I Mandikiki' For Guam Families With Children Birth To Eight Guam Early Learning Council December 2013 Volume 7, Issue 4 Inside this issue: Best Foundations: Healthy Relationships....................1-2 February is Nat’l Dental Health Awareness Month........3 Learning Opportunities..................................................4-5 No Mittens Information/GEIS Information......................6 Nene Directory/Guam EHDI Information.........................7 Immunizations Outreach....................................................8 Healthy Relationships Lay Best Foundation for Life Part of the excitement of bringing a newborn into this world is knowing that there are unlimited possibilities and opportunities available for the baby. Ask any parent and they will say, in one form or another, that they want their child to explore these possibilities and want the best for their child. Parents want their children to grow up to be happy and productive members of society. As parents and caregivers, it is our responsibility to provide young children with a safe and nurturing environment and the tools to maximize their potential to take advantage of these possibilities. So where do parents start? One obvious answer to this question is by making sure the baby is fed and kept clean, within safe surroundings. A not so obvious answer but one that is supported by extensive research, is providing nurturing, secure, and responsive relationships between the infant and toddler and his or her primary caregivers. Secure, positive, and responsive relationships with his or her primary caregivers, the people who regularly take care of him or her during the early years, lay the foundation for positive social emotional development that impacts the rest of the child’s life. Positive social emotional development has been a recurring theme in this newsletter, and for good reason. Findings in the latest research on early brain development continue to demonstrate how critical it is to lay the best foundation possible during the years from birth to three years of age. The amount of brain growth in a person’s life is never greater than during this period. In fact, research has demonstrated that up to 90% of brain growth occurs during this period. Indeed, young brains can’t wait! Positive social emotional growth and development is the key to maximizing capacity building in the other areas, including physical, language, and cognitive development. Simply stated by the Center on the Social and Emotional Foundations for Early Learning (CSEFEL), a national resource center based at Vanderbilt University that is a champion in this area, “Every child needs someone who is crazy about him or her.” Turn to page 2 for some insights and tips to help get this message across to the child and prepare him or her to endless possibilities and achievements in later life. Page 2 Best Foundations: Healthy Relationships Text in colored boxes: Benefits of a positive social emotional foundation in young children: • Increased self esteem (feeling good about yourself) • Positive, secure relationship between the child and parents, and other close caregivers • More opportunities to get to know the child better • More pleasant home life • More likelihood that the child will grow up to have good relationships with their own children • Provides models to help the child learn to interact appropriately and be with others • Children love it when we spend time with them, when we give them attention Activities that help build positive relationships • Reading a book together • Taking a walk together • Eating meals together • Singing favorite songs together • Taking/singing in the car together • Hugs, high fives, kisses, winks, thumbs up • Saying “I love you” • Asking about your child about his/her day • Letting your child be your special helper (helping with dinner, clean up, etc) • Playing together • Encouraging your child in various activities (see “Tips” below) Tips for Encouraging Your Child-Powerful Parent Practices! Tip 1: Get your child’s attention. This usually means getting and maintaining eye contact. Tip 2: Be specific (with what you are encouraging). For example, “Good job helping clean up. That’s great how you share your toys.” Tip 3: Keep it simple – avoid combining encouragement with criticism. Tip 4: Encourage with enthusiasm! Tip 5: Double the impact with physical warmth (add hugs, high fives, thumbs up). Tip 6: Encourage your child in front of others. References: Zero to Three Organization; Center on the Social and Emotional Foundations or Early Learning. Page 3 February is National Dental Health Awareness Month February is National Dental Health Awareness Month Did you know that your baby’s teeth are growing along with him or her from birth? For the first few months of life, babies give us gummy, toothless smiles. At about six months, your baby’s first teeth will start coming out. Some babies are born with teeth and some babies are toothless at their first birthday. Just as each baby develops in his or her own way, so does his or her teeth. So, should we wait until we see those first buds of pearly whites? The short answer is, “No.” It is important for later dental health to make sure that baby’s mouth is kept clean. Good gum health is important for teeth to develop and grow properly. When baby is done drinking milk or eating baby food, use a wet washcloth to rub along his or her gums. When teeth start coming out, baby toothbrushes and toothpaste are available to help start the process of brushing. Sometimes we think that the first teeth that come out are just “baby” teeth and brushing isn’t necessary. According to the American Academy of Pediatric Dentistry (AAPD), “More than 40 percent of children have caries (cavities) by the time they reach kindergarten.” Having cavities and not caring properly for baby teeth and gums can lead to dental problems when the permanent teeth come in. The AAPD also reports that, “Caries found in primary teeth can affect children’s growth, result in significant pain and potentially life-threatening infection, and diminish overall quality of life.” Having good oral health also helps children have self-confidence and positive self-esteem, which contribute greatly to good social emotional development. Source: Everyday Learning Opportunities: Activities for Young Children Birt Text in colored box: BRUSHING TEETH Parents play a key role in guiding their child’s development of good dental habits. Here are some strategies to use to establish daily routines to foster positive oral hygiene practices in young children: • Have your toddler go to the store with you to choose her own toothbrush, toothpaste, and cup for rinsing. • Talk about why it is important to keep teeth clean and healthy. • Model how you brush your teeth. Provide guidance and supervision if using a stool at the sink. • Hold the toothbrush with your child; provide full assistance at first on how to move the brush; then allow opportunity for her to brush independently. Don’t forget to have her brush her tongue. This will bring on the giggles and make brushing fun. • While brushing, sing the ABC song, count slowly to 25, or sing the Days of the Week. This will help guide how long she should keep brushing. • Have a mirror on hand; say “Cheese” so she can see her teeth while she brushes. Count to five on each part of the mouth. • Praise your child for doing a good job and how independent and grown up she is getting. • Encourage your child to brush the “teeth” of a favorite doll or stuffed animal. Praise her for being a good “helper” to make sure their teeth stay healthy and strong. • Make brushing teeth a twice-a-day routine: after breakfast and before bed. Flossing teeth is also considered to be a best practice for good dental hygiene. Source: Everyday Learning Opportunities: Activities for Young Children Birth to 36 Months, Guam Early Intervention System (GEIS), Guam Department of Education Photo of Mother and child with caption: Dentists recommend regular check-ups starting at age one. Talk with your child about the importance of good dental hygiene. Page 4 Learning Opportunities Having young children participate in an activity is a great way to help them learn. Doing activities as part of a daily routine provides opportunities to reinforce new skills and knowledge. The daily routines of waking up, getting dressed, brushing teeth, and mealtimes, to name a few, are excellent times to teach self-help skills and develop and grow the close relationships between a child and his or her parents. The following tips are listed to help parents and other close caregivers ideas on how activities of daily living provide great “learning opportunities” on a regular basis. These tips are easy to follow and use. Most parents, in fact, are already doing these activities. Simple things that parents and caregivers do on a consistent basis, are important in laying the foundation for important life skills. They are fun to do, too, and help build the close relationships with young children! Special thanks to the Guam Department of Education, Guam Early Intervention System (GEIS), for granting permission to re-print these Waking Up • Encourage peaceful waking by singing a song such as “Good morning to you, good morning to you, good morning dear (child’s name), good morning to you!” Rub her back. • Maintain eye contact, have a big smile on your face, and exaggerate your actions while you sing. • Give good morning hugs and kisses. • Encourage your child to stretch her body. Name body parts she is moving as she stretches. • Play “peek-a-boo” using hands or a blanket. • Give reminders of what you both will be doing during the day. For example, “Today we are going to go to the store,” or “Today is the day we will be visiting grandma.” Or, “Today you get to wear your new shirt!” • Help your child fix and tidy up the sleep area (for children two years and up). Say “Time to fix our bed, time to put the pillows (mats, blankets) away.” • Praise your child for getting up and getting ready. “Wow, you woke up and followed directions. Great job!” Dressing Up • Plan ahead as much as possible. Choose two sets of clothing to give opportunity for your child to make choices. For example, “Patty, here are two shirts. Which would you like to wear today?” Follow the same example with shorts/pants, socks, shoes, etc. • Describe the clothing. For example, “This shirt is red.” “These pants are green.” “This is your Princess Sophia shirt.” “Look at the dinosaurs on this dress.” • Provide verbal cues while going through the dressing process. For example, when putting on a shirt say, “Let’s put the shirt over your head.” “Put one arm through this sleeve,” etc. • Allow your child to do the final steps of the dressing process. For example, put the t-shirt opening directly over your child’s head and then have her pull the shirt all the way down. Put her socks up to the heel and have her pull them up the rest of the way. • When your child finishes getting dressed, provide praise to acknowledge her efforts. Admire how nice she looks and how she helped in the process. “I like the shirt you chose to wear today.” “You really are getting pretty good at dressing yourself. Good job getting dressed!” Page 5 Learning Opportunities Meal Time • Help your child establish good habits by helping him wash his hands before handling food items. • Eat together as a family at the dinner table as often as possible. Mealtimes are social events – model positive behaviors. Avoid having the TV on or other distractions while eating. • Announce “It’s time to eat,” “It’s breakfast time,” “It’s snack time,” It’s lunch time,” “It’s dinner time.” • Encourage eating healthy food. Encourage your child to try foods with different textures, colors, or smells. Introduce one new food at a time. Provide praise for trying new foods. For example, “Good job trying (name food)! That was pretty good, right?” • Make silly faces on a plate with fresh fruit, vegetable slices, raisins, and peanut butter. Making food look as attractive as possible is one way to get young children to try new food items. • Pretend a slice of apple is a boat, or spaghetti noodles are worms. Use colorful foods to get creative. • Identify all food items and utensils. Encourage conversation. For example, “Here is your sippy cup. What’s inside? Milk – hmmm so good, right? You like milk!” “MMmm, these grapes* are good!” “This cheese is orange.” “This is rice,” “This is chicken,” “These are beans,” etc. Mealtimes provide unlimited opportunities for developing language skills. • Identify items on the table: plate, spoon, bowl, glass, etc. Ask your child to point to, sign, or say the item’s name. Ask child to identify items at the table by saying, “Show me ___” or “Where is the ___.” • Model and encourage proper table manners such as saying “Please” and “Thank you.” • Encourage taking turns speaking during your conversations; encourage your child to respond. For example, you could say, “Mmm, this is good! Do you like this?” “What would you like to do after snack time?” • Encourage your child to feed himself as much as possible; provide assistance as needed. • Consider having your child help with meal preparation. She could help make sandwiches, pour drinks, pour cereal into a bowl (you might use a smaller cereal container to avoid spills), wash fruit, make peanut butter sandwiches, put plastic cups on the table, etc. • Use accidental spills or food messes as an opportunity to show positive ways to deal with the situation. For example, you could say, “Oops, there’s a spill here. That happens sometimes. Let’s wipe it up,” or “Ai adai, some food fell off the plate. Here’s how we clean it up!” • Praise your child for her growing independence in feeding herself. For example, “Wow, you are getting really good at drinking from a cup all by yourself!” • Have your child go shopping with you to explore all the healthy choices available. When you serve the food, remind her that she was the one that chose the item. You could say, “These are beans you chose at the grocery store this morning, remember? Yum yum, they taste really good!” • At snack time, let your child choose a healthy snack from a choice of two or three items. For example, “Which would you like, an apple* or cheese*? A pear* or peanut butter and crackers?” • Allow your child to stop eating when she feels she has had enough. This will encourage her to listen to her own body and recognize when she is “full.” This will help decrease the likelihood for overeating. • Have your child help with putting dirty dishes or utensils in the sink and wiping up the table. • *To prevent choking, make sure the food items are small enough, and are of the appropriate consistency based on the child’s age and skill level. Page 6 Advertisements: Ad#1: KEEP BABY’S HANDS FREE Keeping my baby’s hands free allows him to explore his environment and helps his growth and development. Guam Early Learning Council This poster is supported by funds from the Guam State Advisory Council Grant from the U.S. Department of Health & Human Services, Administration on Children and Families and facilitated by the Guam Early Learning Council and the University of Guam Center for Excellence in Developmental Disabilities, Education, and Research (Guam CEDDERS). Ad#2: “I noticed my son was not doing things like my other children were doing at his age. So I called the Guam Early Intervention System and arranged for my child to have a free developmental screening. He ended up receiving early intervention services and it really helped.” - Josie Guerrero, Vadin’s Mom To schedule a FREE developmental screening, contact the Guam Early Intervention System at 300-5776/5816. You may also complete the FREE Developmental Screener on the GEIS Website: www.gdoe.net/geis Produced with 100% federal funding through the Individuals with Disabilities Education Act Part C Grant for Infants and Toddlers, Department of Education, Division of Special Education, Guam Early Intervention System (GEIS) in collaboration with the University of Guam Center for Excellence in Developmental Disabilities Education, Research, and Service (Guam CEDDERS). Page 7 Announcement, Advertisements, & Acknowledgement Announcement: The 2013 Nene Directory is still available! Hard copies available while supplies last. Call Terry Naputi at 735-2363 or email terry.naputi@guamcedders.org to reserve your copy. Go to www.guamelc.org to download a PDF copy! The 2013 Nene Directory was produced in collaboration with the Guam Department of Education, Department of Public Health & Social Services, and facilitated by the Guam Early Learning Council and University of Guam Center for Excellence in Developmental Disabilities Education, Research & Service (Guam CEDDERS). Advertisement: Does your baby need a follow-up hearing screening? If you are not sure if your baby needs a follow-up hearing screening or if you have any concerns about his/her hearing, consult your family doctor. To schedule a FREE HEARING SCREENING for your child before he/she turns six months of age, contact the Guam Early Intervention System (GEIS) at Phone: 300-5776 / 5816. Produced by the Guam Early Hearing Detection and Intervention (Guam EHDI) Project with 100% funding support by the U.S. Department of Health & Human Services, Health Resources and Services Administration, Grant No. H61MC00094, in collaboration with the University of Guam Center for Excellence in Developmental Disabilities Education, Research, & Service (Guam CEDDERS Acknowledgement: I Mandikiki’ is a publication supported with 100% federal funding through the Guam State Advisory Council Grant, and Project Tinituhon and is facilitated by the University of Guam Center for Excellence in Developmental Disabilities Education, Research, and Service (Guam CEDDERS). Special support for this issue was provided by Project Bisita I Familia, Department of Public Health & Social Services. Heidi San Nicolas, Ph.D., Guam CEDDERS Director Elaine Eclavea, Health, Wellness, & Prevention Initiative Area Coordinator Editor-in-Chief: Terrie Fejarang Managing Editor: Vera Blaz Layout: Sean Lizama This issue of I Mandikiki’ was made possible through contributions from the following individuals: Vera Blaz and Terrie Fejarang. Alternative formats (e.g., Braille, large print, or audio tapes) of I Mandikiki’ may be made available by sending a request to newsletters@guamcedders.org or 735-2477. Page 8 Full page ad Public Health & Social Services W.I.C. Immunization Clinic & Dental Varnishing 2014 Schedule FREE Immunization & Dental Varnishing* for children enrolled in W.I.C. *Dental varnishing available only at Northern Public Health When: First Friday of the month - Dededo Public Health, 9:00am - subject to availability Third Friday of the month - 1:30pm to 3:30pm. Please see schedule below Where: See schedule below For more information call the DPHSS Immunization Program at 735-7143 Scheduled W.I.C. Immunization Outreach Dates: WIC Immunization Clinic 2014 Schedule Northern WIC Clients at Dededo Public Health (1st Friday of the month) January 3, 2014 February 7, 2014 March 7, 2014 April 4, 2014 May 2, 2014 June 6, 2014 July 04, 2014 (No Clinic) August 1, 2014 September 5, 2014 October 3, 2014 November 7, 2014 (No Clinic) Southern WIC Clients at Agat or Yona Community Center (3rd Friday of the month) January 17, 2014 –Agat February 21, 2014 –Yona March 21, 2014 –Agat April 18, 2014 –Yona May 16, 2014 –Agat June 20, 2014 –Yona July 18, 2014 –Agat August 15, 2014 –Yona September 19, 2014 –Agat October 17, 2014 –Yona November 21, 2014 –Agat NOTE: Please bring your child/children’s current Immunization Shot Record, Birth Certificate, and WIC ID.