TKW Consulting

Once upon a time there was a old man who used to go to the ocean for peace and quiet, and for inspiration to do his writing. In the morning, he usually walked on the beach before he began his work.

One day as he was walking along the shore, he saw a human figure moving like a dancer, bending, then wading into the waves, arms extended. It pleased him that someone would dance to the beauty of the day and the rhythm of the waves. As he got closer, he saw that it was a young girl. The girl wasn't dancing, but instead she was reaching down to the sand, picking up something, and throwing it gently into the ocean.

He called out, "Good morning! What are you doing?"

The girl paused and replied, "Throwing starfish in the ocean."

"I guess I should have asked, why are you throwing starfish in the ocean?"

"The sun is up and the tide is going out. If I don't throw them in, they'll be stranded on the beach and die."

"But don't you realize that there are thousands of miles of beach and starfish all along the way. You can't possibly make a difference!"

The girl listened and considered. Then she bent down, picked up another starfish and threw it into the sea. She watched a wave lift it high, and then it sank into the life-giving water.

"It made a difference for that one,” she said.

Play SAFE: Tips for Parents to Remember When Taking Children to Playgrounds
By Susan D. Hudson, Ph.D., Donna Thompson, Ph.D., and Heather M. Olsen, M.A.

The sun is shining and the day is warm – what better time to take the kids out to the playground? However, if parents and other caregivers ignore some basic safe principles concerning playgrounds, a fun-filled day can easily turn dangerous or even deadly.

Each year over 200,000 children are injured seriously enough on playgrounds to seek emergency medical attention. In addition, an average of 17 children die simply because they are trying to do what children do best and that’s play. Simply put, children can get hurt when the play environment is not safe.

Unfortunately, the safety of America’s public playgrounds have recently been proven to be little better than average. According to a recent study by the National Program for Playground Safety, the nation’s public playgrounds received a grade of C+ for safety. The NPPS’s safety consultants visited all 50 states and viewed over 3,000 child care, school, and park playgrounds. Based on that study, NPPS has produced the following safety points for parents and caregivers to follow to keep children SAFE on playgrounds.

The first thing to remember is the meaning of SAFE. According to Dr. Donna Thompson, the Director of NPPS, each letter represents one area of safety in the playground environment. S stands for supervision, A represents age-appropriate design, F is a reminder about fall surfacing materials and E represents the maintenance of the equipment and surfacing.

S = Supervision
One needs to remember that equipment does not supervise children; caring adults do. It takes only a moment for a child to get into a dangerous situation. The most important thing adults can do when their children go to the playground is to go with them.

The job of the adult supervisor is to observe children’s play behavior and be near enough to the children to provide assistance when their derring-do begins to lead them into possible injury-producing situations. Much like the lifeguard at a pool, the playground supervisor needs to be alert to potential hazardous conditions, continuously scanning the environment, and must intervene only when it appears that the children’s play behaviors can lead to serious consequences.

Otherwise, adults need to let kids be kids and enjoy the exploration of the playground as long as the play equipment is appropriate to their developmental abilities – which lead us to the second element of SAFE, age appropriate design.

A = Age Appropriate Design
Adults need to understand that one size does not fit all! Playground equipment is designed for the developmental abilities of children ages 2-5 and 5-12. Parents who have children under the age of two should not be visiting the playground since the equipment is not designed for children ages 0-2. Putting the children on equipment that is not developmentally appropriate is similar to buying a pair of size 8 DD shoes and expecting a child to walk in them without tripping.

Too often, the researchers at NPPS have observed adults lifting children up to playground equipment that the child cannot reach or putting a young child on a lap and sliding down a slide. Neither activity is in the best interest of the child. The rule of thumb is if children cannot reach the piece of equipment on their own, then they should not be on it. If children are not comfortable, seated by themselves, sliding down a slide, then they should not be on the slide.

One word of caution needs to be made concerning public playgrounds. The NPPS study discovered that large composite structures found in parks and schools tend to be for mixed age groups over 70 percent of the time. That is, they will have low equipment (i.e. four-foot slides) for younger children and high equipment (i.e. eight-foot slides) for older children.

However, because of the linkage inherent in these structures, there is nothing to prevent the younger children from accessing the higher elements. A three year old is not a ten year old in terms of strength, reasoning ability, and physical development. Without, proper supervision (there’s the S element again), it is very easy for a child to get on to equipment that is not appropriate for his developmental abilities.

Many manufacturers are now labeling the equipment to inform the public about the suitable age group that should use the structure. In lieu of signage, remember that equipment for 2-5 year-olds should be no higher than six feet or as high as the child can reach.

F = Fall Surfacing
Height does matter, not for play value but for safety. Remember, the higher children are, the harder they fall.

Children fall from equipment routinely enough that falls account for over 70 percent of all injuries. That is why it is so important to have a cushioned surface under and around playground equipment. This is an area of safety that adults need to pay attention to since the NPPS found that few public playgrounds (only 19 percent) have surfacing materials at the adequate depth to cushion falls. There are four things to look for to determine if a playground has safe surfacing.

• Suitable Materials: The first thing to determine is whether or not the playground has the right kind of materials under the playground. Playground surfacing materials come in two types – loose-fill and unitary. Loose-fill materials are sand, pea gravel, wood products (chips and fiber), and rubber chips. The unitary materials take the form of rubber mats or are poured in place. Chances are that you will find suitable materials present since the NPPS study showed that 82 percent of all playgrounds are now using suitable materials.
• Height of the Equipment: As mentioned previously, the height of the equipment for ages 2-5 should be no higher than six feet, for ages 5-12 the height limit should be eight feet. Why? Definitive studies show that equipment over six feet doubles the probability of injury from a fall.
• Depth of the loose fill: The materials also need to be deep enough to absorb a fall. You will not be able to tell the needed depth of unitary surfacing. It should be assumed that the agency that owns the equipment checked the depth at the time of installation. However, with loose fill, a quick check can tell whether it is at a depth of nine to 12 inches. If the loose fill is not at least nine inches than it may not absorb the impact of the child falling from a height of six feet.
• Use zone: Finally, to be effective, the materials need to be in the right place. This means it must protect the ground in a six-foot radius around stationary equipment. For slides, the surfacing should extend four feet plus the height of the slide in front of the slide chute. For swings, surface materials should extend the distance of twice the height of a swing beam front and back of the swing seat. Thus, if the swing beam is eight feet high the distance should be 16 feet in front and 16 feet in back. The NPPS study found that 71 percent of the time there was adequate surfacing within the six feet use zone which brings us to the last item of SAFE, equipment and surfacing maintenance.

E = Equipment and Surfacing Maintenance
One does not invest money for a car, only to use it without getting regular oil changes and tune-ups. Likewise, in order to ensure that the area is still safe for children to use, playground equipment and surfacing needs to be routinely inspected. Steel does rust, plastic does crack, and wood does splinter. Any and all of these things can lead to an unsafe play environment for children. In addition, old equipment may have loose bolts
and nuts leading to gaps that can entangle strings or entrap heads. Both are life- threatening situations. The NPPS study showed that 30 percent of the equipment in the country had either gaps or entrapments present.

Adults need to check the equipment for openings that may be greater than three-and-a-half inches and less than nine. These openings are generally found between and under guardrails. A quick measuring device to use is a dollar bill. American money is six inches long. By folding a bill over at the number symbol (1), the bill is the length of three-and-a-half inches. If the folded dollar bill will go through the opening then one folded in half plus one full-length dollar bill must be able to go through. Otherwise a possible head entrapment is present.

Adults also need to make sure the temperature of the equipment is suitable for children to play on. It is extremely important that you do not put children on equipment that is hot enough to burn a child. Take your children to parks and places where adequate shade is available. And just like at a swimming pool, protect your child with sunscreen.

If you see unsafe conditions at the playground, you should report it immediately to the owner or operator of the playground. If adults take an active role in helping keep a watchful eye on community playgrounds, problems can be eliminated.

SAFE Playgrounds
Children and parents should have fun-filled days at the playgrounds without fear of injury. By remembering and practicing SAFE, adults who accompany children to play environments can help create happy memories. Working together, we can all help make America’s playgrounds SAFE for children.

Susan D. Hudson, Ph.D., Education Director; Donna Thompson, Ph.D., Director; and Heather M. Olsen, M.A., Project Coordinator. All are from The National Program for Playground Safety, University of Northern Iowa, School of HPELS, Cedar Falls, IA50614-0618. For further information, please visit www.playgroundsafety.org or call 800-554-PLAY(7529).

// posted by Tammy Wachter @ 5:14 PM 0 comments

Is Early Development Stalling?
By Kelly Wilson
Herald-Whig Staff Writer

A report released Tuesday that says national trends in child well-being are no longer improving in the steady way they did in the late 1990s pays particular attention to the critical role of early childhood development.

"Strengthening early childhood development can help to assure that all children begin life on a level playing field," said Douglas W. Nelson, president of the Annie E. Casey Foundation, which released the annual Kids Count Data Book.

The report zeroes in on a form of child care that has existed for decades but has largely been overlooked — family, friend and neighbor care that is offered in a home-based setting outside a child's own home.

This includes caregivers who are paid to work with small groups of children in their homes and who do so as a business enterprise, as well as the grandparents, aunts and other relatives who open their homes daily to help family members, often for free. Some 6.5 million children under age 6 spend all or part of their time in family, friend or neighbor care, the report says.

"The Casey Foundation recognizes the value of quality center-based care and the impact it has had on generations of kids from all economic backgrounds. However, the reality is that (family, friend and neighbor) care has and will continue to play a role in the lives of so many families," Nelson said.

"Casey is making a strong commitment to attend to the most promising strategies that can strengthen this form of care, particularly for low-income families."

The foundation says that nationwide relatively few organized efforts exist to enhance the quality of the care these child care providers deliver. Karen Points, director of the
West Central Child Care Connection based in Quincy, says programs are available locally, from training sessions to a resource library to in-home activities.

"An indicator of quality is the amount of training and education the child care provider has," Points said. "There are a lot of things available to them. Our trainings are open to them, and many of them are free."

Points says the organization can't possibly be aware of all the people who provide family, friend and neighbor care. But it does send mailings to those who participate in the state's Child Care Assistance Program, which provides subsidized child care to low-income families.

About 900 families in a nine-county area — Adams, Brown, Calhoun, Cass, Greene, Hancock, Jersey, Pike and Schuyler — are actively enrolled in the state's program. Points says about 30 percent of those families use friend, family and neighbor care or license-exempt care, which means the provider cares for three children or fewer, including at least one of his or her own children.

Training sessions are offered in a variety of subjects relating to quality child care and parenting. In addition, staff members are available to conduct one-hour literacy visits.

"One of our specialists reads a story to the children. They talk about all the characters and it's often very animated, and sometimes she's even in a costume," Points said. "She also does an art activity. We want the provider to be in the room to see how she can begin encouraging literacy with the children."

The Casey Foundation offers other examples for advancing the quality of friend, family and neighbor care, such as:
* Delivering education materials through home visiting programs;
* Developing resource hubs where providers can interact with child development
professionals, including those working in child care centers; and
* Connecting providers to community institutions, such as museums or libraries, where they can access new resources and share ideas with other providers.

"We believe that strengthening the quality of family, friend and neighbor care, particularly in America's low-income communities, is a significant opportunity to improve school readiness for the millions of kids who need it most," Nelson said.

In addition to the focus on early childhood development, the 2006 Kids Count Data Book measures each state's progress on 10 statistics, including infant mortality, poverty rates, single-parent families and babies born with low birth weights.

Fewer teenagers are having babies or dropping out of high school since the start of the decade, but slightly more live in poverty with parents who don't work year round. States in the Northeast and upper Midwest scored the best. At the top: New Hampshire, Vermont, Connecticut, Minnesota and Iowa. Southern states did the worst: Mississippi, Louisiana, New Mexico, South Carolina and Tennessee. Illinois ranked 24th and showed improvement in six of the 10 measures, no change in one and setbacks in three. Missouri ranked 30th, with improvement in five areas, no change in two and setbacks in three.

// posted by Tammy Wachter @ 4:50 PM 0 comments

Who Asked Us? Preschool Laid a Foundation
New America Media, Youth Commentary,
John Springer, Jun 05, 2006

Editor's Note: A recent high school graduate remembers the base that his preschool years established for his academic career. John Springer is 18 years old and will be attending UCSD in the fall.

SAN FRANCISCO--Nap time. Snack time. Free time. Silent time. There are many "times" in preschool that I remember adoringly. Looking back on my early years in this world, I can see that my years in preschool were essential to my personal development.

I went to a public preschool in Alameda called The ABC School. My parents had always been sure I was headed to preschool, as my sister had gone as well. However, for me, walking to ABC school with my mom was a scary experience in the beginning. I had never been too far away from my parents before, and it was hard for me to accept a new life with strangers. Strangers who would make me do bizarre things like sleep during the day, sing about twinkling stars and little lambs and memorize 26 different squiggly figures each with their own sound.

Before my years in preschool, I had never been very social with anyone outside of my family. The group activities at school forced me to become closer with some of my peers. It helped me develop some of the early social skills I would need in grade school. I honestly believe that because of preschool, it was easier for me to make friends in kindergarten. I became much more comfortable with interacting with new people, as my mom recalls how much I would freely converse with people around me. The shyness that I had before ABC school was forever lost to freeze tag and show and tell. I think children need this experience to gain their individuality and learn to make it on their own in the unfamiliar confines of a classroom.

I even remember getting bullied at ABC school. While being teased was not fun, it served as another learning experience. When my teachers saw the boy giving me a hard time, they encouraged me to stand up for myself. Preschool taught me how to react to common situations like this on an every-day basis. These were lessons I just could not learn at home.

While swinging on the monkey bars with the crew was always fun, I also remember learning my ABCs, my number system and how to spell my name.These were all important skills that I would eventually need in kindergarten. It ultimately helped me start ahead of those who hadn't gone to preschool and hadn't learned these basic but necessary lessons. While daycare programs can help a child develop social skills, they do not provide the important lessons that help shape the young academic mind. If there is any correlation between going to preschool and grades later on in life, then why would anybody not want an opportunity to send their child to preschool? It's sad to think that for many families today, preschool isn't a sure thing.

Proposition 82, the Preschool for All Act, guarantees a preschool program for all California families. Preschools today lack the funding and the space for many young children hoping to get an early start to their education. In my opinion, everyone deserves an equal start to his or her academic life. With the alarming rate of high school dropouts, something needs to be done about the current state of education in California. Why not turn to the early stages of our school system to help solve the issues that our society is encountering further down the road?

Parents call for child-care rating system
BY YVONNE M. WENGER
The Post and Courier

The Banks children got lucky with Mary Poppins.

Finding quality, reliable child care doesn't always have a fairy tale ending for parents, who want a way to judge the places they send their children. That's according to a recent survey by the United Way Association of South Carolina and a team of other advocacy groups.

"Our number one public policy issue is early care in education," said Tim Ervolina, the president of the state United Way association. "We've been advocating for years that we have to, as a state, come up with a way to rate how child care should work."

The statewide survey of 1,200 individuals, mostly parents, is a springboard to establishing the rating system. Details about the system have not been decided, but it will be based on factors such as nutrition and health, positive relationships and safety.

Research shows children who are ready to learn will be more successful in school and more likely to become self-sufficient adults.

Ervolina said United Way and South Carolina First Steps, which partners with every county to provide preschool programs, will work with other public and private partners to get a plan for a rating system in place by January, when the state Legislature starts session.

The issue was pushed to the forefront after a December ruling in the case of Abbeville County School District v. The State of South Carolina found the state does not provide students with a minimally adequate education because it doesn't adequately fund early childhood education.

Heather Jones of Daniel Island said it took her months to find a provider she trusted to care for her son. During her search, she found one place that didn't know the name of a parent, another that was unsanitary and one that surely violated the ratio of children to teachers, she said.

"It is such a hard process," Jones said. "You want to find a place to put your child where he is not only in safe hands but loving hands."

Susan DeVenny, the director of First Steps, said research is clear about the importance of early education and the impact it has on children for the rest of their lives.

The court ruling has done a great service to the future of the state by putting a major focus on the issue, she said.

Many child-care centers have to gain accreditation and are subject to inspections and strict regulations, Ervolina said. Church-based day-care centers are exempt, although many opt to be certified.

Jane Farrell, the director of early child care and education for Trident United Way, said the licensing standards are considered by many as minimally adequate. The rating system would push quality care further.

United Way's study found that like the hotel industry and other consumer-driven markets, child-care centers should be rated, Ervolina said. Child care is costly and parents deserve to know what they're getting, he said.

"Just because a place is pretty with lovely murals on the walls and shelves of toys, doesn't mean you know that your child is getting the care they need there," Ervolina said.

What parents have to say
The United Way Association of South Carolina asked parents if they would use a system that rates child care. The nonprofit group partnered with several education advocacy groups in December 2005 for the statewide survey of 1,200 individuals, mostly parents.

Here are the findings:
--93 percent of people surveyed said they would like to have quality ratings for child-care programs so they could compare them. Only two people surveyed said a rating system was not important. About 25 percent said it was critical and 47 percent said it was very important.
--74 percent of parents were willing to pay more for child care if it received a higher quality rating.
--Of the parents who would pay more for higher-rated child care, 97 percent said they would pay as much as $10 more per week and 84 percent said they would pay as much as $20 more.