Dreading a trip to the grocery store with a small child? It’s actually a great opportunity to build a baby brain. 7 Ways to Build Your Baby’s Brain at the Grocery Store | The Urban Child Institute. Check out our Babies on Track for a video – and really cute companion baby books – for Read More
Blog
Oasis of calm
The Parents’ Pit Stop was a huge success at last month’s Tanana Valley State Fair in Fairbanks, serving nearly 2,000 people. Parents with infants and toddlers could relax, recharge, and receive local information on family resources and health. Parents’ Pit Stop was organized by the Fairbanks Breastfeeding Coalition in collaboration with Fairbanks Families.
Attendance matters, even in child care
If somebody asks whether showing up for work every day makes a difference in how well someone does his job, you’d probably think, “Of course it does.” We have the same response about students’ attendance at school. To mark September as the first-ever Attendance Awareness Month, Debi Baldwin (a Best Beginnings board member and director Read More
We have wonderful friends
Several businesses and organizations recently donated to our work, helping Alaska’s children become Ready for School. We hope you’ll thank them, too: Northrim Bank, Alaska State Literacy Association, and, for the creation of StoryTRACKS: Anchorage Park Foundation, Blaines Art, Eagle Enterprises, REI, Stake Shop, and Barnes & Noble.
Is your family ready for kindergarten?
We’ve focused a lot on a child’s abilities and skills for kindergarten. What about the family? A kindergarten-ready family has routines to insure good attendance. They have set ground rules explaining the differences between acceptable home behavior and acceptable public behavior. Is your family kindergarten-ready?
Our role in Imagination Library: Something quite different
You might be surprised to learn that Best Beginnings doesn’t enroll a single child in Imagination Library. Yet through Best Beginnings and our generous supporters, 20,772 children – 38.5% of all Alaska children under 5 – are now receiving a book every month through their local Imagination library. So what exactly do we do? We Read More
Check out StoryTRACKS for your event
Individuals and groups can check out a StoryTRACKS set for events, block parties, park activities, etc. Borrowing them is free but there are requirements. Find out more about these “picture books on parade.” It’s a great way for families to combine reading together, physical activity, and Alaska’s beautiful outdoors.
Looking ahead to kindergarten
If your child is entering school this fall and you’re wondering, will he be ready? Are there ways we can prepare her for success? Check out this lively brochure, “I am ready!,” from the Alaska Dept. of Education & Early Development or find more ideas on our website.
New statistic raises important questions
All Alaska children begin school ready to succeed – that’s Best Beginnings’ vision. But how do we know if they are “ready to succeed”? Here’s a startling new statistic. Fewer than 20 percent of children entering kindergarten in Alaska are prepared in all the ways experts say is important for success in school. That’s according Read More
Tempering Temper Tantrums
Are temper tantrums inevitable? Not necessarily. Toddlers with more developed language skills are better able to manage frustration and less likely to express anger by the time they’re in preschool. Researchers at Penn State University found a connection between children’s early language skills and their ability to manage anger and frustration.