Infant and toddler care should not look or feel just like preschool. Infants and toddlers need individualized care from a primary caregiver with whom they can form a strong, secure attachment. This can happen in a group care setting, provided that: • The group size is small (twelve or fewer children; six or fewer is […]
You are the expert on your child. Think about what type of care environment will be best suited to her unique temperament: • Does your child like to be with big or small groups of children? • Does your child need a lot of active or quiet time? • What noise levels can your child […]
Finding the Right Provider for Your Child “Childhood is not a race to see how quickly a child can read, write and count. It is a small window of time to learn and develop at the pace that is right for each individual child.” – MAGDA GERBER
Association for Library Service to Children. (2012). The importance of play, particularly constructive play, in public library programming. Chicago, IL: S. M. Nespeca. Cohen, L. J. (2002). Playful parenting. New York, NY: Ballantine Books. Ginsburg, K. R. (2007). The importance of play in promoting healthy child development and maintaining strong parent-child bonds. Pediatrics, 119(1), 182-191. […]
Enter your child’s world through play. When you and your child play together, you foster connection. Think back to your own childhood. Do you remember your favorite ways to play? There are many ways to support your child in play, including setting up the right environment, encouraging interactions and then stepping back, supporting problem solving, […]
Apps, games, and videos are enchanting for a child— but is playing on a device really playing? Today’s children are exposed to multiple electronic devices that can overstimulate them. The brain needs to have a chance to “do nothing” from time to time. Being bored can be beneficial! In the empty space produced by doing […]
Play is essential for healthy brain development. It supports all areas of your child’s development—the cognitive, physical, social, and emotional. What might look like simple play to you is actually your child hard at work, learning the skills necessary for success later in life. Even engaging in early musical experiences—like drumming to a rhythmic beat—can […]
One of parenting’s simplest pleasures is watching your child at play. When children at play engage in the basics of movement, touch, and human connection, everything from their motor skills to their attachment systems benefits. Play is an essential part of childhood, as it helps your child understand others and make sense of the world […]
Why Today’s Kids Still Need Good, Old-Fashioned Play Time “We all need empty hours in our lives or we will have no time to create or dream.” – DR. ROBERT COLES
Cori, J. L. (2010). The emotionally absent mother: A guide to self-healing and getting the love you missed. New York, NY: The Experiment. Tronick, E. & Beeghly, M. (2011). Infants’ meaning-making and the development of mental health problems. American psychologist, 66(2), 107-119. http://dx.doi.org/10.1037/a0021631 Winnicott, D.W. (1965). The maturational processes and the facilitating environment: Studies in […]
