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Spring 2002 NEWSLETTER

Brain Development

The Importance of the First Three years

Thanks to new technologies and research, scientists have discovered that a child's brain grows to ninety percent of its adult capacity within the first three years of life, and that brain patterns created during these early years affect individuals throughout their lives. The latest discoveries demonstrate the importance of parents and caregivers providing a baby with the positive experiences that cause healthy development of the brain.

The Latest Brain Research:

At birth, a baby's brain has about 100 billion nerve cells. But the cells have not yet formed the critical connections that determine an individual's emotional, social and intellectual make-up. Most of this 'wiring'develops between the ages of 0 to 3.

Brain cells are continually sending and receiving signals from other cells. These signals, in the form of electrical impulses, travel down the length of the nerve cell. With the help of special chemicals (like serotonin) they travel from cell to cell, creating connections. These connections are nourished and strengthened by the repeated activation of networks of neurons in the brain. And scientists have determined that activation is largely due to mental and physical stimulation from the outside world-meaning from parents and caregivers. Repeated activation of these brain cells is essential to the healthy building and development of the brain.

By the time a baby is three, s/he will have formed about 1000 trillion connections - about twice as many as adults have. A baby's brain is super-dense, and will stay that way for the first decade of life. Then, starting around age 11, a child's brain begins eliminating connections that are rarely used, making order out of its thick tangle of 'wires.' The circuitry it ends up with is more powerful and efficient.

The Importance of Good Care Giving:

This brain research has led scientists to believe that the kind of care giving a child receives has an even greater effect on brain development than previously suspected. The brain's networks develop in response to what goes on around them. Repeated, positive experiences like singing, cooing, touching, holding, talking and reading are essential expressions of love that affect the way a child's brain forms connections.

Parents are a baby's first teachers and deeply affect the wiring of the brain. By providing warm, responsive care, a parent strengthens the biological systems that help a child handle his/her emotions. Research has illustrated that if a child receives warm, and responsive care by talking, reading and playing, it can help his/her brain develop to its full potential. However, if a child is abused or neglected, problems may develop that can persist a lifetime.

The latest discoveries also underscore the importance of high quality child care, routine health care, and intervention efforts for children at risk. Children need experiences with caregivers who are sensitive to their emotional and physical needs.

Some Tips for Care Givers

1. Be warm and caring.

Children experience relationships through their senses. Through warm and caring interactions, such as touching, rocking, smiling, singing and talking, young children feel safe and secure with their caregivers. Touch is especially important because it stimulates the brain to release growth hormones.

2. Be responsive to the child's sounds, expressions and movements.

Infants cannot use words to express themselves; therefore, they feel secure and loved when they are responded to in other ways. They begin to trust that when they cry they will be comforted, when they are hungry they will be fed, and when they smile and laugh they will be played with.

3. Talk, read and sing to children.

Making up stories, singing songs, and describing things to children encourages speech and language capacity to grow, even if a child can't understand the meaning of the words. Researchers have found that when carers frequently spoke to infants, they learned almost 300 more words by age 2 than their peers whose carers rarely spoke to them. Studies also find that how you read to older children makes a difference. By encouraging participation, such as asking questions, pointing out pictures and predicting outcomes, children's brains are even more stimulated and challenged.

4. Establish routines and rituals.

Daily routines and rituals are reassuring for children. They help children learn what to expect and how to understand the world around them. For example, a toddler may know it is sleep time because her carer closes the curtains and sings a song. Children who have safe and predictable interactions and activities have been found to do better in school later on.

5. Encourage curiosity, safe exploration and play.

Interactions between a carer and child forms the basis for all subsequent learning and growing. As infants begin to crawl and walk, they begin to explore the world beyond their caregivers. Carers should encourage safe exploration and play, and be receptive when a child needs to return to them for security. Play is recognised as an important opportunity for children to learn and explore.

Helping Children Deal With Differences

National Network for Child Care's Connections Newsletter
Marilyn Brink, M.Ed., ECE District Supervisor/Trainer
Two Rivers Head Start, St. Charles, Illinois

When noted kindergarten teacher Vivian Paley and her students from the University of Chicago lab school adopted a new classroom rule: You can't say 'you can't play,' they realized that's not how things worked in the real world. They began to see that whether or not you could play often depended on how you looked or whether you were different. So Paley and her students decided to try to make their classroom 'nicer' than the real world.

All children learn very early what adults around them value. Between the ages of 2 and 5, children are becoming aware of gender, race, ethnicity, and disabilities (Neugebauer, 1992). They can see how we feel about people who are different from us. And our feelings gradually begin to influence their feelings. Children do what we do, not what we tell them to do.

We need to become aware of our own attitudes. Ana Consuelo Matiella encourages us to give children an environment in which they can begin to learn about differences. Our goal in this type of environment is for children to develop fairness and tolerance for differences and to learn to challenge unfair treatment of others.

For the longest time, in our efforts to be fair, we have tried to treat all children alike. 'I don't even notice Kiki's colour,' her caregiver claims. Louise Derman-Sparks calls this the colour-blind approach. She says that people who deny differences mean well. They are trying to counter bigotry by saying we are all alike under our skin. But this approach defines being different as something negative. When we deny a child's differences, we ignore his uniqueness.

Because children form identity and self-concept during this sensitive period of development, we must answer their questions honestly and factually. We must take the time to challenge distorted thinking, which is actually preprejudice (York, 1991). Young children watch their parents and teachers to see how they react to prejudicial ideas and comments. Our responses greatly affect the ideas that they will form.

Preschool children are naturally curious about the world, and they have questions about specific things that they notice. Questions about physical, gender, ethnic, or racial differences may be difficult for some adults to answer. But the way we answer will influence the child who is concluding that something is 'wrong' with a person who is different.

Elizabeth Cary, author of 'Talking about Differences Children Notice,' gives some guidelines for responding to awkward questions. Children are more comfortable with differences when they understand why people are different.

Respond Promptly

If possible, answer questions as soon as children ask them. If you ignore questions, children may decide that there is something wrong about the question or the person the question concerns. Children learn not to ask questions that make people uncomfortable. Prejudice often begins when children develop misconceptions based on their limited experiences.

Give Simple Answers

Answers should be simple and relate to a child's experience and level of development. If a child asks, 'Why is that man so dark?,' you can say simply, 'He is dark because his mother and/or father is dark. You have blond hair just like your mother.'

Model respectful behavior, both verbally and nonverbally

Many people were taught as children not to stare. They were taught so well that they avoid looking at people with disabilities at all.

Acknowledge Children's Fears

Some children are afraid of the unknown. They may have wrong ideas about people who are different. They may be suspicious of unusual people and resist the new and different. Fears should be accepted, and children should be offered help to deal with their fears. Helpful responses acknowledge the child's feelings. You might say, 'You're scared of the man without legs.' Then give the child the tools and experiences to help her deal with her fear.

Introduce Differences Through Books

It can be less threatening for some children to meet people who are different first in a book. Issues surrounding differences can be discussed in terms of the characters in the book. Then you can broaden the discussion to include children in the group or people in the community.

It is important for adults to be sensitive to the unasked questions as well (Cary, 1992). If you sense that a child is confused or uneasy, try to verbalize those feelings for him. Get feelings out in the open so you can talk about them.

Remember, though, that actions speak louder than words. So we must be especially careful about how our actions shape the values that children learn as they encounter the people in their world. If we don't act, they will learn by default the messages that are all too prevalent in the world. And we'll find ourselves perpetuating ideas that we really do not want to pass on to our children.

Practical solutions to practically every problem

Steffen Saifer's Practical Solutions to Practically every problem: The Early Childhood Teacher's Manual, reinforces what many of us have come to believe in the early childhood industry. ie there are universal child care issues that challenge all professionals in the demanding task of caring for young children.

This Australian edition focuses on the 0-5 age group and presents 'problems' and 'solutions' in an Australian context. We have placed particular emphasis on the inclusion of references that are written by Australians or at least are easily accessible in Australia. The Australian edition is a valuable addition to any resource library.

As there are so many practical solutions in the book, we have chosen two to publish for you in this edition of the training newsletter.

BITING

The frustrations of Biting:

Children who bite usually do so because they are frustrated or angry. Typically, they want a toy or a privilege that another child has and bite less out of aggression towards the other child than as a way to get what they want. They often act quickly and impulsively to you, or immature to think through other choices. The age when biting is most frequent is between thirteen and twenty-four months. Some children bite because their language skills are not good enough to say what they want. Teething can also be a cause of biting, but is much less common. Frustrations due to overcrowding and too many children and/or adults in one group can lead to biting as well.

Preventing problems

• Have multiples (at lease two) of each toy for toddlers. (this prevents disputes over particular toys, which causes frustration.) Make sure you have an ample supply of experiences that are interesting to toddlers.

• Create a setting with few frustrations by doing the following: Give children easy access to many materials, set clear limits but few absolute requirements, offer a great deal of time for free choice, set regular routines, and provide flexible routines and activities.

• Attend to the teething needs of toddlers through use of teething rings and other safe, soothing things to bite on.

• Provide many ways for children to express their feelings and frustrations by providing toys to pound, nails to hammer, clay or play dough to mould, sand and water play to experiment with, and beanbags to throw at a target. Provide ample time and space for gross motor play outdoors.

• Help children calm themselves down when they are upset. Remember that children often know what activities will calm them down. If not, you can suggest that they listen to music, look at a book, sing, talk, draw or ask to be held.

• Help children express their feeling with words (vocalisations for very young children.) Interpret their words to other children for them if necessary: 'Rosa, Sara is saying ‘Me, Me' she is telling you she would like a turn'

• Provide a great deal of individual attention and affection. Some children bite out of the frustration of feeling 'invisible'.

• Toddlers are often too young to connect the negative consequences (separation from other children, anger from an adult, and so on) with the biting that preceded it. That is why any type of punishment rarely works. Instead, comfort the child who has been bitten and say in a sharp voice to the biter, 'That hurts' Use a stern face so she will know that you disapprove.

• Watch the child who bites carefully to determine what, if anything causes this behaviour. Check for times of the day, interactions with certain other children, or particular situations. If at all possible, catch the child just before she is going to bite. Stop her and say in a sharp voice, 'That would hurt' If the biting was not provoked or connected to a frustrating situation, give her a teething ring to bite on. Move her quickly away from other children and give her an engaging toy.

• If the biting was about to occur because of a frustrating situation, such as a toy being grabbed from her, help the child to vocalise her needs: 'Use your voice' or 'Tell him what you want' Help her practice vocalising her need. Then help resolve the dispute by doing one of the following things: give the child who grabbed the toy away another toy, set a timer for turns, present a toy they can use together, or give the two children two different toys. Remember that even screaming when frustrated is far preferable to biting. Encourage the child whenever she vocalises and doesn't bite: 'Using words is a great way to get what you want.' Work on the screaming to gradually reduce the volume and ultimately to have her use actual words.

• Make changes in you routines. If biting happens most often close to lunchtime, make sure the child has a midmorning snack to ward off hunger or have lunch a little earlier.

• In extreme cases, you may have to ask the child's parents to take her out of the program for a period of time and to put her in another type of setting. Note that some children do not thrive in a large group setting and may stop biting when attending a program with fewer children.

• The solution to biting, unfortunately, usually involves very careful, persistent, and tireless observation of the child who bites, something that is difficult for carers to do with other children and activities to attend to. A carer must be able to step in as soon as she sees any signs of frustration. The more staff in a room, the easier the task will be. Volunteers can be a big help in such cases.

Practical solutions for practically every problem

CLINGY AND DEPENDENT CHILDREN

Clingy and dependent behaviours are normal for children who are new to a program or who are going through a difficult change. However, some children are clingy and dependent because they have learned that it gets them what they want. In either case indulging the behaviours is not helpful to the child. The ideas in this section will help you to be supportive without being indulgent, and to balance the needs of the clingy and dependent child with the needs of the rest of your group.

Preventing Problems

• Provide a wide variety of fun, active, hands-on activities. Give the child plenty of time to make choices from those activities.

• Move around the playroom during free choice time. Spend some time with each of the children by spending more time with those who have greater needs.

• Reduce the children's insecurities by letting them make choices and have control, by setting a predictable routine and by helping them keep track of this routine.

• Meet children's individual needs as much as possible because this will reduce insecurities.

• Promote responsible, age appropriate behaviour by teaching the children self-help skills and by giving them many jobs, access to sponges and materials to clean up after themselves, and easy ways to put away materials when finished using them.

• Try to find out who the child is clingy or dependent to. Are there family changes, such as a new baby, a recent move, a parent's illness, or a recent death?

Dealing with existing problems

• If the child is facing temporary difficult changes in his life, give him extra attention and affection for a while. Ask him to request this attention in acceptable ways, such as by using words. Let the child know that you are giving him extra support temporarily.

• Put a strict limit on the amount of time the child can spend by your side. Set a timer and say, 'In two minutes I will give you a hug and help you find a place to play.'

• Create a simple system for taking turns for children who would like to sit next to you at a meal or during group time. Post a list of the children's names (have them write their own if they are able) and have them cross off their names when they have had a turn. (This is a concrete way for those children to know that they will get to be near you, to visibly see when that will be and to know that the system is equitable.)

• Don't reinforce the child's dependency by hugging or holding him too much. Give him very little attention when he is clinging and physically guide him to an area in which he can play. Don't push or drag him, as this will only increase his insecurity. Give him positive feedback when he is playing away from you.

• Engage him in a game or a more social positive interaction with you. Tell the clingy child, 'Sit (or stand) across from me. That way I can see your handsome face and hear you better.' Guide him across from you. Play with table toys or do a boards game together. Move away when other children join or when the child is happily playing on his own.

• Guide him and another child to an activity that is specifically designed for two, such as a board game.

• Meet with the child's parents to discuss together possible causes of the problem and ways to deal with this. Suggest that they arrange to have their child spend time outside of group with a child from the group. (This usually establishes friendships and will give the child an incentive to move away from you and play with another child.)

Competency Packages

Competency Packages are the packages that One World has developed as the theory behind the skill you demonstrate on the job. Remembering that each competency must be achieved both in theory and in practice at your work place before you are competent and completed each competency.

You may have noticed that some packages do not have any written assignments in them. This is to give you the opportunity to read through the theories, strategies and suggestions and implement these throughout your day whilst working at your centres.

We believe that competencies such as 'Communicating with Children' do not require a written assessment, as trainers can assess how you communicate with children by observing you in the room. It is however vital that you read each package in its entirety. The activities and self help questions give you the knowledge to implement strategies with the children.

At times trainers have asked participants to re read packages if the strategies documented in the packages are not being observed during observation visits. Particularly the Communicating with Children package, where it discusses important issues such as using positive language with the children and setting appropriate limits.

Competency packages that do require you to complete written assessments are printed on the coloured pages at the end of each package. (unless there is a printing error!) Ensure that you only complete the assessments that are relevant to your particular training program. For example the competency package may contain information for both a Certificate III and Certificate IV qualification, yet each certificate level may have varied assignments. Please check with trainers if you are unsure which assessments belong to you.

We have endeavoured to use a number of different resources to support your individual learning styles. One World supply you with a range of different resource books. Books that we have developed and books that we purchase. All reading resources are supplied to you and are included as part of your enrolment fee. Please note that If you lose any text books or packages, you will be charged for copies to be re sent to you, based on the individual costs of books.

Each resource that you receive will assist you in building up your own professional library. This enables you to use the packages as resources beyond your training time.

A Snippet from our recipe book... Slime

Materials:

• Small soap pieces

• Grater

• Warm water

• Large bowl/tub

Procedure:

Grate soap pieces into large bowl/tub. Depending on the quantity that you wish to make, allow for about one quarter of the bowl/tub that you are using to be filled with the soap flakes. Don't worry if you have a few larger pieces of soap as these will dissolve.

Add the warm water to the soap flakes. Enough water to just cover the soap flakes.

Use your hands to mix the mixture as this will help with the soap dissolving.

This should be left over night to gain its full effect.

The mixture becomes more slimy as the days proceed, and as the children play with the slime.

You may include some egg beaters for the children to play with, as this will fluff up the soap mixture.

• Please note that Lux flakes from the supermarket may also be used if you don't have time to grate up small soap pieces.

Feeling Frazzled?

Try these tips to ease your stress in a healthy way:

RELAX CREATIVELY

Take time to do something you really enjoy, or learn the art of loafing. If you set aside time to relax, don't let ANYTHING interfere; even worrying about what you're not doing.

ACCEPT WHAT YOU CAN'T CHANGE

Some circumstances are beyond our control. Accept realistic expectations and go about achieving them, with assistance if needed. Recognize your own limitations and the limitations of others.

LEARN TO SAY NO

'No' is such a small word but so hard to say. Set priorities, for yourself. What is most important to you? Setting priorities makes it easier to say 'NO' to the unimportant things in life.

WORK OFF TENSIONS

Try a physical activity like walking, playing a game of tennis, gardening, chopping wood, or playing the piano.

LIKE YOURSELF

You are a unique individual. Respect your abilities. Recognize your needs; forgive your errors.

TREAT YOURSELF TO ENOUGH SLEEP

Know how many hours you need. Is it 6, 8, or even 10? Having enough sleep regularly will help to give you a refreshed energetic outlook on life.

WHY ADULTS LOSE CONTROL

The four most common adult temper triggers are:

1. A child reminds us of our own parents' taboos. For instance: Kids shouldn't call adults names; responsible people pick up after themselves.

2. A child counters our expectation of what is appropriate. For instance: Six-year-olds should be able to sit through meals.

3. A child doesn't appreciate our hard-won control. For instance: 'I could be yelling, but I'm being reasonable.'

4. A child crowds our adult needs - for time alone, for down time.

GETTING TO YES

We each have an Achilles' heel, a vulnerable place that children quickly find - not to torment us, but rather to find out where the limits of their safety and power reside.

To handle problem situations well, first try to learn your own particular patterns of response. Once you know that a given situation always upsets you, you can try to avoid it. You can leave the room, call a friend, or exercise for a while. By that time you may have regained your equilibrium - and some of your sense of humor - and can better put into effect the following communication techniques:

• Focus the child's attention on the task to be accomplished.
  NOT: Come to the table this second.
  BUT: I'll set the timer for fifteen minutes so you can finish your drawing. When it goes off, it will be time to come to the table.

• Use neutral, positive, and reflective language.
  NOT: Let's go. You're so slow.
  BUT: Finish getting dressed so you can be ready for your mum.

• Be specific about tasks that have to be done.
  NOT: Clean up the playroom.
  BUT: Pick up the books that are all over the floor and put them in a pile on the bookcase, and put the blocks in the toy box.

• Pick the issue, and set reasonable limits.
  NOT: Everything you do is wrong.
  BUT: One of the important rules we have in our centre is not hurting anyone in words or actions.

• Provide alternatives.
  NOT: Don't throw the ball in the playroom.
  BUT: You can't throw the ball inside, but you can throw it outside in the yard.

• Provide logical consequences, and follow through
  NOT: If you get juice on the table, I'll be mad at you.
  BUT: I don't want juice on the table, so you'll have to get a sponge and wash it off.

• Teach problem-solving.
  NOT: Stop yelling at the lunch table.
  BUT: Lunch is too hectic. Who has an idea of how to make lunch more peaceful?

CHILDREN CAN CLEAN UP

A cluttered room can get depressing - fast! Here are some new approaches to cleaning up that may be helpful.

Have a 'pick-up parade.' At the signal, 'Pick up everything that's blue,' or 'Pick up everything that's soft.' Take turns with the children in naming what gets picked up.

Play music while everyone helps with the pick-up chores.

At the end of the day, plan to allow at least 10 minutes as pick-up time.

Take a picture of the room when it is neat and clean. Hang it on the wall for inspiration the next time the room looks like a disaster area!

Infant Massage

RELIEF OF DISCOMFORT

Massage releases both oxytocin and endorphins and therefore can assist in relieving discomfort from teething, congestion, colic and emotional stress.

Teething: teething has been described as a painful struggle for some babies. Though infant massage has not been proven to relieve all discomfort associated with teething it can be successfully used in conjunction with the parent's choice of care during these times.

In addition to providing the infant with reassurance and comfort, the endorphins and oxytocins released assist with pain relief and mood enhancement.

CONGESTION:

Chest congestion

The Swedish massage technique for ‘breaking up' the congestion of mucous in the chest involves a form of tapotement. This technique, when learnt and practised properly, can ‘break up' the mucous in the lungs making it easier for infants to eliminate the excess mucous.

Sinus congestion

Massaging the sinuses on the face helps clear the sinuses of excess mucous. This is helpful to infants as it eases the process of ridding the nasal passage of excess mucous.

COLIC:

IMIS (Infant massage Information Service) defines colic as painful gas causing a distended, firm abdomen, which takes an infant a long period of time to eliminate without assistance. Repeating a small series of strokes on the abdomen has been used to relieve colic. In addition to this the stroking helps the infant to relax so that tension does not escalate their discomfort.

Daily massage (incorporating correct massage of the abdomen) can help in preventing colic. By applying gentle pressure to the abdomen while stroking using a specific sequence, small amounts of gas trapped between other substances can be moved through the colon, assisting in elimination. If these small amounts are consistently being eliminated a build up of gas can be prevented.

EMOTIONAL STRESS:

Infants sometimes use their massage time to weep and though IMIS does not recommend that stroking continue through this crying we do believe this emotional release is positive. Studies have shown that withholding emotions can lead to health problems; it is for this reason that qualified instructors encourage parents to view an emotional release during massage as an opportunity to truly listen to their child and allow them to release tension.

On a more technical aspect, once again this benefit also comes back to the release of oxytocin - the body's natural mood enhancer.

For further information please log onto: http://www.infantmassage-imis.com.au/benefits/index.html

Infant Reflexes

By Dana Sullivan for Your Baby Today

Until a newborn can think for himself, most of his movements, from kicking to sucking, are purely reflexive. But by three months, you'll notice that he's able to control many of the actions that are now random.

The presence of some basic instincts tell paediatricians that a baby's central nervous system is functioning properly. And even though newborns are wired with more than 70 reflexes, paediatricians typically check for just a few. If you don't see evidence of the following common reflexes, or if they're noticeably slower than they should be, talk to your child's parents to seek medical advice.

ROOTING Rooting is a reflex that prompts a newborn to look for food. When he feels you stroke his cheek, or feels his mother's nipple against his cheek, he automatically turns toward the sensation and moves his head from side to side, searching until he connects with the breast or bottle. Within about three weeks, he'll be able to voluntarily turn his head and move his mouth into position without first doing the search.

STARTLE OR MORO When a baby throws his arms and legs out to his sides and then pulls his arms in close to his chest he's demonstrating the startle, or Moro, reflex. Move the baby suddenly, and he'll demonstrate this reflex. He'll also startle in response to changes in temperature -- such as when you undress him -- and too loud noises. The startle reflex generally disappears by two months.

STEPPING At his most recent check-up, the paediatrician holds the baby upright, with her hands tucked under baby's armpits and her thumbs supporting his head. She was actually testing the baby's stepping reflex -- checking to see if he responded to being held in this position by lifting his feet up and down, almost as if he were trying to walk. This reflex tells the paediatrician that a baby's spinal cord and brain stem are functioning normally. Babies usually stop stepping by about six to eight weeks.

Helping Infants Learn

Caregivers play an important role in helping infants grow and develop.
Daily experiences should stimulate infants and help them learn.

Try these activities with infants birth to six months:

• Talk and sing to the babies, when you feed, change nappies, and clean them.

• Imitate the sounds that the babies make.

• Point to and say the names of the babies' mouth, ears, nose, fingers, etc.

• Place toys and other colourful objects where babies can see and/or touch them.

• Shake a rattle behind a baby's head, and let the baby turn and grab the rattle.

• When you hold or rock the baby, sing lullabies or other soothing songs.

• Place babies in different positions. For example, place them on their stomach so they can practice lifting their head and rolling over.

• Encourage hand clasping and kicking.

Try these activities with infants six to twelve months:

• Play peek-a-boo or other games in which you disappear and reappear.

• Give babies a safe place where they can crawl, creep, and pull themselves up.

• Roll a ball or place a toy where babies have to reach or crawl for it.

• Give babies toys that squeak.

• Give babies teething toys.

• Read aloud books that have large pictures and not much writing.

• Talk to babies, and name objects as you and the babies handle them.

• Begin to teach what is allowed and what is not allowed.

• When babies indicate that they want help, provide it.

• Rock and hold babies when they are upset.

• Let babies fill containers with objects and then dump them out.

• Change toys often when babies get bored with them.

REMEMBER...

• Babies learn and trust that they are loved when you respond to their needs for food, comfort, and attention.

• Toys that go in a baby's mouth should be cleaned before giving them to another child.

• Toys should be big enough so that infants cannot swallow them.

• Games and toys are the tools that infants use to learn.

• Unless the parents are harsh or critical, the way you and the parents treat the infants should be similar.

Competitions

Working in Child Care offers many common problems and issues that many of you may face. We would like to include a new regular feature of this training article, where common issues are the basis for discussion.

Either write to us, phone us or email us at training@oneworldforchildren.com.au

Any issues that you may like us to give you some practical strategies for, may include: dealing with challenging children, dealing with ADHD children, keeping 4 year old challenged.

Please send in all issues up until end of October. All ideas will be entered into a draw to win a copy of 'Practical Solutions to Practically every problem' by Steffen Saifer.

Do you spend much time surfing the net?

In each edition of the training newsletter, we feature sections of our extensive website. Although we are constantly adding and updating our site, there are many informative and interesting web links that we have linked to other sites. We're sure that you to may have some interesting sites that you have saved to your favourites folder.

Here are a few new sites that we have stumbled across. See what you think of them.

www.australianbaby.info information about baby's first weeks

www.mydr.com.au excellent medical site

You've guessed it. This is our next competition. Simply email us some of your favourite sites so we can share them with other participants. You may send these to training@oneworldforchildren.com.au. Competition ends Tuesday 1st October. For every site you submit, you will be entered into a draw to win a selection of mystery resources including finger puppets, stories, resource books and much more.

Men working in child care

Men working in child care are still the exception rather than the rule. The following article on Men in Child Care has been reprinted from the AECA 'Every Child' magazine Volume 4 No.3 Spring 1998.

Should Men be included?

Work in child care services remains one of the most gender segregated occupations in the entire labour force. The 1996 Australian Bureau of Statistics Census shows figures for men and women working in the child care industry.

The ABS 1996 Census indicates the following figures Australia - wide

Over the past five years Wagga TAFE has enrolled approximately 750 students: 745 female and five male. Of the five men, three remain in training, one withdrew, and one graduated. The student who graduated told us that the only way he made it was with the support of his girlfriend who also studied child care. The student who withdrew stated he couldn't cope with the continued sexual harassment from girls. Do we want it to be this way?

Some stereotypes

• Women are natural child carers (therefore men are not)

• Most child abusers are men (therefore men in services will abuse )

• Men who want to work with children are not real men.

• Women have a natural instinct to nurture (and men don't)

• Men will be too boisterous and will hurt children

• To be an effective child care worker, you must have good communication skills-women are better communicators therefore men will be inferior child care workers.

• If a man is caring and wants to look after little kids, he must be gay

• Is he mentally and emotionally stable?

• Women will be less likely to confide in a male child care worker

Why men should be involved

• Men and women should have equal opportunity to choose a career in child care.

• Men in child care present good role models of men caring for children.

• Men working in child care will raise the community's perception of child care as being a valued occupation.

• Men can add their voices to the struggle for higher wages and a higher standard of work conditions, When men entered nursing and welfare in Australia, the US, and England, wages and conditions improved.

• Children need to experience quality care, equally from both men and women.

• Fathers need role models. Male carers make it easier for fathers to participate and be nurturing.

Where do we find men for child care?

Child care is not usually a man's first career. Research shows that school leavers rarely enter child care training, and that men aged between 24 and 40 are more likely to do child care courses.

A forum held at the Australian Early Childhood Association's National Conference in Melbourne last year (1997) found that men in child care came from nursing, welfare, hospitality, psychology, primary school teaching, early intervention, unemployed fathers, partners of family day care mothers, vacation care leaders, and sporting organisers.

Training programs

When considering including men in our child care training programs, we need to examine:

• Curriculum changes ~just as the Diploma in Child Studies Course was re-written to be Koori inclusive, perhaps we need to re-write all other curricula to be inclusive of men.

• Flexible delivery--.offering our courses as part face-to-face, part correspondence caters to the mature age student who may have a family and needs to work part-time while studying. Timetabling for day, night, and weekend classes will also benefit men.

• Support staff in childcare--including counsellors, librarians, and technical assistants--are most often females. Do we need to change this, too?

• Hidden discrimination'--'by both staff and students. Staff are usually unaware that they are discriminating against male students, and what is sometimes perceived as abnormal or inappropriate behaviour in male students is often simply normal ‘male' behaviour. Discrimination can also come from female students, e.g. whistling, publicly asking for dates, ostracising males from groups -giving ‘silent' treatment, swearing, taunting, and negative body language.

Conclusion

We can raise peoples awareness of stereotypes and biases through discussions and workshops involving child care centre staff, parents, training providers. If we support the need for more males to begin study, and lobby for support at institute level, we could begin to make a difference. All it takes is for all of us to want a balance and take the steps to encourage and promote more men in childcare.

The trends of this article address the inbalance of men in child care over the period from 1994 - 1998. When we look over the statistics over this time and compare them to current trends, we see that little has changed. Here at One World, since we began training in 1997, we have enrolled approximately 700 training participants. Although we have had quite a few training enquiries from potential male participants, we have had 6 male enrolments. 1 participant graduating this year, 2 participants currently training, and 3 participants that withdrew prior to completing.

We would be interested in your views on this topic. Write to us or email us with your comments.

Log Books

Please ensure that your log book is kept in your room at your centre at all times. Trainers cannot observe you on the job without your logbook.

Relocation

One World for Children will be re locating to its new premises as from Monday 16th September. Our new and exciting premises will be open to all One World training participants at an in service day workshop on: Sunday 20th October from 10 - 2 pm

More details about the structure of the day to be advised at the end of September.

Bendigo Networking Reminder:

Thank you to all who participated in the last networking workshop held in Bendigo. A special thank you to Jira Runga Children's Centre for hosting the workshop at their centre. (Thanks to Steve and staff for organising the centre to be ready for us.)

The next workshop is due next month.

Bendigo Networking meeting: Thursday 24th October from 7 - 8.30pm.

To be held at Bendigo Creche & Day Nursery, Park Rd, Bendigo. Any suggestions about a possible topic can be passed onto Carol on 52 685 333.

A reminder will be faxed out to all centre a week prior to this date.

Our Trainees at Work and Play

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Childcare Services

One World For Children Pty Ltd

• Finalist in the Victorian Training Awards 2006 for Training Initiative of the Year: Online Advanced Diploma of Children's Services

• Highly Commended in the 2006 Victorian Community Services Health Industry Training Board's Innovation in Training and Assessment Award:Innovative Product

• Finalist in the 2006 Victorian Community Services Health Industry Training Board's Innovation in Training and Assessment Award: Recognising Competency RCC

• Winners of the 2003 Victorian Community Services Health Industry Training Board's Innovation in Training and Assessment Award: Innovative Training Product"

One World For Children Pty Ltd
P.O. Box 701 North Geelong Delivery Centre 3215
<% if session("version") = "ACT" then %> Telephone 1800 006 533, Fax (03) 5272 3039 <% else %> 407-411 Thompson Road, North Geelong, Victoria
Telephone (03) 5272 2714, Fax (03) 5272 3039 <% end if %>

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