Community Connections: October 2002 Newsletter

The Community Connections Communicator -- October 2002

In this Issue:

Tip Sheet: Tips to Help Kids With Attention or Behavior Problems
Tammy can't sit still long enough to listen to a story. Jamal kicks and screams in the grocery store. Sound familiar? Maybe you should check out this month's tip sheet! Scroll down to read more.

Article: Taking your Child to the Library
Think your child is too young to enjoy the public library? Think again! Prince George's County Public Libraries have several resources for both parents and children that can help foster early literacy skills. Want to learn more? Click here to read the entire article

Spotlight of the Month: Charles Brown, Optician
Does your child need glasses or an eye exam? If so, you may want to check out Dr. Brown! Click here for more information.

Recommended Website: „ http://capitolchoices.communitypoint.org A site full of noteworthy children's books that allows you to search by age, author, title, or keywords. Click here for more information.

Tips to Help Kids with Attention or Behavior Problems

Provide a structured and predictable environment for the child. Alert and prepare the child for transitions between activities. Acknowledge success. Focus on the positives, reward and praise. Provide a quiet space where the child can go when they need a break. Be firm, but loving. Play soft instrumental music to calm the child. Explain clearly what TO DO instead of what not to do. Remind the child of the rules ahead of time. Keep the rules simple and few. Talk to parents or caregivers about what has worked for them.

Taking Your Child to the Library

The library can be a great resource for parents, caregivers, and teachers of young children with disabilities. Prince George's County Public Libraries offer a wide range of books on child development and specific disabilities. In addition, they provide free Internet access so you can surf the abundance of resources available on the web!

The library is also a wonderful place to begin fostering important early literacy skills in young children. No child is too young to enjoy the library! The Prince George's County Memorial Library system (PGCMLS) offers programs and services for newborns through adults. People of all abilities are welcomed and encouraged to use the library, and best of all, it's free!

The Prince George's County Library system has set up special programs for young children to help nurture a love of books and reading. The Bowie, Greenbelt, Hyattsville, New Carrollton, Oxon Hill, and Surratts-Clinton branches all have special, separate children's rooms that contain books for children from infancy through grade six. In addition to children's books, all Prince George's County Library branches contain recorded books, cassettes, and children's magazines. Trained library staff are always available to help you chose books and materials appropriate for your child's age and developmental level.

All but one of the branches (Accokeek) offers one or more weekly storytimes where parents can bring their children to listen to a story read by library personnel. Storytimes are offered in the mornings, afternoons, and evenings. They are available for a wide range of ages from birth through twelve years. The Hyattsville branch even offers a story hour in Spanish. In addition to the regularly scheduled storytimes, many branches are holding special 'Harvest and Halloween Celebrations' during the month of October with costume shows, parades, and scary stories! A schedule of times, locations, and specific age recommendations for each session can be found on the PGCMLS website listed at the end of this article. Sign language interpreters can be provided with advance notice to the library.

For more information on the library and its programs, visit the Prince George's County Memorial Library system website at: http://www.prge.lib.md.us/ or you can locate phone numbers for specific branches by looking in the local government section of your phone book. Also, you can visit the Community Connections website at www.communityconnections.umd.edu for tip sheets on taking your child to the library.

Spotlight of the Month!

Charles Brown, Optician
9131 Piscataway Road
Clinton, MD 20735

Charles Brown has been an optician since 1974. He is a member of the American Board of Opticians and has been recognized by Checkbook as one of the area's best opticians. He has experience fitting eyeglasses for young children with special needs and does his best to accommodate a fast turnaround time. Parents who take their children to Charles Brown have shared that he is gentle and caring with children with special needs.

¶ We currently offer training and technical consultation to businesses, churches, and other community organizations to help make them more welcoming to families and children with special needs. If you know of a business or other organization that would like to take advantage of these services, please e-mail us at: communityconnections@umd.edu
OR
¶ If you know of a business that is already welcoming to children with special needs and their families and you would like to share this information with other families and professionals, please send us your name as well as the name and contact information for the business with a brief description of why you believe they are welcoming to families. If appropriate, we will post the business on our website and we may even feature it as a 'Spotlight if the Month'. E-mail your submissions to: communityconnections@umd.edu

Recommended Website: http://capitolchoices.communitypoint.org

Capitol Choices is a website that contains a database of children's books identified as 'noteworthy'. The books are chosen by librarians, teachers, booksellers, children's literature specialists, and magazine editors who work in Washington, DC and surrounding areas who are committed to identifying quality children's literature. The website allows you to view current book lists as well as lists from previous years. The site provides information on title, author, a brief description, and recommended age ranges for each book it lists. Parents and professionals can search for books by age range, title, author, or keywords. Happy hunting!

*Questions or Suggestions about our newsletter? Have an idea you would like to submit? Please feel free to contact us at communityconnections@umd.edu

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Disclaimer
Unless otherwise noted, all referenced articles are available at no charge to you. Community Connections provides this for informational purposes only and cannot attest to the accuracy of information provided by linked sites. The opinions and views expressed at these web sites do not necessarily reflect the opinions and views of Community Connections. Any personal information requested by any of the web sites will be governed by the privacy policy at the site, and any questions you have related to the sites' use of information should be directed there. The information contained in this newsletter is not intended to make any offer or commitment to purchase, subscribe to, provide or sell any service or product or to provide any recommendations on which readers should rely.

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