This HANDBOOK is born out of hope for all our littlest ones. Parent influence is greatest, ages 0 to 5, when brain growth, learning capacity, and emotional stability are largely established -- 80% by age 3 and 90% by age 5. Early childhood home and neighborhood experiences are foundational. Pre-school “Opportunity Gaps” are highly correlated to K-12 “Achievement Gaps” . All pupils learn in K-12, but children raised in poverty rarely soar. Parents in all income levels love their children, and those in higher socio-economic levels have “the means” to enrich their child’s lives where it most counts -- during their formative years, ages 0 to 5, and then continuing into K-12 years. This handbook celebrates what promotes early childhood brain growth and development and clarifies why so many children in poverty are left behind – identified as one of America’s greatest challenges in the 21st Century.
***INSTANT New York Times, Wall Street Journal, and USA Today Bestseller*** World-class pediatric surgeon, social scientist, and best-selling author of Thirty Million Words Dr. Dana Suskind returns with a revelatory new look at the neuroscience of early childhood development—and how it can guide us toward a future in which every child has the opportunity to fulfill their potential. Her prescription for this more prosperous and equitable future, as clear as it is powerful, is more robust support for parents during the most critical years of their children’s development. In her poignant new book, Parent Nation, written with award-winning science writer Lydia Denworth, Dr. Suskind helps parents recognize both their collective identity and their formidable power as custodians of our next generation. Weaving together the latest science on the developing brain with heart-breaking and relatable stories of families from all walks of life, Dr. Suskind shows that the status quo—scores of parents convinced they should be able to shoulder the enormous responsibility of early childhood care and education on their own—is not only unsustainable, but deeply detrimental to the wellbeing of children, families, and society. Anyone looking for a blueprint for how to build a brighter future for our children will find one in Parent Nation. Informed by the science of foundational brain development as well as history, political science, and the lived experiences of families around the country, this book clearly outlines how society can and should help families meet the developmental needs of their children. Only then can we ensure that all children are able to enjoy the promise of their potential.
No parent is perfect, but all of us can do better! Child raising is one day at a time – best done with love’s constancy and wisdom drawn from experience and research. Essentials include food for healthy growth, abiding love for nurture and self-confidence, stimulation of mind for learning gain, and emotional support to develop social skills that are so critical for friendships, formal learning, and purposeful living. The following themes run through the POWERFUL POTENTIAL of PARENT(S): Parent impact is greatest in childhood; parent potential continues throughout life. Each life stage builds upon the previous one; early childhood home experiences are foundational. Every adult is a unique mentor and role model; two parent(s) double the messages to offspring. Body, mind, emotion, and spirit interact; internal and external forces affect all humans. Child rearing works on probability theory; positive outcomes increase when brought up right. Each generation sets the course for the next one; this ongoing cycle bridges past to present and to future. Practical recommendations are laid out in handbook format (61 pages) for every stage of human growth; they can serve as a referent “checklist”. Also, each chapter ends with reflective questions that encourage introspection and promote meaningful dialogue. The writing is an easy read. In sum, this book is filled with wisdom of the ages as well as what recent research confirms as sound parenting practices. This truth holds throughout: A child’s parent is the first, best, and only lifelong teacher.
Decades of research have demonstrated that the parent-child dyad and the environment of the familyâ€"which includes all primary caregiversâ€"are at the foundation of children's well- being and healthy development. From birth, children are learning and rely on parents and the other caregivers in their lives to protect and care for them. The impact of parents may never be greater than during the earliest years of life, when a child's brain is rapidly developing and when nearly all of her or his experiences are created and shaped by parents and the family environment. Parents help children build and refine their knowledge and skills, charting a trajectory for their health and well-being during childhood and beyond. The experience of parenting also impacts parents themselves. For instance, parenting can enrich and give focus to parents' lives; generate stress or calm; and create any number of emotions, including feelings of happiness, sadness, fulfillment, and anger. Parenting of young children today takes place in the context of significant ongoing developments. These include: a rapidly growing body of science on early childhood, increases in funding for programs and services for families, changing demographics of the U.S. population, and greater diversity of family structure. Additionally, parenting is increasingly being shaped by technology and increased access to information about parenting. Parenting Matters identifies parenting knowledge, attitudes, and practices associated with positive developmental outcomes in children ages 0-8; universal/preventive and targeted strategies used in a variety of settings that have been effective with parents of young children and that support the identified knowledge, attitudes, and practices; and barriers to and facilitators for parents' use of practices that lead to healthy child outcomes as well as their participation in effective programs and services. This report makes recommendations directed at an array of stakeholders, for promoting the wide-scale adoption of effective programs and services for parents and on areas that warrant further research to inform policy and practice. It is meant to serve as a roadmap for the future of parenting policy, research, and practice in the United States.
"No one book resolves a lifetime of hurts and misunderstandings, but it can remove the blinders from our eyes. Make an effort now." LOS ANGELES TIMES No matter how old you are and whether or not your parents are alive, you have to come to terms with them. This wise and practical book will show you how to deal with the most fundamental relationships in your life and, in the process, become the happy, creative, and fulfilled person you are meant to be.
How working parents can lead more purposeful lives, characterized by harmony, connection, and impact. Parents in today's fast-paced, disorienting world can easily lose track of who they are and what really matters most. But it doesn't have to be this way. As a parent, you can harness the powerful science of leadership in order to thrive in all aspects of your life. Drawing on the principles of his book Total Leadership--a bestseller and popular leadership development program used in organizations worldwide--and on their experience as researchers, educators, consultants, coaches, and parents, Stew Friedman and coauthor Alyssa Westring offer a robust, proven method that will help you gain a greater sense of purpose and control. It includes tools illustrated with compelling examples from the lives of real working parents that show you how to: Design a future based on your core values Engage with your children in fresh, meaningful ways Cultivate a community of caregiving and support, in all parts of your life Experiment to discover better ways to live and work Powerful, practical, and indispensable, Parents Who Lead is the guide you need to forge a better future, foster meaningful and mutually rewarding relationships, and design sustainable solutions for creating a richer life for yourself, your children, and your world. For more information, visit ParentsWhoLead.net.
"By parents, for parents. That is what makes Smart Parents: Parenting for Powerful Learning different from most parenting books. Drawing on personal parenting stories and expert advice from more than 60 contributors, this guide will leave you with ideas you can put into action immediately."--from back cover.
Children in today's world are inundated with information about who to be, what to do and how to live. But what if there was a way to teach children how to manage priorities, focus on goals and be a positive influence on the world around them? The Leader in Meis that programme. It's based on a hugely successful initiative carried out at the A.B. Combs Elementary School in North Carolina. To hear the parents of A. B Combs talk about the school is to be amazed. In 1999, the school debuted a programme that taught The 7 Habits of Highly Effective Peopleto a pilot group of students. The parents reported an incredible change in their children, who blossomed under the programme. By the end of the following year the average end-of-grade scores had leapt from 84 to 94. This book will launch the message onto a much larger platform. Stephen R. Covey takes the 7 Habits, that have already changed the lives of millions of people, and shows how children can use them as they develop. Those habits -- be proactive, begin with the end in mind, put first things first, think win-win, seek to understand and then to be understood, synergize, and sharpen the saw -- are critical skills to learn at a young age and bring incredible results, proving that it's never too early to teach someone how to live well.
A blueprint for how parents can stop worrying about their children’s future and start helping them prepare for it, from the cofounder and CEO of one of America’s most innovative public-school networks “A treasure trove of deeply practical wisdom that accords with everything I know about how children thrive.”—Angela Duckworth, New York Times bestselling author of Grit In 2003, Diane Tavenner cofounded the first school in what would soon become one of America’s most innovative public-school networks. Summit Public Schools has since won national recognition for its exceptional outcomes: Ninety-nine percent of students are accepted to a four-year college, and they graduate from college at twice the national average. But in a radical departure from the environments created by the college admissions arms race, Summit students aren’t focused on competing with their classmates for rankings or test scores. Instead, students spend their days solving real-world problems and developing the skills of self-direction, collaboration, and reflection, all of which prepare them to succeed in college, thrive in today’s workplace, and lead a secure and fulfilled life. Through personal stories and hard-earned lessons from Summit’s exceptional team of educators and diverse students, Tavenner shares the learning philosophies underlying the Summit model and offers a blueprint for any parent who wants to stop worrying about their children’s future—and start helping them prepare for it. At a time when many students are struggling to regain educational and developmental ground lost to the disruptions of the pandemic, Prepared is more urgent and necessary than ever.
Imagine if there was a way to prepare the environment around you to maximise every minute you spend with your children. Inspired by the Montessori method, this book enables parents to utilise the world around them to allow children to develop the essential skills for life; independence, responsibility and a sense of wonder. Parents will soon see children growing towards their full potential. Compassionate, empathetic and independent learners who feel that they have the power to make a difference in the world - this is every parent's dream. Within this book are 100 ways you can establish healthy routines, great conversations and a home environment that will allow you to truly discover 'the potential in every child'.
