Monthly Archives: May 2018

Investing in Early Childhood Gives One of the Best ROI Read More >>

Comprehensive quality care pays off.

While the costs of comprehensive early childhood education are high, the rate of return of programs like ABC/CARE implies that these costs are good investments. Every dollar spent on high-quality, birth-to-five programs for disadvantaged children delivers a 13% per annum return on investment. These economically significant returns account for the welfare costs of taxation to finance the program and survive a battery of sensitivity analyses. The cost of high quality early care was $18,514 in 2014 U.S. dollars. The average cost of childcare alone in the United States ranges from $9,589 to a high of $23,354 with few assurances of the quality necessary to generate quality life outcomes for children.

The gains are significant because quality programs pay for themselves many times over. The cost of inaction is a tragic loss of human and economic potential that we cannot afford.

Respondiendo a las Rabietas Read More >>

Cuando los infantes empiezan a caminar  y a tener  opiniones sobre su propio  ambiente, los padres deben desarrollar nuevas habilidades. Puede ser agotador, embarazoso y molesto cuando los niños pequeños se enojan de cosas que los padres no creen ser importantes.  

Con el desarrollo, los niños pequeños están aprendiendo a comunicar y a expresar sus emociones. Como padre, tiene que desarrollar paciencia y modelar el tipo de comunicación que quiere que ellos aprenden. Aquí hay algunas ideas para manejar las rabietas de los niños.

 Observar:

  • ¿Qué pasaba justo antes de la rabieta del niño?
  • ¿Sus rabietas toman siempre la misma forma?
  • ¿Hay ciertas situaciones que las provocan?

Indagar: ¿Que podría estar causando la pérdida de control?

  • La frustración
  • La incapacidad de poder hacer algo
  • El no tener suficiente vocabulario para expresar sus pensamientos y sentimientos
  • La irritabilidad debido a que tiene hambre o cansancio.

Responder:

  • Manténgase calmado
  • Permanezca cerca del niño y mantenga al niño seguro
  • Dele validez a los sentimientos de niño diciendo: “estás pasando un mal momento. A veces todos necesitamos un descanso.”
  • Después dile: “Te pudiste calmar. ¡Muy bien!”

No se preocupen, esta fase pasa. Recuérdense a modelar las calidades que quieren que tengan los niños: amabilidad, paciencia, respeto y buena comunicación.

 

Responding to Tantrums Read More >>

When adorable infants start walking and having opinions about their environment, parents must develop a new set of skills. It can be exhausting, embarrassing and annoying when toddlers lose their temper over things that don’t seem important.

Developmentally, toddlers are learning to communicate and express emotions. As parents, you develop patience and model the type of communication you’d like your child to learn. Here are some tips to managing these emotional outbursts with your children.

Observe:

  • What was happening right before the tantrum?
  • Are there patterns in the child’s tantrums?
  • Are there certain situations that trigger them?

Learn: What might be causing the child’s loss of control?

  • Frustration
  • Unable to do something
  • Not enough language to express his thoughts or feelings
  • Irritability due to hunger or fatigue

Respond:

  • Stay calm
  • Stay close and keep your child safe
  • Validate your child’s feelings: “You are having a hard time. Everyone needs a break sometimes.”
  • Afterward tell him what a good job he did calming down.

You and your child will get through this stage! Remember to model for your child the behavior you’d like to see in him: kindness, patience, respect, and good communication.