welcome, reviewers! - yeled · mindwing concepts/critical thinking monday jan. 6 staten island...

Yeled v’Yalda earlY Childhood Center

H e a d S t a r t

e a r l y H e a d S t a r t

H o m e - b a S e d e a r ly H e a d S ta r t

e x p e c t a n t m o m S ’ p r o g r a m

S p e c i a l e d u c at i o n

e a r ly i n t e r v e n t i o n

W i c p r o g r a m

Fa c i l i tat e d e n r o l l m e n t

H e a lt H y Fa m i l i e S

p r o j e c t r e a c H

F i t n e S S c e n t e r

Sponsored bya YvY Strategic Partner

yvy welcomes the office of Head Start on-Site review team, which will conduct its

triennial review of yvy’s federally-funded Head Start and early Head Start programs the

week of january 13. We hope the reviewers will have a pleasant and positively productive

week at yeled v’yalda. We look forward to working with them.

Volume 11 // Issue 3 // January-February 2013

In ThIs Issue: Parents & School Readiness

YvY News BriefsYvY has found a

new, exciting way to reach

parents: Teleconferencing.

yvy parents, many

of whom do not own

computers, can now listen

to pre-recorded presentations

on relevant topics. the first

parent teleconference, given

by yvy deputy director of

mental Health alyssa Schnur

alexander, rcSW – on school

readiness—had a wide audience.

Forty-eight parents registered at the end of

the presentation. . the next teleconference will

feature yvy director of mental Health dr. eliezer

Welcome, Reviewers!

Learning to nurture. YvY Early Head Start child at a Home-Based socialization.

newsletterParent

H E A D S T A R T / E A R L Y H E A D S T A R T

718.686.3700

SETTING ROUTINES AT HOME:

How Can Fathers Help?

All listeners will be entered into a raffle for a

$25 GIFT CERTIFICATE

to Funthinks for an educational toy

Listen for details at the end of the presentation.

TO HEAR THIS PARENTING WORKSHOP:

Call: 213-226-0006

Access code: 56472871

Available 24/7

Presented by Dr. Edward Kaminetzky

Raffle will be held at the end of February.

Winner will be notified by phone.


718.686.3700

SCHOOL READINESS:

It Starts at Birth!

ANNOUNCING THE FIRST IN A S E R I E S O F C A L L - I N

PA R E N T I N G W O R K S H O P S

All listeners will be entered into a raffle for a

$25 GIFT CERTIFICATE

to Funthinks for an educational toy

Listen for details at the end of the presentation.

TO HEAR THIS PARENTING WORKSHOP:

Call: 213-226-0006

Access code: 56472871

Available 24/7

Presented by Alyssa Schnur

Raffle will be held at the end of Chanukah.

Winner will be notified by phone.

(continued on page 4)

2Yeled v’Yalda earlY Childhood Center


YvY Parent Policy Council Elections

YvY Father Activities

YvY Parent Activities

yvy children


B A B Y S I T T I N G & R E F R E S H M E N T S W I L L B E P R O V I D E D

Eight days,

• Hands-onPr

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ChanukaAc

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VariousArea

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• AgesandSta

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Development,Ag

es0-5.

• VideoSampleso

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performbetweenag

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• TakeHomeInter

activeGamesYou

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Wednesday, December 5, 2012

11:00 AM-12:30 PM

1257 38 Street, 4th floor

TzipieBrown,MS,SBL

...To Entertain

Your Children on Chanukah

Eight ways

JanieF

riedman,

RNHea

lth

coordin

ator,w

illprese

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SAFETY IN THE KITCHEN

Whatto

beaware

ofwhile

working

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whencoo

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Plus...

Registration

inadvancee

nsuresyour

“ChanukaEn

tertainmentTo

olboxKit”

ToRSVP,plea

secall

718-514-8656

andleavea

message.H E A D S T A R T / E A R L Y H E A D S T A R T

Presented by

Sarah Chana Silverstien

C R E A T I N G A

Healthy Environment

Tuesday, November 28, 2012

11:00 AM-1:00 PM

We Care Early Headstart

99 Heyward Street

I N U N H E A L T H Y B R O O K L Y N

718.686.2300

yvy parent engagement

yvy’s parent elections to the yvy Policy Council are always exciting affairs. representatives from all yvy sites come together to elect seven Council officers. all site representatives are also members of the PC.

(Left to Right) The elections are chaired by YvY Executive Director Naomi Auerbach; a site representative speaks up; the 2012-2013 YvY PC poses for a group picture along with YvY PC liaison, Estie Knoll; YvY Director of Health Service Dr. Garey Ellis and YvY Director of Communications Leah Fisher act as observers.

More than 40 fathers attended a Fathers’ Group round table discussion on Positive Father-Son Relationships led by Rabbi Chaim Kompel.

yvy’s slI Parent Committee took up a collection for two SLI staff members who lost homes in Hurricane Sandy. The presentation took place at the holiday Parent Committee celebration. Other YvY sites were also involved in helping Hurricane Sandy victims.

Staten Island’s popular Focus on Fathers group gets dads and children to work together.

HATZOLAH


718.855.6916

Presented by

Malky Tropper, EMT

Wednesday, December 19, ‘12

▪ Burns

▪ Bleeding

▪ Choking

W E C A R E E A R LY H E A D S TA R T

99 Heyward Street

11:00 AM-1:00 PM

▪ CPR

▪ Insect stings

ArrivesWhat to Do Until


FIRE SAFETY INFORMATION

P R E S E N T E D B Y A M E M B E R O F T H E F D N Y

TUESDAY, DECEMBER 4, 2012

1 2 : 3 0 - 1 : 3 0 P M ∞ 9 9 H E Y W A R D S T R E E T

• Fire prevention

• Safety tips

FIRESafety

• What to do in an emergency

• Home fire escape planning

718.855.6916

yvy offers varied parent activities to pique parents’ interest. Some examples: (Left to right) Providing healthy environments; Fire safety; Demonstrating activities parents can do at home with their children; First aid – what to do while waiting for emergency services.

Taking a parent activity outdoors – an outing to a local farmers’ market with YvY Director of Nutritional Service Dina Lipkind.

3 Yeled v’Yalda earlY Childhood Center3 Yeled v’Yalda earlY Childhood Center

Head Start EHS Center Based EHS Home Based

Expectant Moms' Program

Project REACH HS

yvy children

A YvY Project REACH child proudly shows off the work he did together with his Home Instructor.

(Top to Bottom) Head Start easel artists; Good food makes happy teeth; Creative block play.

EHS children take advantage of fun outdoor equipment.

"Work” time in the EHS classroom.

(Top to Bottom) Childbirth Education at the EMP; Being picked up by a school bus makes getting to the EMP program really easy; Infant massage is one of the most popular EMP activities.

(Top-to-Bottom) Socializations offer opportunities for children to learn through different modalities at YvY’s well-equipped Socialization Center; Moms and children work together; The Home Visitor always brings fun toys when she visits.

A family socialization featured an exciting magic show.


news briefs (Continued from page 1)

Headstart ..............................................718.686.3700 *3

special education..........................718.686.3700 *1

early Intervention .........................718.686.3700 *2

Fitness Center ....................................718.686.3700 *7

early Headstart ...................................718.514.8600 *1

aba Program ......................................718.514.8600 *3

Project reaCH.......................................718.514.8600

ezra medical Center ...........................718.686.7600 WIC Program............................................718.686.3799

Facilitated enrollment ........................718.686.2189

Healthy Families .................................718.686.2132

Yeled v’Yalda Staten ISland:silver lake Headstart I

10 Gregg Place ..........................................718.815.4488

silver lake Headstart II 20 Park Hill Circle: .................................718.720.0090

Yeled v’Yalda Support lIneS:All calls are confidential.

yeled v’yalda 311 for comments/concerns 718.686.3700 *311

yeleD V’yalDa early CHIlDHooD CenTer, InC.

1312 38TH sTreeT brooklyn, ny 11218 WWW.yeleD.org

CHaIrman oF THe boarD jacob ungar

CHIeF exeCuTIVe oFFICer Solomon igel

PolICy CounCIl CHaIrPerson malkie oStreicHer

exeCuTIVe DIreCTor naomi auerbacH, mSed

CHIeF FInanCIal oFFICer rebecca gutman, cpa

DIreCTor, FeDeral Programs Wayne goldberg, ma, mpa

DIreCTor, sPeCIal serVICes cHaim Szanzer, edd, SaS, SdS

DIreCTor, Human resourCes gitty licHtenStein, mSed

DIreCTor oF Personnel Henny koHn

DIreCTor oF ComPlIanCe anD legal aFFaIrs rutH akerman, eSq.

WIC CoorDInaTor necHama Stolzenberg

DIreCTor, FaCIlITaTeD enrollmenT anD HealTHy FamIlIes micHelle goldkrantz, lmSW

DIreCTor, HealTH serVICes, FamIly/CommunITy ParTnersHIPs garey v. elliS, md

DIreCTor, menTal HealTH eliezer kaminetSky, edd

DIreCTor oF nuTrITIon serVICes dina lipkind, mS, rd, cdn

DIreCTor, PolICy anD researCH For eDuCaTIon iSabelle barriere, pHd

DePuTy DIreCTor oF menTal HealTH alySSa ScHnur, rcSW

Program CoorDInaTor, eHs devora barnett, maed

HealTH CoorDInaTor janie Friedman, rn

DIreCTor oF oPeraTIons, DIsabIlITIes Program mina Sputz, mS, SaS

CoorDInaTor, early InTerVenTIon batya moSkoWitz, ma,tr

CoorDInaTor, aba Program kreindy myerS, mSed

ParenT InVolVemenT CoorDInaTor SHoSHie ScHapiro

PolICy CounCIl lIaIson eStHer knoll

sIlVer lake HeaDsTarT eDuCaTIon DIreCTors: melody lenza, mSed

madeline o’donoHue, maed

kamintesky who will discuss fathers’ role in

setting routines at home.

YvY once again provided the venue for a

region II Head start Cluster meeting. this

meeting continued the training by the new

york State training and technical assistance

center on the Parent, Family, and Community

engagement aspect of School readiness.

YvY’s Early Head Start Home Visitors were thrilled with the opportunity

to receive training at the national naeyC

Conference in atlanta. the training sessions

they attended focused on music and

movement and early literacy, powerful tools

for supporting early learning.

Hearing and vision screenings performed by yvy’s own trained staff had

a large payoff this year. as a result of the

screenings, several children had tubes inserted

in their ears, several children got glasses, and

one child got both hearing aids and glasses.

parents and teachers reported that after these

interventions behavior and learning issues

seemed to disappear overnight.

YVY’s UPK (universal pre-kindergarten)

partnership and collaboration was the

subject of discussion in a meeting with new

york city department of education upk

director of instruction and performance

jennifer rosenbaum and upk consultant

john paizis. the meeting was chaired by yvy

Head Start director Wayne goldberg.

January 2013 ONgOiNg ACtiVitiES 99 Heyward Street

Aerobics ∞ Sundays & thursdays

Fitness for Men ∞ Wednesdays

Mommy and Me Yoga ∞ monday jan. 28

Expectant Mom's Program Aerobics and Childbirth Education Parenting Skills for Postpartum Moms

mondays 1257 38 Street ∞ Sundays

Parenting Workshops 1257 38 Street ∞ monday jan. 14 99 Heyward Street ∞ Wednesday jan. 30 60123 Farragut Road ∞ thursday jan. 24

SPECiAl ACtiVitiES 99 Heyward Street Exploring Personal Potential ∞ tuesdays Challenges in Pregnancy ∞ thursday jan. 24

1257 38 Street Stress Management Wednesdays jan. 2, 9, 16 Fathers' Activity ∞ teleconference

PROFESSiONAl DEVElOPMENt Mindwing Concepts/Critical thinking monday jan. 6

StAtEN iSlAND ONgOiNg ACtiVitiES

Parent Committee ∞ Wed. jan. 16, 23 Fathers in Action Breakfast ∞ Wed. jan. 23

SPECiAl ACtiVitiES Abriendo Puertes ∞ Wednesday jan. 16

Family literacy Day ∞ Friday jan. 4

Parenting Workshop ∞ Wednesday jan. 30

Policy Council Meeting ∞ tuesday january 8

For more information on any of Yeled V’Yalda’s services, please call the following numbers:

5 Yeled v’Yalda earlY Childhood Center

Volume 11 // Issue 3 // January-February 2013

What does it mean when we say a child is “ready” to learn? once a child enters first grade, there are

certain expectations that teachers have and certain demands children must meet. children need to be interested in learning; they need to know that books contain exciting information that they themselves will be able to read; they need to have the self discipline to listen in class and follow teachers’ directions. preschools prepare children for school by exposing them to books, by teaching them to identify letters of the alphabet, by setting up classroom routines to accustom children to follow directions and follow a schedule, and by practicing positive discipline to help children learn to self regulate without damage to their self esteem.

but preschools cannot do the job alone. parents are the most important influence in a young child’s life. they are children’s first teachers, their

primary source of information and their main source of attitudes toward the world. parents are also the ones who convey to their children the important values of their families and society. When parents and schools work together to assure that a child enters elementary school ready to learn, children are on the way to success. in fact, research has shown that continued family engagement in children’s learning throughout a child’s school years can offset other risks, such as low income, that may interfere with a child’s academic success.

When children enter kindergarten, there are already significant differences in literacy and math skills between those whose parents actively engage in reading and learning with their children and those children whose parents do not do this. Some children may be able to overcome this deficit, but most cannot. in fact, there is a snowball effect which widens the

achievement gap every year the child is in school. the child who starts off behind will often stay behind. When parents become partners in their child’s learning, this gap is able to be bridged.

interestingly, the first way that parents can partner with their child’s school to help their children achieve is not directly connected to learning. one of the family practices that can help a child succeed in school is implementing Family routines. children do not thrive in a chaotic environment. on the contrary, an organized and predictable home environment helps children feel safe and secure. children need to eat at regular times, and they need their mealtimes to be pleasant occasions, with conversation with parents and siblings. a regular bedtime is of primary importance. children need sufficient sleep to function properly, and a regular bedtime helps set their internal body clocks so that falling

Sponsored bya YvY Strategic Partner

Volume 11 // Issue 3 // January-February 2013magazineParent

(Continued on page 6)

Parents and School Readiness


the relationship a father has with

his child is unlike any other. even

though many people assume that

a child’s bond with his mother is

stronger than the one with his father,

this is not necessarily true. a father

can establish a tie that is equally as

strong. a father can do things for

his child that a mother cannot. by

nurturing and caring for a child in

a specifically male way, a father can

give a child a different perspective

on life, different approaches to

solving life’s challenges and a secure

sense of gender identity.

in the past, the main role of a father

was seen as working to support

the family, and his responsibilities

within the family played a

secondary role. but experts in child

development now realize that while

a father’s influence on his children is

different from a mother’s, it is just as

significant and important.

researchers have found that

children who have involved fathers

from infancy on are different in

significant ways from those whose

fathers are uninvolved. children

with involved fathers are more

likely to be emotionally secure, are

more confident in exploring their

surroundings, have less separation

anxiety as babies, are more sociable

and popular in early childhood, and

have better social connections with

peers at school.

the earlier fathers become involved

with their children’s learning the

better. even when fathers have

limited schooling, their involvement

Fathers and School Readiness


asleep is easier. a bedtime routine – a predictable sequence of events that leads to going to sleep (brushing teeth, taking a bath, putting on pajamas, reading a book, saying prayers) – helps transition children for bed, and a morning routine helps get them out of the house in the morning without too much anxiety. a routine for cleaning up – having children pick up and put away toys, for example – makes children feel valued as important members of their household in addition to teaching them good habits.

routines take some effort to create, and it may take a while before family members learn the different steps in a specific routine. ultimately, though, implementing a routine will make parents feel more organized and less stressed, in addition to helping them complete their daily tasks more efficiently. routines also let children know what is important to their family.

Family rituals are also one kind of routine. rituals are routines that have symbolic significance for the family. they help strengthen beliefs and values and build a sense of belonging and cohesion. Weekend or Sabbath rituals fall into this category. if fathers are not present at children’s meals during the week, Sabbath meals may offer an opportunity for children to bond with their fathers. it is important, however, to make participation in these routines age appropriate. a preschooler, for example, cannot be expected to remain at the table without fidgeting for as long as his grade school sister or brother can. if unpleasantness results, the force of the ritual is blunted and it can even have a negative impact.

as drs. mary Spagnola and barbara Fiese put it, “Family routines and meaningful rituals provide both a predictable structure that guides behavior and an emotional climate that supports early development.”

Positive Discipline is another way that parents can prepare their children for school. every adult who cares for children has a responsibility to guide children towards appropriate behaviors and to correct them when necessary. the goal of discipline is

ultimately to help children develop self control and self discipline so that they become responsible adults who make good choices. positive discipline does not mean allowing or ignoring misbehavior. rather, it is a way of disciplining that teaches a child to develop his own internal discipline.

one of the cornerstones of positive discipline is that discipline must preserve the child’s dignity. intimidation or shaming a child are unlikely to cause the child to internalize positive attitudes or behaviors. parents must also be sure that they do not demand more from a child than he is able to do. they must be aware both of their child’s developmental stage and his own unique personality and temperament. they must have, in addition to patience, a good understanding of their child. effective discipline is discipline that not only addresses misbehavior but guides the child in his development.

While it is impossible to prevent child misbehavior completely, parents can be more successful at reducing behavior problems if they understand why their child misbehaves, a child may misbehave because he is tired or hungry, because he does not clearly understand what is expected of him, or even because this is the only way he can get the attention of his parents. once a parent has a clear understanding of a child, this can help guide discipline.

When possible, parents should employ proactive strategies to reduce the

(Continued on page 7)

7 Yeled v’Yalda earlY Childhood Center7Yeled v’Yalda earlY Childhood Center

in their children’s schools and school

lives is a powerful factor in their

children’s academic achievement.

in a recent study of Head Start

children, researchers discovered that

early academic readiness levels in

reading and mathematics improved

when there was a high level of father

participation in the process.

Without the benefit of a dedicated

father, children – both boys and

girls - will have an incomplete

development experience which will

affect their relationships with other

men and women for their entire

lives. the modeling of both a father

and mother is extremely important

in developing the proper balance in

a child’s life.

Few events will change a man’s life

as much as becoming a father. being

a father can be both frightening and

frustrating. being entrusted with the

responsibility for the care of another

person can be an awesome task.

but the opposite can also be true.

nothing may give a father more

pleasure than to see his children

gradually grow into adulthood and

return his affection. to reap these

positive rewards, fathers need to be

in involved in their children’s lives in

positive and loving ways.

What type of things can a father do

to become a more fully involved

parent? Here are some helpful

pointers:

• be available and accessible

• Play with your child

• stay involved in all aspects of your child’s life

• Discipline with reason and gentleness when necessary.

• Provide a safe and stable home environment

• Don’t confuse financial support with love

• be a good role model!

occurrence of misbehavior. clear, consistent rules, focusing on the positive, expecting the best from a child, and building the child’s image of himself as cooperative and good are some ways a parent can do this.

When a child misbehaves knowingly, positive discipline calls for a problem-solving approach. if the child is old enough, the child can be asked the reasons for doing what she did. then both parent and child can work on a way to correct the situation. if a child damages something, she can help fix it. if she made her brother cry, she can apologize and help soothe him. if the situation cannot be fixed, the child experiences the consequences of her misbehavior: the toy is broken, so she can no longer play with it.

the parent who employs positive discipline is authoritative (not authoritarian). Some characteristics of authoritative parents are setting appropriate rules, being firm, consistent and fair, and having reasonable expectations. the parent also consistently models the self regulation he hopes his children will achieve. teaching children self discipline is not an easy task.

more and more, educators are finding that self regulation is a key trait that helps people succeed in life. positive discipline encourages a child to self regulate, giving him tools that will help him throughout his lifetime.

of course, preparation for school would not be complete without some learning. reading books with a child is probably one of the most important ways parents can help children prepare for school. While children are exposed to books in preschool, most children need reinforcement of early literacy skills. parents who read books with their child as part of an ongoing routine help the child associate reading with a pleasant experience. reading with a child reinforces alphabet recognition and the idea that combinations of the alphabet form words with meaning. if parents ask questions about the book and discuss some of the ideas in the book with the child, this requires higher order thinking, an important skill

in reading comprehension. Finally, reading with children introduces new vocabulary. a rich vocabulary is one of the indicators of the ability to discuss complex ideas.

Vocabulary building is one of the outcomes of another important way parents can help their children prepare for school. talk to the child. parents do not need to wait for a special time to talk to a child. they need to include him in their everyday activities, describing, for example, what they are cooking – how they are choosing and measuring the ingredients, what utensils they are using, whether the food will be put in the oven or on the stove, etc. at the supermarket, they can discuss what they are buying and why. When driving, they can describe to the child the different kinds of buildings and bridges they are passing. if they can, they need to provide experiences for the child where he can learn new things, such as outing to museums or historical buildings. they do not need only to talk, but also to listen, to elicit answers from the child and teach him how to share thoughts and ideas.

education is too important to be left only to schools. Without parental input, a child will not gain as much as he should from his school experience.

resources

jane nelson, Positive Discipline. random

House, 2006.

jane nelson, Positive Discipline for Preschoolers, For Their Early Years - Raising Children Who Are Responsible, Respectful, and Resourceful. revised Second edition:

prima publishing, 1998.

jane nelson, Positive Discipline: The First Three Years: From Infant to Toddler--Laying the Foundation for Raising a Capable, Confident Child. prima

publishing, 1998

www.parenting.com

www.center for parenting education.org

eclkc.ohs.acf.hhs.gov

YvY Head Start parents are invited to use the YvY CIRC library where they can access additional articles and books on parenting topics. They can also access these, and related, websites for additional information.

(Continued from page 6)


1. YvY Family Workers training on systems upgrade. 2. Interactive Skype presentation for parents on Childhood Obesity from the Cornell-Weill Medical Center, one in an ongoing series of Skype presentations for both parent and staff training. 3. Using the new iPad desk at YvY Farragut Road.

1312 38th streetbrooklyn, ny 11218

Phone: 718.686.3700www.yeled.org

non Profit org.

U.S. PoStage Paid

BrooklYn, nY

Permit no. 45

8

#EmbracingTechnology@yvy

1

2

3

Please leave your telephone number so we can verify postal information


YvY’s it Department has once again outdone itself with an innovative, new idea to enhance classroom learning. more and more, educational games are being designed for the ipad. by cleverly adapting a children’s reading table to fit an ipad, yvy’s it team has made a world of learning available to children in the yvy Head Start classroom. (See photo 3)

other technological upgrades have been designed to enhance record keeping and sharing information. computers at yvy sites have been replaced with lightweight, more durable models. all information is now backed up and managed from a central data center at the yvy administrative building. Wireless WiFi access points are also being rolled out so teachers and therapists can easily connect to the yvy system with any of their own devices, and wireless printing will also soon be available.

Finally, cameras at all sites will be outfitted with an Sd card so that any photo can be transmitted wirelessly within seconds to the yvy system, to be viewed and shared at any yvy location.

yvy's embrace of technology to help children and promote greater efficiency and cooperation clearly makes technology a winner.

if you no longer wish to receive this publication, please call 718.686.3700, ext 311.

PrImary FunDIng by:

u.s. Department of health and human services

new York City Administration for Children’s services

u.s. Department of Agriculture/nYs Department of health

nYC Department of education

nYC Department of health and Mental hygiene

new York City Department of Youth and Community Development

ApproveD bY: new York state Department of education

LICenseD bY: The new York City Department of health and Mental hygiene

welcome, reviewers! - yeled · mindwing concepts/critical thinking monday jan. 6 staten island...

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