Skip to content

Posts from the ‘Thinking Out Loud’ Category

Jan 10

The Elements of Preschool Magic

Written by Mira from schoolHaven

It’s early January, and this time last year my husband and I were engaged in a feverish pursuit to find a preschool for our daughter.  Even though we live in Hamden, we’re spending the year as a family out in Berkeley, California.  In trying to conduct a long distance search for preschools, I came across the Berkeley Parents Network (http://parents.berkeley.edu/ ) which included parent reviews of area preschools which helped us whittle an overwhelming search down to four schools we wanted to visit.  Why don’t we have this in New Haven? I thought.  Hence, the idea for schoolHaven was born, and several months later, with the help of a group of dedicated parents and Kim’s support for incorporating us on kidHaven, we were live.

It’s great to have the freedom to choose your child’s school, but also overwhelming – you can’t possibly visit all of the options.  So schoolHaven helps to give you the advance information to conduct a manageable search.   I’ve visited enough preschools in the New Haven area and read amazing parent reviews on schoolHaven to know that there are many terrific options back home – one of which will hopefully be our base next year.  But many good preschools remain unreviewed, so as the preschool calendar heats up for next year, I wanted to take a few moments to reflect on the elements that make my daughter’s current preschool an incredible experience for our family, and invite others in the kidHaven/schoolHaven community to do the same.

Intentional philosophy:  One of the huge differences for me has been switching from a childcare setting to a preschool with an intentional educational philosophy.  Our daughter’s current preschool, the Berkeley School, takes the best of the Montessori approach but adds in Reggio-Emilia, Howard Gardner, and other 20th century educational innovations.  Her school follows the Montessori structure of giving kids time to do independent work, and teaches them to respect and take care of a beautiful classroom.  Kids and parents alike know that the large green carpet is for building, so we all walk around it on our way to the cubbies, and elaborate block constructions can stay up untouched for several days.  For a kid whose mantra early on was “I do it myself!” Montessori is a great match.  She is now eager to pour and cut on her own, she has learned how to push in her chair without scraping the floor, and she leads the family in saying a grace that her class says every day before having lunch at little tables with tablecloths and cloth napkins.

“Thank you precious Earth for this beautiful food which will nourish our bodies and help us grow.  May people all over the world, and all living things, have good food to eat, a home to live in,  and many reasons to be happy.  Buon appetito.  Namaste.”  The grandparents go nuts when they hear this. Read more

Jan 4

Is My Child Too Sick To Go?

Written by Amanda Levitt, ND

To borrow from The Clash: “Should they stay or should they go?”

Ever walk into a classroom or playgroup and the first thing you spot is a child with thick green mucus dripping out of their nose as they reach for the crayons, and think to yourself…Oh great! That’s what we’re heading for next?!  Kids and colds go hand in hand.  If we quarantined our kids every time they sniffled, we’d be home bound, and at the end of our rope by the end of winter.  Childhood is the time to build immunity.  By exposure to pathogens, we build up our immune vocabulary, so that when we encounter these bacteria and viruses in the future, our body has an armamentarium of antibodies ready to deploy!

That said, there are many steps we take to keep our bodies healthy.  Nutritious food, adequate sleep, and hand washing are just a few ways we avoid contracting the bug du jour.

We have all been there… incredibly busy day ahead, no childcare options, and your child wakes inconveniently with a fever.  Well, they did eat a little breakfast, and they don’t look sooo bad, should they stay or should they go?  A frequently asked question in my practice is: “How do I know when I need to keep my child home?” Read more

Dec 20

Is it stuttering? Is it stuttering?

Written by Alida Engel

“I, I, I, I, I, I, I have a decision,” announced our 3 year old granddaughter.  This was not the first time that I’ve heard her stutter.  In fact, she was repeating words, part of words, and phrases ever since she started talking at about 18 months.  She is now three and a half, and unlike many of the children I work with speaks in long, complicated sentences.

Of course I wanted to know what decision “she had,” but being a speech pathologist who has helped many, many parents and children deal with speech and language issues for over 43 years, I find myself, at times, listening to how she talks rather than to what she is saying.

I know that it is important to hear the content of what a child says, but I also know that ignoring breakdowns in communication until a child is 5 or 6 is misguided.  One percent of all children, worldwide, will grow up to be people who stutter.  Ignoring the stutter and waiting to see if the child will “outgrow” the behavior is not advisable.  Read more

Nov 28

2 Comments

The Search for the Perfect Kindergarten

Written By Aviva Luria

We have begun, in earnest, the search for a kindergarten for Jonah, and I’ve been just a bit overwhelmed. The town in which we live, unfortunately, does not have a good reputation when it comes to schools and didn’t even before they laid off about 50 teachers last year. Stupid decision to buy a house in this town? Why, yes. But to explain ourselves a little, things weren’t looking rosy in the child-bearing department at the time so we didn’t give serious consideration to schools.

So here we are. Fortunately, we can apply to the New Haven magnet schools and plan to; there is one we are particularly interested in. But while I want to support public schools (I believe in public education and both my parents were public-school teachers), I harbor a few worries. First off, as we face more and more cutbacks in these financially treacherous times, will things considered extras, like the arts and recess, be eliminated, or reduced? Will classes become larger, necessitating greater emphasis on keeping kids under control? My little guy is a bright, curious, spirited dude with tremendous energy; he can’t always control it, either. Yes, he needs to learn how to take charge of his energy, but being in an environment in which he’s punished for his physical exuberance doesn’t sound like auspicious beginning to his academic career. Read more

Nov 23

4 Comments

5 Ways to Stay Healthy This Winter

Written by Amanda Levitt, ND

Wash your Hands  Yes, mom was right… Hand washing is the most effective way to reduce transmission of viruses and bacteria. I have my children wash their hands as soon we walk in the door, before meals, after bathroom (of course!), and after coughing or sneezing.   Research is clear that antibacterial soaps are no more effective than plain soap and water at preventing infectious illness and there is a real concern about antibacterial soap contributing to bacterial resistance. Avoid Triclosan and other antibacterial ingredients in soaps that can promote “super bugs.” Let’s save antibiotics for when we really need them, not for every time we wash our hands.   If soap and water are not available, use of hand sanitizer is certainly better than not washing at all.

  • Vitamin D

The majority of our Vitamin D is made by exposure of our skin to the sun.  It is difficult to maintain adequate levels at this latitude this time of year.  Vitamin D is found in small amounts in dietary sources, such as fish, eggs, fortified milk, and cod liver oil. Vitamin D is essential for the formation, growth, and repair of bones and for normal calcium absorption.  Vitamin D also has some important roles in immune function.  There is evidence that adequate vitamin D stores can prevent viral illnesses, such as colds and flus. Oral dosing of vitamin D3 is generally safe at 2,000 iu/day for the winter months.  A simple blood test, 25-hydroxy Vitamin D, can determine if you are deficient and help guide appropriate dosing. Read more

« Older Entries
Newer Entries »