The New Parent Page from CCRR has a great article about the importance of laughter, and lots of great tips for family fun in the Fall. Check it out here:
From August 2012
Family Place September Calendar
Family Place have an exciting September lined up for New West families….look for movies, yoga, a garage sale, and a new Family Place location at Lord Kelvin School!
All the details here: September 2012 front September 2012 back
Welcoming Families
The Childcare Professional newsletter from CCRR has a wonderful article about welcoming families as they start or return to fall programs. Also lots of fantastic workshop opportunities for childcare providers. Read it here:
Child Care Leadership Day: Recognizing the Value of Child Care
On Saturday September 29th, 2012 in New Westminster, join childhood educators and family child care providers for four hours of professional development focused on celebrating the work of child care professionals, and building upon it. Sessions, including Leading Together: Exploring Documentation and Projects with Preschoolers (Kyle Beauliv), Appropriate Risks: Providing Supportive Challenges with Infants and Toddlers (Ward Nakata) and Power of Documentation (Tom Kertes), are intended to be practical and meaningful. For more information or to register, visit the website.
(source: www.firstcallbc.org)
BC’s Education Plan “What You’ve Said” Summary Report
On October 28, 2011, the Ministry of Education launched BC’s Education Plan and opened a web site for comments on a series of questions about changes to the K-12 education system. This report contains a list of the major themes and ideas that have emerged from the online portion of the Education Plan discussion forum from October 2011 – July 2012. The themes that came out of the forum are: Curriculum, Quality Teaching and Learning, Parents, Communities, and Schools, Digital Technologies in Schools, and Administrative Issues. You can read the full summary here. Additional comments can still be posted to the Ministry site.
(source: www.firstcallbc.org)
Family Assets: Things That Make Families Strong
What are family assets?
In simplified terms, they are the things that make families strong. That is, the qualities of families who are functional.
The American Family Assets Study released last June by the Search Institute includes the most comprehensive national survey of family assets ever conducted in the United States. The Search Institute developed The Family Assets Index to capture the diversity of ways family members support one another through their day-to-day interactions and focus on family relationships, interactions, opportunities, values, skills, and self-perceptions. The Index was informed by scientific research in the areas of family systems theory, resiliency, and adolescent development; as well as listening sessions hosted with youth, adults, family professionals, and leaders in family research and policy arenas.
Data for this study came from an online survey conducted in June 2011 among 1,511 parent adults and their 10- to 15-year old child (one parent-child pair per family). Participants were recruited to represent a diverse mix of genders, races, ethnicities, and socieoeconomic statuses.
The following are some highlights of the study:
- The average American family surveyed scores 47 out of 100 on the Family Assets Index.
- Families are more alike than different when it comes to overall levels of Family Assets. When comparing different subgroups of families, there are no meaningful differences in overall levels of Family Assets based on income, family structure (single-parent or two-parent; heterosexual or LGBT parenting adults), parents’ education level, region of the country, or immigrant status.
(source: www.bccf.ca)
Parent Child Mother Goose Training Oct 11 & 12
The Parent-Child Mother Goose Program is a group experience for parents and their babies and young children focusing on the pleasure and power of using oral and through the air rhymes, songs, and stories together. Teacher Training workshops will be offered:
When: October 11 & 12, 2012 / 8:45am to 4:00pm both days
Where: 3455 Kaslo St. (Vancouver Infant Development Program office)
Cost: $215 (before August 31, 2012); $240 (after August 31, 2012)
Details and Registration here: Mother Goose Oct 2012 Flyer & Registration Form[1]
Deadline for registration is October 5th.
Family Services Greater Vancouver Fall Programs
Family Services of Greater Vancouver is offering some wonderful programs this fall, for single moms, and for newcomer parents/caregivers…details here: Programs NW- Fall 2012
Fantastic Play Article
In July, the Burnaby News Leader ran a wonderful article by Madeline Levine (Phd) about the importance of unstructured play. In case you missed it, here’s the link: http://www.burnabynewsleader.com/lifestyles/161585025.html
2012 BC Association of Pregnancy Outreach Programs Conference
Registration for the 2012 BCAPOP Conference and Annual General Meeting is now open! The Conference will take place October 11-13 at the Hilton Vancouver Airport. Conference highlights include a keynote address by Nancy Poole on “Becoming Trauma-Informed: Applying Principles of Trauma-Informed Practice within Pregnancy Outreach Programs, ” and sessions on infant mental heath, post partum depression, and breastfeeding led by Dr. Vanessa Lapointe, Pacific Post Partum Society and Marianne Brophy, respectively.
Check out the BCAPOP website to learn more about the conference, and register here.
(source: www.firstcallbc.org)