What to Look for When Picking a PreSchool for Your Child

Here are some suggestions for picking out the best PreSchool for your Child from "The First Five Years Fund" whose mission is to create a smarter, stronger, healthier, and more productive America through early childhood education for disadvantaged children.

1) Tour any early childhood center you are considering
2) Look at the interaction between teacher and students...students should feel secure,respected, and connected
3) Does school take interests of students into account
4) Are things at child's eye level in the classroom
5) Number of students in classroom should not exceed 20 and there should be two adults (I think even smaller than 20)
6) Does school provide professional development for their teachers

PreSchool is no longer viewed as play time. Students are busy learning letters and letter sounds, pre writing skills, pre reading skills and school etiquette. It is imparative that your child has this experience so that they don't find themselves behind on that very important first day of Kindergarten. Many states are offering these programs at no cost to parents for four year olds.

In addition, most school districts provide preschool classes to three year olds who are developmentally delayed in one or more areas. Check with the school district in your area if you find that your child appears to be behind other children of similar age with regard to communication, gross motor skills, fine motor skills or behavior. Obtaining this assistance for your child may give them the added boost that they need to be successful in school.

Services are also available through the school district for children younger than three who have serious delays in one or more areas of development. In a perfect world, your pediatrician would be letting you know about these services but in my experience this does not always happen. You are your child's best advocate. If you think they have a need for these services, find out what you need to do to see if they are eligible. It may just be the difference between academic struggles and academic success.

Parenting Studies...Should You Take the Findings Seriously?

Two parenting related studies published last week have caught the attention of parents everywhere. One suggests that watching cartoons or fast paced shows can have an adverse effect on your child's attention span and impulsive nature. The second found that fathers who spend more time with their children had lower testosterone levels then childless men or father who did not spend time with their children.

The first study found that four year olds who watched fast paced, scene changing cartoons for 9 1/2 minutes had shorter attention spans and were more impulsive than those who engaged in other activities. It is important to note that the effects were not long lasting and they had a rather small sample population of 60. Valid or not, there is evidence in several other studies to support the idea that watching T.V. or playing games that are fast paced does have an adverse effect on a child's attention span. This theory can be seen in the dramatic increase in ADD and ADHD in are always connected, fast paced society. Consider turning off the T.V. and video games and play a good, old fashioned board game.

I am concerned that some men are going to look at the results of the second study and decide that they need to spend less time with their children in order to preserve their manhood. Nothing can be farther from the truth. Women are much more interested in men who are comfortable enough with themselves and their masculinity to be able to display a softer side when it comes to children.

When looking at the results of studies, it is important to consider whether the results are valid. How large was the population that they studied? Was it representative of the general population? But most importantly is the knowledge that data can be manipulated to prove anything. Don't change your behavior just because a study suggests that you should, change your behavior because it makes sense for your family.

Who Says that Animals Don't Have Feelings Like Humans Do?

Whoever says that animals don't have feelings like humans do, hasn't seen the video entitled "Urlesque: Baby Elephant Really Annoys Its Mom". I don't think that there is a mom out there who hasn't experienced the same feelings that this mother elephant was having when her baby was trying to crawl all over her when she was trying to get just five minutes of alone time.

To avoid the same outcome that this mother elephant experienced, plan down times into each and every day. You will be a better mom for having taken that time for yourself whether your baby is three days old or ten years old. So be careful not to spend all your down time, cleaning house or making a gourmet dinner. In the future what do you want to be remembered for: being a wonderful housekeeper, an amazing chef or the number one mom in your child's eyes?

How Do You Keep Mothering with Broken Bones and Severe Pain?

I am faced with the dilemma of figuring out a way to continue posting and writing my book with the use of just one hand. After 15 hours in the hospital and many x-rays, I was sent home with a splint and sling around my dominent arm. In ten days, I will hopefully be exchanging it for a fiberglass cast because the alternative is surgery. It just must be said that breaking your funny bone in two, not so funny. I can't pull down my pants or wear any top that isn't a halter. Fortunately, my children are grown but I am not sure what I would do if they were little. I guess I would do exactly what I am doing and that is lean on my friends and family to help me out. It really is true that you come to know who your true friends are during your times of trouble. I have been blessed with some terrific friends and family. I hope that you don't need to break something to realize how blessed you are with friends and family. Let them know now how much you value them.

Bear Feet or Bare Feet?

My son Stephen is 11 but when he was 2, I was getting him ready to go out and play. He was rushing me so I told him we had to put his shoes on because he couldn't go outside with bare(bear)feet. He looked down at his feet and said but I have boy feet.
Lorraine
Mother of One
Sanford, FL

A good reminder that children are so literal.

Out of the Mouth of a 5 Year Old

A couple of days ago I was telling Charlie how smart he was and how proud I was of him. He looked at me and said, " When you get to be an adult, your brain gets smaller." I asked why he said that, his response, "Cause I am always telling you things and you are always forgetting them."
Laura
Mother of 5 Kids from 17 to 2
Orlando, Fl

I remember when my son was in third grade, he told me that third graders knew everything and after that you started to get stupid. I held my tongue until he got out of third grade, and then I asked him how it felt to be getting stupider. Maybe not the best grammer but I definitely made my point.

I wonder if we appear as if we are forgetting things because our minds are so busy in this overly connected society. Food for thought.

RtI...What the Heck is That?

You are the parent of a child who is struggling in school and you want and need help, what do you do? The schools response is that it is going to take time. You might be asking yourself why, and there is a very good explaination that the school is not explaining in a clear way. Here is the info that you are looking for.

RtI is the new buzz phrase when it comes to children who are struggling in school. What is RtI? It is short for Response to Intervention and it actually is not a bad thing. It means that the school is required to put intervetions into place right away for your child in the areas that they are struggling in. Hopefully these intervention will assist your child and they will not need to be placed into special education. The way it used to work is that your child would be tested and if they were eligible they would get the help that they needed. Many children who did not meet the eligibility criteria for Special Education were left to struggle without additional support. Now those children will begin getting the help they need imediately without the need for a label.

Although, this is better for the student, it puts the burden of providing this individual or small group intervention back onto an already overworked, underpaid teacher. In a time when there are massive cuts in an already bare to the bones teaching staff, they are being called upon to do more. I am sending out a plea to you as a taxpayer to write your congressional representative and express your concerns. In addition, contact your local school board and express your outrage that although the school districts are making major cuts in teachers and those who provide direct service to children, they are keeping the fat. There is no big surprise as to the why the cuts are being made the way that they are. Just like in congress, the ones making the decisions about cuts (the administrators) are not going to cut their own jobs. In a time when the economy is so tight, maybe we need to take a hard look about the way we are currently doing things, and change them to a more efficient way.