafted is a book that takes a good hard look at what it is to live in our world today with its busy-ness, overstimulation, and “more, bigger, faster” mentality, and brought it back to basics. Many parents are going to cringe at their instruction to throw out more than half of the toys your children own, or have difficulty considering modifying how their family relates to screen time, but the arguments the authors make are so aptly put that instead of an admonishment it feels like inspiration. When the authors ask the reader to remember back to what your dream was of how your family would be at this stage and compare it to current reality, I firmly believe any parent would be hard pressed not to find some way that they can recreate that dream. The authors talk about four areas for simplifying: Environment (e.g., toys and books), Rhythm, Schedules, and Filtering Out the Adult World.
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The Orange County
Parent Child Center
Supporting Families…Building Community
We are one of 15 Parent Child Centers in Vermont.
All Parent Child Centers offer eight core services:
Home Visiting Early Childhood Services
Parent Education You can find our main office at
Parent Support 361 VT Route 110
Playgroups Chelsea, VT 05038
On-site Services
Information & Referral Local: 1-802-685-2264
Community Development Toll Free: 1-888-685-2264
www.orangecountypcc.org
regional PLAYGROUP SCHEDULE
Each of these playgroups is open to children ages birth through age five, unless otherwise noted.
Playgroups are a wonderful way for parents and children to meet new people,
gain support and be introduced to new ideas in play.
Bradford Wednesday 9:00 –11:00 am Grace Methodist Church, OCPCC
Brookfield Tuesday 9:30 - 11:30 am First Congregational Church, OCPCC
Chelsea(starts March 4) Friday 9:30 - 11:30 am Orange County PCC, 361 VT Rt 110, Chelsea
Norwich Monday (birth to 2 yr) 1:00 - 2:30 pm Olcott House atThe Family Place, 649-3268
Randolph Thursday 9:30 -11:30 am Kids Place, 25 Forest St, Randolph, OCPCC
Rochester Friday 10:30 -12:00 noon Rochester Federated Church, OCPCC
South Royalton Wednesday 9:30 – 11:00 am United Church (on the green), OCPCC
West Fairlee Thursday 9:00 - 11:00 am Westshire School, West Fairlee, OCPCC
Playgroups that are held in schools are
not held on days when school is not in session.
For more information or directions please contact the
Orange County Parent Child Center (OCPCC) at 888-685-2264
or visit www.orangecountypcc.org
We will be phasing out the hard copy version of this newsletter.
If you’d still like to receive a copy in the mail, you must contact us at
888/802-685-2264 or email
The Kidlinks newsletter
Growing a Happy Child calendar
are now available on our website at www.orangecountypcc.org along with other valuable resources and links for parents and providers.
kinship care support group ready to begin!
Kinship care providers are relatives caring for the children of a family member. This might be a grandparent, aunt or uncle, or other family member. It is our hope that this group will provide a space and time for folks to gather and connect, share strategies, build community, and learn about the resources that are available to help them in this important work.
Anyone interested or anyone you refer should contact Mary Ellen Otis for details. This group will be co-facilitated by Cindy Blondin, a kinship care provider here in Chelsea, and Otis, OCPCC’s Executive Director. We have two seasoned childcare providers to keep children of all ages safe and happy while the adults are meeting.
First meeting
Tuesday, March 8
6:00 - 7:30 p.m.
Orange County Parent Child Center
361 VT Route 110, Chelsea
Childcare and supper will be provided
For more information and/or details regarding location and childcare call Mary Ellen at (888) 685-2264 or email .
Please share this information with people you know who might benefit.
Learn more at www.orangecountypcc.org
Preschool children love to move, and young bodies need to move! By exploring, discovering and using everything they come in contact with at home or in the classroom, children learn. Acquiring motor skills involves the introduction of new concepts and skills, exploring those skills physically and applying the movements to a variety of simple games and cooperative movement activities. When early childhood caregivers model and teach the importance of physical activity, young children are more likely to adopt a lifetime of healthful practices and behaviors. The following…tips, published by the National Association for Sport and Physical Education (NASPE) and Playworld Systems, were collected from numerous early childhood movement experts to help teachers and caregivers plan and provide age-appropriate physical activity experiences.
Provide Developmentally Appropriate Movement Opportunities
1. Appreciate the important role of movement in young children’s development.
2. Recognize children’s differing movement capabilities and promote learning experiences that challenge each child to move to the next level of individual development.
3. Provide daily physical activities for infants that enable them to explore movement and the environment.
4. Plan for at least 30 minutes of structured physical activity and from 60 minutes to several hours of unstructured physical activity each day for toddlers.
5. Prepare for at least 60 minutes of structured physical activity and from 60 minutes to several hours of unstructured physical activity each day for preschoolers.
6. Foster a feeling of success within each child through movement…
Be Creative With Equipment
17. Collect age-appropriate manipulative equipment, such as balls, beanbags and hoops.
18. Make home-made equipment, such as sock balls, yarn balls and cardboard boxes.
19. Modify equipment (e.g., underinflate beach balls) for greater success.
20. Use ordinary objects as equipment (e.g., wide masking tape as a balance beam).
21. Teach children how to use one piece of equipment in multiple ways, (e.g., rolling, bouncing, tossing, throwing and dribbling a ball).
22. Use equipment to teach spatial awareness and relationships such as over, under and around.
23. Show children how to use equipment creatively. For example, a jump rope does not have to pass over one’s head; it can be placed on the ground for jumping over or squiggled at ground level for slightly more challenging jumping.
24. Give children a variety of equipment and let them make up their own games.
25. Use props such as puppets and costumes to add excitement.
26. Have scooters, tricycles and riding toys available outdoors…
Provide Instruction During Structured Play
47. Keep instruction and directions simple and concise.
48. Position yourself to be seen and heard when giving instructions.
49. Use quick and non-threatening methods to place students into pairs or small groups, (e.g., “Stand back to back with someone who is wearing the same color shirt as you”).
50. Make the process of distributing and collecting equipment part of the activity.
51. Start with the basics: personal space, direction (e.g., forward, backward, sideways) and speed.
52. Introduce pathways (e.g., straight, zigzag, circular) and levels (e.g., low, medium, high).
53. Ask children to make various shapes (e.g., wide, long, curled, twisted) with their bodies.
54. Have children mimic moving objects, such as a kite, car or butterfly.
55. Play simple songs for children to help them perform creative movement.
56. Use movement-exploration techniques, such as “How can you move from here to there?” and “Show me all the ways that you can move the ball.”
57. Teach and practice basic movement skills, such as walk, march, jump, hop, gallop and slide.
58. Present non-locomotor movements, such as bending, reaching, stretching and swaying.
59. Circulate among the children to provide feedback and encouragement.
60. Provide positive comments before corrective feedback.
61. Give very specific feedback (e.g., “Remember that hopping uses only one foot,” instead of “Remember to hop and not jump”).
62. Join in and play with the children periodically. Share in their joy for play.
The 3-4-5 Project
A series of community forums for families…
This program will be multi-dimensional with a focus on the health and wellness of children, the developmental tasks of these age groups, the learning capacity of preschoolers, all in an attempt to inform parents of the “normal” scope of children’s development through play, to emphasize the importance of nutrition and exercise and to have children and families more ready for kindergarten.
The information will be presented by Dr. Rebecca Foulk, pediatrician, Karen Johnson, early childhood educator, and Early Essential Education coordinator for OWSU, and Nancy Clark, registered nurse and case manager at South Royalton Health Center. The sessions will be held at three schools, Chelsea, Sharon, & South Royalton from 6:00-8:00 p.m. Childcare will be provided, if needed. Contact Nancy Clark for more information at 802-763-7575.
Remaining 3-4-5 PROJECT DATES
Your Three-Year Old May 19 at South Royalton School
Your Four-Year-Old May 12 at Chelsea School
Your Five-Year-Old May 5 at Sharon Elementary
______
GET THE KINKS OUT THIS WINTER…JOIN US from 9:30-11:00 on Saturdays
February 5: Strafford’s Rosa B. Tyson Gym March 12: Tunbridge Central School gym
February 19: Sharon Elementary School gym March 19: South Royalton School's Multi-purpose room
February 26: Chelsea School Gym March 26: South Royalton School's Multi-purpose room
March 5: Tunbridge Central School gym Activities include balls, ride-on-toys, playdough, and more!
Sponsored by the Orange Windsor Supervisory Union.
For more information contact: Amy Bogardus @ 889-3304 or email
The 17th Annual Early Childhood Day at the Legislature is Wednesday, March 16th
As in 2010, the Kids Are Priority One Coalition and Building Bright Futures will co-host Early Childhood Day at the Legislature on March 16, 2011. Over 300 early childhood professionals, child care providers, parents, businesses and policymakers will gather for the day at the Capitol Plaza Hotel and the Vermont State House to advance learning and policy around improving the quality of early care and education in Vermont.
Consider Getting Involved!
Every year, many volunteers ensure the event is a success, especially those that share information in their community. Consider getting involved by giving your time to any of the tasks below. Email Kelly Ault, ECDL coordinator, with your interest.
____ Be a regional contact to receive event updates and be contacted by the event coordinator for local organizing needs (January, February, March)
____ Circulate event fliers and information through early childhood community listservs, schools, child care providers, parent, groups and early childhood organizations (January, February)
____ Submit newsletter articles in early childhood organization newsletters and submit media announcements, such as press advisories and calendar listings, to local media outlets (January, February, March)
____ Support parents, professionals and employers in sharing their story (January, February)
____ Call legislators to follow up on luncheon invitation (February, March)
____ Recruit participants in your community (note that group transportation, onsite child care, scholarships/stipends will be options) (January, February, March)
____ Connect parents, professionals and employers to committee testimony opportunities (February, March)
____ Volunteer to help out the day of the event (March)
The Kids Are Priority One Coalition is comprised of individuals, organizations and businesses committed to ensuring that every child in Vermont gets a good start. www.kidsarepriorityone.org
For more information or questions, contact Kelly Ault, Kids Are Priority One Coalition's Community Organizer and ECDL Coordinator, 802-272-0795,
GROWING A HAPPY CHILD
A Parenting & Childcare Education Calendar…
Classes and workshops for parents and caregivers in Northern Windsor and Orange Counties.
WINTER 2011
Ongoing New Parent Support Group Drop by this informal weekly group for new parents held every Wednesday from 10:00 a.m. – 12:00 noon in the Family Center building at Gifford Medical Center in Randolph. Contact Nancy Clark, R.N., at 728-2274 for more information.
Ongoing Kinship Care Support Group This monthly support group brings together “kinship providers,” who are relatives caring for the children of a family member. This might be a grandparent, aunt or uncle, or other family member. This group will provide a space and time for folks to gather and connect, share strategies, build community, and learn about the resources that are available to help them in this important work. Dinner and childcare are provided. Held in Chelsea on the first Tuesday evening of each month. Co-faciliated by Cindy Blondin, an area kinship care provider, and Mary Ellen Otis, OCPCC’s Executive Director. We have two seasoned childcare providers to keep children of all ages safe and happy while the adults are meeting. Our first meeting of this group will be on Tuesday, March 8th from 6:00 - 7:30 p.m. at the Orange County Parent Child Center in Chelsea (361 VT Route 110). For more information and/or details regarding location and childcare call Mary Ellen at (888) 685-2264 or email .
Parent Advisory Group Four monthly meetings on Tuesdays March 22, April 26, May 24 & June 21 where parents come together for an informal discussion group to learn about the importance of family engagement and ways that they can be involved their child's learning and school experience. Parents are asked to commit to all four meetings, which will be held in Chelsea from 6:00-7:30 p.m. This opportunity is coordinated by Parent Information Resource Center (PIRC-VT) and the Orange County Parent Child Center. Parents will receive a $20 stipend for each meeting they attend as a gesture of appreciation. Dinner and childcare are provided onsite during the meeting. Contact Emily Marshia at 888/802-685-2264 or to register or for more information.