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September E-News from Connections For Children - It's the Autumnal Equinox!
September E-News from Connections For Children - It's the Autumnal Equinox!
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September 2015
Your Monthly Connections For Children E-Update
Dear  Friend,
SEPTEMBER - Today is the Autumnal Equinox! Make this fall a season for children's health and safety!
Ready for School Building Blocks for Kindergarten
Home and School Partnerships Help Your Child Succeed
Helping your child prepare for school is just the beginning of the adventure! Parents are a child’s first and most important teacher. You play a key role in the success of your child at school.

Education is a partnership between parents, teachers and the child. There are many ways you can help your child.

Tips for Parents at Home:
  • Ask your child questions about his or her day that will encourage more than a yes or no answer. What did you talk about during circle time today? Who did you play with at recess? What was the most fun thing that happened today?
  • Structure family routines to support homework. Talk to your child’s teacher if your child spends more than 10–15 minutes a day completing homework, or if it is causing a lot of stress and frustration.
  • Read aloud with your child each day.

Tips for Parents at School:

  • Introduce yourself to your child’s teacher and check in often. Ask the  teacher how your child is doing and how you can help.
  • If your child has special needs or an Individualized Education Plan (IEP), request a meeting to address the new setting. Sharing what you know about your child with the school and teacher will get the new school year off to a terrific start.
  • Talk to your child’s teacher about ways you can share your home culture at school.
  • Get to know the other children in your child’s class and their parents.
  • Attend parent-teacher conferences. The school can provide you with an interpreter if you prefer to speak in your home language.
You can find more tips about building home - school partnerships in the Santa Monica Cradle to Career Building Blocks for Kindergarten.

Stranger Danger

by Joey Lamberti
According to the National Center for Missing and Exploited Children (citing U.S. Department of Justice reports), nearly 800,000 children are reported missing each year.
That's more than 2,000 a day. - Gabe Falcon, CNN

Most children are naturally very friendly. They enjoy interacting with people other than their immediate family. They become accustomed to seeing strangers everywhere, every day. The majority of strangers do not pose a risk. But, the fact remains that child abduction is a real thing. According to Parents.com, “every 40 seconds in the United States, a child becomes missing or is abducted.” Parents can help safeguard their children by teaching them how to interact properly with strangers, which will also help them recognize and handle potentially harmful situations.

The most disturbing aspect of child abduction is that the perpetrator — in 75% of all kidnapping crimes — is a parent, close relative, or acquaintance of the family.  In "Teach Your Children To Talk to Strangers"Dr. Peggy Drexler reports that “statistics show that the smallest percentage of abductions occurs at the hands of a person who is a stranger to the child. That is, in most cases, a child knows his or her kidnapper.”

So, why is family abduction so prevalent? 
Read More
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Choose Health LA Child Care is designed to improve the nutrition and physical activity environment in child care settings and to promote healthy habits among Los Angeles children, parents and child care providers. Through this program, parents and child care providers will receive the necessary tools to transition into a healthier and more active lifestyle!
The Choose Health LA Child Care program, made  possible with funding from First 5 LA through the Los Angeles County Department of Public Health, offers free workshops for child care providers from all types of settings (centers, family child care homes, license-exempt), events for parents and children, and information and tools for all. Click here for information about our upcoming workshops! 
One in 3 children in the United States is overweight or obese. Childhood obesity puts kids at risk for health problems that were once seen only in adults, like type 2 diabetes, high blood pressure, and heart disease.
The good news? Childhood obesity is preventable. Check out these ideas for healthy meals and snacks:
National Childhood Obesity Awareness Month provides an opportunity for learning about ways to prevent and address this serious health concern. For more helpful articles, useful toolkits, and information about National Childhood Obesity Awareness Month, visit the Centers for Disease Control and Prevention and WICWorks.
Connections For Children
2701 Ocean Pk. Blvd. Ste. 253
Santa Monica, CA 90405
Phone (310)452-3325
E-mail info@cfc-ca.org
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