Plymouth LEAPS! is a project
of the Terryville Public Library
and the community of Plymouth, Connecticut.
Parenting Resources
EVERY CHILD READY TO READ®
The Terryville Public Library has an exciting new program series designed to help get “Every Child Ready To Read®.” Current research shows that children who learn six critical pre-reading skills before they start kindergarten become better readers. Children who do not know these skills when they come to school have a much more difficult time learning to read. Current research has proven the critical role of parents and caregivers in developing language and early literacy skills in children beginning at birth as their child's first teacher.
You can learn about the six skills and how to develop them in children from birth to age five at the Terryville Public Library. Each of the Every Child Ready To Read® programs explains why the skills are so important, demonstrates how to help children learn the skills, provides titles of high-interest books that are age-appropriate, and sends you home with early literacy activities to incorporate into your family’s daily routine. Early childhood and early literacy research is not always easily accessible to parents and caregivers. The Public Library Association and the Association for Library Service to Children, in cooperation with the National Institute of Child Health and Human Development of the National Institutes of Health, have partnered to bring important information about early literacy to parents, caregivers, child care providers, early childhood educators, children's advocates and political decision makers around the country through library workshops.
There is an Every Child Ready To Read® workshop at the Terryville Public Library for each of three age groups: birth to two-year olds, two and three-year-olds, and four and five-year-olds. A schedule for upcoming programs is available here. The next time you are at the library, be sure to pick up one of the Every Child Ready To Read® parent guides and ask the Children's Department staff to help you find just the right books to help your child get ready to read.
For additional information on workshop objective, booklists, and handouts, please refer to the links below:
- Early Talkers: Birth to Two-year-olds
- Talkers: Two and Three-year-olds
- Pre-Readers: Four and Five-year olds
For additional information on research about brain development in early childhood and how reading stimulates the brain, please refer to the link below:
BORN LEARNING™
Children are constantly learning, right from birth. Their early years are the foundation for growth and development, and what they learn during those years depends on the experiences they have each and every day. This is our greatest challenge as caregivers, as well as our greatest opportunity.
Born Learning™ is a public engagement campaign that helps parents, grandparents and caregivers explore ways to turn everyday moments into fun learning opportunities. How can parents, grandparents and caregivers support learning? Since children learn in a variety of ways and styles, to achieve developmental milestones the relationship with parents and primary caregivers is essential. It's a connection that allows for optimum learning.
The United Way of America has partnered with the Ad Council, Civitas and Families and Work Institute to create and direct the Born Learning™ initiative.
You can find out more information, and download tips and tools at BornLearning.org. You may also inquire at the Terryville Public Library for more information.
PARENT LEADERSHIP OPPORTUNITIES
CT Parent Power
http://www.ctparentpower.org/
CT Parent Power is a statewide parent-led and parent-driven organization that works to engage, empower and mobilize parents to act on children's issues. In Connecticut, parents are uniting together to build a powerful statewide network that provides accurate and important information on issues, training on how and when to take action, and connections with other people that are ready to act to make Connecticut a better place to raise our families.
Parent Leadership Training Institute
http://www.cga.ct.gov/COC/plti.htm
The Parent Leadership Training Institute (PLTI) helps parents become leading advocates for children. It is designed by the American Leadership Forum, Leadership Greater Hartford, and the Connecticut Commission on Children. Click here for the PLTI brochure.
Introduction to PLTI (1 min.)
Broader Introduction to PLTI (8 min.)
People Empowering People
http://www.canr.uconn.edu/ces/pep/
The People Empowering People (PEP) program is an innovative program designed to build on strengths of adults and teens. PEP recognizes the unique strengths, life experiences and capacities of each person. It emphasizes the connection between individual and community action.
WEBSITES
HealthyChildren.orghttp://www.healthychildren.org/
HealthyChildren.org is the only parenting Web site backed by 60,000 pediatricians committed to the attainment of optimal physical, mental, and social health and well-being for all infants, children, adolescents, and young adults.
Affiliated with the American Academy of Pediatrics, this site provides general information related to child health as well as specific guidance on parenting issues. This is information on the many programs and activities of the AAP, policies and guidelines, publications and other child health resources. Best of all, you can rest assured that the information comes from the nation's leading child health experts and that HealthyChildren.org haa scientific research supporting their recommendations.
PODCASTS
PediaCasthttp://www.pediacast.org/
PediaCast is hosted by Dr. Mike, who is a board-certified pediatrician and fellow of the American Academy of Pediatrics. He earned his medical degree at Ohio State University and has more than 15 years of parenting and clinical-practice experience. Dr. Mike answers questions from parents and shares medical news, tips, “interviews with child-health providers and the latest research findings — with explanations you can actually understand.” The topics are also extremely varied — pacifiers, infant sign language, vaccines, divorce, cough medicine, biters, growing pains, MRSA and lazy eye and much more. Podcast lengths range from 20 minutes to an hour, depending on the topic.
Today's Parent Podcasts
http://www.todaysparent.com/podcast/lifeasparent/
Listen to 60-second audio clips and hear the Today's Parent editors talk about everything from breastfeeding to birthday parties to homework habits. Just click on the icon and get great tips and advice from Today's Parent experts.
A Minute for Kids (American Academy of Pediatrics)
http://www.aap.org/audio/
"A Minute for Kids" is a one-minute radio program produced in conjunction with WBBM radio in Chicago and syndicated to CBS radio stations nationwide. This program, which features Donald Shifrin, MD, FAAP, debuted on October 1, 1997 to coincide with Child Health Month. Short one-minute audio segments cover a wide range of child health topics from infancy through young adulthood, and can be searched by category or alphabetically by title. These files can be played on Windows Media Player.
VIDEO TUTORIALS
SAFETY ALERTS
