Sharing Web Resources - Zero To Three

Depending on what you are looking at, some links lead to other pages on the Zero to Three sites, while others lead to journal articles that back up the topic they are reporting on. Either way, Zero to Three provides a lot of research on any one particular topic.

This week I searched Family, Friend, & Neighbor Care. After clicking on that I clicked on a link for encouraging school readiness skills. I then had to choose and age group. I chose Birth to 12 months.  It then navigated me to a page called “What you can do to support school readiness skills: birth to 12 months. On this page I learned that there are four categories: Language & Literacy Skills, Thinking Skills, Self-Control, and Self-Confidence. Language & Literacy Skills is talking together. This is the time to copy baby’s sounds and encourage them to imitate you. Babies are beginning to put sounds together.  Thinking skills is allowing and encouraging children to explore objects and toys in different ways. Touching, banging, and rolling help babies learn how things work.  Talk with babies about what they are doing. Self- Control is helping babies learn to soothe themselves. The calmer babies feel that more in control they will be.  Babies have different ways of calming themselves. Some need lots of rocking or hugging; others prefer to be swaddled or put down for a minute. You teach babies to calm when you stay calm. Lastly, self-confidence establishes routines with children. Most children feel safe, confident, and in control of their world when events are predictable. Routines are a way to help children make sense of the world.  Children need lots of practice to succeed in a skill.

I did receive a newsletter and the topic I chose to learn more about is Let’s play: Activities that nurture bonding and learning. Once clicking on the link, it took me to a chart that showed a babies development between the months of 9 and 12.  On one side of the chart showed what a baby can do while on the other side of the chart showed what you can do to connect with the baby. For example: A baby can understand more words than they can say.  A baby at this age can follow simple directions. A baby at this age can also tell someone what they want by their sounds and body movements. An educator, parent, or anyone who comes in contact with a child at this age can: tell the baby what is happening and what you will do next, put baby’s sounds and actions into words, name things the baby points at or looks at, and respond to babies babbles and facial expressions.

Zero to Three had an interesting article on their site this week applauding President Obama for making early learning a priority in his 2014 budget proposal.  We have been learning and discussing how the funding for programs is an issue, so to hear that early learning is a priority is a big step in the right direction. Obama emphasized how important it is as a nation for us to begin where learning begins- at birth.  The budget includes $1.4 billion to expand the comprehensive supports offered to the most vulnerable families through Early Head Start.  The plan would provide $200 million in 2014 specifically to create more high quality child care options for babies and toddlers with working parents, using Early Head Start’s quality benchmark’s, expertise, and resources. This ensures young children and families will have access to high-quality child care.  In addition his plan extends and expands home visiting which has been warmly embraced to reach more families where they live, with information, guidance, and encouragement.

I found it interesting to read about a baby’s point of view from the newsletter I received. I thought it was fascinating because often I wonder what my son is thinking on a daily basis. I always say I want to be in his head to hear what he has to say or what he is thinking about. I did like reading about the things a baby is learning between 9 and 12 months of age. Their confidence to feed themselves is higher, relationship building and relying on mother to read their signals, security to know they know how to express difficult emotions, managing strong feelings, they can effectively communicate using sound and actions, and how to pick up small objects with their thumb and pointer as well as hand eye coordination.