June 9, 2021 Healthy Eating Guides: At the Grocery Store Healthy Eating Guides Do you want to learn how to promote good nutrition and healthy eating at home? Check out the following healthy eating guides and more from Nationwide Children’s Hospital! What topics are covered? The guides include information on food groups, portion sizes, how to read food labels to better understand ingredients, how to save money at the store, and tips for shopping in your local grocery store. All resources are available in English and Spanish. To get started, check out the following resources: Plan Your Meals Using MyPlate Nutrition Facts, Labels, and Ingredients Picking Your Dairy Picking Your Protein Unit Prices: Healthy Weight and Nutrition View More Resources To view the full list, visit the Nationwide Children’s Hospital website! For other healthy eating tools, read our news post about MyPlate. For extra fun, try Grocery Store Bingo!
April 23, 2021 Mindfulness for Children About According to the Greater Good Science Center at Berkeley University of California, mindfulness is the practice of “maintaining a moment-by-moment awareness of your thoughts, feelings, bodily sensations, and the surrounding environment through a gentle, nurturing lens.” When practiced, mindfulness techniques can relieve stress, decrease blood pressure, and regulate your breathing. Mindfulness techniques also provide opportunities for children and adults to practice self-control, compassion, kindness, and emotional regulation. Mindfulness Guide To help families learn about mindfulness, the New York Times created an online guide for families. The guide explains mindfulness and provides strategies for infants, toddlers, young children, older children, and teenagers. Additional resources are also provided. To learn more, view the guide! Additional Resources To learn more about mindfulness, view the resources listed below: Mindfulness Toolkit, Transforming Education Mindfulness for Kids, Mindful 25 Fun Mindfulness Activities for Children and Teens, Positive Psychology Mindful Art Activities for Kids, Empowering Education Ease your anxious child: 6 simple mindfulness exercises to try today, Motherly Rainbow Relaxation, The Mental Health Teacher Belly Breathing: Mindfulness for Children, The Mental Health Teacher Kids Meditation – Square Breathing (Focus & Calm), MyLife Yoga for Kids!, STORYHIVE Free Smiling Mind App
Respecting Your Child’s Boundaries Respecting your child’s boundaries matters. Every person has their own preferences when it comes to physical touch, and that includes young children. While touch is a fundamental need for babies and toddlers, it is important to teach children that they are allowed to set boundaries and have the self-confidence to stick to them. This helps them advocate for themselves and plays an important role in teaching them how to identify and get away from inappropriate or dangerous interactions with adults or others. Your child may not be comfortable hugging a person they do not know (even if that person is a family member), or they may have moments where they do not want to be tickled or touched. While it can be difficult to hear your child say that they do not want to hug or touch at that time, caregivers should not assume that a child is comfortable with an interaction or demand that they participate in that interaction. By asking for consent, caregivers help their children identify and vocalize their boundaries. These skills not only help them in the present moment but also benefit them long-term. Resources If you are interested in learning more about the benefits of teaching your child about boundaries and strategies to support, check out the following resources: Teaching Consent, Safe Secure Kids Respecting Your Child’s Personal Space and Boundaries, Missing Children’s Network Please Don’t Handle the Children, Janet Lansbury Teaching Kids About Boundaries, Child Mind Institute Respecting a Child’s Right to Say No & Make Choices About Their Own Body, The Pragmatic Parent 5 Tips for Teaching Your Kids about Boundaries, All Pro Dad
Self-Care: Resources for Families Self-Care Matters The COVID-19 pandemic has been challenging for children and adults alike. While it can seem impossible to juggle both your needs and your family’s everyday needs, make sure to prioritize your well-being as a parent or caregiver. This will not only benefit your health and wellbeing but will also benefit your family. About To help families identify ways to prioritize self-care, Child Mind Institute created the resource, “Self-Care in the Time of Coronavirus.” The resource explores strategies families can incorporate, including setting boundaries, prioritizing healthy choices, reconnecting with things you enjoy, and more. Self-Care Resources For information on how to prioritize self-care, view the full article by Child Mind Institute and check out the following resources: A Guide to Self-Care for Parents: Why Making Time For Yourself Matters, Waterford Importance of Self-Care: Why Parents Need Time Out to Recharge, HealthyChildren 25 Simple Self-Care Tools for Parents, Psychology Today Self-Care for Parents, PBS Kids Raising Socially Conscious Kids: Self Care for Parents, First Up Five Things You Should Know About Stress, National Institute of Mental Health
February 3, 2021 Family Infant Oral Health Televisit, University of Pittsburgh Are you interested in keeping your child cavity-free during the pandemic? Schedule a free Virtual Oral Health Visit for tips on toothbrushing for young children and getting your child dental care. About This research study involves meeting one-on-one with mom and Pediatric Dentist, Jr. Jacqueline Burgette, D.M.D., Ph.D., for a televisit on Zoom to receive information on Infant Oral Health, a brief Oral Health Consultation, and support coordinating care for dental needs. This opportunity has been provided by the University of Pittsburgh School of Dental Medicine and the Pitt Homewood Community Engagement Center (CEC). Share this flyer with your family and friends. Schedule A Visit For more information and to schedule a televisit, email at jacqueline@pitt.edu.
January 21, 2021 Through the Eyes of a Child, Harvard Medicine About Direct and indirect exposure to racism and discrimination during early childhood can have lifelong impacts on a child’s development, physical health, and general wellbeing. In “Through the Eyes of a Child,” Elizabeth Gehrman explores these topics and more, including: racial trauma; the difference between positive, tolerable, and toxic stress; lifelong impacts on health; trauma-informed care; and more. Featured Quotes “We do surveys with Black youth here in Pittsburgh, and kids ages 10 to 15 are reporting that people have been racist toward them. By tenth grade, about fifty percent of them have encountered racial discrimination.” – James Huguley, Interim Director of the University of Pittsburgh’s Center on Race and Social Problems “The general public belief is that early experiences don’t have lasting impacts until kids get older. But now we know that even very young kids are affected. Biology makes it clear: The body doesn’t forget. Early experiences both positive and negative literally shape the architecture of the developing brain and other biological systems from the beginning.” – Julius B. Richmond FAMRI Professor of Child Health and Development at the Harvard T.H. Chan School of Public Health and Harvard Graduate School of Education “Part of the work of becoming an adult is learning how to modulate the fear response and move toward safety. But when the sense of threat never goes away, and you’re in a chronic state of seeking safety, that short circuits higher-order functions.” – Alisha Moreland, Director of Trauma-Informed Treatment, Consultation, and Outreach at McLean Hospital’s Center of Excellence in Depression and Anxiety Disorders “No child can survive significant adversity by pulling themselves up by the bootstraps. But whether it’s a parent, a childcare or health care provider, a neighbor, or a teacher, just one person can confer the protective effect, bringing the stress system back to baseline by providing caring support.” – James Huguley, Interim Director of the University of Pittsburgh’s Center on Race and Social Problems Access This Resource To read the full article, visit the Havard Medicine website.
December 21, 2020 Physical Education Vocabulary for Kids About In addition to teaching exercises, physical education teaches children vocabulary words such as muscle, pulse, and endurance to help them better understand their bodies. To help your child better understand healthy activities, check out this resource from PlaygroundEquipment.com! For extra fun, try making and decorating vocabulary flashcards to practice at home! View This Resource To view the list, visit PlaygroundEquipment.com.
December 14, 2020 Child Care Emergency Plan, Child Care Aware of America About Child Care Aware of America reported that 38 percent of parents were unsure of their child care provider’s emergency plan, with another 7 percent stating that their program doesn’t have one. To ensure your child’s safety, Child Care Aware recommends that caregivers be proactive by asking their child care provider these 10 questions. Recommended Questions Do you have an emergency preparedness plan for disasters that are likely to occur in our area? How will you safely evacuate my child to a safe, predetermined location? How and when will I be notified if a disaster occurs when my child is in child care? If I can’t get to my child during or after a disaster, how will you continue to care for my child? Have you and your staff received training on how to respond to my child’s physical and emotional needs during and after a disaster; for example, are all staff first aid and CPR-certified? Will you teach my older child what to do in an emergency? Do you have a disaster/supply kit with enough items to meet my child’s needs for at least 72 hours? Do the state and local emergency management agencies and responders know about your child care program and where it is located? How may I help you during and after a disaster? After a disaster occurs, how will I be notified about your plan to reopen? More Information This information was provided by Child Care Aware of America. Visit their website for more information about emergency preparedness!
The Science of Early Childhood Development, Center on the Developing Child About Are you interested in learning why early childhood is such an important period of growth? Watch this video from the Center on the Developing Child at Harvard University! Featured Quotes “If a child is preoccupied with fears or anxiety, or is dealing with considerable stress, no matter how intellectually gifted that child might be, his or her learning is going to be impaired by that kind of emotional interference.” “When we talk about healthy development in the early years, and particularly when we talk about preparing children to succeed at school, we cannot separate cognitive development from social and emotional development. You can’t have one without the other.” “Excessive prolonged stress early in life is associated with a higher prevalence later, not only of learning problems and behavioral difficulties but also physical and mental health problems.” Watch the Video More Information To learn more, visit the Center on the Developing Child website.
The Brain Architects Podcast, Center on the Developing Child About Launched in January 2020 by the Center on Child Development at Harvard University, The Brain Architects Podcast explores common questions that parents and caregivers have during the early periods of their child’s life. The podcast brings together experts and practitioners from pediatrics, social services, education, and other fields of study to help guide caregivers in improving the lives of their young children. Featured Topics The podcast explores a variety of early childhood topics, including, but not limited to self-care, toxic stress, serve and return, brain architecture, mental health during COVID-19, and more. Learn More To start listening, visit the podcast webpage.
