Since the end of last year here at the Partnership, we’ve been enjoying our new website (darekids.org) graciously provided by One Boat (www.oneboat.com). 
 
One of the features of the new website is the ability to see all of our upcoming trainings for providers as well as community events in one place. We’ve titled this Events and Trainings. 
 
It is not a traditional calendar format, but we hope you still find the information clear and accessible for both our early childhood educators as well as community members. The page displays the very next upcoming event or training for teachers in large scale towards the top of the page. The rest of the trainings we are providing in the upcoming months are displayed slightly smaller underneath, usually with a picture of the flyer associated with it and a description.  Here’s how it looks today (See right).
 

We will still happily deliver bi-annual training calendars to each center or family child care home each summer and before each new year, so please let us know if you need a copy. Keeping in touch and communicating is so important in all facets of our work with young children and families. We hope to always carry that importance through in our communication with our vital early childhood professionals by offering professional development opportunities that are enriching and easily accessible.

Updated Recommendations for Safe Infant Sleeping Environments


Keeping children safe is a major priority for every parent and child care facility. Therefore, clear communication regarding infant sleep environments and practices, at home and in child care, is critical. According to the Center for Disease Control and Prevention, Sudden Infant Death Syndrome (SIDS) is the number one cause of death in infants between one month and one year of age, and the third leading cause overall of infant mortality in the United States.  Researchers have not identified all of the risk factors for SIDS. But the good news is that several easy adjustments to children's sleep practices can make a tremendous difference in lowering the risk of SIDS.

Sleep position is the single greatest risk factor for SIDS. Babies are at the lowest risk for SIDS when placed on their backs to sleep. Sleeping on their stomachs increases the risk. Since 1997, licensed child care programs in NC have been required to place infants on their backs to sleep. They are also required to provide a safe sleep environment, to have a safe sleep policy, and for infant caregivers to take Infant/Toddler Safe Sleep & SIDS Risk Reduction in Child Care (ITS-SIDS) Training.

There are few things as tragic as losing a baby to SIDS, so every five years the American Academy of Pediatrics (AAP) makes new recommendations about infant safe sleep practices based on a full review of the research. The new 2016 guidelines reinforce many of the earlier recommendations and add a few new ones.  You can read the AAP's full guidance at the link below, but here are a few of the pediatricians' recommendations:

• Infants under a year old should always sleep lying on their backs. Side sleeping "is not safe and is not advised," the AAP says. 
• Infants should always sleep on a firm surface covered by only a flat sheet. That's because soft mattresses "could create a pocket ... and increase the chance of 'rebreathing' or suffocation if the infant is placed in or rolls over to the prone (stomach) position."
• Any other bedding or soft objects, like pillows or stuffed animals, could obstruct a child's airway and increase the risk of SIDS and suffocation.
• Pediatricians say breast-feeding reduces the risk of SIDS.
• The same goes for pacifiers at nap time and bedtime, although the doctors say the "mechanism is yet unclear." They add that "the protective effect is observed even if the pacifier falls out of the infant's mouth."
• Smoking — both during pregnancy and around the infant after birth — can increase the risk of SIDS. Alcohol and illicit drugs during pregnancy can also contribute to SIDS. "Parental alcohol and/or illicit drug use in combination with bed-sharing places the infant at particularly high risk of SIDS," the pediatricians say.

Sources:  Center for Disease Control & Prevention, American Academy of Pediatrics, NC Division of Child Development & Early Education.

Article by Professor Matt Sanders, the founder of the Triple P – Positive Parenting Program®.

When children refuse to cooperate, it may be related to the way 
instructions are given. Here are some common traps.

Too many. The more instructions you give, the more opportunities to disobey.

Too few. Children may sometimes seem disobedient because no one has taken the time to give them clear information on what is expected.

Too vague. Shouting your son’s name, then pausing and frowning because he is jumping on the couch might not be of much help if he has also just teased his sister. State clearly what behaviors you find unacceptable.

Asking, not telling: Don’t phrase an instruction as a question. If you ask: “Would you like to go to bed now?” be prepared for them to say: “No”.

Poorly timed. Asking your child to do something while they are busy watching their favorite television show will probably result in them ignoring the instruction.

Shouting from a distance. Instructions shouted from one room to another are often ignored simply because parents are not there to back up the instruction.

Emotionally laden. Children react to the emotional tone of what parents say to them. Calling children “stupid” or an “idiot” shows disapproval of the child rather than the child’s behavior. Although it can be difficult, parents should work to control expressions of anger when giving children instructions.

If you want your child to stop doing something, remember to tell them what to do instead. Give your child time to cooperate and praise them when they do so – or carry out a logical consequence if they refuse.

To find out more about Triple P in Dare County go to www.darekids.org.

CYP Note: This article is the second in a series of articles by Dr. Matt Sanders that will be highlighting parental challenges and helpful parenting strategies. Stay tuned to later newsletter issues for more information! 

Triple P- Positive Parenting Program in Dare County

We are very excited to announce that Children & Youth Partnership for Dare
County has received a System of Care grant from Trillium Health Resources to expand the Triple P-Positive Parenting Program in Dare County. A continuum of services will now be available for families with children and adolescents.

Triple P is an evidence-based program that gives parents the skills they need to manage misbehavior and prevent problems from happening in the first place. From toddler tantrums to a teenager’s defiance, from bedtime dramas to outright disobedience, Triple P helps you sort through the issues that affect families everywhere—giving your child the best start to life. Triple P is distinctive in that it is not a “one-size-fits-all” course. Rather, it is a system that offers increasing levels of support to meet parents’ different needs. Parents can choose anything from individual counseling sessions to more intensive group courses. Triple P is now also available online, adding further flexibility and convenience for parents.

For more information about Triple P, contact Sara Sampson with Children & Youth Partnership for Dare County at 441-0614 or email familysupport@darekids.org.