Are you interested in learning more about what makes your tween or teen tick? Would you like the opportunity to interact with other parents who have some of the same challenges and questions as you do? Check out myparenthetical.com, an online site offered by the University of Wisconsin-Madison/Extension for parents of children between the ages of 10-16. Parenthetical is a combination website, blog and social network. The site provides information and discussion on a range of topics of interest to parents with children in their emerging teen years as well as opportunities for support from other parents experiencing many of the same needs and issues. Posts include subjects like parent-child conflict, discipline and limit setting, middle school romantic and peer relationships, the challenges of school achievement and much more. Parenthetical is available online 24/7 and parents can participate from any web-accessible device. Go to myparenthetical.com to learn more.

Announcing a new opportunity to learn and connect with other home visiting program supervisors!

How would you like the opportunity to earn 1 Continuing Education Unit (CEU) while learning and connecting with other home visiting program supervisors? Zero to Three recently launched a new way for people working in early childhood related professions to earn up to 1 full CEU for passing an assessment after reading a selected journal. We will be partnering with Zero to Three to bring this to Wisconsin Home Visiting Program Supervisors in a ‘virtual book club’ format at no cost to participants. We will have article discussions every other month starting in March via teleconference to explore the content of the selected Zero to Three Journal and how they apply to our work. After reading the articles and participating in discussion, participants can complete the assessment and upon passing will receive 1 full CEU through the UW-Stout.

Supervisors must participate in 4 to 5 sessions to the Continuing Educations costs covered through this offering.

Earn: 1 CEU at the end of the series. One CEU is worth 10 training hours.

Registration: First 30 people to register will have the cost covered. Others may participate but there will be a cost of $40.00 Please register through the following link http://www.surveymonkey.com/s/2LDYLWP (click ctrl and the link to register)

Topics/ Articles the group will explore: 

• Helping Parents Cope with Trauma: A Journey Towards Healing
• Child-Parent Psychotherapy and Traumatic Exposure to Violence
• Forging a Healthier Path: A Multidisciplinary Team Approach to Reducing Risk and Improving Child Outcomes
• Fighting Fires with Reflective Supervision in a State Early Intervention System: Trading an Axe for Mr. Rogers’ Slippers
• Peers Helping Peers in the Face of Trauma and Developmental Challenge: The Relationships for Growth & Learning Program

Did you know your childhood experiences affect your health today and tomorrow? The Adverse Childhood Experiences (ACEs) Study – probably the most important public health study you never heard of – takes a comprehensive look at potential physical health outcomes of adverse childhood experiences on us, as adults. There are 10 types of childhood trauma measured in the ACE Study. Five are personal — physical abuse, verbal abuse, sexual abuse, physical neglect, and emotional neglect. Five are related to a child’s experience in their family: an alcoholic parent, a mother who’s a victim of domestic violence, a family member in jail, a family member diagnosed with a mental illness, and the disappearance of a parent through divorce, death or abandonment. Children are resilient, but often need extra assistance, making early childhood supports like quality early care and education, parent support services and home visitation programs critical.  As parents, adults in the life of a child, and professionals, we do make a significant impact on the health and development of our children and their futures  . . .  our shared futures.

 Read the ACEs study and be amazed by the impact of ACEs – - – we were!

 Experiences Build Brain Structure

Serve and Return Interaction Shapes Brain Circuitry

Toxic Stress Derails Healthy Development

• Promote Social-Emotional Well-Being: On this page you’ll find basic tips for supporting children’s positive mental health and helpful links for more information.
• Energize Your Community: This page lists concrete activities that will help you develop a new project or adapt an existing project or event in your community that promotes positive mental health
• Maximize Your Impact: This page includes the following advocacy information to support your community’s efforts to promote positive children’s mental health:
  • The Difference Between Advocacy and Lobbying
  • Tips for Meeting with a Policymaker
  • Tips for Writing to a Policymaker
  • Tips for Working with the Media
• Support Families: This page provides a template for communities to use and customize based on their individual resources. It is not a resource guide, but a short list of resources portals/gateways where families and others can go to ask questions and find resources.

Want to be an advocate? We encourage the use of the Frameworks resources on communicating about Children’s Mental Health. Thier resources can be accessed at http://www.frameworksinstitute.org/toolkits/cmh/

For more information and other resources, visit SFTA digest. There is also a newsletter available for your use. 

This fall (2011) Milwaukee County Cooperative Extension developed a professional development needs assessment survey to gain an understanding of the training needs and competencies of home visitors and home visiting supervisors throughout Wisconsin. The survey addressed training related to specific screening and data collection tools; assessed utilization of current training opportunities for home visitors; and explored potential training topics related to infant mental health competencies. The results of these surveys will be used to guide the development of training infrastructure for home visiting programs, including planning of training events and conferences. The results will also serve to inform statewide professional development systems and training through technical assistance and coaching.

To view the result summaries, please use the links - home visitors and home visiting supervisors.

To learn more abut the Home Visitation program at Milwaukee County Cooperative Extension, visit our Home Visitation page. For a listing of our upcoming trainings, visit our Upcoming Trainings page. Click on the link for information on the programs offered by the Family Living Department.

In an updated policy statement and technical report, the AAP is expanding its guidelines on safe sleep for babies, with additional information for parents on creating a safe environment for their babies to sleep.

Please use this link to read more information regarding the new safe sleep guidelines from the American Academy of Pediatrics.

HRSA’s Maternal and Child Health Bureau is also preparing a web page on the www.sidscenter.org website specifically to compile resources related to the release of the recommendations.

Some of the perks included in the Free Membership Program are free museum admission, invitations to museum events, subscriptions to the newsletter, and much more.

Check out the Betty Brinn Children’s Museum Free Membership Program webpage to learn more about this great opportunity and to find out if you and your family qualifies.

You can view and print most of these publications from:  learningstore.uwex.edu

Publication topics include:

-Education
-Family Impact Seminars
-Food and Nutrition
-Local Food
-Housing and Home Environment
-Money
-Older Adults
-Parenting and Grandparenting
-Publications En Español

For more information, call us at (414) 256-4600.

A Week of No Television

Take the challenge. Turn off your television for a week and, instead, try the following activities:

For more information visit:  http://www.turnoffyourtv.com/turnoffweek/TV.turnoff.week.html

1. Volunteer in a school to teach reading, math, computer skills.
2. Learn to play the guitar or other musical instrument.
3. Attend community concerts.
4. Organize a community clean-up.
5. Put together a puzzle.
6. Visit the library. Borrow a book. Attend library activities.
7. Go ice skating or roller skating.
8. Listen to the radio.
9. Visit the zoo.
10. Paint a picture, a mural or a room.
11. Attend a high school sporting event.
12. Find out about your area’s community center or park’s activities.
13. Go swimming. Join a community swim team.
14. Read a book aloud to your younger sister/brother.
15. Plan a picnic or barbecue.
16. Go bird watching.
17. Volunteer for a community organization or charity.
18. Play with your pet.
19. Go dancing.
20. Write a letter to a friend or relative.
21. Learn to cook.
22. Plant a flower, vegetable or herb garden.
23. Read magazines or newspapers.
24. Plan a slumber party.
25. Start a neighborhood basketball, soccer, or kickball game.
26. Go camping (even if it’s just in the backyard!).
27. Join a choir.
28. Go through your closets and clothes. Donate surplus items to Goodwill, the Salvation Army or a local rummage sale.
29. Start a diary/journal.
30. Go to a museum.
31. Take a nature hike. Collect seeds and leaves. Make a collage with the materials you collected and post it on the refrigerator.
32. Play cards.
33. Start a community exercise group that power walks, runs, or bikes.
34. Read a story to your younger brother or sister.
35. Get out the family photo album. Research your family history.
36. Go listen to a local band.
37. Make crafts to give as gifts.
38. Make up a story and write it down.
39. Learn to say simple phrases in a few different languages.
40. Ask an older family member to tell you a story about his or her childhood. Write about it.
41. Learn some new riddles or jokes.
42. Bake two batches of cookies; one for your family and one for a neighbor.
43. Watch the night sky through binoculars; identify the different constellations. Observe the moon.
44. Visit a local bookstore.
45. Go to a movie with your family or friends.
46. Walk to work or school.
47. Start a kids bowling league.
48. Train for a 5K race.
49. Teach a neighbor about a computer program.
50. Go fishing.
51. Begin a family project.
52. HAVE A PARTY TO CELEBRATE A TV-FREE WEEK.