BIRTH TO THREE - Mobile United

BIRTH TO THREE

THE FOUNDATION YEARS

• Research and clinical experience demonstrate that the earliest relationships and experiences a child has with parents and other caregivers dramatically influences brain development, social-emotional and cognitive skills, and future health and success in school and life

• Learning begins at birth. By the time children turn three, they have already begun laying the foundation for life-long learning and success

Zero To Three

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L E A D E R S H I P M O B I L E E D U C A T I O N C O M M I T T E E

THE EDUCATION TEAM’S PROJECT GOALS

Provide parents a resource tool to assist them in rearing

lifelong learners from birth to 3

• Develop an easy to follow, teaching resource for

parents and guardians

• Secure resources to create & produce the teaching

aid

• Establish a distribution network to disseminate the

tool


WHY THIS RESOURCE IS NEEDED IN ALABAMA

• 32% decrease in licensed & exempt child care centers

• 2006 – 3,818 centers

• 2015 – 2,608 centers

• 31.5% - Children under 5 in poverty (92,965)

• 16.3% of births are to females with less than 12 years of education

• Hispanic 57.2% - African American 16.9 % - White 11.9%

Voices For Alabama’s Children (VFAC)


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WHY THIS RESOURCE IS NEEDED IN ALABAMA -

CONTINUED

• 13% of children living in extreme poverty (<50% PL)

• 44% of families with children are headed by a single

parent

• In the U.S. 68% of state prison inmates do not have a

high school diploma

VFAC U.S. Census 2011-2015 Survey Bureau of Justice Statics


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Developmental Survey Infirmary Pediatrics (n=100)

Ages

0-1yr

2-5yr

6-10yr

11-13yr

14-18yr31%

8%

4%

56%

Developmental Survey Gender

0

10

20

30

40

50

60

70

Male Female

Developmental Survey “Did your child learn how to walk between 12-15

months of age?”

Walking

Yes

No

N/A

54% 40%

6%

Developmental Survey Did your child learn to say “mama” and “dada”

by 12 months of age?

Language

Yes

No

N/A62%

35%

3%

Developmental Survey From where did you learn on what to expect for your child’s

development?

0

10

20

30

40

50

60

70

Developmental Survey Would you like to know more about what to expect for

your child’s development?

Yes

No85%

15%

Developmental Survey How has your child performed in school?

0

10

20

30

40

50

60

AboveAverage

Average BelowAverage

Failing N/A

54%

0%

18% 27%

1%

Developmental Survey Provide examples of what you are doing now to help

with their development • Educational apps • Tummy time • Reading, singing • we talk to her and move around objects to follow us with her eyes and to

recognize our voices • Minimal TV • using puzzles and shapes • he follows sister around • allowing her to be independent • have detailed conversations • outside activities, library, parks/zoo outings, music, church activities, family, play

dates” • get on the floor and play • each day we do 30 mins of educational time • is in early head start • he get PT and OT, in the process of getting speech

BIRTH - 6 MONTHS

Physical skills:

Rolls over both ways

Sits up without support

Can support their weight on their legs

Transfers one object from one hand to hand

Social skills:

Appears joyful and loves mirror play

Responds to expressions of emotions

Cognitive skills:

Finds partially hidden objects

Explores with hands and mouth

Struggles to get objects out of reach


THE FIRST MONTH - TUMMY TIME

Tummy Time

• Place your baby on their stomach, while she/he is

awake and while you are watching them

• The first sessions should be short (3-5 minutes)

• Makes their neck and shoulder muscles stronger and

helps prevent flat spots on the back of their head

• *Skills - Motor


MONTH 6 ACTIVITY – THIS LITTLE PIGGY

• Take turns touching their toes while saying a

number for each toe or singing “This Little

Piggy.”

• *Skills – Motor, Vocabulary, Counting


MONTHS 7-12

This is a critical time in the development

of your child’s language skills. Talk and

read to your baby. As he becomes more

active, provide a safe space to explore.

Allow him to use all his senses to play

and discover. Begin preparing him to

walk.


MONTH 7 ACTIVITY – SING ALONG

• Use your phone, radio, or your own

musical ability to sing to your child

• Use action songs such as “Pop Goes

the Weasel” and “Itsy Bitsy Spider”

• Use gestures to emphasize the lyrics

• *Skills - Language


MONTH 12 ACTIVITY – WALK ABOUT

• Prepare your child for walking by holding

his hands to keep him steady as he begins

to support his own body weight

• Prop your child against a chair or sofa so

he begins to use his own legs to support

himself.

• *Skills - Motor


MONTHS 13 - 18

• A child becomes more active and

independent.

• Starts using 5-10 words; repeats words

overheard in conversation

• Points at familiar objects and people in

pictures.


MONTH 14 – MIRROR, MIRROR ON THE WALL

• Sit side-by-side with your child in front of a mirror

• The goal is to have your child imitate all of your

movements

• Swap places and then copy what your child does while

still sitting in front of the mirror

• *Skills – Visual and Auditory senses


MONTH 17 ACTIVITY – ZIPPERS AND BUCKLES

• Use suitcases, bags, or cushion covers with zippers

• Show your toddler how to grasp and pull the zipper

• Use buttons, buckles or snaps on dolls, toys, or

puzzles

• Hide surprises in items for extra excitement

• *Skills – Motor, Hand-Eye Coordination


MONTHS 19-24

Over the next several months, toddlers become more

adept at and interested in their fine motor skills, to

the point that they want to do everything by

themselves! Toddlers love pretend play and start to

interact with other toddlers, as opposed to just playing

next to them. They begin to understand two part

commands and can distinguish themselves from

others.


MONTH 21 ACTIVITY – ANIMAL OBSTACLE COURSE

• Choose a range of animals that your toddler is familiar with

• Have pictures of those animals so you can refer to them during the obstacle course

• Create an obstacle course from household items such as pillows, cushions, blankets, tables, chairs or boxes

• The obstacle course should provide an opportunity to climb over things, under things, maybe do some crawling or jumping

• Throughout the obstacle course ask them to pretend they are a specific animal

• *Skills – Motor skills, social interaction, following instructions, creativity


MONTH 24 ACTIVITY – PIPE CLEANER FUN

• Cut up straws so that they can be threaded onto pipe

cleaners.

• Make the pipe cleaner as well as straws different

lengths

• Show toddler how to thread straws onto pipe cleaners

• Encourage them to try different color combinations

• *Skills - Colors, Fine Motor, Problem Solving


MONTHS 25-30

Toddlers need playful, supportive

opportunities to learn about the world and

how to express themselves. They should be

encouraged by providing a loving, secure and

nurturing environment that includes limits and

positive discipline. During this time there will

be significant increases in a child’s thinking

skills.


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MONTH 26 ACTIVITY – HOUSE SAFARI

• Take pictures of items around your house

• Search for items in the pictures

• During search ask questions about the items

• *Skills – Vocabulary, Language, Reasoning


MONTH 29 ACTIVITY – WHY & WHAT GAME

• Throughout the day ask your child “Why and What”

questions

• For example: What is rain made of? Why do some

animals have fur? What happens to the sun at

night?

• Help your child reason through the answers

• *Skills – Critical Thinking, Vocabulary, Language


MONTHS 31-36

Toddlers aged 31-36 months should be encouraged

to explore the world around them. They should be

encouraged to interact both physically and socially as

they learn coordination and broaden their basic

communication skill set. Fill this time in your toddler’s

life with positive learning experiences that incorporate

their ability to communicate by forming more complex

sentences. Encourage your toddler to be active and

positively praise your toddler when it is warranted.


MONTH 31 ACTIVITY - PLAY GAMES

• Encourage your toddler to ride a tricycle

• Participate in circle games with many

players, such as musical chairs

• *Skills – Motor, Coordination, Analytical


MONTH 36 ACTIVITY - PRACTICE AIM

• Set up a big target for your toddler

• Have them throw or kick a ball at the target

• Praise and reward your toddler as development progresses

• Encourage with complete sentences when appropriate

• *Skills – Motor, Coordination


WHY IS THIS SO IMPORTANT?

Let’s refer to Piaget’s Cognitive Development Theory,

focusing on the sensorimotor stage, which lasts from

birth until 18 months to two years of age.

This stage is a critical part of a child’s cognitive

development, and it cannot be skipped and it is the

first stage in the sequence of intellectual development

stages.


WHY IS THIS SO IMPORTANT? - CONTINUED

This stage includes:

• The use of motor activity without the use of symbols.

• Limited knowledge that is based on physical interactions and

experiences.

• Constant experimenting and learning through trial and error, since

infants cannot predict.

• As they become more mobile, infants' ability to develop cognitively

increases. Early language development begins during this stage.

• Object permanence occurs at 7-9 months, demonstrating that memory

is developing. Infants realize that an object exists after it can no longer

be seen.


SOOOO….

Development of the sensorimotor stage leads to the

preoperational stage (18-24 months to 7 years) where school

readiness becomes extremely important.

• Sadly….the facts about school readiness are sobering.

Kindergartners' Skills at School Entry study reports 44% of

children will enter kindergarten with one or more risk

factors based on their home environment, such as poverty

and parents with less than a high school education.



• By 18 months, scientists can detect differences in various

parts of the brain between children living in low

socioeconomic status environments and those in middle or

upper class environments.

• Such findings suggest parents play an absolutely critical

role in the development of their baby's brain.

• Children learn best through real-life interactions with the

adults and items in their environment. It is through these

interactions, as well as through their genetic make-up, that

forms the brain architecture and foundations for future

learning.

THE GOOD NEWS IS…CHILDREN ARE BORN TO LEARN!

WE ARE EXCITED TO HAVE CREATED A PROJECT THAT IS BOTH

RELEVANT AND NECESSARY IN THE EARLY EDUCATION AND

COGNITIVE DEVELOPMENT OF INFANTS

• There is no developmental calendar readily available for parents, guardians,

and other family members that targets the development of infants from zero to

three years of age.

• This stage is the critical foundation on which all other stages will be built.

• By making a developmental calendar of age-appropriate activities for parents

and guardians readily available, parents can be educated on the importance

of their infant’s intellectual development AND implement the targeted

activities with ease and with no financial strain.

• This allows a diverse population of parents to be exposed to critical child

development information. By distributing this information in local pediatrician

offices and other venues, we can seek to secure school readiness with

children of all backgrounds.


WITHIN MY POWER

“A hundred years from now it will not matter what my bank account was, the sort of house I lived in, or the kind of car I drove... but the world may be different because I was important in the life of a child.”

Forest E. Witcraft Teacher, Scholar


REFERENCES

Zero to Three

https://www.zerotothree.org/early-learning/school-readiness

Voices for Alabama’s Children

http://www.alavoices.org

U.S. Census Bureau 2011-2015 American Community Survey 5 Year Estimates

https://factfinder.census.gov/faces/tableservices/jsf/pages/productview.xhtml?

src=CF

The Bureau of Justice Statistics

https://www.bjs.gov/index.cfm?ty=pbdetail&iid=814

Healthy Families BC

https://www.healthyfamiliesbc.ca/home/articles/positive-parenting-toddlers


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http://www.alavoices.org/

https://factfinder.census.gov/faces/tableservices/jsf/pages/productview.xhtml?src=CF

https://factfinder.census.gov/faces/tableservices/jsf/pages/productview.xhtml?src=CF

https://www.bjs.gov/index.cfm?ty=pbdetail&iid=814






BIRTH TO THREE - Mobile United

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