In this day and age, with everyone as busy as they are, it can be easy to forget to say thank you. This is the purpose of today's article.
Last Saturday evening, Deaconess President, Felicia Freeman and I had the opportunity to attend the Tulalip Tribes "Raising Hands" event at the Tulalip Resort. According to Mel Sheldon, Chair of the Tulalip Tribes, it is traditional at Tulalip to "raise their hands" to applaud and give thanks to those who have given to them. At this event, they "raised their hands" to the many organizations in our region that contribute to our communities.
For those of you not local to this area, and for those who are, some of you may be wondering who the Tulalip are. The Tulalip Tribes are federally recognized successors in interest to the Snohomish, Snoqualmie, Skykomish and other allied tribes and bands signatory to the Treaty of Point Elliot. Their 22,000 acre reservation is home to about half of the tribe's 4,100 members and hundreds of non-native residents. Tulalip is also the third largest employer in Snohomish County, employing over 5,000 throughout the reservation.
Over the past 17 years, the Tulalip Tribes have donated almost 39 million dollars encompassing more than 250 organizations a year. Deaconess Children's Services' has been one of the organizations to benefit from Tulalip grants. Each of the funded organizations is equally worthy and I'm sure equally grateful for the financial assistance provided by these grants.
As a guest, it is an honor to be invited to "Raising Hands," Not only is it a beautiful ceremony, but it's also a fun event. Upon arrival, we were graciously greeted by Mel Sheldon, the Chair of the Tulalip Tribes, who thanked us for giving up our Saturday evening to celebrate with them. With over 500 guests in attendance, Raising Hands was a veritable "who's who" of our region's social service providers. As Mel said, it's a great opportunity to catch up with old friends and meet new ones. It's a good time to find out how others are serving our community.
The evening's program began with a formal presentation of the flag by the Tulalip Veterans and an Invocation by Marie Zackuse, Secretary of the Tulalip Board of Directors. Steve Gobin, General Manager of Quil Ceda Village greeted the guests and introduced Chairman Mel who welcomed us officially. During dinner, we were also treated to an informative talk with Tulalip's Chief Financial Officer, Chuck James. Keeping the details to himself, Mr. James assured everyone that tjhe tribes' finances are strong, allowing them to continue to employ as many local folks as they do and to continue their philanthropical work.
For me though, the hightlight of the evening (aside from the amazing meal) was the moving performance by the Tulalip Singers. This year, they also performed a song by the Makah Tribe and invited visiting Makah to sing with them. The Tulalip singers include people of all ages, young and old, all of whom sing and drum passionately. As I closed my eyes during the performance, I found myself feeling as if I were transported out of the room and in the midst of nature, completely relaxed. The ceremony ended with a gorgeous dessert and an opportunity for each guest to raise their hands to each other. If you ever get the opportunity to attend a Raising Hands ceremony, I urge you to go. You will leave feeling good about yourself, your community and full from a very healthy meal.
Thank you Tulalip Tribes for your support and for honoring the work we all do. We raise our hands.
For 114 years, Deaconess has been transforming the lives of children in the Pacific Northwest by breaking the cycle of child abuse and neglect and putting Children First!
Wednesday, September 22, 2010
Sunday, September 19, 2010
Never Again...
Next Tuesday, September 21st is International Day of Peace, a day set aside by the General Assembly of the United Nations to encourage all mankind to work together toward a goal of world peace. While the first Day of Peace was in 1982, it wasn't until 2002 that September 21st was designated as the permanent International Day of Peace. In the spirit of peace, I'd like to share with you a story:
Robbie Waisman was born in Skarszysko, Poland and is the youngest of six children. He was ten years old when the Nazis invaded his town and was fourteen years old when he was liberated from Buchenwald Concentration Camp. Robbie eventually emigrated to Canada as part of the Canadian War Orphans Project, which saw the admittance of over 1,000 Jewish children to Canada.
For many years Robbie did not tell anyone of his experiences, except his wife. However, when he heard there was a teacher in Alberta, Canada who was telling his students that the Holocaust was a myth, Mr. Waisman decided the time had come to share his experiences and, since then, he has spent a great deal of time speaking to high school students and other groups, including our own Everett Rotary Club, which is how I came to hear his story. Today, Mr. Waisman is the President of the Vancouver Holocaust Education Centre and as an educator-speaker, as part of the Survivor Outreach Program; he has shared his experiences of the Holocaust with thousands of students.
He was a child when he was imprisoned and forced to slave in a concentration camp and he was a teenager when he was liberated and moved to a foreign country on his own. He survived the trauma of losing his parents and siblings and then growing up in a world where few understood what he'd been through. Over the years, he has transformed his life.
Mr. Waisman recounted that when he was young and the concentration camp was liberated, a promise was made..."Never again," which he took to heart. He has spent his later years working toward that goal: that the world must never allow what happened during WWII to happen again. Unfortunately, as Mr. Waisman pointed out, it is happening again. Not only in other parts of the world such as the Darfur region of Sudan, the Democratic Republic of the Congo (formerly Zaire), Cambodia and others, but children are neglected, abused and trafficked right here in the Pacific Northwest.
So why is Deaconess Children's Services writing a blog article about International Peace Day and the story of a Nazi Holocaust survivor? Most of you are familiar with the mission of Deaconess Children's Services. For 113 years, Deaconess has been putting children first and transforming the lives of children throughout the Pacific Northwest by breaking the cycle of child abuse and neglect. We can't do it alone - we need your help.
I know...those words are enough to strike fear in the hearts of most adults, but before you run away with anxiety, I'm not asking you to do anything too difficult. Children who experience neglect and/or abuse experience similar feelings of trauma, loss and fear that Mr. Waisman described in his story. Most of us agree that it is never acceptable for a child to be abused, starved, neglected, tortured, trafficked or enslaved, and that it is even worse when adults fails to act and protect them by preventing it from happening in the first place. Unfortunately, we don't always know how to act. Below are four, very practical, none too scary ways you can help:
1) Spend quality time talking with and playing with your children, or children in your life. Let them know how much they matter to you.
2) Volunteer your time in your community, helping children and others. Each of us matters to one another.
3) If you're able, donate money to a cause you feel strongly about, perhaps one that supports at risk children and youth; victims of abuse, violent crime or war; or one that prevents these issues from arising in the first place. It doesn't have to be much, whatever you have to offer. Every little bit counts...it all matters.
4) Visit www.internationaldayofpeace.org. Anyone, anywhere can celebrate Peace Day. It can be as simple as lighting a candle at noon or just sitting in silent meditation. It can even involve getting your co-workers, organization, community or government engaged in a large event. Imagine the impact that millions of people in all parts of the world, coming together, one at a time, for one day of peace, would have. It matters. You matter...we matter.
Perhaps, if each of us does just one thing in our community for someone else, we can eventually say..."it will never happen again."
How do you or will you show others they matter? We'd love to hear from you.
Robbie Waisman was born in Skarszysko, Poland and is the youngest of six children. He was ten years old when the Nazis invaded his town and was fourteen years old when he was liberated from Buchenwald Concentration Camp. Robbie eventually emigrated to Canada as part of the Canadian War Orphans Project, which saw the admittance of over 1,000 Jewish children to Canada.
For many years Robbie did not tell anyone of his experiences, except his wife. However, when he heard there was a teacher in Alberta, Canada who was telling his students that the Holocaust was a myth, Mr. Waisman decided the time had come to share his experiences and, since then, he has spent a great deal of time speaking to high school students and other groups, including our own Everett Rotary Club, which is how I came to hear his story. Today, Mr. Waisman is the President of the Vancouver Holocaust Education Centre and as an educator-speaker, as part of the Survivor Outreach Program; he has shared his experiences of the Holocaust with thousands of students.
He was a child when he was imprisoned and forced to slave in a concentration camp and he was a teenager when he was liberated and moved to a foreign country on his own. He survived the trauma of losing his parents and siblings and then growing up in a world where few understood what he'd been through. Over the years, he has transformed his life.
Mr. Waisman recounted that when he was young and the concentration camp was liberated, a promise was made..."Never again," which he took to heart. He has spent his later years working toward that goal: that the world must never allow what happened during WWII to happen again. Unfortunately, as Mr. Waisman pointed out, it is happening again. Not only in other parts of the world such as the Darfur region of Sudan, the Democratic Republic of the Congo (formerly Zaire), Cambodia and others, but children are neglected, abused and trafficked right here in the Pacific Northwest.
So why is Deaconess Children's Services writing a blog article about International Peace Day and the story of a Nazi Holocaust survivor? Most of you are familiar with the mission of Deaconess Children's Services. For 113 years, Deaconess has been putting children first and transforming the lives of children throughout the Pacific Northwest by breaking the cycle of child abuse and neglect. We can't do it alone - we need your help.
I know...those words are enough to strike fear in the hearts of most adults, but before you run away with anxiety, I'm not asking you to do anything too difficult. Children who experience neglect and/or abuse experience similar feelings of trauma, loss and fear that Mr. Waisman described in his story. Most of us agree that it is never acceptable for a child to be abused, starved, neglected, tortured, trafficked or enslaved, and that it is even worse when adults fails to act and protect them by preventing it from happening in the first place. Unfortunately, we don't always know how to act. Below are four, very practical, none too scary ways you can help:
1) Spend quality time talking with and playing with your children, or children in your life. Let them know how much they matter to you.
2) Volunteer your time in your community, helping children and others. Each of us matters to one another.
3) If you're able, donate money to a cause you feel strongly about, perhaps one that supports at risk children and youth; victims of abuse, violent crime or war; or one that prevents these issues from arising in the first place. It doesn't have to be much, whatever you have to offer. Every little bit counts...it all matters.
4) Visit www.internationaldayofpeace.org. Anyone, anywhere can celebrate Peace Day. It can be as simple as lighting a candle at noon or just sitting in silent meditation. It can even involve getting your co-workers, organization, community or government engaged in a large event. Imagine the impact that millions of people in all parts of the world, coming together, one at a time, for one day of peace, would have. It matters. You matter...we matter.
Perhaps, if each of us does just one thing in our community for someone else, we can eventually say..."it will never happen again."
How do you or will you show others they matter? We'd love to hear from you.
Friday, August 20, 2010
Putting Children first while honoring Fathers and Mothers
It is said that being a parent is the most difficult job in the world and the one that most parents will tell you they love the best. Much research and attention has been devoted over many years to motherhood and its vital role in the rearing of children. Deaconess Children’s Services wholeheartedly acknowledges and supports this research. However, we all know that mothers cannot and should not be solely responsible for rearing the next generation of our society.
The statistics are staggering. Almost 24 million American children grow up in a home without a father and nearly half of those children have not seen their father in the previous year! To create a climate for men to remain involved with their children and be committed to providing financial support even if their adult relationship is no longer intact, fathers must believe their role is vital and that they have value themselves. Mothers must believe that fathers will step up to a shared parenting role, that their children benefit greatly from involvement with their fathers and encourage them to spend time with their children even when the adult relationship is over.
Children who have close relationships with their fathers have higher self-esteem, better academic performance, more positive social behaviors and fewer behavioral issues during adolescence. This even holds true with children involved in the child welfare system. Studies of these children show that those who have contact with even a non-custodial father within the past year were 46% less likely to enter foster care. Deaconess works with parents for the sake of vulnerable children for this very reason.
At Deaconess, we feel it’s important to recognize the vital role that mothers and fathers play not only in their children’s lives, but also in our community. On October 1, 2010, Deaconess Children's Services will celebrate 113 years of putting children first by hosting the 6th Annual Father and Mother of the Year Awards ceremony at Forest Park in Everett, WA. It's going to be a great night including beautiful desserts, a wine auction, a raffle with fabulous big ticket items, including a 50” Plasma TV donated by Panasonic Avionics Corporation, our trademark fashion show for the moms, inspirational speakers for the fathers, and much, much more!
So…mark your calendars for October 1st, pick your favorite bottle of wine to donate to our wine auction, program your GPS for Forest Park and join us for this free event!
Event Specifics:
Who: Deaconess Children’s Services
What: Father and Mother of the Year Awards
When: 6:00pm-8:00 pm on October 1st, 2010
Where: Floral Hall, Forest Park @ 802 E. Mukilteo Blvd. Everett, WA 98203
Please RSVP with Stacey Pfeiffer at 425-259-0146 or spfeiffer@deaconesschildren.org
We look forward to celebrating with you!
The statistics are staggering. Almost 24 million American children grow up in a home without a father and nearly half of those children have not seen their father in the previous year! To create a climate for men to remain involved with their children and be committed to providing financial support even if their adult relationship is no longer intact, fathers must believe their role is vital and that they have value themselves. Mothers must believe that fathers will step up to a shared parenting role, that their children benefit greatly from involvement with their fathers and encourage them to spend time with their children even when the adult relationship is over.
Children who have close relationships with their fathers have higher self-esteem, better academic performance, more positive social behaviors and fewer behavioral issues during adolescence. This even holds true with children involved in the child welfare system. Studies of these children show that those who have contact with even a non-custodial father within the past year were 46% less likely to enter foster care. Deaconess works with parents for the sake of vulnerable children for this very reason.
At Deaconess, we feel it’s important to recognize the vital role that mothers and fathers play not only in their children’s lives, but also in our community. On October 1, 2010, Deaconess Children's Services will celebrate 113 years of putting children first by hosting the 6th Annual Father and Mother of the Year Awards ceremony at Forest Park in Everett, WA. It's going to be a great night including beautiful desserts, a wine auction, a raffle with fabulous big ticket items, including a 50” Plasma TV donated by Panasonic Avionics Corporation, our trademark fashion show for the moms, inspirational speakers for the fathers, and much, much more!
So…mark your calendars for October 1st, pick your favorite bottle of wine to donate to our wine auction, program your GPS for Forest Park and join us for this free event!
Event Specifics:
Who: Deaconess Children’s Services
What: Father and Mother of the Year Awards
When: 6:00pm-8:00 pm on October 1st, 2010
Where: Floral Hall, Forest Park @ 802 E. Mukilteo Blvd. Everett, WA 98203
Please RSVP with Stacey Pfeiffer at 425-259-0146 or spfeiffer@deaconesschildren.org
We look forward to celebrating with you!
Wednesday, August 18, 2010
Two Words...oops
I'd first like to say thank you to everyone who took the time to read yesterday's article, "Two Words." It's gratifying for us to have the community acknowledge other members of the community supporting our children.
It seems we were remiss in thanking one group, so now seems like a good time to correct that mistake.
Gary Rhodes and the Road Kill Crew didn't just donate 10 pounds of prime rib. They also donated the full use of the banquet facility at the Marysville Masonic Center, meal preparation, and 80 pounds of Angus Rib Roast (Prime Rib), plus all other components of the dinner.
Thank you again to Gary, the Road Kill Crew and all the other volunteers and donors to the event. You made it successful and you allow Deaconess Children's Services to continue putting children first and transforming the lives of children by breaking the cycle of child abuse and neglect.
It seems we were remiss in thanking one group, so now seems like a good time to correct that mistake.
Gary Rhodes and the Road Kill Crew didn't just donate 10 pounds of prime rib. They also donated the full use of the banquet facility at the Marysville Masonic Center, meal preparation, and 80 pounds of Angus Rib Roast (Prime Rib), plus all other components of the dinner.
Thank you again to Gary, the Road Kill Crew and all the other volunteers and donors to the event. You made it successful and you allow Deaconess Children's Services to continue putting children first and transforming the lives of children by breaking the cycle of child abuse and neglect.
Tuesday, August 17, 2010
Two Words...
There are two words that, when spoken, have the most unfathomable power to completely change your life…THANK YOU.
Recently, a Hot August Nights fundraising event was held in Marysville, Washington to raise funds for some of our programs. Deaconess would like to say Thank You to everyone who helped make it such a huge success!
First, to our dedicated Deaconess volunteers and their families/friends who continue to offer their time and energy whenever asked:
*Deborah Bivens – serving the wine and singing for the guests
*Rebecca Fernandez – set up and clean up volunteer
*Sandy Fletcher – car show and clean up volunteer
*Bill Kehle – clean up volunteer
*Melissa Lewis – clean up volunteer
*Matt McMiller – set up and clean up volunteer
*Peggy McMiller – set up and clean up volunteer
*Holly Murphy – event coordinator and all around magician
*Jim Murphy – car show volunteer
*Shawna Murphy – car show volunteer
*Tricia Murphy – car show volunteer
*Mollie Ragland – set up and clean up volunteer
*Al Warren – set up and clean up volunteer
*Jed Wheeler – clean up volunteer
The following business and individuals also contributed items or time in support of The Deaconess Child at the Hot August Nights event:
* David George Jazz Quartet, Seattle, WA for delighting us with their great music for the evening;
* Chateau Ste. Michelle for contributing for 2 cases of wine;
* The Vintage Chevrolet Club of America and other classic car owners for donating their time and vehicles to support our event;
* Blockbuster on 20th & Broadway for the “Night in at the movies”;
* Governor Christine Gregoire for designing the beautiful handmade purse;
* Smokey Point Massage for donating 2 massages;
* Gary Rhodes for donating his huge 27 pound freshly caught king salmon;
* Caryl Estes & the Estes Group for the Flameless Candle Collection;
* Holiday Inn of Everett for the Overnight Stay;
* O’Reilly’s Auto Supply for hosting the car show site;
* J.L. Scott Realty for hosting the car show site;
* Antonville Winery for donating 16 bottles of wine;
* Gary Rhodes and the Road Kill Crew for donation of 10 pounds of cooked prime rib;
* Boy Scouts of America – Marysville Troop 84 for their help in serving dinner; and
* Job’s Daughters – Bethel 50 who also graciously served our guests dinner and throughout the evening.
The following grocery store bakeries donated desserts for our Dessert Dash:
* Central Market-Mill Creek: Jim Huffman, Manager, Debra, Megan and your Bakery Team
* Safeway-75th and Evergreen Way: Tom Novak, Store Manager and your Bakery Team
* Albertsons-Madison and Evergreen Way: Joe, Store Manager, Dawn and Bakery Team
* QFC-Claremont: Linda Scholl, Store Manager, Judy, Bookkeeper, and the Bakery Team
* Safeway-41st and Rucker: Gwynn, Store Manager, Linda, Cat and your Bakery Team
* Albertsons-Marysville (4th and State): Sherry, Store Manager and Bakery Team
We’d also like to recognize some of our local representatives and personalities that contributed to the success of the event:
* John McCoy, Washington State Representative for District 38;
* Mike Sells, Washington State Representative for District 38;
* Mark Roe, Snohomish County Prosecuting Attorney and his wife, Lisa Paul;
* Shahram Hadiam, Candidate for State Representative; and
* Marlee Ginter, KOMO 4 News Reporter, for graciously emcee-ing our event.
A huge Thank Youto each one of you for your support of the Deaconess Child. We can’t thank you enough.
Recently, a Hot August Nights fundraising event was held in Marysville, Washington to raise funds for some of our programs. Deaconess would like to say Thank You to everyone who helped make it such a huge success!
First, to our dedicated Deaconess volunteers and their families/friends who continue to offer their time and energy whenever asked:
*Deborah Bivens – serving the wine and singing for the guests
*Rebecca Fernandez – set up and clean up volunteer
*Sandy Fletcher – car show and clean up volunteer
*Bill Kehle – clean up volunteer
*Melissa Lewis – clean up volunteer
*Matt McMiller – set up and clean up volunteer
*Peggy McMiller – set up and clean up volunteer
*Holly Murphy – event coordinator and all around magician
*Jim Murphy – car show volunteer
*Shawna Murphy – car show volunteer
*Tricia Murphy – car show volunteer
*Mollie Ragland – set up and clean up volunteer
*Al Warren – set up and clean up volunteer
*Jed Wheeler – clean up volunteer
The following business and individuals also contributed items or time in support of The Deaconess Child at the Hot August Nights event:
* David George Jazz Quartet, Seattle, WA for delighting us with their great music for the evening;
* Chateau Ste. Michelle for contributing for 2 cases of wine;
* The Vintage Chevrolet Club of America and other classic car owners for donating their time and vehicles to support our event;
* Blockbuster on 20th & Broadway for the “Night in at the movies”;
* Governor Christine Gregoire for designing the beautiful handmade purse;
* Smokey Point Massage for donating 2 massages;
* Gary Rhodes for donating his huge 27 pound freshly caught king salmon;
* Caryl Estes & the Estes Group for the Flameless Candle Collection;
* Holiday Inn of Everett for the Overnight Stay;
* O’Reilly’s Auto Supply for hosting the car show site;
* J.L. Scott Realty for hosting the car show site;
* Antonville Winery for donating 16 bottles of wine;
* Gary Rhodes and the Road Kill Crew for donation of 10 pounds of cooked prime rib;
* Boy Scouts of America – Marysville Troop 84 for their help in serving dinner; and
* Job’s Daughters – Bethel 50 who also graciously served our guests dinner and throughout the evening.
The following grocery store bakeries donated desserts for our Dessert Dash:
* Central Market-Mill Creek: Jim Huffman, Manager, Debra, Megan and your Bakery Team
* Safeway-75th and Evergreen Way: Tom Novak, Store Manager and your Bakery Team
* Albertsons-Madison and Evergreen Way: Joe, Store Manager, Dawn and Bakery Team
* QFC-Claremont: Linda Scholl, Store Manager, Judy, Bookkeeper, and the Bakery Team
* Safeway-41st and Rucker: Gwynn, Store Manager, Linda, Cat and your Bakery Team
* Albertsons-Marysville (4th and State): Sherry, Store Manager and Bakery Team
We’d also like to recognize some of our local representatives and personalities that contributed to the success of the event:
* John McCoy, Washington State Representative for District 38;
* Mike Sells, Washington State Representative for District 38;
* Mark Roe, Snohomish County Prosecuting Attorney and his wife, Lisa Paul;
* Shahram Hadiam, Candidate for State Representative; and
* Marlee Ginter, KOMO 4 News Reporter, for graciously emcee-ing our event.
A huge Thank Youto each one of you for your support of the Deaconess Child. We can’t thank you enough.
Wednesday, July 21, 2010
Eliminating Transitions
Each day the Child Care Exchange sends out informational emails on the world of Early Childhood Development, Education and Professional Development, which I try to share with you. For more info or to receive their emails directly, please see their website at Child Care Exchange.
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Barb Gallick and Lisa Lee’s article, "Eliminating Transitions," talked about the challenges transitions present for children and adults. While it is primarily geared for those working in Early Childhood and child care settings, I believe the information is also useful to parents who are helping their young children learn to transition from one activity to another.
"As adults, we often find ourselves transitioning from one activity to another in a short time span. Most of the time, we don’t feel we have a lot of control over our schedules, but wish that we could carve out extended time to relax and focus on one project.”
If we relate this scenario to the way a daily schedule unfolds in an early childhood setting, we might begin to see how young children feel each time we ask them to transition from one activity to another. Picture a group of children in the block area who have spent 15 or 20 minutes building an elaborate car wash. They have just gotten to the point where they will be using cars to develop a story and act it out when the teacher says it’s time to clean up for snack. Of course, after snack there’s group time and then the class will be heading outside. Are these children also wishing that they could have had an extended time to relax and focus on enjoying their car wash and the dramatic play possibilities? Do they also feel like they have no control over their schedule?
"Having a daily schedule that creates routines for young children is an essential part of every child’s life whether at home or in an early childhood classroom. Whether the head teacher in an early learning classroom or the parent who home schools their children, evaluating the daily schedule on a regular basis is an integral part of creating an environment that meets the needs of both the children and adults who ‘live’ in that ‘classroom’ each day. We would suggest that you look (with a critical eye) at your daily schedule once a year to determine whether it works for you and the children. One of the most important things to consider when reviewing your schedule is the number of transitions that occur throughout the day.
"Transitions tend to be some of the most difficult and stressful moments in an early childhood classroom. At these times teachers often find themselves dealing with more challenging behaviors and feeling more like police officers than nurturing caregivers. If you are feeling uncomfortable or frustrated during transition times, that is a sign that your current schedule may need to be revised to better meet the needs and developmental levels of the children in your care."
For more specific tips, or to read the entire article, please go to: http://www.childcareexchange.com/resources/view_article.php?article_id=5019448&page=3&keyword_id=
*************************************************************
DEACONESS call to Parents:
You are the experts when it comes to your children and we would love to hear from you. Please feel free to comment or send us an email at info@deaconesschildren.org and let us know what you would like to see on our blog.
Please feel free to join us on Facebook as well at Deaconess Children's services.
********************************************************************
Barb Gallick and Lisa Lee’s article, "Eliminating Transitions," talked about the challenges transitions present for children and adults. While it is primarily geared for those working in Early Childhood and child care settings, I believe the information is also useful to parents who are helping their young children learn to transition from one activity to another.
"As adults, we often find ourselves transitioning from one activity to another in a short time span. Most of the time, we don’t feel we have a lot of control over our schedules, but wish that we could carve out extended time to relax and focus on one project.”
If we relate this scenario to the way a daily schedule unfolds in an early childhood setting, we might begin to see how young children feel each time we ask them to transition from one activity to another. Picture a group of children in the block area who have spent 15 or 20 minutes building an elaborate car wash. They have just gotten to the point where they will be using cars to develop a story and act it out when the teacher says it’s time to clean up for snack. Of course, after snack there’s group time and then the class will be heading outside. Are these children also wishing that they could have had an extended time to relax and focus on enjoying their car wash and the dramatic play possibilities? Do they also feel like they have no control over their schedule?
"Having a daily schedule that creates routines for young children is an essential part of every child’s life whether at home or in an early childhood classroom. Whether the head teacher in an early learning classroom or the parent who home schools their children, evaluating the daily schedule on a regular basis is an integral part of creating an environment that meets the needs of both the children and adults who ‘live’ in that ‘classroom’ each day. We would suggest that you look (with a critical eye) at your daily schedule once a year to determine whether it works for you and the children. One of the most important things to consider when reviewing your schedule is the number of transitions that occur throughout the day.
"Transitions tend to be some of the most difficult and stressful moments in an early childhood classroom. At these times teachers often find themselves dealing with more challenging behaviors and feeling more like police officers than nurturing caregivers. If you are feeling uncomfortable or frustrated during transition times, that is a sign that your current schedule may need to be revised to better meet the needs and developmental levels of the children in your care."
For more specific tips, or to read the entire article, please go to: http://www.childcareexchange.com/resources/view_article.php?article_id=5019448&page=3&keyword_id=
*************************************************************
DEACONESS call to Parents:
You are the experts when it comes to your children and we would love to hear from you. Please feel free to comment or send us an email at info@deaconesschildren.org and let us know what you would like to see on our blog.
Please feel free to join us on Facebook as well at Deaconess Children's services.
Thursday, July 15, 2010
Gender Differences
Each Day, the Child Care Exchange sends out informational emails on the world of Early Childhood Development, Education and Professional Development, which I try to share with you. For more info, please see their website at www.childcareExchange.com.
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".... There's very little solid evidence of gender-based differences in kids' brains," reports Lise Eliot, author of Pink Brain, Blue Brain (Boston: Houghton-Mifflin, 2009), in Work & Family Life (December 2009). "To be sure, there are natural differences. But these become magnified through our parenting, marketing, and especially through children's own culture. Indeed, infant brains are so malleable that small differences at birth become amplified over time as parents, teachers, and the culture unwittingly encourages gender stereotypes."
Eliot does, in fact, discuss differences that do exist in the earliest years...
"Early in infancy, boys are a bit larger but, surprisingly, are more vulnerable than girls. They are more likely to be fussier, harder to soothe, and, by three or four months of age, less socially attuned. Boys' senses of touch, smell, and hearing are likely to be a little less acute than girls' — and their language, memory, and fine motor skills also lag during the first year of life.
"Where boys do tend to excel is in their gross motor development — sitting, standing, and walking at the same ages as girls, despite their slower maturation. While girls are easier to care for and more socially aware, they typically do not get as much encouragement as boys do for their physical development and emotional independence — two concerns that become pronounced later in childhood but can be addressed in infancy. The earlier parents are aware of the particular needs of boys and girls, as well as the power of gender stereotyping, the better chance they will have to help kids reach their full potential."
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DEACONESS call to parents:
In our experience, gained working with thousands of children and parents over the last 112 years, some children will fit the desciptions in this article and some will not. Please comment and tell us about your experiences as you've watched your child(ren) move through their developmental stages and the things you've noticed. We love to hear from you.
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".... There's very little solid evidence of gender-based differences in kids' brains," reports Lise Eliot, author of Pink Brain, Blue Brain (Boston: Houghton-Mifflin, 2009), in Work & Family Life (December 2009). "To be sure, there are natural differences. But these become magnified through our parenting, marketing, and especially through children's own culture. Indeed, infant brains are so malleable that small differences at birth become amplified over time as parents, teachers, and the culture unwittingly encourages gender stereotypes."
Eliot does, in fact, discuss differences that do exist in the earliest years...
"Early in infancy, boys are a bit larger but, surprisingly, are more vulnerable than girls. They are more likely to be fussier, harder to soothe, and, by three or four months of age, less socially attuned. Boys' senses of touch, smell, and hearing are likely to be a little less acute than girls' — and their language, memory, and fine motor skills also lag during the first year of life.
"Where boys do tend to excel is in their gross motor development — sitting, standing, and walking at the same ages as girls, despite their slower maturation. While girls are easier to care for and more socially aware, they typically do not get as much encouragement as boys do for their physical development and emotional independence — two concerns that become pronounced later in childhood but can be addressed in infancy. The earlier parents are aware of the particular needs of boys and girls, as well as the power of gender stereotyping, the better chance they will have to help kids reach their full potential."
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DEACONESS call to parents:
In our experience, gained working with thousands of children and parents over the last 112 years, some children will fit the desciptions in this article and some will not. Please comment and tell us about your experiences as you've watched your child(ren) move through their developmental stages and the things you've noticed. We love to hear from you.
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