Parent Education

PARENTS ARE A CHILD'S FIRST AND MOST IMPORTANT TEACHER.

Our Children Are Our Future

Help a Child Succeed!

Remember STAR
S ing
T alk, Touch, Teach
A sk questions
R ead

STAR + Play = Childhood Success

STAR -ing with your child every day

• Teaches language
• Improves listening skills
• Exercises imagination
• Builds brain connections

You don't have to teach a child how to read, just to want to read.

If you don’t have a book handy---tell fairy tales and nursery rhymes or sing. A LANGUAGE rich environment helps develop skills needed for school readiness.

Good Beginnings Last A Lifetime . . . . and they begin with YOU!

• Be Warm and Loving. Your child will feel safe, secure and trusting.
• Understand that each child is one-of-a kind. Your child needs to know you love him/her just the way he/she is.
• Look and listen for your child’s cues. Even before a child talks, her sounds, movements, and expressions tell you a lot about how she feels and what she wants.
• Do things the same way over and over again, especially at bedtime. Routines are reassuring to children, especially if they are pleasant.
• Talk, sing, read and play with your child every day. These activities help your child’s brain grow. It’s okay if it’s the same song, game, or story every day.
• Let your child explore, as long as he is safe. Children learn by playing and exploring.
• Limit television to 2 hours per day. Watching too much television wires the brain very differently and makes it harder for children to do other activities. Watch with your child and talk about what you see.
• Use discipline as an opportunity to teach. Be consistent and never discipline when angry.

Choose quality childcare. Check up on your child regularly. Take care of yourself; your child needs you.

When you thought I wasn’t looking… - A poem written by a former child, it reminds adults that children are looking even when you think they are not and are doing what you do, but not as you say. (Click on the link to view the poem.)