Friday, June 16, 2006

Another Online Resource...

Invest in Kids is a national, charitable organization dedicated to ensuring the healthy social, emotional and intellectual development of children from birth to age five by strengthening the parenting knowledge, skills and confidence of all those who touch the lives of children. This organization is based and originated in Canada and some of the ideas are specific to the child care situation and issues there, but much of the research and information pertains to children and child care in general. Registration is free and I particularly like the professional sections of Answers for Professionals and the Library.

This site translates the science of parenting and child development into engaging, easy to understand, relevant resources for parents and professionals. The information from the website reads:

Why 0-5? The first five years of life are truly the miracle years – the time of greatest human development and the time when we as adults have the most profound influence on a child's future well being.

These years are pivotal in the development of a child's ability to learn and to create, to communicate, to trust and to love and to develop positive self-esteem.

A child's experiences in these years – good or bad – lay the foundation for all that comes later. How we care for our children in these years has a lasting impact on who they will be as adults.The years before five last the rest of their lives™.

What is the Need? Most children enjoy emotional, social and intellectual health. However, Canada’s National Longitudinal Survey of Children and Youth found nearly 30% of children aged 0-6 have an identifiable social, emotional or learning problem which can significantly impact their future well-being. These children can be found across our society from top to bottom and many of their problems are related to a lack of positive parenting.

Invest in Kids’ National Survey of Parents of Young Children found that while 92% of parents believe being a good parent is the most important thing they can do, most have limited knowledge about how children grow and develop, they are anxious, concerned and not confident of their parenting skills and they don’t feel supported in their role as parents. These findings are evident across all parents, regardless of age, income, education, marital status, gender or working status.

Spend a little time looking over this site. I think you will find some great information and a good resource for you to file...

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