Events & Updates - Young Scholars Academy

Sleeping Through The Night

June 9, 2020 by Young Scholars Academy Leave a Comment

When my oldest son was 9 months old, I took him to his well baby check. His pediatrician asked the basic questions, checked Cameron out, then asked the dreaded question, “is he sleeping through the night?” I knew this was some sort of expectation, but Cameron was nowhere near. I told the pediatrician no, and listened as he told me I needed to let Cameron cry it out and teach him how to sleep longer. My heart was racing, but I went home and shared the information with my husband. That night when Cameron woke up the first time, we waited as he cried. It was heart breaking. I didn’t last very long before my mommy instinct told me to go cuddle and nurse my baby. And I’m so glad I did. What I know now that I didn’t know then is that sleep is developmental, 9 months is a tough time for sleep, and a 5 hour stretch is considered “sleeping through the night.”

Before I dive right in I’m going to say that I know everyone parents the best they can, with the best intentions for their children. This is definitely not about shaming or putting down a certain technique. It’s simply information that made my life a lot easier when my boys were babies and that influences how I care for the babies I’m with every day.

When we learned that letting Cameron cry himself to sleep wasn’t going to work for our family, I found myself wanting to know more. Why was it so important that babies sleep all night? I don’t sleep all night! How are babies supposed to learn to self-soothe if they aren’t able to trust the very adults caring for them? Why is slef-soothing even an expectation for a tiny human who can’t talk? I know I have a hard time calming down sometimes, and I have quite a few tools in my arsenal to help me do it. Somewhere along the line, society decided that babies needed to be seen and not heard. Expectations were placed upon them that most grown adults can’t even meet. There are all sorts of parenting books on the market that support strict scheduling for babies, only feeding at certain times, letting babies cry, and the big one, not spoiling your baby.

The sad truth is that a lot of this information has been linked to infant dehydration and failure to thrive, damaged neurons in our infants’ brains, and an overall lack of trust between infant and adult. Babies are born with 100 billion neurons. (Yes, that many!) During their first 3 years, synapses, or connections, between those neurons are made. From birth to age 3, the number of synapses per neuron grows from 2500 to 15000! This is why early childhood is such an important time in a child’s life. Babies have specific periods where synapses are made at higher speeds. I personally discovered The Wonder Weeks when Cameron was around 10 months old, and I wish I had sooner. The Wonder Weeks are specific periods of rapid brain development, usually marked by extra fussiness, more frequent sleep interruptions, and the need for more cuddles. For me, it was helpful to know what was going on and why.

Early stimulation sets the stage for how children will learn and interact with others throughout life. A baby’s experiences, good or bad, all play a part in the wiring of his brain. Loving interactions with caring adults strongly stimulate a child’s brain, causing synapses to grow and existing connections to get stronger. Connections that are used become permanent. If a child receives little stimulation early on, the synapses will not develop, and the brain will make fewer connections. This means that when a baby is responded to when crying and held and comforted, connections are made and strengthened in his or her brain. If you take anything away from that, it’s that you can’t spoil a baby! Hold your baby, feed your baby, play with your baby, whenever and however you can. You’re setting them up for success and not the other way around.

It doesn’t stop when they’re no longer infants either. My boys are 6 and 3 and I still respond to them as quickly and lovingly as I can. They both end up in our bed often. I write this as my 3 year old sleeps next to me! He was scared and knows that I’m a safe place. One day they won’t need this from me, but that will be on their own terms. No matter what happens in life, I think that’s one of the biggest parenting goals ever.

Ms. Amy
Infant Nursery Supervisor
Parent Connection Coordinator

5 Helpful Tips for Working from Home with a Toddler

May 13, 2020 by Young Scholars Academy Leave a Comment

One of the primary reasons why parents ditch the traditional office for a work from home set up is because the latter allows them to achieve the best of both worlds – the ability to spend more time with their kids while still generating income for the family. It’s like the ideal solution for every parent’s dilemma. Imagine being able to skip the commute, save on childcare expenses, work flexible hours, and so on and so forth.

But while working from home can seem like the dream to parents who are struggling on a daily basis, this arrangement also has its drawbacks. Separating personal responsibilities from work can be more difficult because there are more distractions. It also becomes harder to stay focused, especially when your toddler is around.

So how do you stay productive when working from home with a toddler? Read on for some helpful tips you might find handy!

Talk to your partner

If there’s one person who can help make your work from home journey bearable, it’s your spouse or partner. Take time to talk to your partner about how you both are going to handle this new set up. Communicate your needs and set proper expectations. Will you be working on a fixed schedule? Or does your job allow you to work flexible hours?

Discuss these things with your partner. Let them know what help you need and when you need them to help out, especially when it comes to taking care of your toddler. Agree on schedules and arrange how and when both of you will be available for taking the kids out for a while and other important house chores.

Start your day early

If you have kids and you want to be productive, especially during the workweek, the rule of thumb is to start your day early. Starting the day early allows you to accomplish as many things as you can while your toddler is still fast asleep.

Make it a habit to get up an hour or two earlier than your child does. This will allow you time to prepare breakfast, enjoy a hot cup of coffee and organize yourself so you can be ready for the rest of your workday.

Make the most of nap time

Naptime is an essential part of every toddler’s daily routine as it plays an important role in their health and development. And because you’re now working from home, enforcing a nap time each day is even more crucial.

While your toddler takes a nap, you have to yourself about 2 to 3 hours of uninterrupted time to work. During these hours, you can focus on completing projects and tasks that require your full attention. Take advantage of these hours to get important work done. Also, be sure to fight the urge to spend these hours for other stuff like cleaning the house or putting things in order. These things can wait until later when your workday is finally over.

Create your own workspace

Another excellent way to stay productive when working from home with a toddler is having your own dedicated workspace. Having your own workstation or desk can help you manage interruptions so you focus on your work.

Find a quiet spot around the house which you can convert into a workstation or home office. It can be as simple as a desk or table with a comfy chair where you can work peacefully throughout the day. Also consider setting up a separate desk for your toddler. Give them their own space while they get busy with their toys and activities.

Encourage your toddler to play independently

Not only is independent play helpful to your toddler’s growth and development but it’s also an excellent way to keep your child busy while you get important things done.

Create a “boredom box” for your little one. This box can contain a variety of activities and toys enough to keep them occupied when they’re bored or can’t find something to keep them entertained.

To many people, doing work remotely is like living the dream but it’s not always the ideal situation when you work from home with a toddler. Use these tips to help you navigate your work from home journey smoothly and stress-free.

For more helpful parenting resources or if you’re looking for the best childcare center for your toddler, please feel free to visit Young Scholars Academy.

Caring for the Earth

May 6, 2020 by Young Scholars Academy Leave a Comment

I’m an Air Force brat. I spent most of my formative years in The Netherlands and Germany and we had this channel called AFN (Armed Forces Network) where they featured these cool PSA commercials. One in particular has stuck with me to this day. It shows a child turning on the water and starting to brush his teeth and pans out showing a fish in a pond near the house. The water in the pond is slowly going down the longer the water faucet is on. The fish grabs a phone and calls the child, asking him to turn off the water, right before the fish runs out of water. Simple right? The lesson is easy; turn off the water while brushing your teeth and you’ll save water and help the fish. I’m 32 years old and that PSA is burned into my brain.

This is really how easy it can be to teach children about conservation, sustainability, and even recycling. It couldn’t be more important now, with everyone being stuck at home and worrying about necessities such as toilet paper, disinfectant wipes, and paper towels. I had so much planned for April because Earth Day is this month, but had to get crafty and focus inward on how we can start at home. Bring your kiddos in on a plan to help the planet. Clean up trash outside, try to reduce waste within your household, and make decisions that will help the earth, not hurt.

One thing I feel like I have to remind my boys about a lot is turning off the lights. They’re 3 and 6 so it’s not a top priority when they leave a room. Coming up with fun rhymes or sayings like, “it’s alright, turn off the light” are super simple and easy for young children to remember. It can be difficult to explain to a young child why we need to even worry about it, so making the Earth into a being rather than an object can be helpful. For example, we need to turn off the lights so we don’t use up all of the Earth’s energy and make her tired.

Teaching sustainability can be really fun if you go at it the right way. Our 6 year old had been using so much toilet paper that he was clogging the toilet. I mean, this is a problem at any time, but even more so now with the toilet paper shortage! We had to put a stop to that. Putting lines of tape under the toilet paper roll to let them know where to stop for a #1 and #2 puts them in control. They’re given the boundary and it’s easy to follow. (Plus, they’re counting and measuring!) Even further than that, your child can help find ways to ditch disposable products and find ones you can reuse. Some examples of this we have in my house are cloth diapers, cloth wipes, reusable sandwich bags, stainless steel straws, “unpaper” towels, and reusable shopping bags. Not every option will work for every family, but you’d be surprised what children can come up with if you ask them.

Teaching recycling is probably my favorite. It’s so much more than that because it makes it into a sorting game, there’s patterning, matching, and a massive creative side. The fun activity in our house lately is making Minecraft objects. Our 6 year old draws and colors on graph paper, we glue it to cardboard from the inevitable Amazon box we have, and he has a cool new toy to play with. It puts that cardboard back to use instead of right back in the trash. So many things in your house can be used that way. An empty disinfectant wipes bottle and some ball pit balls create and awesome fine motor activity for infants and toddlers. A paper towel roll taped to the wall creates a cool tunnel for a matchbox car or even straws. Cut a slit in the lid of just about any plastic container to drop playing cards in. Kids even love taking full size grocery items and using them in the play kitchens. You name it, macaroni and cheese boxes, empty spice bottles, plastic condiment bottles.

The point is, there is so much we can do by modeling and teaching our children to love and care for the Earth. Earth Day is April 22nd, so I challenge you to find something new to do as a family, no matter how small or crazy, to give back to the Earth even beyond Earth Day.

-Ms. Amy
Infant Nursery Supervisor
Parent Connection Coordinator

May 6, 2020 by Young Scholars Academy Leave a Comment

During stressful times it can cause your preschooler to act out or not be themselves. When we feel stress as parents our babies can feel that and most of the time will not understand or have a hard time finding words for emotions they feel. During this time at home I had my preschooler journal almost daily. I made the prompts very simple for him, explained different emotions as we went on, and made other fun activities to practice fine motor skills within his journal. This is a super easy thing to implement in your home, it can be fun for them and many great conversations can come from having your preschooler journal.

Start by getting a notebook, markers, pencils, stickers, bingo dotters, and any other fun writing items you may have at home. Having your kiddo decorate and write their name on the cover is a great way for them to take ownership and feel connected to their journal. One of the daily prompts I gave him was to draw something that made him sad and happy. It was really interesting to see what was on his mind daily. We were able to have good conversations about things that were bothering him and things that excited him. Depending on the age of your child, you could have them write along with their drawings, even if they are not getting the words all correct. This is also a wonderful way to include additional writing practice which will help them become more advanced in their writing abilities and gain stronger fine motor skills. I also introduced more advanced feelings of worried, excited, scared, and silly. I would also share my feelings of the emotions we were discussing in order for him to see that mom feels these things too. Take the time to really listen during this part of journaling, make it meaningful and fun!

I also included other fine motor and writing activities in his journal to keep him busy and have fun. Some other ways to practice these skills are having your child practice writing numbers and letters on their own or tracing. We would pretend he was taking my order; I would call out numbers, he would practice writing as if he were making a ticket. It was a fun way to make a game out of his journal writing. If your child is not ready to write on their own, find a highlighter or marker to trace out the numbers/letters for them.

Another fun activity we did was a sticker map. I made a wavy line for him to peel and place stickers on the line. We added a dot for the start and an X for the finish. Along the way we drew in small pictures to make it more like a map. He really loved this idea and had a lot of fun placing the stickers on the line. We usually give him small packs of stickers on holidays, such as in his stocking or with his Easter basket. I store them all in a pencil pouch which is handy to have and is easy to find and store.

Having a journal for your kiddo to have a space of their own to express their feeling is something I really recommend at least trying! We also do journals like this at YSA once they reach the preschool level. So having an even deeper connection from school to home will be beneficial! I love saving them for him when he gets older too. It is an amazing way to connect and see progress in your child in such a fun way!

-Ms. Whitney
Lead Pre-Kindergarten Teacher
Curriculum Coordinator

https://youngscholarsacademycolorado.com/5135-2/

7 Tips to Protect Your Family from Hospital Acquired Infections

April 22, 2020 by Young Scholars Academy Leave a Comment

When you or any of your family members is injured or becomes seriously ill, you go to the hospital. A hospital is a place where people go to get healed and saved. The last thing you would expect is how a hospital can also be a reason for your sickness.

Hospitals are a breeding ground for infections and many of these infections are becoming resistant to antibiotics. This is true even in good hospitals. This is why you should never be complacent. You have to be alert when you bring your kids and family to the hospital.

Learn how to keep yourself and your family protected from hospital-acquired infections by following these tips.

Take time to do some research about the hospital

Emergencies are inevitable and when they happen, people usually don’t have the luxury to select the hospital they prefer. They’d proceed to whichever is the nearest.

However, if time permits, it’s best to be familiar with the hospitals that have excellent practices in terms of cleanliness and sanitation. Use the internet to check nearby hospitals’ track records and hospital ratings.

If there’s a need to be admitted, check if your insurance policy will cover the cost for a private room. This will help reduce the risk of acquiring infections from other patients.

Follow regular and proper handwashing

Frequent hand washing remains one of the best ways to reduce the risk of infection. This is a very simple step and yet it is also often overlooked. Make it a habit to wash your hands with soap and water for at least 20 seconds. Rub them thoroughly with soap and rinse well to get rid of germs and sickness-causing bacteria. Make your child and the rest of the family do the same.

Keep your hands off of your face

Hospitals do their best to maintain cleanliness and sanitation. However, germs and viruses are still present everywhere. From simple flu to chronic ones like pneumonia and other communicable diseases, patients come in and out of the hospital to get treatment for various illnesses. Some of those germs will inevitably be spread so be mindful of the surfaces you touch.

Keep your surroundings clean

In cases when you or any of your family members need to be confined in the hospital for treatment, be sure to keep your room and your surroundings clean. Disinfect the doorknobs, bed rails, and other things that may harbor bacteria. Also, don’t hesitate to request for room cleaning services if you feel the need for it.

Keep wounds covered

Open wounds are prone to bacterial exposure that could further result in infections. Therefore, make sure that wounds are properly covered to avoid infection and decrease exposure to germs.

Some hospitals have also adopted new techniques in keeping wounds covered for weeks without the need to open it. Waterproof dressings as well as skin glue are being used, instead of the traditional staples so that cover can stay on for one to three weeks.

Take antibiotics as prescribed and needed

If your doctor prescribes antibiotics, be sure to take them according to the prescription. Stick to your doctor’s instructions in terms of dosage and schedule. Don’t take more than is required or stop simply because you feel better. Otherwise, it will increase your resistance to other infections.

Be mindful of the objects and surfaces you touch

Whether you’re getting treatment in the hospital for yourself or a family member, always be mindful of the surfaces and objects you lay your hands on. If there’s anything that says don’t touch, then don’t touch. A lot of areas and spots around the hospital harbor bacteria and viruses which you can easily acquire if you’re not careful.

Make sure your child and the rest of your family follow the same precaution. Don’t take a chance on catching other illnesses because you keep touching stuff.

People get sick. It’s a reality of life. However, there are things we can do to reduce the risk of sickness and infections. Follow these tips and take the necessary precautions to keep yourself and your loved ones protected against hospital acquired infections.

For more helpful parenting resources or if you’re looking for a good quality early childhood education, please feel free to visit Young Scholars Academy.