Pennsylvania’s Promise for Children
Early Childhood Information Resource Messages
For families with young children or grandchildren, helping prepare their child for kindergarten and finding quality a child care/early learning program is forefront in their minds and can affect their attendance and performance at work. Providing families with reliable tips and resources to answer their questions helps them become stronger in supporting their child’s early learning and shows that your organization or program cares about them. You are also helping to prepare the next generation for success in school and in life!
Pennsylvania’s Promise for Children (www.papromiseforchildren.com) offers reliable and easy-to-understand information on early education that has been vetted by the Pennsylvania Office of Child Development and Early Learning. One way to share this information with your families is providing brief messages or “blurbs” that include compelling facts that families often want to know.
These messages highlight information and resources families want and need to know throughout the year to help their child prepare for and be successful in school. You can include the messages in an organization or program newsletter, in a paycheck stub, on your organization or program’s internal website, or posted in common areas. These messages contain information that families ask most about when it comes to their children’s development, such as developmental milestones and preparing your child for kindergarten, health and safety tips, dealing with challenging behaviors, choosing the right child care/early learning program for their family, and financial assistance to help pay for it.
Although the messages are organized by month, many can be used any time of the year. With each message, you may also include the Pennsylvania’s Promise for Children logo with a link to www.papromiseforchildren.com.
Families can also take action steps to help their children learn and get active in their local communities.
· Sign up to receive the Learning is Everywhere enews. This monthly enews is filled with everyday fun early learning activities, songs, and books to encourage a love of early learning, and tips on how you can support your child’s early learning. Visit the Pennsylvania’s Promise for Children website www.papromiseforchildren.com to find out more.
· Tell your story. Your story matters. Your story has power. It can help other families make early learning choices for their children. It can help leaders recognize that quality early learning makes a difference in their communities and they need to support it. Tell your story about how quality early learning has made an impact in your life by visiting the Pennsylvania’s Promise for Children website www.papromiseforchildren.com.
· Become a LEARN Partner. Pennsylvania’s Local Education and Resource Network (LEARN) Partners can help build support networks in every county for organizations and individuals interested in quality early education. As a LEARN Partner, you can affect change at the local, regional and state levels, and partner with others in your community to build cohesiveness within your community around quality early learning. Becoming a LEARN Partner is FREE and open to any individual or organization in Pennsylvania that has an interest in community outreach, family engagement, and/or transition to Kindergarten. Sign up at the Pennsylvania’s Promise for Children website www.papromiseforchildren.com.
· Sign the Pennsylvania’s Promise for Children Declaration. Show your support for Pennsylvania's young children by signing the simple declaration that quality early learning and child development play a major role in a child’s future success in school and in life; young children learn best when they have proper health and nutrition, a safe and stable family and home life, and activities that stimulate creativity, curiosity, and all the skills they will need to succeed in school and life; and that every child in Pennsylvania deserves access to quality early learning opportunities and that it is the responsibility of every Pennsylvanian to help our children reach their promise. Learn more at the Pennsylvania’s Promise for Children website www.papromiseforchildren.com.
If you have any questions or have suggestions for additional topics, please contact Mary Hall at (717) 213-2077 or .
Index of Messages
January / · Understanding your child’s learning style· Be your Child’s Champion: Communicating on behalf of your child
· Keeping your family safe during winter
February / · Stuck inside? How about some activities to have fun and help children learn!
· Celebrate National Children's Dental Health Month!
March / · Signing up for a Pre-K program or register for Kindergarten
· Having trouble at bedtime?
April / · Fun family activities in your county!
· Building your child’s vocabulary
May / · Finding financial assistance for child care
· Start your child care search with Keystone STARS
· Children’s Mental Health Awareness Month: Helping your child develop social skills
June / · Summertime safety
· Dealing with challenging behaviors
July / · Involving your child in chores
· Smooth transitions
August / · Getting ready for Kindergarten
· Understanding developmental milestones
· National Immunization Awareness Month: Immunizations to keep your child healthy
· Guide your child’s learning and growth from the start with the Early Learning GPS
September / · Choosing the right child care/early learning program for your family
· Learning begins at birth
October / · Celebrate Pennsylvania’s Promise for Children Month!
· Fascinating fall
November / · Exploring your family history
· Over the mountains and through the woods: Traveling with children
December / · Holding onto sanity during the Holiday Season
· Smart television time
Month / Message /
January / Understand your child’s learning style
Celebrate your child’s difference! Every child is special and learns in a unique way. Families who value their child’s differences and help them to develop their own interest and personality build strong, creative thinkers. When you understand your child’s temperament and style, you can create experiences that support their uniqueness.
· Learn how your child approaches new things. Some children love new experiences and participate right away, while others are more careful about situations and need time to watch or listen first. Either is okay.
· Recognize how your child behaves when their routine is changed. Does your child handle changes easily with flexibility or does a break in a routine upset your child, making the day a difficult one? Be prepared for your child’s reaction when a chance occurs.
· Recognize your child’s learning style. One child may need to touch and explore objects to learn, while another may learn best by looking and listening.
Visit PA’s Promise for Children (www.papromiseforchildren.com) for more tips!
January / Be your Child’s Champion: Communicating on behalf of your child
As a parent or family member, you may experience times when you need to address a challenge with another person in your child’s life. Be Your Child’s Champion can help you with that conversation to keep communication open with everyone involved and find a solution that is best for your child.
Be Your Child’s Champion can help you through four parts of communicating on behalf of your child.
o My Thoughts helps you identify, organize and prepare thoughts before a conversation.
o Our Conversation provides helpful phrases to use during a conversation to help in telling your child’s story.
o My Reflections help you determine how you feel about what occurred during the conversation, as well as any questions or concerns you have.
o Next Steps helps you outline what needs to be done next.
To learn more about Be Your Child’s Champion and to print worksheets for each section, visit PA’s Promise for Children (www.papromiseforchildren.com).
January / Keeping your family safe during winter
Brrrr--it's cold outside! Snow, cold temperatures and icy conditions mean being aware of how to keep your family safe during this time of year.
· Young children sometimes have a tough time knowing when to come inside from the cold. Avoid frostbite by making sure your child is wearing proper dry clothing (coats, hats, scarves and mittens), and they stay on during outdoor play!
· Keep those hands washed! Coughing, sneezing and close contact with others who may be sick means frequently washing hands to keep germs from making you and your child sick.
· Does your home have a carbon monoxide alarm? Carbon monoxide is an odorless, colorless and toxic gas. Because it is impossible to see, taste or smell the toxic fumes, it can kill you before you are aware it. Unvented kerosene and gas space heaters; leaking chimneys and furnaces; back-drafting from furnaces, gas water heaters, wood stoves, and fireplaces; gas stoves; generators and other gasoline powered equipment can all be sources of carbon monoxide. A carbon monoxide alarm can help detect and warn you if this gas is in your home.
Visit PA's Promise for Children (www.papromiseforchildren.com) for information on keeping your child safe and for ways you can help your child learn during the winter season.
February / Stuck inside? How about some activities to have fun and help children learn!
The weather outside may be frightful, but there’s lots of learning to do during February.
· Infants: Give your child a spoon during meal time. Let her bang it or put in her mouth. This early exploration of tools will help her understand their use.
· Toddlers: Ask your toddler to identify the colors of plates, pots, napkins, and other items in your house. How many different colors can you and your child find?
· Pre-Kindergartener: Give your child plastic or metal measuring cups. Ask him to put them in order of smallest to largest. Talk about which one is first, second, etc.
· Kindergartner: Ask your child about different ways to eat the same food. Is it easier to eat soup with a spoon or a fork, and why? Are there foods (like carrots or apples) which be eaten raw and cooked?
Visit PA’s Promise for Children (www.papromiseforchildren.com) for more early learning activities!
February / Celebrate National Children's Dental Health Month!
A child is never too young to get a good start on a lifetime of healthy teeth and gums!
Starting at birth, wipe the gums with a clean, moist washcloth. When your child’s teeth begin to come in, brush them gently with a child-size toothbrush and water. For children older than 2, brush their teeth with a pea-sized amount of fluoride toothpaste. Be sure they spit out the toothpaste. Until you’re comfortable that your child can brush on their own, continue to brush your child's teeth twice a day. When your child has two teeth that touch, you should begin flossing their teeth daily.
As soon as your child’s first tooth appears, it’s time to schedule a dental visit! Don’t wait for them to start school or until there's an emergency. Get your child comfortable today with good mouth healthy habits.
Visit the American Dental Association’s Mouth Healthy website (www.mouthhealthy.org/en/babies-and-kids) for more information on children’s dental health.
March / Time to register for Pre-Kindergarten or Kindergarten
Now is when schools may have kindergarten registration for fall classes, and child care/early learning programs may have sign-ups for Pre-K. You may have several options available for Pre-K, such as PA Pre-K Counts, Head Start, or Pre-K offered by a child care/early learning program or your local school. The kindergarten options for your child may include an early learning program or local public or private school.
If you are planning to enroll your child in pre-kindergarten or kindergarten in the fall, don’t wait. Now is the time to check out the options and register. If you wait, especially for pre-k, there may not be space!
Preparing your child for Pre-K or Kindergarten begins long before the first day of school. Find out what activities you can do with your child to help them be ready for that all important transition into Pre-K or Kindergarten, including where and how to register your child, how to help your child develop the social-emotional skills they will need to be successful in school, and every day learning activities you can do with your child get on the path for school success.
Visit PA’s Promise for Children www.papromiseforchildren.com to locate Pre-K programs in your area, find Pre-K early learning activities, Kindergarten registration information, or how to contact your local school district. Check out the Kindergarten, Here I Come Activity Guide and Recipes for Readiness on the PA’s Promise for Children website for family-friendly activities for children ages 3-5 that will assist in promoting the skills that Kindergarten teachers are looking for as children enter their classrooms.
March / Having trouble at bedtime?
Children thrive on routines, such as consistent nap or bedtimes. Use these quiet times to help your child learn and build a bond together! Here are a few tips:
· Infants: Take a few moments with your baby to walk around the bedroom and name some of the items. Visit favorite book or look at pictures you may have in the room and provide names of items.
· Toddlers: Toddlers may enjoy having the same book read over and over again as part of bedtime routines. Bedtime is an ideal time to enjoy some quiet closeness with your child.
· Pre-Kindergartners: As children get older, the length of their bedtime stories my increase. Part of this routine can be preschoolers retelling their favorite book to you!
· Kindergarteners: Making up stories without books helps develop imagination and can be shared by either the child or family members. Use books without words, or read the pictures in books to tell a story.
Visit PA’s Promise for Children (www.papromiseforchildren.com) for more early learning activities!
April / Fun family activities in your county!
Spring may be in the air (or at least the promise of spring!), so take some time to explore the great events happening in your county. There are two great reasons to celebrate during April: Week of the Young Child and the PA One Book, Every Young Child!
Week of the Young Child! (April 6-12, 2014): Sponsored by the National Association for the Education of Young Children, Week of the Young Child is a great opportunity to celebrate the importance of quality early education. Your community may provide information on Early Childhood Action Day, host family-friendly events, involve local policymakers and business leaders in early learning events such as book readings to children, announce a Week of the Young Child proclamation, or promote the importance of early learning on television, radio, or in the newspaper.