Pre-School

The Plight Of Child Homelessness In The United States

This is the first blog post of a series in collaboration with the Lesley University Child Homelessness Initiative (CHI). For more information about the CHI curriculum, and the ways in which it seeks to empower the next generation of teachers and caregivers to understand and advocate for homeless children, visit their website.

Choosing Not To Vaccinate

I grew up before the oral polio vaccine; my mother wouldn’t let me go to swim parties for fear of my contracting the awful disease. Her brother had polio as a child, and for many years was partially paralyzed.

So, it shocks me to think that some parents would choose not to vaccinate their kids.

The Role Of Temperament

Intro music written and performed by Dr. Gene Beresin.Outro music arranged and performed by Dr. Gene Beresin.

We have all had the experience of either knowing or parenting siblings that seem quite different from one another—in appearance, skills, talents, opinions and personalities.

Choosing Appropriate Gifts for Children

Parents and caregivers today may be overwhelmed by the number of possible gifts for children that promise to increase a child’s intelligence or physical development.  Mass marketing often controls what is available in the market, and not every well-marketed toy is appropriate for your child.

How Do I Know If My Child Needs Testing?

Jim’s mom was frantic when she called me.  Jim had been having difficulty in school since the end of kindergarten, at which point it was clear he still didn’t recognize all the letters of the alphabet.  He continued to struggle in first and second grade, getting some extra help from the reading specialist.

What Is The Developing Brain?

There’s been a lot in the news about the “developing brain.”

It might seem silly that we get all excited about the fact that the brain develops.  Of course it develops, you might argue.  Kids grow up.  They learn things.  They get more coordinated, more sly, more…well…grown.

Why Does Play Matter?

Let’s talk about rats with toys, and rats without.

In fact, let’s put rats on hold for a moment. Let’s talk first about children’s museums; that’ll take us to rats and their toys, and move us nicely to the welfare of the brains of our children.

What Is Child Development?

When Suzie was four years old, she was so excited.

The families in her neighborhood had all chosen the same crisp Sunday to rake all of the fallen autumn leaves.

What If My Child Has Tantrums?

“Meltdown” is such a funny word to use for a tantrum.

The word itself actually comes from the nuclear industry.  It refers to that horrific moment when the reactor core has burnt out of control, and at any given moment, radioactive dust will spew all over the sky.

The Pre-School Is Worried About My Child’s Oppositionality

OK, let’s talk about oppositional behavior in young kids. Here’s a particularly unpleasant scenario.

You go to pick little Timmy up from preschool, and the teacher asks to have a word with you.  Uh-oh. Feels like being called to meet with the principal.