When you read to infants, the sound of your voice is a beacon of calmness, conditioning the child to associate you and the book with security. This “cuddle time” is great for connecting with your child and making her feel loved and nurtured. As your child grows and becomes a toddler, let her set the pace for how long you stay on each page. Many are ready to start turning the pages and some are too busy to stop to sit in your lap! Go with however she wants to read but remember to keep reading. By the time your child is a preschooler, she will enjoy storytime and want to read them to you! Storytime may get longer and so will her attention span. Read with expression. Use different voices for different characters. Ask questions as you read and listen to what your child says.

Most importantly, be a good role model for your child and read books, magazines, the newspaper, the Nook, or the Kindle. Visit the library and check out books together with your child. Every area library has a summer reading program so get involved. You and your child will be glad you did!

                                                                                                                       Jill Phillips

                                                                                                               ECFE Parent Educator

The Minnesota Discovery Center’s exhibit, Storyland–A Trip Through Childhood Favorites, is an exciting hands-on learning experience developed by the Minnesota Children’s Museum for ages 2-8 to fall in love with reading and build valuable early literacy skills. This exhibit runs from June 9th-September 23, 2012.

A membership coupon is available to ECFE and School Readiness families for pick-up at the Parkview Learning Center office in Virginia. This coupon offers $5 off the yearly family membership of $25 and is good for one year. 

The opening reception for the Minnesota Discovery Center is Saturday, June 9th, from 10:30-11:30 a.m. This is also one of the FREE days. The Minnesota Discovery Center would welcome ECFE and School Readiness families to this event. Please RSVP to the above email or phone number.

If there’s a single article of faith in the education/achievement gap debates, it is that early childhood education is critical for future learning. That makes The State of Preschool 2011 report from the National Institution for Early Education Research important, if lengthy, reading. And the news is not all good.

According to the report:

That last point is worth repeating: “Only high-quality pre-K programs significiantly help prepare children for school.” The report notes that “More than half a million children, or 43 percent of nationwide enrollment, are served in programs that met fewer than half of the quality standards benchmarks.”

Minnesota ranks high in the quality of state-funded pre-K programs, but 38th in the percent of four-year-olds served in those programs, despite the presence of one of the foremost national advocates for early childhood education, Art Rolnick. His analyses of the economic and educational impact of early childhood education are the focus of Making the case for early ed, Art Rolnick has had ‘enormous impact’ by Sharon Schmickle in MinnPost.

http://us2.campaign-archive1.com/?u=a70a4461b88365762469b4185&id=dc3757c9c0

Related Resources

2011 State Preschool Yearbook - Released April 2012 (Full Report; Minnesota State Report).

April 11, 2012 - Children’s voices unheard in funding debates – A new U.S. report released Tuesday says per-child spending in State-funded pre-K programs has declined more than $700 over the past 10 years. As a result, say advocates for early childhood education, African American children are not getting the preparation they need to succeed in later schooling… Minnesota ranks 10th among all states in reported resources per child enrolled in pre-K, but the report also shows a smaller percentage of four-year-olds enrolled in the state today than a decade ago. Among the 39 states that currently have State-funded pre-K programs, Minnesota is 38th (next to last place) in four-year-olds enrolled (1.5 percent of eligible children) and three-year-olds enrolled (1.0 percent of eligible children). By comparison, Florida is in first place with 76 percent of eligible children enrolled, Minnesota Spokesman-Recorder.

Should public money be used to fund a new stadium? - Minneapolis Mayor R.T. Rybak promoted his city’s Vikings stadium proposal as a way to create jobs in the hospitality and construction industries during a debate on MPR’s Morning Edition with economist Art Rolnick, who argued the Vikings are resorting to “economic blackmail” to force the city to prioritize sports funding over the needs of low-income residents, MPR News, March 15, 2012.

Although parents cannot “make” their children happy, they can help children choose happiness. Modeling ways to deal with their feelings appropriately, teaching children the skills they need, and allowing children to be responsible for their own feelings are some of the ways.

Children can learn to be aware of their feelings and learn the skills to manage them in daily situations. They can learn to actively choose happiness. When children don’t learn how to soothe themselves or resolve their issues with others, they are vulnerable to a lot of problems that may haunt them for a lifetime. Some of these include: discipline issues in school, drug addiction, and depression.

One of the main tools parents can teach children is to self-calm. Some of these calming tools include: physical tools (doing something physical like running), auditory tools (crying or listening to music), visual tools (detaching by reading a book or watching nature), creative tools (drawing feelings on paper), self-comforting tools (getting a hug or taking a bubble bath), and humor tools (watching a funny movie or telling a joke and laughing out loud).

If you want more information, as well as exercises to help practice ideas to use with children, please check out this book at your local library; or to order it online, go to www.ParentingPress.com.

It is important to acknowledge every experience young children have with fear. Encourage them to talk about their fears. The best way to affirm a child’s fears is simply to reflect back the feelings of the child. Instead of saying, “That’s nothing to be scared of!”, say, “It’s okay to be scared,” and “Everybody gets scared,” or “I’m here with you.” All young children need to know that someone bigger who loves them understands and respects their fears. Fearful children need a strong, supportive hand to hold. Approaching difficult situations confidently and calmly, parents can reassure children. Talk about what’s real and what’s make believe. This can give them the courage to face their own fears and eventually overcome them.

Most of the fears that children experience in their preschool years gradually diminish and are outgrown. If a child’s fear interferes with family life  or with normal daily activity, then it may be best to seek professional help. Gently helping children face what scares them is the best way to ensure that today’s fears won’t continue to hold them back tomorrow.

                                                                                                                          Jill Phillips

                                                                                                                  ECFE Parent Educator

What do preschoolers need? Basically, they need nurturing adults who provide love, attention, and a safe environment to grow and develop. There is a well-written book called Help! For Parents of Children Three, Four, and Five Years of Age that gives “affirmation of growth” for each age level. Affirmations are special messages that parents can give that will help their children during this time. I’d like to share with you the affirmations for preschoolers.

About iCAN and how they work: iCAN is a coalition of faith-based organizations concerned about children’s well-being in the State of Minnesota. They have a network of “key advocates”—people like you, who have joined their e-list, attended their trainings, and delivered their messages to their congregations and communities. iCAN welcomes the participation of everyone concerned about child well-being regardless of faith or active participation in a faith community.

FREE Key Advocate Webinar: Family Economic Security Act
This coming Tuesday, February 14, 2012 we are hosting our second Key Advocate Webinar of the year. Join us to learn about our work on the Family Economic Security (FES) Act which will be introduced this session. This important legislation will work to address the growing problem of child poverty in our state.

It is important that ALL Key Advocate participate in this webinar. The FES Act will be one of our main iCAN issues this year, and this webinar will be a way to learn about the details and how you can be an effective advocate. RSVP to Alison@icanmn.org TODAY!

Child Poverty and Family Economic Security
With child poverty at 15.2%, nearly one in seven Minnesota children are living in poverty. This year we are calling on the Legislature and Governor to make a serious attempt to address this growing problem in our state by enacting the recommendations outlined in the Poverty Commission Report through the Family Economic Security Act. Click here to read Brian’s most recent blog post on the topic, and stay tuned for more information.

NEW at Day on the Hill: iCAN Children’s Caucus
This year we are pleased to offer the iCAN Children’s Caucus at Day on the Hill, on March 20th. This will be a unique opportunity for child advocates to meet together, debrief, and strategize about how to take their learnings back to their congregations and communities. We will also be offering a training to how to highlight children’s issues during election season, and we’ll meet with a key policymaker to discuss strategy at the Capitol.

CLICK HERE TO REGISTER and be sure to click the iCAN Children’s Caucus Meeting box to be a part of this special group!

Are you interested in the big picture for what’s on the docket for early childhood at the State Capitol this legislative session?

This update from the February 7 Child Care WORKS Policy Hour provides a good summary of the issues, including a solid review and update on the work of the Minnesota Early Learning Council.

This evening, Minnesotans across the state will gather with their neighbors to participate in the political process and discuss issues important to them. You can join them at your Precinct Caucus.

Precinct caucuses are the beginning of the process that Minnesota’s major political parties use for choosing the candidates and the issues they will support in elections. Caucuses are hosted by the major political parties and are open to the public. You can find your Precinct Caucus though the Caucus Finder on the Secretary of State website.

I hope you will attend your Caucus and bring with you our sample resolution on early care and education. You can learn about what to expect by checking out our toolkit on Attending a Precinct Caucus.

And remember, this process is about grassroots participation. This is YOUR opportunity to bring forth the issues YOU care about and encourage your neighbors to Think Small and remember our smallest Minnesotans.

Kat Kempe
Senior Policy Advocate
Think Small

1. “Too many didn’t recognize our brand, or confused us with others. The bottom line was this:  Our brand was not working hard enough to help us achieve our mission, and that was not okay with us.”

If you’ve been relying on Ready 4 K to keep you up-to-date on policy changes impacting early learning, this might be a good time to check them out!

Visit Think Small today!