News You Can Use: Foundations of School Readiness: Social Emotional Development (March 2013)
This News You Can Use discusses the importance of relationships and how they support infants’ and toddlers’ emerging social and emotional development. Readers can explore what social and emotional development look like and how adults can support it using the sample goals from School Readiness Goals for Infants and Toddlers in Head Start and Early Head Start Programs.
News You Can Use: Supporting Early Math Learning for Infants and Toddlers (October 2012)
Infants and toddlers develop and refine math concepts and skills through everyday routines, experiences, and most important, caring interactions with trusted adults. Teachers, home visitors, family child care providers, and families all have an important role to play. In this News You Can Use, we discuss ways adults can be more intentional in how they support young children's math learning—and school readiness.
News You Can Use: Early Experiences Build the Brain - Foundations of School Readiness (October 2012)
We now know that when brain architecture has a strong foundation in the early years, infants and toddlers are more likely to be robust learners throughout their lives. In this News You Can Use, we explore how the connections within the brain are created and made strong, the negative impact of chronic stress at an early age, and how caring adults can help even in difficult situations. This information may be useful to parents, families, teachers, home visitors, policy makers, and anyone who works with or for infants and toddlers.
News You Can Use: Approaches Toward Learning—Foundations of School Readiness Part 3 (August 2012)
Young children's ability to remember what they see and hear, to relate what they remember to previous experiences, and to use what they know to meet challenges and solve problems are examples of using learning approaches. Part 3 of the News You Can Use series on approaches toward learning explores memory, persistence, and problem solving, and provides teachers, home visitors, and family child care providers with ways to help infants and toddlers develop these qualities.
News You Can Use: Approaches Toward Learning—Foundations of School Readiness Part 2 (August 2012)
Attention, curiosity, and information gathering are important learning approaches for infants and toddlers. These approaches are connected to and support each other around development. Part 2 of this News You Can Use series provides teachers, home visitors, and family child care providers with strategies for helping infants and toddlers develop these important approaches toward learning.
News You Can Use: Approaches Toward Learning—Foundations of School Readiness Part 1 (August 2012)
The Approaches to Learning domain, unlike the other essential domains, presents a different way of thinking about learning. It doesn't focus on what skills, concepts, or behaviors children acquire across all domains, but on how children acquire them. Part 1 of the News You Can Use series on approaches toward learning describes the domain and highlights the concept of self-regulation: why it is important, how it relates to approaches toward learning, and strategies for helping infants and toddlers develop this skill. This information may be useful to teachers, home visitors, and family child care providers.
News You Can Use: Music Part 2 (July 2012)
Children enjoy hearing, making, and moving to music. Music also supports children's development and connects them to their families and communities. This News You Can Use offers tips and strategies for staff and families on how to use music with infants and toddlers during every day routines and experiences.
News You Can Use: Music Part 1 (May 2012)
Not only is music is enjoyable for infants and toddlers, but it can also provide a connection to home, opportunities to learn, and a way to connect with caring adults. This News You Can Use offers information that may be useful to teachers, home visitors, and parents about how music supports development across domains.
News You Can Use: Outdoor Spaces (March 2012)
This News You Can Use is full of ideas about how to create outdoor spaces that are engaging for infants, toddlers, and their families. Early Head Start teachers and home visitors may use this resource to set up spaces for families using community resources such as parks, gardens, and nearby schools.
News You Can Use: Take It Inside (January 2012)
Going outside is one of the best ways to connect children with nature, but sometimes bringing nature inside offers exciting experiences for infants and toddlers. This News You Can Use will spark creative ideas for natural items that can be used inside with young children.
News You Can Use: Take It Outside (January 2012)
The News You Can Use e-newsletter supports teachers, home visitors, and parents in providing quality care for infants and toddlers. Learn about planning for time spent outside with infants and toddlers in your program.
News You Can Use: Transitions (November 2011)
This issue of News You Can Use offers ideas for supporting the many kinds of transitions children and adults experience in Early Head Start.
News You Can Use: Developmentally Appropriate Practice (September 2011)
Developmentally Appropriate Practice (DAP) is a term often used when talking about young children, but what does it really mean? This edition of News You Can Use explores the meaning behind DAP and working with infants and toddlers. Head Start, Early Head Start, and Migrant and Seasonal Head Start programs will find the real-life scenarios informative, and will enjoy a closer look at the foundational role relationships play in DAP.
News You Can Use: Learning At Home and Homelike Environments (February 2011)
Children receive the message that they are in a kind and loving place when caregivers and family members are intentional about the environments they create. This resource will teach home visitors, program staff, caregivers and other early childhood educators how to create a space that is welcoming and homelike for children.
News You Can Use: Environment as Curriculum for Infants and Toddlers (July 2010)
In this News You Can Use, explore ideas about building nurturing environments to support the learning of very young children. This resource will teach home visitors, program staff, caregivers, and other early childhood educators how to create a safe, playful, and welcoming learning environment for infants and toddlers. This includes thinking about play spaces, areas for caregiving routines, ways to integrate home cultures into the environment, and considering the flexibility of space (which supports the changing ages, interests, and characteristics of a group of children over time).
News You Can Use: A Circle of Support for Infants and Toddlers - Reflective Parenting Practices and Strategies in Early Head Start (May 2010)
When Early Head Start supervisors and staff use reflective supervision, staff members are better able to support infants and toddlers and encourage parents to reflect on their own parenting practices. This News You Can Use presents strategies for strengthening professional relationships built through continuous reflective supervision, issues to consider when overcoming a break down in reflective practices, and suggestions for encouraging parents to reflect and build on parenting practices.
News You Can Use: Play (March 2010)
Explore the different definitions of play and why it is so important in this edition of News You Can Use. This is useful information for home visitors, program staff, caregivers, and others serving infants and toddlers through Early Head Start and Migrant and Seasonal Head Start. Play benefits every aspect of infant and toddler development; play enables young children to explore their world and their bodies, while also learning about and mastering relationships and social skills.
News You Can Use: Supporting Families and Staff - Mental Health Services in Early Head Start and Migrant and Seasonal Head Start (October 2009)
This edition of the News You Can Use e-newsletter outlines the important elements of comprehensive approaches to mental health services and provides strategies for creating a "mentally healthy" atmosphere. Head Start and Early Head Start program staff are facing increasingly complex family situations and behavior from young children. These circumstances may require staff to receive additional training and assistance to learn new approaches for supporting the mental health needs of infants, toddlers, and their families. This issue also offers suggestions for reducing the stigma surrounding mental health and tips for encouraging parents and staff to use mental health services.
News You Can Use: The Culture of Sleep and Child Care (July 2009)
Teachers have a responsibility to provide a sleep environment that is comfortable and safe for the children in their care, while honoring the cultural beliefs of families. Teachers and home visitors will find this information valuable when working with families in creating safe sleeping arrangements for babies. Topics in this edition of News You Can Use include the biology of sleep, cues that babies are sleepy, sudden infant death syndrome, co-sleeping, and suggested readings about sleep.
News You Can Use: Grandparents Raising Grandchildren (December 2007)
This edition of News You Can Use focuses on grandparents raising grandchildren. It highlights resources grandparents may use to find the support they need to be successful caregivers and offers tips to staff dealing with these families. Grandparents also share their triumphs and challenges of raising grandchildren through personal stories and experiences.
News You Can Use: Breastfeeding News (Part 1) (July 2007)
Program staff, caregivers, and pregnant women may use this edition of News You Can Use to learn about the benefits of breastfeeding babies. Information on the March 2007 Expert Workgroup on Breastfeeding, sponsored by the Early Head Start National Resource Center, and additional breastfeeding resources are also included.
News You Can Use: The Changing Culture of Breastfeeding (Part II) (July 2007)
Learn about the historical, cultural, and social factors that have influenced breastfeeding choices for families in part two of this two-part series. Information in this issue of News You Can Use is useful for program staff, caregivers, and pregnant women. Specific tips for providing breastfeeding education and support to African- American and American Indian and Alaska Native women and their families are also included.
News You Can Use: Mirroring the Early Parent-Child Bond for Infants and Toddlers (February 2007)
In this issue of News You Can Use, learn why it is important to support early bonding and attachment in child-parent and child-caregiver relationships. This edition presents strategies that may be useful to Head Start and Early Head Start center-based, home-based, and family child care program options.
News You Can Use: Getting an Early Start on Fetal Alcohol Spectrum Disorders (July 2006)
In this News You Can Use, learn how alcohol exposure during pregnancy may lead to Fetal Alcohol Spectrum Disorders (FASD). This information may be useful to Head Start and Early Head Start staff, caregivers, and others serving pregnant women and infants and young children with FASD.
News You Can Use: Disaster Readiness and Response for Families with Young Children (March/April 2006)
Learn how an Early Head Start program and a TA specialist responded to the needs of infants and toddlers, families and the community in the aftermath of Hurricanes Katrina and Rita. This edition of News You Can Use may be useful to program staff and caregivers developing disaster readiness plans.
News You Can Use: Prevention of Overweight and Obesity in Infants and Toddlers (December 2005)
This issue of News You Can Use discusses obesity in young children. This article provides tips to Head Start and Early Head Start program staff and caregivers with tips to help them promote healthy eating and movement for infants and toddlers.
