I had lunch with a group of ladies the other day. We were a multicultural bunch, coming from different countries and cultures – from the US, UK, Canada, Germany, and Asia. We had several things in common though – we all spoke English, we were all expats in Switzerland, and we were all moms of [...]

For most parents of babies and toddlers, Tuesday’s report on urban high school graduation rates from a study on the graduation rate of students from public high schools in major U.S. cities may seem irrelevant. High school, much less graduation, seems far off as many new (or relatively new) parents navigate the ropes of [...]

It is estimated that as many as 2 million American children are home schooled. Parents of these children have decided to eschew traditional public education for a variety of reasons from concerns about safety to religious issues to dissatisfaction with the academics provided in their school systems. Home schooling is also an alternative for progressive [...]

Up until a few years ago, I have been very against allowing my children to watch television. I never purchased movies for my oldest daughter who is now fourteen until she had reached age four. While television programs for children had come a long way from my childhood, I was still skeptical of so called [...]

In Some Tips for Promoting Early Literacy, the importance of reading was discussed. But what about the other side of literacy, writing?
While your child will not be writing the Great American Novel anytime soon, encouraging writing and writing-related activities also promotes literacy. Making the lines and strokes as they scribble will help them when it [...]

Isn’t it fun to browse the toy stores with your baby? You can really spend a fortune on products that say they will teach your baby to spell and count and appreciate music and develop their sensory skills, and improve fine motor skills, and just about everything else you can imagine.Or perhaps it’s depressing, when [...]

Every parent worries about saving money for their child’s education, most of us long before the pregnancy test shows up positive. As a college graduate myself, I am a big advocate of education and furthering your education and training through colleges or trade schools. With the job market becoming increasingly more demanding and the basic [...]

New parents of babies born in Maine are receiving a $500 donation from Harold Alfond, founder of Dexter Shoe Company, to begin a college nest egg. Harold Alfond never attended college himself, obviously a decision he regrets, so he is taking steps to ensure others have the opportunity to go to [...]

How Children Learn
Nurture and Teach
The single most important thing caregivers can do for a child is provide a nurturing environment. By doing this, we influence children’s brain development and their ability to learn. Introducing nurtured children to learning opportunities every day will help them become happy, well-adjusted adults. In all stages of child development, [...]