Activities for baby

Radio Commentary

Babies usually like to be well rested, fed, and kept clean and dry.

Remember, also, that every minute your baby is awake, he or she is learning something new about people and the world around them.

Here are some ways to spend quality time with your baby:

Spend time cuddling. Babies love to be touched and held. Don’t be afraid of spoiling your infant by picking him or her up too much. Holding a baby makes her feel comforted.

Learn your baby's cues. Sometimes babies need their time and space, because all the sights and sounds can be too much for them.

If your baby moves his eyes away or starts to cry, he may just need some quiet time in his seat or crib.

When your baby is ready to play, she will let you know by smiling, reaching out, and moving her eyes towards someone who is talking.

Make some tummy time. When your baby is three months old, it's important to start giving him some time on his stomach to exercise his neck muscles and help him learn to reach for things.

Put him on a soft surface on the ground, like a blanket or carpet, put toys in front of him, and let him try to reach for them.

These simple activities are fun for babies, and delightful to watch. 

Find the positive

Radio Commentary

Negativity appears everywhere in media reports, because conflict makes news.

Violence and negativity also appear in movies, games, and music videos, mostly because the manufacturers consider it entertaining — and because they are rewarded financially by producing this content.

This negative bombardment can give a false impression to young people that the world around them is not very positive.

For this reason, it’s important to find time to talk with children about many good things that happen and go unreported.

Focus especially on what is positive in their neighborhood and their school.  

Positive stories surround us if we make a point of looking for them – neighbors who’ve helped other neighbors, people who support worthy causes, and so forth.

It’s also very clear from the research that developing a positive attitude in school-age children is important to success in the classroom.

In fact, hearing positive news can help your child feel good about school in general and schoolwork in particular.

Make it a special point to share your enthusiasm about students who help out and make a difference in the community. 

By holding up those young people as a model, your children may then strive to be one of them.

That’s how the chain of compassion begins, and that’s how we can help pass it along for future generations.

Children’s contract

Radio Commentary

The future of any society is bound tightly to how it treats its children. 

A contract created for American children promises the following:

•  We promise to consider children’s well-being first in evaluating health and welfare reforms or other national policy.

• We promise to ensure that all children get the basics they need to grow up healthy.

• We promise all children a chance to achieve their potential, and we encourage parents to help by becoming active partners in their children’s education.

• We promise to reduce children’s exposure to violence — on TV, on our streets, and in our homes.

• We promise to help families stay together and help young people understand the rewards and responsibilities of parenting.

• We promise to help working families stay out of poverty.

• We promise to support families by making sure that education and job training are available to people of all means.

• We promise to provide young people with places to go and things to do that will help them act responsibly.

• We promise to support all children’s healthy development.

• We promise to hold our elected leaders accountable for safeguarding the future of America’s children.

We hope that these principles will continue to guide an open and honest discussion about how we can best meet the needs of our children.

SIDS awareness

Radio Commentary

Sudden Infant Death Syndrome, known by the acronym SIDS, is a tragedy, and a mystery. Despite years of research, its exact causes remain unknown.

It is defined as the sudden death of an infant, younger than a year old, that can’t be explained after a thorough medical investigation.

In California, SIDS is the second-leading cause of death for children between 28 days and a year old. However, parents can take steps to reduce the risks.

The American Academy of Pediatrics has these recommendations:

• Pregnant women should receive regular prenatal care. They also should avoid tobacco smoke, alcohol, and illicit drugs both during pregnancy and after the birth.

• Don’t let anyone smoke in an infant’s presence.

• When it’s time to sleep, lay your baby on a firm surface on his back, not his stomach.

• Share a room, but not a bed, with your infant, and keep all soft objects out of the baby’s sleeping area.

• Don’t let your baby get overheated while sleeping.

Other effective steps include breastfeeding, if possible; getting all recommended immunizations for your baby, and having regular “well baby” check-ups.

We don’t yet have a way to prevent Sudden Infant Death Syndrome, but these steps have greatly decreased the number of deaths. If you have questions, ask your doctor for advice.

Call the teacher

Radio Commentary

If you suspect that your child is having a problem in school, in any area, how do you know when you should call your child’s teacher?

It might be useful to know that most teachers say they want to know what’s going on in their students’ lives. 

Chances are that if you’ve noticed a problem, your child’s teacher has noticed something is wrong, too.

By working together, you and the teacher may be able to come up with a good solution for your child

When should a parent call a teacher?  

Call if you see a dramatic change in your child’s behavior — if a happy child becomes withdrawn, or a friendly child wants to be alone.

Call if your child’s grades drop suddenly, for no apparent reason

You should also call if there’s been a change in your family. A new marriage, a divorce, or a new baby all can affect schoolwork and can indicate that other problems may follow if not addressed.

Good communication between teacher and parent can make a world of difference, and can provide the opportunity for a solution that is supported by all involved. 

In the long run, your child gains the most from this type of collaboration.

If in doubt, make the call.

Los Olivos wins the blue ribbon for excellence

By Bill Cirone, Santa Barbara County Superintendent of Schools

It is always a joy to celebrate outstanding educational successes in Santa Barbara County, and particularly wonderful this year to applaud Los Olivos Elementary School — the Spartans — for earning a National Blue Ribbon award from the U.S. Department of Education.

Los Olivos joins 278 other public schools nationwide, along with 50 private schools, to receive this highest honor. The K-8 school, which began serving students in 1890, was nominated for the award by the California Department of Education.

The well-deserved recognition is a tribute to the wrap-around support the school enjoys, and to the teaching staff’s focus on professional learning. The rich tradition of excellence at Los Olivos results from the hard work and daily miracles that occur everywhere in the school community.

Congratulations go to the supportive board of trustees, the hard-working PTA members and parents, the wonderful teachers who perform professional heroics in classrooms every day, supportive community leaders, a truly child-oriented community, and the skilled leadership of superintendent/principal Bridget Baublits. Everyone involved deserves to take a bow.

Receiving this award is no small feat, and it centers on academic success. The application for the award stated that the school is a “welcoming, small town community of connected, creative, hardworking learners,” that encourages everyone “to be positive, to be exploratory, to be risk-takers, and to embrace differences. We believe every experience is an opportunity for growth and a path to success.”

The staff is recognized countywide for its dedication to excellence in student learning and high test scores. The campus is the center of the local community, with families using the facilities after school and during weekends, along with several youth sports teams and adult sports groups. Academic and enrichment programs in the visual and performing arts, music, technology, science, gardening, and foreign language are supported by the Los Olivos Spartan Alliance and the Los Olivos School Foundation.

While art and music instruction have always been a tradition, the school recently added a computerbased foreign language component, provided by the Middlebury Interactive Language program. K-2 students learn French, third through fifth graders study Spanish, and sixth graders study Chinese. Upper grade students can study Spanish, French, German, Chinese, or Latin.

The school also adopted the SPARK Elementary Physical Education Program for K-8 students, and encourages middle school students to take an elective, “Creative Expression,” that demonstrates how creativity — innovation, problem-solving, and thinking outside the box — is an important factor for success. It includes a one-day hands-on internship with a professional in a field of interest.

At this historically high-performing school, teachers receive continued professional development that focuses on improving student achievement.

Parent support is a key factor, and parents are kept current using “Parent Square,” a program that provides daily communications and weekly newsletters. It is clear that parents and community members are the backbone of the school’s success.

These are just some examples of the academic excellence, rigorous instructional methods, and community spirit that are the hallmark of Los Olivos Elementary School. How wonderful that all these efforts resulted in national recognition at the highest level. On behalf of the entire educational community countywide I offer hearty congratulations to all involved. You make us proud.

SBCEO’s Early Childhood Education Program wins silver

News release

The Santa Barbara County Education Office’s (SBCEO) Early Childhood Education Program earned a silver medal in the Child and Adult Care Food Program’s “Take Action Challenge.”

The silver medal presented to SBCEO’s Early Childhood Education Program is one of only two such medals presented to California agencies.

"I am very proud of this award and how it reflects our quality services to children,” said program director Trudy Adair-Verbais.

Four of SBCEO’s preschool centers — Santa Ynez Valley, Just For Kids, La Honda, and Young Learners — participated in the “Take Action Challenge,” sponsored by the Child and Adult Food Program (CACFP) in California.

The Challenge was open to all Family Child Care Home and Center Sponsors of the Child Care Food Program in California who participate in the Child Care Food Program Roundtable. CACFP provides nutritious meals and snacks to children and adults receiving child care, ensuring that young children in child care centers receive a nutritious meal and also learn good eating habits.

Contest participants earned points with demonstrations of children's gardens, gardening activities, nutrition education activities, creating meals from items grown in the garden, taste testing new/unfamiliar foods, physical activities, composting, recycling, field trips to a farm or farmers market, and professional development for staff members.

"This is such a tremendous honor, and I know it is the direct result of the incredible leadership and passion provided by the director, Trudy Adair-Verbais,” said County Superintendent of Schools Bill Cirone. “This recognition speaks to the dedication, caring, skill, and professionalism of all involved,” Cirone added. "They touch young lives and make a difference every day.”

Preventing violence

Radio Commentary

Every school in Santa Barbara County has a campus safety plan to help ensure the protection of all children.

In addition, prevention programs are also is use at most schools: peace education, conflict resolution, anger management, peer mediation, and lockdown drills, to name a few. 

Clearly there are no guarantees that these programs can address all the concerns of educators, parents, and community members as they continue to monitor the safety of all students.

Fortunately, some basic steps can help parents provide effective support to school and community programs.

First, the philosophy of a nonviolent lifestyle begins in the home, where parents can model appropriate behavior.

For this reason, conflict at home can be used as teachable moments and discipline at home should never be physically severe.

When there is a difference of opinion in the family, provide a good example by settling those differences with words. Don’t yell, interrupt, or threaten.

If your children see that disagreements can be settled by calmly talking things through, by being persuasive, and by being respectful, they will be far more likely to settle their own differences with peers in this manner.

Local schools can provide information about effective alternative methods of child discipline, such as “time out” periods or suspension of privileges. These help children see that consequences for doing something wrong do not have to involve physical punishment.

These are not cure-alls for violence, but they help create a strong foundation for the values we hope every child will embrace.