Parents of Young Children Tell What They Think, Know, and Need

A child’s experiences in the first three years of life shape a child forever. Help Me Grow cares about babies and toddlers, therefore we care about, listen to, and meet the needs of parents too. ZERO TO THREE, with support from the Bezos Family Foundation, undertook a comprehensive research effort to go directly to parents of young children to gain a clear and in-depth understanding about different challenges they face, the help they seek, and how satisfied they are with the support and information they receive. Any effort to set young children up for success in the long term is strengthened by helping their parents put valuable brain science into action.

There are many important findings from the National Parent Survey. Our first highlight is a video showing how parents answered the questions, "How Do Your Children Learn From You?"

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Autism Awareness Month

April is Autism Awareness Month and the Autism Society of Alabama has plenty of opportunities for you to get involved, including a Walk for Autism near you! If you are in Alabama and have questions or concerns about autism, call 2-1-1 and ask for Help Me Grow.

Help Me Grow passionately supports early identification of developmental or behavioral concerns, so that a family can get connected to the best resources available to fully support a child’s opportunities for success in life. The following links share stories regarding autism diagnosis from a first-person perspective.

Families Describe How They Felt Hearing About An Autism Diagnosis
After The Diagnosis: How Families Experience Autism
When An Autism Diagnosis Comes In Adulthood

Family New Year Resolutions

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Happy New Year! We at Help Me Grow Alabama have big plans for 2016 and we’re excited you’re along for the journey! At the start of the year, many families are considering making positive changes and we have a few resources to help get you started. First, this article from PBS provides recommendations for what you should consider when it comes to planning new resolutions for you and your child. Making New Year’s resolutions can be a beneficial time of reflection and critical thinking; children can learn about self-discipline and the value of setting goals. Here are some things to consider:

1. Make it a family activity. The best way to teach your child the importance of a New Year’s resolutions is by getting the family together and everyone being involved. You can take time to remember the past year’s goals and accomplishments.
2. Make different resolutions for different ages. Resolutions for preschoolers may focus on cleaning up toys, brushing teeth, washing hands and being kind to pets, as suggested by the American Academy of Pediatrics (AAP). The AAP also recommends that children ages 5 to 12 commit to drinking more milk and water on a daily basis, always wearing a seat belt, and being friendly to all children However, some parents may already expect these behaviors and may choose to focus more on attitudes than behaviors. Check out these suggestions for teaching gratitude.
3. Lead by example. Just as with everything else you do, your child is watching. No matter what age your child is, he or she is more likely to understand the value of goal setting if you serve as a role model.
4. Celebrate accomplishments. We all know the feeling of meeting a goal and children also relish that thrill, especially when parents acknowledge it. However your family decides to handle New Year’s resolutions, the best part is that you are doing it together and learning how to manage your role in the family and in the world.

Gift Ideas

With holidays right around the corner, many parents are on the lookout for what to give their child. You may want to consider limiting the number of gifts to a few, quality items. Many parents use the 4 gift idea of “Something they want, something they need, something to wear, and something to read.” Don't forget that quality time with a child may not be as easily wrapped, but can often be much more meaningful and memorable than a gift!

Here are ideas for something to read, but what about something they want? The number of options can make shopping overwhelming, especially when parents aren't sure which toy may be appropriate for their child. Toys that are too easy may bore a child and toys that are too advanced may aggravate them. Parents.com has a great article on making smart choices for age appropriate toys for babies, toddlers, and preschoolers. This list from NAEYC gives even more specific ideas, depending on the child's age.

Happy Veterans Day

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Today we honor all of the veterans who have and are currently serving our country through military service. Veterans and their families make huge sacrifices for our freedom, and can face unique challenges that other families are not exposed to. The Child Mind Institute is a great online resource that focuses on supporting healthy brain development and empowering children and their families with help, hope, and answers. They include strategies for dealing with the strain of deployment in a healthy way and give advice on some of the other challenges military families can face. Visit their website to learn more: http://www.childmind.org/en/military-families/home/

National Adoption Awareness Month

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November is National Adoption Awareness Month! All adoption-related issues are important, but the particular focus this year is finding loving and permanent homes for foster children who are waiting to be adopted. Promoting awareness can be done through planned events and campaigns, gatherings and celebrations, and simple everyday activities. You can share ideas and advocacy plans on the National Adoption Awareness Month message board at www.AdoptionForums.com, send a virtual card to people who have touched your life through adoption at www.E-cards.Adoption.com, and be sure to talk to your child about adoption. Whether your child is adopted or knows someone who is, helping your child understand the adoption triad

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will encourage confidence when hearing about adoption. Click here to find out more information about adoption awareness in the month of November. Help Me Grow strives to help all children and families connect to the resources they need, including foster and adoptive families.

What Is Epigenetics?

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According to KidsHealth.org, epigenetics is the idea that environmental factors (such as diet, lifestyle choices and behaviors, and stress) can change the health not only of the people who are exposed to them, but also the health of their descendants. Help Me Grow connects children and families to the services they need to ensure that children are developing with the best set of environmental factors possible. Help Me Grow is dedicated to providing parents with helpful information about healthy living that can be passed down from generation to generation. Knowing the facts about how to help children grow and develop is vital. KidsHealth.org is full of free and reliable information for children, teens, and parents about general health, growth and development, infections, diseases and much more.

Halloween Crafts

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The month of October often brings to mind one thing for children: Halloween! One of the best ways to prepare children for the holiday is by making fun, age-appropriate crafts. As they grow, children are constantly developing many important skills including fine and gross motor skills, language development and even cognition. We have provided some links that include Halloween crafts which are not only fun for children, but can sharpen their skills and help you to bond!

What will you and your family do for Halloween? Follow this link for some fun craft ideas like a Wooden Spoon Cat Puppet.

Find activities for bats, owls, spiders, and much more here: http://www.dltk-holidays.com/halloween/halloween_crafts.html

Hug Your Baby Today!

Mary Mackrain from the Devereux Center for Resilient Children, recently spoke at the 3rd Annual Alabama First Teacher Home Visiting Conference and 2nd Annual Infant/Toddler Academy on the importance of promoting resilience in young children and the adults who care for them by offering tips and resources that could be useful in many different settings. She began the session addressing the common misconception that mental illness is untreatable and is therefore just “the cards dealt” to a person, which not only discourages investment into needed services and research, but also discourages the need for early identification and intervention. To combat this misconception, she encouraged everyone who interacts with children and families to actively participate in reducing the stigma that is often associated with mental health by being “billboards for social-emotional health.” Additionally, she offered simple everyday tips for parents and providers working with young children that included practicing social-emotional surveillance every day; using screening tools; ensuring that every child feels loved by calling them by name, looking into their eyes, giving hugs and kisses, and laughing when they are being silly; and providing a safe and nurturing environment for them to explore and grow. She also explained that taking care of yourself, as a parent or provider, is just as important! It should be a parallel process where caregivers should be given the experiences they need to nurture their children, who may not have been shown those same skills throughout their past. Finally, she highlighted the need for providers to use “reflective practice” when working with families by actively listening to the families’ needs, always begin by assuming the family is competent in knowing what their needs are and fully capable in leading the decision making process, and “sitting on our hands” long enough to allow them to come to the conclusions of how to move forward.

See the list below for additional resources that can help you become a billboard for social-emotional health, and remember your message can be as simple as, “hug your baby today, it helps their brain to grow!”.

Additional Resources:
Adverse Childhood experience study: http://www.cdc.gov/violenceprevention/acestudy/
Toxic Stress: http://developingchild.harvard.edu/science/key-concepts/toxic-stress/
Five numbers to remember about early childhood: http://developingchild.harvard.edu/resources/five-numbers-to-remember-about-early-childhood-development/
CDC Learn the Signs. Act Early Resources: http://www.cdc.gov/ncbddd/actearly/
Parents Interacting with Infants: http://csefel.vanderbilt.edu/resources/training_piwi.html
Center on the Social Emotional Foundations for Early Learning: http://csefel.vanderbilt.edu
Magic of Everyday Moments- Zero to Three: http://www.zerotothree.org/child-development/early-development/magic-of-everyday-moments.html
Center for Early Childhood Mental Health Consultation: www.ecmhc.org
Michigan Social Emotional Toolkit: www.michigan.gov/socialemotionalhealth
Environmental Checklist Group Setting: http://ecmhc.org/documents/CECMHC_Observation_Toolkit.pdf
Devereux Adult Resilience Survey: http://www.centerforresilientchildren.org/wp-content/uploads/DARS.pdf
Maternal Depression Posters: http://ecmhc.org/documents/CECMHC_Depression_Providers.pdf

Discipline - An Opportunity for Learning

Spanking, removing privileges and verbal reprimand are possible forms of punishment, but are they the best way to discipline your child? According to “How to To Discipline Your Child” from Positive Parenting Solutions, we often misinterpret the term “discipline” with punishment, but the word “discipline” comes from the Latin word “disciplina,” which means “teaching, learning.” Parents should always focus on teaching their children constructive lessons, beyond simply punishing out of anger or frustration. The form of discipline you use should reflect the age and maturity of your child as well as the misbehavior.

Here are some suggestions on how to properly discipline your child: 1) Set boundaries and make sure you enforce them, 2) Be reasonable, 3) Give yourself a timeout before you react, and 4) Make sure that your child understands exactly why he or she is being punished. To find out more information about how to discipline children, click on this link. Remember actions do have consequences.

Bilingual Benefits

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“Learning more than one language is an asset to individuals, families, and our entire society. Early childhood teachers can share the benefits of bilingualism with families and their communities, find ways to support children’s home languages, and encourage families to keep their language strong. Developing the child’s home language provides the foundation for reading and writing, preparing children to be biliterate.” Click here for a pdf to learn about a few of the benefits of being bilingual, and for more information on working with young children who are learning more than one language.

Reading and School Success

Supporting and encouraging children to read is one of the most important things you can do to help them succeed in school. According to the U.S. Department of Education (USDE), reading helps children in all school subjects and is the key to lifelong learning. The parent-child relationship can greatly effect a child’s attitude toward reading and his/her ability to read. As parents, teachers, etc., we have a responsibility to promote literacy. There are many ways we can accomplish this and USDE offers these tips:

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• Start early. When your child is still a baby, read aloud to him. Reading should become part of your daily routine. 
• Make sure that your home has lots of reading materials that are appropriate for your child. Keep books, magazines and newspapers in the house. Reading materials don't have to be new or expensive. Ask family members and friends to consider giving your child books and magazine subscriptions as gifts for birthdays or other special occasions. 
• Show that you value reading. Let your child see you reading for pleasure as well as for performing your routine activities as an adult—reading letters and recipes, directions and instructions, newspapers, computer screens and so forth. 
• Get help for your child if he has a reading problem. When a child is having reading difficulties, the reason might be simple to understand and deal with. For example, your child might have trouble seeing and need glasses or he may just need more help with reading skills. If you think that your child needs extra help, ask his teachers about special services, such as after-school or summer reading programs. 
• Make reading fun! 

Check out these additional resources for:
Helping children cultivate a love for reading
Promoting independent reading
Helping your child succeed in school

Little Kids, Big Questions

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The National Center for Infants, Toddlers, and Families has developed a series of 12 podcasts titled Little Kids, Big Questions that addresses common and often challenging issues parents face when caring for their infant or toddler including picky eating, sleeping through the night, and problem behaviors. The series also highlights an infant’s amazing ability to comprehend and learn from interactions with their caregivers in the first three years of life that can influence their social-emotional development, the ability to develop self-control and self-esteem, and the development of healthy eating habits into adulthood. The podcast series is hosted by Ann Pleshette Murphy and each topic includes interviews with experts who help parents translate current research into their everyday lives. For more information and to download the podcast series, visit the ZERO TO THREE website.

April is... National Child Abuse Prevention Month

Felicia Wilburn is the Early Childhood Resource Coordinator for the Alabama Partnership for Children (APC) and shares below on how the APC is helping prevent child abuse through resources and programs.

Babies don’t come with instructions. Many times parents lack knowledge of child development and parenting skills to nurture their child’s development. Without this knowledge, parents can be left to ineffective habits which lead to frustration, or even anger toward the child for not behaving the way the parent expects them to behave. One way to help protect children is by giving parents the knowledge and skills they need to decrease their frustration and nurture their child’s well-being.

Alabama Partnership for Children offers a few programs to help parents gain the knowledge and skills they need to not only increase their child’s physical and emotional health, but also to be a leader in their community promoting child well-being.

• Smart Start Parenting Kit is a tool designed for parents of newborns to give them immediate access to important information to assist in their difficult and joyous job of being parents. It includes materials that answer frequently asked questions and provide easy access to toll-free telephone numbers and websites of state agencies and public programs, and information on the importance of quality child care, children’s health, safety and child care products. Parenting Kits are designed to be useful through all stages of a young child's development.
• Smart & Secure Children (SSC) Parent Leadership Project was designed with parents through a community participatory study, to introduce/improve quality parenting as a way to strengthen vulnerable families raising children 0-5 years old who may have been exposed to negative childhood experiences. The parenting curriculum is delivered through a conversational learning environment that activates parents to improve their own habits which, in turn, improve their children’s brain development and emotions.
• Alabama Parent Leadership Project targets parents who have been through an SSC or other parenting skills experience and who wish to contribute their voice to decisions that affect their children, families, and communities. These parents will be recruited to participate in a conversational learning environment centering on identifying priority concerns about their families and communities, communicating ideas and recommendations effectively and broadly, learning how to/effectively engage local leaders, and learning how to influence and participating in state policy work.

Raising Food-Smart Kids

Like last week’s post, we’re still trying to help you keep your resolve to have a healthy family – hopefully a year-round goal! As you are leading in your family, “creating a nutritional home is one of the most important steps you can take to ensure the health of your child. To start, make smart food choices, and help your child develop a positive relationship with healthy food. Your children will learn their food smarts from your example.” Read these “10 Ways to Raise Food-Smart Kids” and remember that this is an ongoing process – take these as encouragement towards the future and don’t get discouraged if things don’t always go according to plan.

Healthy eating for kids is important, but sometimes it can be a struggle to serve foods children like. KidsHealth provides some great recipes for creative ways to serve kids healthy, fun foods they can enjoy.

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ABCDE This Year!

The New Year always brings New Year’s resolutions, and they aren’t always easy to keep. Here are some great ideas for parents and caregivers to “ABCDE” (Act Boldly to Change Diet and Exercise). As a parent, you are a role model! The foods you eat and the patterns you hold set an example for children. Download this PDF from the American Psychological Association for great ideas for keeping yourself and your kids on track towards healthy goals!

Staying active doesn’t have to be complicated. KidsHealth reminds us that a simple game of tag or bending over to tie shoes can be good endurance and flexibility exercises. They provide these tips for raising fit kids:

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• Help your kids participate in a variety of age-appropriate activities.
• Establish a regular schedule for physical activity.
• Incorporate activity into daily routines, such as taking the stairs instead of the elevator.
• Embrace a healthier lifestyle yourself, so you'll be a positive role model for your family.
• Keep it fun, so you can count on your kids to come back for more.

For even more suggestions, check out this article on “Raising a Fit Preschooler”.

Be a Brain Builder

Start off the New Year as a brain builder for your child! Watch this two minute video to see parents who discover everything they need to make sure their child’s brain grows strong.

Dads Matter!

Fathers have a profound influence on their child's language development. Check out this article which discusses the significance of dad - even for the youngest of children.

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From the article, we're reminded that when dads spend time talking with their child, it makes a difference! Remember that even small moments, like diaper changes or baths, can be meaningful moments of development. When children play with dad and know they are safe, it strengthens their emotional stability. For more information about "The Importance of Fathers", check out this article from Psychology Today.