In This Issue

Take1: Countdown to Kindergarten
Take2: What Are “Ready” Children Like?
Take3: Kindergarten Oral Health Requirement
Take4: FIRST 5 Hosts Drs. T. Berry Brazelton and Joshua Sparrow
Take 5: FIRST 5 Staff Supports Second Harvest Food Bank’s Holiday Food Drive

Take1: Countdown to Kindergarten

With the beginning of the New Year comes the lofty task for many parents and caregivers of preparing their children to enter kindergarten. Please help spread the word that families should enroll their children NOW and then use the next eight months to help their children prepare.

FIRST 5 offers parents the following “Countdown to Kindergarten” calendar – an eight-month guide mapping out key activities essential for preparing children for their first day of school.

January: Research kindergarten registration and enroll children.

Beginning in the New Year, parents should enroll children – turning 5 years old on or before December 2 of the school year – in local kindergarten programs. To determine the best program for their children, parents should start by contacting their local school district. For enrollment dates by school district, visit our website at http://www.first5kids.org/homepage/Kindergarten_enrollment_dates or call your local school.

February: Make reading a priority.

Research shows children who spend time reading with their parents enter kindergarten better prepared for learning. Visit your local library and help your child obtain a free library card. Check out age-appropriate books at a local library to help kick start a child’s reading skills. Try finding stories about the first day of school. For more tips on the benefits of early reading click here


March: Vaccinate before it is too late.

According to California law, children cannot enter kindergarten without up-to-date immunizations. Receiving required immunizations is an important step in preventing disease and helping children grow up healthy and ready to learn. Vaccination due dates vary so parents should ask about immunization requirements before registering their children. An oral health assessment is also required to enroll your child in kindergarten. Read on for more information about the oral health assessment.

April: Practice basic skills.

Practicing certain activities can help ensure that children are not only comfortable in the classroom, but also perform well. For example, it is most helpful for children to know how to line up and be able to use common school supplies such as glue sticks, scissors and crayons. Children equipped with these basic skills are often more confident on their first day.

May: Encourage decision making.

Give children choices to encourage decision making and teach responsibility. Involve children in deciding which outfits to wear each day and what nutritional lunch or snack to eat.

June: Bring up the subject of school.

Attending school should be an exciting new adventure, not a mystery. Discuss with children the activities they should expect in kindergarten. Encourage older siblings or neighborhood children to share their positive kindergarten experiences.

July: Set a schedule.

Starting school offers an array of new experiences for children. To help ease a child’s transition, set a schedule at home that closely resembles his or her school schedule. Following this schedule will help ensure children receive plenty of rest before their first day and help them adjust to a routine before they enter the classroom.

August: Visit the school.

To help calm a child’s nerves before the first day of kindergarten, visit the school and become familiar with the new surroundings. If possible, allow the child to explore the school grounds and point out areas or activities he or she is sure to enjoy. Ask if the child’s teacher is available to meet so the child recognizes a friendly face on the first day.

Helping kindergarteners enter school better prepared builds their confidence in the classroom and a solid school foundation for the future.

Take2: What Are “Ready” Children Like?

The Partnership for School Readiness Collaborative took a look at Santa Clara County kindergarteners to determine if our children are ready for school. The results of the assessment tell us 27% of children in our county are not prepared for kindergarten.

What are “ready” children like?

• Physically healthy with good motor skills
• Emotionally secure enough to interact effectively with peers and adults
• Curious and ready to learn new things
• Able to communicate their thoughts, ideas and needs
• Have some fundamental general knowledge
  
  What skills do our teachers view as most important for kindergarten readiness?
  
• Performs self-help/self-care (able to dress self, use the bathroom on their own)
• Controls impulses
• Uses small manipulatives (crayons, pencils, scissors)
• Appropriately expresses needs
• Pays attention

For more information on the Ready for School kindergarten assessment click here:

http://www.appliedsurveyresearch.org/www/products/Kindergarten%20Readine...

It's easy and fun to provide early learning opportunities for your young child. You can do it anytime, anywhere - it's learning on the go! Here are a few ideas from
www.bornlearning.org
http://www.bornlearning.org/default.aspx?id=3
To turn ordinary daily activities into eye-opening experiences for your child.

At home: http://www.bornlearning.org/default.aspx?id=4
Turn everyday activities at home such as laundry, meals, and bedtime into learning experiences for your child.

Traveling: http://www.bornlearning.org/default.aspx?id=5
Going places is often exciting for children - learn how to make riding in the car, taking public transit, and walking educational for them, and fun for you too.

Public places: http://www.bornlearning.org/default.aspx?id=12
Being out and about exposes children to many learning opportunities. Learn how you can turn excursions to the market, library, and playground into learning.

Take3: Kindergarten Oral Health Requirement

In January 2007, a new law went into effect in California requiring an oral health check up for all kindergartners. This law requires that children have a dental check-up by May 31 of their first year in public school, at kindergarten or first grade. Dental evaluations that have happened within the 12 months prior to school entry also meet this requirement. If a dental check-up cannot be obtained, parents may get an excuse from this requirement by filling out the form provided by the child's school. Copies of the required form can be obtained at the child’s school or at http://www.cde.ca.gov/ls/he/hn/oralhealth.asp

The ultimate goal of this program is to establish a regular source of dental care for every child. The program will also identify children who need further examination and dental treatment, and will identify barriers to receiving care.

Many things influence a child’s progress and success in school – and one of the most important is their health. Children must be healthy to learn and children with cavities are not healthy. Cavities are preventable, but they affect more children than any other chronic disease!

Children need their teeth to eat properly, speak, smile and feel good about themselves. Children with cavities eat poorly, stop smiling, and don’t learn properly. Tooth decay is an infection that does not heal without treatment. If cavities are not treated, children can develop infections severe enough to require emergency room treatment and their adult teeth may be permanently damaged.

Just the Facts

Tooth decay is the single most prevalent disease of childhood. About one-third of preschool children in California have untreated tooth decay.

It can cost $2,000-$5,000 to treat EACH CHILD with severe tooth decay.

Many of these children must be hospitalized for dental treatment.

Untreated tooth decay can cause pain and infection that can lead to problems with nutrition, growth, speech problems, and school readiness.

Primary, or baby, teeth are important for smiling, talking and eating food. The American Academy of Pediatrics and the American Dental Association recommend that a child's first dental visit should occur by age 1, or when the first tooth appears.

Take4: FIRST 5 Hosts Drs. T. Berry Brazelton and Joshua Sparrow
World-renowned authority on pediatrics, child development and parent-child relationships visits FIRST 5 on January 15th

Over 30 FIRST 5 staff members and partner agencies had the pleasure of dialoguing with Dr. T. Berry Brazelton and Joshua Sparrow about the Brazelton Touchpoints Approach. Plans are underway to integrate Dr. Brazelton’s Touchpoints as a best practice model in the Family Wellness for Infants and Toddlers Court and the FIRST 5 System of Care.

The Touchpoints Approach has grown out of over 60 years of infant research and practice by Dr. Brazelton. The Touchpoints Approach reinforces successes with parents and celebrates their accomplishments in each stage of their child’s development.

Touchpoints are periods of regression where just before the child has a surge of rapid growth in any line of development, for a short time, the child’s behavior seems to fall apart. Parents can no longer rely on past accomplishments and the child often regresses in several areas and becomes difficult to understand. These predictable periods of regression can become opportunities to help parents understand their child and solidify relationships. The touchpoints become a window of opportunity for parents to understand their child more deeply and to support his or her growth, rather than to become locked into a struggle.

For more information on the Touchpoints Approach visit
http://www.touchpoints.org/approach.html
http://www.first5kids.org/homepage/Dr_Brazelton

Take5: FIRST 5 Staff Supports Second Harvest Food Bank’s Holiday Food Drive

Friendly competition promoted among FIRST 5 departments in November and December resulted in approximately 10 barrels of food donated to Second Harvest Food Bank! Congratulations to the Business Operations Team for contributing 616 items and winning our food drive competition.