Parent Fact Sheets

These Fact Sheets are designed to be used by Parents to improve the welfare of their children.

Displaying 41 - 60 of 110

RAISING A BILINGUAL CHILD

As a parent you may decide to raise your child bilingual. There are a couple of reasons why parents may consider raising their child to be bilingual.   
  • 1.  Infancy and early childhood are a time when the brain is developing pathways to learn language.  By age 2 most toddlers have learned about 50 words.  Between two and three years old toddlers learn to put the words together into sentences.  Toddlers are not only learning the names of objects, but are learning to recognize emotions and feelings.   

 

PROTECT YOUR CHILD FROM TEASING

Unfortunately teasing happens to children. It can happen in childcare despite the efforts of providers and parents. Children become very upset when teased or called a name. When a child is teased repeatedly in daycare they often do not want to attend. As a parent, you cannot always protect children from these harmful situations. However, you can teach your child strategies to help them cope with teasing. Young children who learn coping skills at an early age may be better prepared for more significant social challenges and conflicts in their preteen years.

PRESCHOOL SOCIALIZATION

As a parent, you want your child to be happy and have many friends. Many parents worry about how to help their child develop heathy socialization skills. Parents are eager to assist their child in their social development. Therefore, what you should expect at each age and how you can facilitate good socialization are two questions that we will discuss in this fact sheet.

THREE -YEAR -OLD CHILDREN

PREPARING YOUR CHILD TO READ

Your Child does not have to have mastered his ABC’s to begin getting him ready to read. You can help your child start developing the skills they need to be ready to read long before they reach kindergarten. Here are some tips which you can use to help your child progress.

• Sign up for a story time at your public library or local bookstore. Many of these places offer skilled storytellers who bring books to life using puppets, songs, and crafts. (You can also pick up a few tips for your read aloud sessions with your child).

PLAY IS "QUALITY TIME”

Playing is an important part of a child’s development. When children are at play, they are free to explore and practice new roles. They are able to learn about a variety of materials, acquire social abilities, and learn to cope. Play helps children actively demonstrate what they feel and think about in all the different parts of their lives. Children take their play very seriously and the opportunities for varied types of play are necessary in any quality family childcare program.

PICKY EATER

PICKY EATERS
Description:
Do you have a hard time getting your child to try new foods or to eat what is good for him?

Here are some helpful hints for picky eaters.

PARENTING STYLES

The way you parent your child can directly affect your child’s self-esteem. This fact sheet will discuss three important parenting styles and the affect they have on your children.

AUTORITATIVE PARENTING STYLE

Authoritative parents display the following parenting traits:

• They listen to your children’s viewpoint. Listening does not always mean you are agreeing, however you are giving your child the respect to listen to their viewpoint.

ORAL HEALTH -TODDLERS AND PRESCHOOLERS

Around the age of 2 ½ most children have all their primary teeth. Teaching your child good tooth brushing techniques will help your child adopt a good oral health routine.
By 30 months of age, all of the primary (first) teeth should have come into the mouth. By age 3, most toddlers should have stopped using the pacifier and/or sucking his/her thumb.

STEPS TO TAKE TO INSTILL GOOD ORAL HEATH:

ORAL HEALTH -INFANTS

ORAL HEALTH - INFANTS

Description:
"Oral health is an important part of overall health, and good oral health starts with baby teeth. If your baby's mouth isn't healthy, then your baby is not going to be healthy."

Dr. Russell Maier
Family physician, University of Washington professor, and Washington Dental Service Foundation Board Member

NURTURING INDEPENDENCE

NURTURING INDEPENDENCE

As children grow and develop, they learn by imitating what they see you and older children do. Children learn how to interact with others by watching you. If your family environment treats everyone with consideration and respect, your child will learn through that example.

A child will usually imitate their parents. You must set the example for acceptable social behavior.

For example: When two children get into a fight over a toy, you need to demonstrate ways to solve the problem without hurting each other.

NOISE LEVELS AND HEARING LOSS

Did you know that some toys are loud enough to cause permanent hearing damage over time, says Gail Whitelaw, Ph.D. president of the American Academy of Audiology. Prolonged exposure to sounds over 85 decibels (the level of noise associated with busy city traffic, for example) can pose a threat to a child’s hearing and some toys are much louder than that.

MUSIC HELPS MY CHILD'S DEVELOPMENT

According to Harvard psychologist Howard Gardner (1983), “Music intelligence is equal in importance to logical-mathematical intelligence, linguistic intelligence, spatial intelligence, bodily-kinesthetic intelligence, interpersonal intelligence, and intrapersonal intelligence”. This is because music promotes all of those things. When we are engaged in music, whether listening, moving along with it, singing or playing an instrument, we engage all parts of the brain. Left, right, front and back. That’s because the act of making music is a creative and cognitive skill.

MRSA INFECTIONS

Children can get MRSA, and it can be found in childcare settings. As a parent, you should be on aware of what MRSA is, how it is spread, and steps you can take to prevent it.

WHAT IS MRSA?

MANAGING MY TODDLERS BEHAVIOR

Toddlers between the ages of two to three years old are becoming little individuals. They let you know what they like and what they don’t like. They begin to act independently of you. Their language has developed and they are able to let you know what they want. Their favorite word may be, “No”.

Often toddlers will insist on doing things themselves.

LEARNING TO RESPECT THE RIGHTS OF OTHERS

When children are small, they believe that their wishes are the most important. They believe that they should get what they want and that their feelings are what counts. Learning to respect the rights of others is a difficult lesson to learn.

Here are some helpful hints you can incorporate use to teach your child to respect other people’s rights.

• Give clear explanations. It’s important for children to understand that their every wish cannot be your command.

LEARNING THE ALPHABET

Learning the alphabet is key to learning to read and write. young children may not fully understand the relationship between letters and sounds but they can begin to recognize and learn the names of the letters. They should also be beginning to learn letters in their names, their friend’s names, or special words like ‘love’.

TIPS TO TEACHING YOUR CHILD THE ALPHABET

LEARNING COMPASSION

LEARNING COMPASSION

As a parent, you are in a position to facilitate your child’s social and emotional development. One of the developmental benchmarks is a child’s ability to feel compassion. Compassion is defined as a feeling of empathy which makes one want to help or show mercy. Compassion in young children is the process which allows them to begin to think about other people’s feelings and not just their own. Teaching compassion to children is more relevant now than ever before.

LEAD PAINT INFORMATION

LEAD PAINT INFORMATION

Lead is very dangerous to children. A child’s growing body absorbs more lead than adults do. A young child between to ages of 9 month and 6 years old are at most risk. Their brains and nervous systems are very sensitive to the effects of lead. If you are pregnant, lead can hurt your baby.

One of the reasons babies and young children are so susceptible to lead poisoning is because they are constantly putting their fingers and other objects into their mouth that can have lead from dust or soil on them.

IS MY CHILD HANDLING GRIEF

IS MY CHILD HANDLING GRIEF

After a death in your family, it is important to monitor how your child is feeling. All children grieve and some of these symptoms may be normal reactions, however when they last a long time or seem to be getting worse, it is time to seek medical health. Your pediatrician can recommend a trained therapist or counselor to help your child.

INFANT VISION FROM BIRTH TO 24 MONTHS

Infants develop many skills as they grow. We watch them learn to turn over, crawl and walk. They learn to coo, and eventually learn words. We watch how they learn to use their hands and fingers to pick up and manipulate objects. The infants vision also develops over time. They learn how to focus their eyes and move them accurately. Their eyes send visual information to the brain. Through their eyes, they learn about the world around them.

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