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Professionals who work with young children sometimes have the unwelcome task of sharing concerns with a family about their child. Early detection and intervention are documented to be very influential on long term outcomes for children with developmental delays. This makes the sharing of concerns with family a critical part of all our jobs. Here are some do’s and don’ts for easing the process:
Some Dos: Set the stage. Choosing a private setting
with plenty of time available is important. Parent responses will vary, but emotions and questions are sure to follow.
Listen to the parent’s observations, questions and concerns. They may already have been starting to worry or may not see the problem at all. Understanding where they are at will help you, help them.
Be empathetic and not judgmental in your statements. Sandwich the tough information between two of the child’s or family’s strengths. For example, “John is so helpful at clean-up time, but I have noticed he falls a lot while trying to pick up the toys. He keeps on smiling and trying. Have you…”
Use milestones to help a family understand why you are concerned. Remind them that checking on a concern can rule out a significant issue as well as find one. Either way their child and their piece of mind will benefit. www.pbs.org/wholechild/abc is a website with family friendly milestone lists.
For more information: www.firstsigns.org
Some Don’ts If a parent approaches you with a concern,
listen and don’t dismiss it. Each child is unique and has his/her own
special concerns and strengths. Comparisons can be hurtful. Keep the focus on the child involved.
Use everyday language not technical jargon and don’t diagnose. We are not doctors and the first time a family learns of concerns is usually too early to “label” them. Provide a website or article that has relevant information in it.
Remember to keep it positive. Ruling out potential problems is just as important as finding a development delay or diagnosis. If diagnosis does occur, the earlier inter-vention begins the better the overall out-come for a child and family.
SAVE THE DATE!
Saturday, April 21 Rainbows Run - Walk
100% of the proceeds will go to support chil-dren with special needs and their families in Butler County. More information will be posted in the March newsletter!
Sharing Concerns with Families By: Angela Pulaski, PT—Bright Beginnings Physical Therapist
Friday, February 3, 2011
Volume 2, Issue 2
Butler Kids
A Community-Based Newsletter
Inside this issue:
Page 2
Smart Start Trainings
Connect Online
Upcoming Trainings by Community Partners
Growing with Children
Page 3
Babies and Vision
Smart Start Lending Library
Page 4
Meet a Butler County Early Childhood Professional from Augusta
Meet A Smart Start Advisory Committee Member
Sponsored by Rainbows United, Inc.
Be a Friend of Rainbows
You can support the work of Rainbows United and allow the wonderful services you have received in Butler County to continue. To find o u t m o r e v i s i t www.rucfoundation.org or give us a call in the Butler County office: 320.1342. About the Author: Angela Pulaski has been serving
Bright Beginnings’ families since 1997. She enjoys watching the seasons change as she drives miles and miles throughout the county. She also has the distinct privilege of being the queen of flat tires. Her lifelong ambition is to listen to all the audio books available from the El Dorado and Andover libraries. She is married and has 3 children ages 2 to 15.
Smart Start trainings are free to people who work with young children in Butler County. Trainings are also available for free to parents who live in Butler County. If you would like to schedule a specific training for 2012, please contact Audra at the Smart Start office.
Safe Slumber
When: Saturday, February 4
Time: 9 am to 11 am
Where: Butler County Health Dept.
Cost: Free—Paid for by Smart Start
Instructor: Jamie Downs, LBSW & Audra Kenneson, LMSW
Heart Saver CPR/AED
When: Saturday, February 18
Time: 8 am to Noon
Where: BCC Welcome Center - Intrust Room; 901 S. Haverhill, El Dorado
Cost: Free—Paid for by Smart Start
Instructor: Troy Jellison
Heart Saver Pediatric First Aid
When: Saturday, February 18
Time: 1 pm to 4 pm
Where: BCC Welcome Center - Intrust Room; 901 S. Haverhill, El Dorado
Cost: Free—Paid for by Smart Start
Instructor: Troy Jellison
Participants must pre-register to ensure a space in the class. To register, contact Audra at 320.1342 or
Trainings are being developed to assist child care providers in meeting new KDHE requirements. Additionally, training for parents who receive the child care scholarship will be posted soon. Email notifications will be sent about new trainings. If you would like to be placed on the email list serve, contact the Smart Start office!
Connect On Line!
Did you know that Smart Start has a Facebook page? This page gives dai ly u p d a t e s a b o u t community events,
grant activities, and interesting tidbits of information. It also provides a location for providers of child care in Butler County to connect with each other. To find us just search for “Smart Start of Butler County” on Facebook! You can also connect with Butler Community College Association of E a r l y C h i l d h o o d E d u c a t o r s (BCCAECE). To find them, search for “Butler Early Childhood Professionals.”
Remember to turn to the Smart Start
website, ButlerKids.org, when you want to find information about the many services offered by Smart Start of Butler County: grants, scholarships, supplements, and library items. Additionally, you can find links to many of our community partners, helpful websites for parents and fun websites for kids! If you haven’t visited ButlerKids.org, take some time and check it out!
Volume 2, Issue 2
Upcoming KDHE Approved Trainings for Providers
When: Saturday, March 10
Time: 9 AM to Noon
Title: Basic Knowledge Curriculum: Rou-tine Care: Sleeping, Handwashing, & Diapering
Where: Butler County Health Dept.; 206 N. Griffith
Cost: Member $18; Nonmember $30
Instructor: Amber Ives
For more information about Child Start trainings contact 682.1853 or visit
www.childstart.org.
GROWING WITH CHILDREN
This conference is offered by Child Start for family child care providers and child care center teachers. The conference also offers “Director’s Chair,” for child care center directors.
Saturday, March 3, 2012 Central Community Church
6100 W. Maple Wichita, KS
To register contact Child Start at 682.1853 or visit www.childstart.org.
If you are a provider of child care in Butler County and are interested in receiving a reimbursement scholarship to attend this conference, contact Audra in the Smart Start office by emailing her at [email protected] or calling 320.1342.
Day Care Orientation Training
Information about KDHE licensing regulations and what you need to do to become a licensed child care provider will be given at these free trainings held by the Bu t le r Coun ty Hea l th Department. For more information contact Jamie Downs at 320.0365. Upcoming dates of Orientation are: February 17, March 16, and April 20.
Child Start Trainings in Butler County
When: Monday, February 27
Time: 6:30 PM to 9:30 PM
Title: Basic Knowledge Curriculum: Rou-tine Care: Sleeping, Handwashing, & Diapering
Where: Butler County Health Dept.; 206 N. Griffith
Cost: Member $18; Nonmember $30
Instructor: Jackie Tanner
Upcoming Trainings by Community Partners
Page 2
Sue Barrientos (BCC Early Childhood Program), Luella Sanders (United Way of the Plains) and Audra Kenneson (Smart Start) at the Kansas Early Childhood Forum in Topeka on January 26. .
Newborns have many fascinating behaviors and skills. Vision is an ability which develops from inborn abilities coupled with visual experience.
At birth, infants are color blind. They cannot distinguish between shades of gray but enjoy black and white patterns. At the infant stage, most have better peripheral (or side) vision rather than central vision. If you want to provide developmentally appropriate activities, you can use these two facts to enhance your baby’s vision by placing black and white objects at different angles to the child.
By four months, infants can distinguish color as well as adults. Babies also like faces and the best distance is 8 inches away, which just so happens to be the average distance a baby’s face is from its mother when feeding.
There is research that shows that spending time outside increases a child’s vision. The research has not show the reason for this finding. Vision is fascinating and it is interesting to
enhance vision development by providing appropriate activities.
Routine well-baby exams are important to rule out common vision problems. At the age of three, children can participate in the ”See to Learn” program. A free eye exam is available from many area optometrists. In Butler County, this is available in El Dorado, Augusta and Andover. To see a full list of optometrists offering this service, visit the website, SeeToLearn.com. There is more information about vision and brain development in the book, “Welcome to Your Child’s Brain” by Sandra Aamodt and Sam Wang. This book is available for check from the Smart Start Lending Library. Check it out!
Potty Time With Elmo (Child’s Book): Woosh! Hear Elmo flush the potty. Hurray! Elmo makes potty training fun and that encourages your child to want to use the potty. Read this
story and press 7 sound buttons to hear Elmo teach Baby David about the potty.
Even Firefighters Go To The Potty (Child’s Book): From firefighters to zookeepers, toddlers can discover where each person has gone despite their busy day - to the potty! With fun gatefold flaps, this funny story teaches kids that everyone needs to take time to go to the potty!
One of the biggest concerns we hear from parents is that their children need help with potty training. Have you ever checked an item out from the Smart Start Library? It’s easy! Email Audra at [email protected] or call her at 320.1342. Elmo’s Potty Time (DVD): Potty training can be fun! Create a positive potty time experience for your child with Elmo, Baby Bear, Grover, and other Sesame Street friends! This amusing and song-filled DVD teaches children that everyone —mothers, fathers, sisters, brothers,
friends and even monsters — has to learn how to use the potty. Dance, sing, and laugh as your c h i l d l e a r n s confidence - building skills and helpful healthy habits that will last a lifetime!
Toilet Training for Individuals With Autism (Adult Book): Individuals with autism are reportedly one of the most difficult populations to toilet train. This book offers effective strategies that take the child's physical and emotional sensit ivi t ies into account instead of trying to force traditional methods. Easy-to-read bulleted lists offer more than 200 do's and don'ts, along with over 50 real-life examples, to help make the process more of a lesson and less of a battle for all involved. The young trainee will learn to overcome fear of the bathroom, properly use toilet paper, flush once, wash hands, and more. The toilet trainer will learn how to overcome challenges caused by communication needs, sensory sensitivities, motor challenges, and anxiety levels.
Volume 2, Issue 2
Smart Start Lending Library
Babies and Vision By: Luann McFadden, LSCSW - Bright Beginnings Family Service Coordinator
Page 3
About the Author: Luann McFadden
has worked at Rainbows United Bright Beginnings or over nine years. She has three grown children and several dogs and cats. Luann enjoys knitting and baking in her spare time.
“The First Baptist Church Preschool exists to provide a loving and caring Christian environment so that preschool children may be given the opportunities to develop and enhance their skills at the child’s level.” This is the mission of the First Baptist Preschool in Augusta, KS where Maggie Duncan is the Director.
The First Baptist Preschool started in September 1981 as a l i c e ns ed C h r i s t i a n Preschool in Augusta. Maggie Duncan says that the Lord gave this vision to her after she taught Kindergarten for 3 years in the El Dorado School system. Maggie opened the center as Director of the Preschool and Classroom Teacher. The first year of enrollment, they had twelve three-year-olds and twenty four- and five-year-olds. The First Baptist Preschool is licensed for 72 children by KDHE.
First Baptist Preschool offers classes for children ages 3 through 5. The staff consists of nine members. Classroom teachers: Jacque Rawlings (26 years), Pam Turner (22 years), and Nettie
Pherigo (4 years). Classroom Paras: Kathy Fouts (21 years), Carolyn VanBuskirk (6 years), and Michelle Emmit (1 year). Christian Curriculum Teacher, Erin Chinn (1 year); Secretary, Joyce McElhiney (11 years); and Director, Maggie Duncan (30 years).
At the present, this hard-working group of women are celebrating their 30th year of operation with 89 children attending.
As a Christian Preschool, the curriculum at First Baptist Church Preschool includes teaching about the Bible through songs, stories, and lessons. They believe that children learn through play and exploring, using their five senses; therefore, their classrooms are set up with center-type activities.
Maggie continues today as Director of the Preschool and enjoys seeing 2nd generation children attend. Maggie has been married to Steve for over 35 years this month. Steve was born and raised in Augusta and claims that Maggie knows more people in HIS hometown than he does! They have two grown daughters who are married and live in the area. Maggie has three wonderful grandchildren who call her GeGe; one grandson attends FBPS! M a g g i e r e c e i v e d h e r Elementary teaching Degree and Early Childhood Degree
from Emporia State University and is a member of the Augusta First Baptist Church where she enjoys teaching Sunday School for 3-year-olds and serves on the Christian Education Department Committee.
through Oklahoma State University. She is liaison for many partnerships across the state and has served on many early childhood committees including: Butler
Rainbows United enhances the lives of children with special needs and their families by bringing together community resources and providing customized services. Rainbows provides many vital services for children with special needs, birth through age 21, and their families.
Debbie Mai is an active advocate for children with special needs and their families in the state. A 30+ year employee at Rainbows United, Inc. in Wichita, Kansas, Debbie has been involved in changing the lives of many. She began serving children with special needs as a speech-language pathologist and currently works tirelessly as Vice President of Programs and Services.
Debbie got her bachelor’s degree from Baylor University and her SLP Master’s
County Child and Family Task Force, Smart Start of Butler County Advisory C ommi t tee , Sedgw ic k C oun t y Interagency Coordinating Council, State Interagency Coordinating Council, Kansas Head Start Association Board, Head Start Region VII Board, Visioneering Wichita Birth-K Alliance, MSA Council, and Kansas Division of Early Childhood.
Debbie’s leadership is key as she lends her vast knowledge and dedication to improving the lives of children with disabilities and their families. The opportunity to serve with the Butler County Child and Family Development Task Force is one she takes with passion and insight.
Debbie enjoys life daily with the love of her life, husband Mike.
Volume 2, Issue 2
Meet a Smart Start Advisory Committee Member
Meet a Butler Early Childhood Professional from Augusta
Page 4
Debbie Mai, VP of Programs & Services at Rainbows United, with her husband, Mike.
