It’s been a time, hasn’t it? So much change, confusion, fear, isolation, loss, grief. Adults are exhausted—and while people take it on faith that “Children are resilient,” it’s actually not that simple. According to the CDC and the American Psychological Association, self-harm, depression and anxiety, and ER visits for mental health issues are all on the rise in children as young as six. Younger children are experiencing outbursts and regressive behaviors.

Fortunately, resilience skills can be learned and grow over a lifetime—and it’s never too early to start teaching! (In fact, we adults may even learn something in the process.)

Research shows that children who are resilient benefit from improved mental and emotional well-being and experience less stress. They are curious, courageous, and trust their own instincts. Resilience helps kids stay calm, learn from their mistakes, and remain optimistic. In short, resilience helps kids not just bounce back from adversity, but bounce forward, better than before.

So how do we teach young children to be resilient? Start with these 5 tips:

1. It only takes one loving grownup to make a difference—be that grownup.
You’re open to conversation with your child, and you listen without judgment. You reassure your child that all feelings are okay (even those outsized feelings that are so difficult for grownups to deal with!); it’s what you do with those feelings that counts. When you provide a loving, safe space for a child, this gives them a head start on resilience.

2. Model the resilient behavior you want your child to learn.
Children sometimes find this hard to believe, but let them know that you, too, make mistakes all the time! And when you do, you take a deep breath and try again. Let them see you remaining calm in a stressful or emotional situation—and talk about how you find productive solutions. Encourage them to ask questions and give them age-appropriate answers. Getting honest answers in a loving environment can help a child feel less helpless or scared.

3. Help children identify their feelings—and demonstrate strategies that put them in charge of their emotions.
Sometimes young children seem like a volcano of emotions: roiling and out of control. It can feel like that to them, too! Help them put names to these big feelings: anger, frustration, sadness, disappointment, fear; even excitement or unbridled joy can sometimes go overboard! Use pictures in kids’ books to help them recognize facial expressions and body language that signal different emotions. Recognizing and labeling their own emotions and those of others is a key step toward developing empathy, which is critical for socialization.

Now teach them strategies for managing big emotions—let them know that they’re in charge and they can control their feelings! Take slow, deep breaths. Count to 10. Use positive self-talk in stressful situations: “I’m feeling calm,” or “I’m brave, I’m BRAVE!” Finally, if they’re feeling upset or afraid about terrible world events, teach them to “Look for the helpers”—every situation brings out the good people who want to help make it better.

4. Foster kids’ ability to solve problems for themselves.
There may be no better gift you can give a child than to offer a few problem-solving tips and then step back and let them figure out their own solutions. First, think positively: “I can do this!” Then, try breaking the problem into smaller, more manageable chunks. Have to tidy up a messy bedroom? Don’t try to tackle it all at once; first, put the clothes away, then the toys, then the books. Each completed mini-task creates a sense of accomplishment. Think about one good thing you’re learning from this problem (“I left my lunch at home today, but I won’t do that again: I’ll put up a sticky note tomorrow”). And remember: You can always ask for help if you need it!

5. Finally, encourage children to set goals for the future—and identify the steps it will take to get there.
Having a dream or an ambition is an important way for a child to learn to be resilient. By keeping their “eyes on the prize,” they can pick themselves up after stumbling because they have something to work toward and look forward to. Do they want to learn a new sport, improve existing skills, be a good artist, learn all about dinosaurs? Let them know they have the power to make that happen! Explain that each goal requires a series of smaller steps—just as when you read a book, you read one page at a time. Help them write down their goal and the steps they’re going to take to achieve it (take lessons, practice, take out books from the library). It will give them something positive to strive for.

Children have been through a lot these past couple of years—and they may not even realize how resilient they’ve already been. A great way to illustrate the power of resilience is to have them write or draw “The Story of Me”: telling the story of a hard time they endured and how they got through it.

This way, children can see their resilience in action, and know that they have the strength to get through any future challenges!

For additional helpful resources, please visit themoodsters.com

Image: courtesy of Moodsters

—Denise Daniels newest workbook, Bounce Forward With The Moodsters: A Guide for Kids on Finding Your Strong, Resilient Self (2021) features age-appropriate guidance and engaging interactive exercises to help preschoolers identify their own strengths and develop resilience as they prepare for a school year like no other.

 

Denise Daniels,RN, MS and creator of the groundbreaking children’s brand The Moodsters is a Peabody award-winning journalist, author, and parenting and child-development expert dedicated to putting young children on the path to positive mental health. She created The Moodsters—five quirky little feelings detectives who solve the mysteries of emotions. 

We know that being able to hire a nanny is a privilege—and finding a bilingual nanny is even more of a luxury. There are many families for whom this is not an option—whether because of expense or availability. But if you do have the desire and opportunity to hire a bilingual nanny because you want to enrich your child’s dual-language enironment, you can create a much richer environment by thoughtfully partnering with that person. Whether it’s a full time nanny, part time or nanny share (for our family, we have set up nanny shares—where we partnered with another family to “share” one nanny, both for socialization and to defray cost), here are a few ways to maximize new language skills.

1. Have an explicit conversation with your nanny about speaking in their language.
I have to admit that this is not something I thought of at first. I assumed that if my nanny spoke Spanish, she would just speak Spanish with the kids all the time. But I speak English with her, our house is filled with English books and music, we live in a predominantly English-speaking city, she speaks English, and so it’s natural that she would just use English in my home.  

It’s worth thinking about what level of language exposure you are looking for when your child is in your nanny’s care. Are you comfortable with a mix of English and Spanish and letting that happen naturally? Do you want to have certain times of the day or dedicated activities that you would like to be “all in Spanish”? Or do you want as much Spanish as possible all the time—including spoken conversations, songs, books, etc.? Whatever you choose, it’s worth talking it through explicitly with your nanny. She may have some great advice from past experience, and it also allows you to be aligned on expectations. 

2. Try to learn yourself (even if just a little bit), so it’s not just your nanny speaking another language. 
Many folks we have interviewed have discussed how critical it is to model love and appreciation for the language you are teaching. And perhaps the most obvious way to do this is to speak the language yourself!  

Even if you don’t speak it (me!), you can try learning a few vocaulary words and phrases. Don’t worry if your accent is not perfect!  This is more about showing that you value the target language vs. you being the pronunciation teacher. For example, our nanny makes eggs for the kids every morning. We talk about huevos instead of eggs and say ¿Quieres comer? Instead of Do you want to eat? I also try to repeat phrases our nanny uses frequently with the kids like ¿Qué pasó? (What happened?) and ¡Hasta mañana! (See you tomorrow!). Another fun activity to help us all learn was decorating and hanging these fun printables of household objects.  

3. Keep foreign language books at home for your nanny to regularly read from.
Building a collection of children’s books—however small or large—is, for me, one of the most magical parenting responsibilities. But being an English-speaking family, I did not instinctively start with any Spanish books. As soon as we had the Habbi Habbi books at home, our nanny naturally gravitated to them, reading them to our son in Spanish. It seems so obvious in hindsight—if I wanted her to read to the kids in Spanish, I needed to provide the materials! You may want to ask your nanny for recommendations to add to your collection or provide a library card so she can select some herself. 

As a side note, I’m so inspired by other moms’ libraries. For example, Valicia and Eveline are huge proponents of multilingual exposure and have amazing libraries filled with Spanish, Japanese, Korean, Chinese, French, and more. 

4. Seek out foreign language classes and storytimes for your nanny to bring your child to.
Before the pandemic, our nanny took the kids to music classes and storytime at the library. The kids loved it and we loved the exposure to music and stories! It may take a little extra research, but many libraries, bookstores and music programs offer neighborhood classes in foreign languages. Your local children’s museum or zoo may also offer activities in another language. Again, this is a great conversation to have with your nanny, as she may already know the best local classes and programs.  

5. Find inspiration from food—whether cooking or visiting restaurants and cafes.
In our family, we love to cook and explore foods from all over the world. Food is one of our favorite reasons to travel, and—much like language—a critical part of cultural identity. So it makes sense for us to celebrate it at home, too. 

Our first nanny was originally from Brazil and would take the kids to the Mercado Brasil in our neighborhood to get pão de queijo (still my son’s favorite!). In addition to building a very strong affinity for delicious Brazilian cheese bread, it also gave him an opportunity to hear more people speaking Portuguese together, since the shop was very popular among Brazilians in San Francisco. Our second nanny was originally from El Salvador and was an incredible cook (who loved feeding everyone!). She would make arroz y frijoles (rice and beans) and homemade tortillas for the kids, and green (unripened) mango (which I had never tried before and is so yummy).

There are so many ways to reinforce language and cultural context around food (which is also just delicious and thus creates an association of joy!). You may want to ask your nanny to incorporate Latin foods into your child’s diet, teach them the names in Spanish, talk about the regions they come from or the importance of the dish.

By Anne-Louise of Habbi Habbi 

This post originally appeared on Habbi Habbi.
H&AL of Habbi Habbi
Tinybeans Voices Contributor

Habbi Habbi Reading Wand & Bilingual Books is the easiest way to start kids on Chinese & Spanish. Just turn on and tap. Every inch is tappable, and our books are as intentional in content as they are beautiful - topics like kindness, emotions, and more. @BeHabbi | habbihabbi.com.

 

Photo: Amber Kemp-Gerstel via Damask Love

Every new school year brings its fair share of jitters, excitement, and everything in between, but the span of emotions leading into this year are greater than ever. After a year (or more) of balancing virtual or hybrid school, many parents are dusting off lunchboxes and backpacks to send their kids back to school in-person for the first time in over a year. It’s a big deal. But, at least for me, with each new school supply purchased and each lunchbox packed, the nerves slip away and eagerness kicks in. 

A new survey from Juicy Juice found that a staggering 95% of parents say they are excited to return to a sense of normalcy this school year after balancing remote school last year. And I’m one of them! So to celebrate the “yay” moments as I like to call them, I’m sharing some tips to help families stoke the positivity and set themselves up to conquer the school year ahead.

1. Be There for Your Littles
Heading back to school after a year of virtual or hybrid schooling can be a little intimidating for kids. Combat those back-to-school jitters with a little lunchbox note. It’s a great way for parents to inject some encouragement, confidence, and joy into the school day. It’s also a great way to stay connected and let them know you’re thinking of them during the day.

2. Go Easy on Yourself
Daily to-do’s don’t need to weigh you down. For example, don’t try to be the best chef when making school lunches. Lunchboxes can be easy and predictable! Stick with staples like a sandwich, some fruit and veggies, something salty and a maybe a sweet treat. Within these categories you can get creative. Maybe one day it’s turkey and cheese and the next day it’s almond butter with jelly. I give my son Juicy Juice 100% juice boxes because there are so many flavors to choose, it keeps his lunchbox interesting! The more you can simplify the tasks that you have to do multiple times a week, the lighter your to-do list will feel.

3. Leverage Your Resources
With so many children returning to school after a year or more of virtual education, you may notice some emotional difficulties with your child including some anxiety, social troubles, and attention problems. Your child’s school likely has a counselor or psychologist, so don’t hesitate to reach out with any questions or concerns. But don’t forget to get yourself some help too. Lean on the other parents in your class for support. Even create a parent group chat! As parents, we may feel out of the loop when it comes to the day-to-day activities and events that happen at school, so help each other stay in the know and connected.

4. Play Goes a Long Way
Now that kids are heading back to school, we’re spending less time together, so make your family time count by setting aside a special time where you really connect with each other and just play! Play is the natural language of young children. By playing with your kids without the distraction of your phone or mobile device, you’ll have meaningful conversations, learn what’s on their mind and maybe uncover any difficulties they may be experiencing. This can be just 10 minutes after school before homework, it doesn’t have to be a lot of time to make a big difference!

5. Connect with Others
Take advantage of that parent group chat and schedule some play dates. Connecting with other classroom parents and planning an outdoor play date with other kids who will be in your child’s classroom will help build (or rebuild) that sense of community for parents. For kids who’ve been in virtual school all year, this is a great way to familiarize them with their new classmates and practice some socialization skills.

RELATED STORIES:
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Books That Will Get Your Child Excited about School
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Amber Kemp-Gerstel
Tinybeans Voices Contributor

Amber Kemp-Gerstel is the host of Disney Family Sundays on Disney+ and founder of Damask Love, a creative blog all about DIY. Amber received her Ph.D. in Clinical Child Psychology from Vanderbilt University and practiced as a pediatric psychologist for many years before shifting careers to pursue her passion for creativity. 

How will divorce change across America in the coming year? Jacqueline Newman, a managing partner at Berkman Bottger Newman & Schein LLP and author of the new book “The New Rules Of Divorce: 12 Secrets to Protecting Your Wealth, Health, and Happiness,” has revealed her top five predictions for divorce in 2021. 

1. Divorce rates will jump in 2021. There are many people who are waiting for the world to normalize before they beeline to a divorce attorney’s office.  Quarantine has been challenging for even the strongest of couples, so for those marriages that were on the edge—this experience will push them right over. 

2. 50/50 parenting time will grow to be the norm. A typical reason why the primary custodial parent would argue against equal parenting time is that the parent who is not typically home with the children does not understand that Billy will only eat his PB&J sandwich if it is cut into star shapes and Zoey will only color with purple shaded crayons. However, now that in many households both parents have been home for the past nine months and both parents are learning their Children’s daily routines and likes and dislikes, those arguments will hold much less weight.    

3. There will be more motions seeking relocation. Many people have left the cities to find trees and the ability to easily stay at least six feet away from other people. Therefore, divorced and divorcing couples had to make adjustments to their parenting schedules and sacrifice weekly access to accommodate the fact that the parents may not necessarily live a few blocks away from each other anymore. People are going to get used to their new surroundings and I think that when the city schools reopen and the parent who remained in the city wants his/her children to come back, there will be many relocation motions claiming that it is in the best interests of the children to remain where they are.

4. There will be more disputes over parenting decisions. As if divorcing parents did not have enough to fight about, now we can add in disputes about what are appropriate COVID protocols (mask v. no mask, eating indoors vs. not, Ubers vs. subways, etc.). What happens when one parent insists that their child attends school in-person because the child needs socialization and paying $60K for a private school education feels wasteful when the classes are being held in their living room vs. the parent who feels that sending a child to school is dangerous? And soon there will be vaccine wars.

5. Mediation & Collaborative Law will become the divorce processes of choice. With divorce rates increasing and there being more motion practice over parenting issues, an already overloaded court system will become slower and more difficult to navigate. Court appearances and trials are now more virtual than not, but the backload from when the courts were almost closed at the beginning of the pandemic is still impacting the speed at which new motions are heard. People are going to want a venue to resolve their differences faster than what the Courts may be able to provide. Out-of-court process options, such as Mediation & Collaborative Law will become more reasonable and speedy alternatives to the traditional court system and I believe will be utilized much more in 2021.  

 

 

Jacqueline Newman is a divorce lawyer and matrimonial law expert. As managing partner of a top-tier 5th Avenue Manhattan law firm focused exclusively on divorce, her practice runs the gamut from prenups for high net worth people contemplating marriage to high conflict matrimonial litigation in dissolutions. 

Few things are as frustrating as watching your child struggle his or her way through school. They’re putting in the time and the effort — even with your help — yet they’re still not performing their best.

You know that with the right curriculum and attention, you know they could thrive. Good news! There is help available.

Recent studies have shown that children have unique and varied approaches to learning. Accordingly, your child may not fit the traditional school model.

If this sounds like your child, they may benefit from a holistic approach to education.

Read on to learn more about this exciting new approach and how it can help your child succeed.

Taking a Holistic Approach to Education: Changing the way Your Child Learns

Understanding the Approach

Before determining whether your child needs a holistic approach to education, it’s important to understand the philosophy behind it. Holistic education has its roots in the 1800s and was popularized by Ron Miller.

Miller decided that the current education system wasn’t quite getting the job done. Children were learning, certainly, but they weren’t retaining or understanding the knowledge.

His philosophy involved a more engaging and rigorous structure. Children would still learn the basics like reading and writing, but they’d learn it in a different way.

Miller’s system was a hit.

Holistic education as we know it focuses on the development of a child in their entirety, not just their acedemic side. While a standard school will help with rote memory there’s more to development than facts.

Holistic education focuses on factors like home life, socialization, critical thinking, and religion, while helping them connect to their community, earth, and soul. Since a holistic approach to education is tailored, it will vary on the parent’s approach.

A Holistic Approach Gives Your Child the Attention They Need

“Holistic education engages the mind, heart, hands, and spirit of a child.”

At the end of the day, no child is going to thrive and succeed at every single task. Even with hours of homework and practice, children’s brains just work in a way that the traditional school system can’t understand.

For example, your child may enjoy smaller, individualized lesson plans to focus on his or her needs. This is perhaps the greatest strength of a holistic approach.

If your child struggles with writing, for instance, a holistic ed. program will assess your child’s needs and structure a plan around them — not the other way around. You’ll get the tools to write with your child and strengthen their skills. The plan becomes all about a child centred approach, not a pass/fail grade.

Socialization is Still Critical

Make no mistake, a holistic approach to education doesn’t necessarily mean homeschooling. Children thrive on socialization and play, and a holistic education understands that.

If you’re concerned that a holistic education would deprive your child of their much-needed social time, don’t worry.

There are programs and facilities that provide the best of both worlds. Your child can attend a program several days a week where they’ll get social time with friends and peers.

Then, they’ll get homework assignments for the remaining days of the week. They’ll still have the accountability of homework while enjoying a unique education.

Only You Know What Your Child Needs

It’s up to you to decide whether your child could benefit from a holistic education. It isn’t an easy decision and requires a lot of effort on your part, so make sure you’re ready. And if it doesn’t seem right for your child — that’s okay! Remember, learning isn’t a cookie-cutter scenario. Everyone will require different things.

There’s a plethora of information about holistic education available online, including sample curriculum. If you have any questions, opinions, or tips about holistic education, drop us a line below!

I'm Missy, a mother of three and a middle school drama teacher at a private school. I'm obsessed with my Vizsla (dog), traveling, and the musical Hamilton. I also enjoy writing and sharing fun parenting stories, which is what brought me here.

Let me begin by clearly stating that I am 100% in support of all parents faced with this impossible decision this year. Whether you keep your children home, participate in an online version of their traditional school, or homeschool completely, no option is solely right or wrong. We are all living in a gray area during this crisis and we are all trying to make the best calls with little to no experience of the predicament we have found ourselves in.

My husband and I have made the choice to keep our kids home this academic year. They are a part of an online-based academy that isn’t part of our district, but we will also be supplementing with our own homeschool curriculum. Deciding this wasn’t easy at all and was met with particular resistance by my thirteen year old son who just wanted to see his friends every day. After a lot of thought and deliberation, I think I have figured out what I feel comfortable with and how to mesh it into a smorgasbord of acceptable for all involved in our home.

We didn’t want the chaos surrounding the virus to interrupt our kids’ focus on studies, let alone the struggle that the district is going through to switch to an online platform as opposed to traditional st‌yle. It made more sense for our kiddos to have a more relaxed and designed specifically-for-them option.

With the plan we have in place, they will wake up and have personal time as well as school time. They can scatter their classes throughout the day, or knock them all out at once. As long as the assignments are completed by the end of the day, the time is theirs to be responsible with. This also leaves plenty of time for friends. Provided they use their smarts and don’t risk their health or wellbeing, we allow them to come and go and visit with their friends in the neighborhood.

Thanks to that, we aren’t worried about the socialization factor. Another part we love about this choice is how tailored we can make it for each child. My youngest son thrives in math, while my oldest son and my daughter don’t. This lets us give the youngest the room to shoot forward in progress while still nurturing the other two at their pace. Not having to accomodate an entire class of children with different comprehension levels and needs makes for a shorter day and less frustration for ours.

The shorter paper work time allows them more opportunity to explore other interests as well. My daughter has begun learning Spanish in her free time, and my oldest is pursuing boxing as a physical education credit. Many districts also allow homeschooled students to participate in the extracurriculars offered in the schools. So, when basketball season comes, or if they peak a sudden interest in chess club or drama club, that door is open to them. The freedom to choose and flourish their way is amazing for their independence and responsibilty growth.

The last big reason we chose is something many people don’t realize. Colleges, Ivy and otherwise, scout homeschooled kids. They set a lot of value by the real world skills gained by most homeschool journeys. More often than not, homeschooled children are more comfortable interacting with people generations above their own. They also gain more practical knowledge and responsibility about things like money management and taxes. A lot of children also begin to take a larger part in homemaking whether that be sewing, gardening, construction, or even cooking. These wide skill sets make them especially alluring to colleges looking to enroll well rounded, full of potential young adults.

This choice is not without its own shortcomings. Those of us who choose this also have to remember the effort and time it takes to actually develop a routine where the kids can self start and be trusted to complete things themselves. We also have to understand that some of our days will inevitably be incredibly frustrating for both student and parent.

It takes real work to commit to homeschooling, even if it is online and not wholly on your shoulders. Beyond facing your own headaches, there will always be people who critque your decision. We are all in this whirlwind together and our only control is ourselves. What’s important to remember, whether you chose what I did or the opposite, naysayers are an inevitability. Stick close to your tribe of parents who support your choices because they know you are doing your best to make the right calls. Never let the peanut gallery win. You are doing awesome.

I'm a Texan Mom always chasing after my crazy chaos bringer. When I'm not parenting, I run a personal artistry website and a small arts label. More than anything, though, I'm just biding my time until TACO TUESDAY.

As we all have learned over the past few months, working from home, social distancing and homeschooling can be isolating and overwhelming. One of the only things that makes it bearable is knowing that everyone else is dealing with the same issues. Which is why staying connected online is a necessity these days. To help, we’ve found almost 30 NYC parenting Facebook groups you can join to reach out and connect with other parents in your community, whatever, and wherever that is. Read on to find that support, shared knowledge and camaraderie are just a few clicks away in a local online group for parents. (P.S. not all groups have Facebook pages: find more NYC parenting groups here!)

Facebook Groups for Manhattan Parents

Daisy Beatty Photography

Chelsea Mommas, 2.0K members
Open to moms and families in general, head here for happenings in the nabe, recs and community. 

Harlem Moms, 2.2K members
A private group for uptown moms offering the scoop on events, activities, classes and more.

Hudson River Park Mommas, 2.1K members
A public group for parents in lower Manhattan neighborhoods, HRPM is a place for info, support, helpful programming on all kinds of parenting issues and more.

Madison Square Park Moms, 6K members 
A private group with 6000 members, this active forum is a place to to ask questions, find kid activities and events, share experiences, milestones, and frustrations, and post important info such as safety issues, recalls, great deals, etc.

Manhattan Freecycle, 2.4K members
Give, receive, all for free. 

Manhattan Twins  NYC, 1.3K members
Got double the trouble (or twice the love?). This private group of parents with twins in Manhattan will share wisdom, tips, and photos.

NYC Moms- Upper East Side, 21.4K members
Safe place for moms on the UES to connect with local parents.

NYC Moms-Lower East Side/East Village/Lower Manhattan, 2.5K members
Downtown ladies on the east side connect here for tips, advice, activities and community. 

Parenting in Tribeca, 2.3K members
A public group for families in the downtown area, "because it's all about tribes."

Upper East and Upper West Side, 5.1K members 
One of the newer NYC parent Facebook groups (it was founded in 2018), this group still boasts over 5000 members. Head here to network, buy, sell, swap, get recs and advice and more. 

Upper East Side Moms, 39K members
With almost 40,000 members, UES Mommas is a wealth of knowledge, support, referrals and recommendations. (It's also not without its disagreements between members, which have sometimes led to the group suspending activity temporarily.) Still, that's a lot of mom brain to pick and the members just keep coming to this private Facebook group.

Upper West Side Mammas, 19K members
Similar to the Upper East Side group, but for the UWS.

Washington Heights/Inwood Moms, 2.3K members 
Moms in this northern nabe can find and help each other here. 

Facebook Groups for Brooklyn Parents

Amy N. via Yelp

Bay Ridge Parents, 6.9K members
This private moderated group is a place where area parents can talk schools, events, local businesses, kids items for sale, parenting or other family-related advice, plus advice or steam-releasing vents about living and parenting in Bay Ridge. 

Bed Stuy Parents, 2.7K members
Connect online with other parents in Bed-Stuy with this private group.

Brooklyn Baby Hui, 4K members
Parents from the neighborhoods of North Brooklyn (Williamsburg, Greenpoint) share experiences, resources and stories to empower each other in this private group. (It's pronounced "Hoo-ee.")

Brooklyn NY Freecycle, 3.2K members 
Great for getting and giving, this site facilitates passing along items and keeping them out of landfills. Swapping is also allowed, but NO money should change hands.

Brooklyn Bridge Parents, 1.9K members
Join this public group for news and info for parents in Downtown Brooklyn, Brooklyn Heights, Carroll Gardens, Cobble Hill, Boerum Hill and DUMBO.

Ditmas Park Families, 3.2K members
Connect with other families in the neighborhood on just about everything, from class recs to restaurants reviews, day trips, swapping and selling. 

DUMBO Moms, 2.2K members
A private group for moms of all kinds—new, experienced, etc—to share info, recs, frustrations, etc. 

Parents Around the Hill, 1.2 K members
Connect with other families in the Fort Greene, Clinton Hill, Bed-Stuy neighborhoods with this group. 

Park Slope Parents, 8.3K members
Despite its name, this Facebook group for the longtime popular Brooklyn parenting resource is open and visible to all families in Brooklyn. To access all the resources of the group, join Park Slope Parents for a reasonable annual fee. 

Windsor Terrace/Kensington Parents, 1.1K members 
Parents and soon-to-be parents can buy/sell/swap, share tips and recommendations and more in this group. 

Facebook Groups for Queens Parents

Queens County Corn Maze via Yabome M.K. Casper
Yabome M.K. Casper

BushRidge Parents, 2.6K Members  
Yes, this is a Brooklyn/Queens group, as the parents in Bushwick in Brooklyn and Ridgewood in Queens are close neighbors and hang together.  Connect, share info and support, and let each other know about local events and issues here.  

Forest Hills Parents, 10.7K members
Join the army of parents in Forest Hills at this Facebook page, for all things parenting in the area. P.S. There's a smaller, Progressive Parents of Forest Hills group here

Mommies of Long Island City, 3.3K members
For recs, advice and community in this booming area, head here. 

MOMally Parenting, 6.3 members
An offshoot of the MOMally Astoria page (which is more focused on reducing parenting anxiety), this group is the place to come with parenting questions and to receive support from area parents. Another option in the area is Astoria, NY Families, which has 4.6K members. 

Sunnyside Moms, 3K members
A private group for parents in the Sunnyside and Woodside communities, this group is open to parents of all kinds, including if your baby "was delivered to you by an alien." (They obviously have a sense of humor!)

Facebook Groups for Bronx Parents

WCS

Bronx Moms, 1.7K members
Head here to join a group of like-minded moms in the Bronx sharing everything from parenting tips, events, free stuff and funny stories. 

Bronx & Westchester Moms Group, 6.2K members
These moms may technically live in different cities, but they are close neighbors. Join this private group for info on area happenings, advice and supports. 

Facebook Groups for Staten Island Parents

Staten Island Children's Museum

Staten Island Moms & Dads, 6K members
One of the largest Staten Island parenting groups with 6,000 members, offering info on what's happening on the island for area families. 

Staten Island Moms, 2.1K members 
Join this public group for resources, support and buying and selling among Staten Island mothers. 

Staten Island Parents of Special Needs Children, 2.5K members 
A group created to help parents navigate the educational system, and offer support, info, and socialization.

Specialty Facebook Groups for NYC Parents

Caitlin Childs via Flickr

LGBTQ+ Moms, 2.9K members
This private group for mothers of LGBTQ+ kids is a place to come together online and share in their daily experiences of motherhood.

NYC Dads Group, 4K members
A popular online place for NYC dads sharing events, tips, discussions and more. 

NYC Parents of Kiddies with Special Needs, 2.6K members 
This is a private group for NYC parents of kids who have special needs, ranging from very minor speech/language/OT, to severe. Parents can ask questions, as well as share ideas and resources, and receive support from fellow members.

New Moms in NYC, 17.6K members
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Bilingual Families of NYC, 2.3K members
Connect, get info, schedule playdates and more.

Single Parents By Choice, 200+ members
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New York Adoptive, Foster and Kinship Parenting Support Group, 1.3k members
A private group for families and parents with adopted or fostered kids, or those taking care of a child through kinship. 

The Parents & Nannies of NYC, 5.2k members
A private group created to connect families with nannies and nannies with families. 

—Mimi O’Connor

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Photo: Canvas

There is robust research about the different factors that influence student achievement. While teacher skill and communication is important, there are a number of influential factors for student success that happen outside of school. In fact, research shows that supportive behavior from parents or guardians correlates with student achievement.

The link between parental support and student achievement is so robust that districts often have policies to encourage it and various funding sources for schools have been tied to it, but there are some activities that move the needle on student achievement further than others.

The different kinds of parental involvement sit along a spectrum—from simply being interested in your child’s education to activities like volunteering in the classroom or to chaperone field trips. The good news is that general measures of achievement like GPA are correlated with all kinds of involvement and that result has been seen across all age and income levels.

While there are many ways for parents to engage at school, the top four most impactful parent behaviors are: parent tutoring, supporting homework, communicating expectations about learning and academic socialization. Here’s a look at each.

Parent Tutoring

For the youngest learners in grades K to 3, research into reading acquisition has shown some interesting results. A 2008 analysis found that training parents to teach their children to read was far more effective than either teaching parents to listen to their children read aloud or having parents read aloud to their children. An earlier study in 2006 showed similar results for every content area and age level. Parent tutoring increased student achievement on both criterion and norm-referenced tests, no matter how long the tutoring sessions were or what kind of instruction or modeling was provided to the parents.

Supporting Homework

The effect of parent involvement in homework has been more mixed. One research report analyzing this topic found a strong link between increased achievement on almost any measure when parents regulate homework time and help students when they struggle. Regulations were household rules about when and where students complete homework. However, significant results were only found for elementary students and were not seen when parents simply monitored homework.

Communicating Expectations

The most generalizable impact has to do with parental expectations. Two reports from 2005 and 2009 looked at a variety of parent behaviors and found that parental expectations and parenting st‌yle were significant predictors of higher achievement in both elementary and middle school.

Academic Socialization

While most of the parental involvement research cites significant results in elementary grades, the final parent behavior, academic socialization, has been found to have significant correlations with higher student achievement in middle school. According to one 2009 study, academic socialization included parents’ expectations for academic achievement, fostering academic aspirations in children, discussing learning strategies and planning for children’s academic future.

Putting It All Together

When it comes to important parent behaviors, the four mentioned above are proven to be most impactful. Woven through each is the importance of clear and consistent communication. In addition, open lines of communication between parents and teachers are essential to student success. So often, parents receive a lot of handouts and emails only to file them away, never to be visited again. It’s important for parents to review what teachers send home. They should remain engaged with the teacher and ask clarifying questions when needed.

Yet, there will be times when lines of communication break down and additional assistance is needed. In these moments, parents have the right and responsibility to bring in the support of additional school administration, like a principal. It can be tricky to know when to call on the principal and everyone is different, but here is a general list to help parents and guardians.

When to call the principal…

1. When something changes at home—good or bad. Children often engage in unusual behaviors as a coping mechanism when they encounter a new situation at home like a new sibling or parent, moving to a new house or losing a loved one.

2. When you see behavior changes at home. Misbehavior at home can signal that your child is experiencing stress at school. Sometimes it’s safer to be naughty at home where everyone loves you unconditionally than it is to deal with something that’s bothering you at school.

3. When you appreciate anything the school or its personnel are doing. Working in public education is often difficult and stressful. Expressing your gratitude for the good things that happen in schools can not only light up a teacher or principal’s day, but good deeds and gratitude have lots of beneficial side effects for the giver.

When to NOT call the principal…

1. When you want to request a specific teacher for your student next year. We all want the very best for our kids so it’s tempting to try to stack the deck in their favor when it comes to the teachers they have. Schools consider lots of variables when making classroom assignments, including student personality. It might turn out that the teacher the school picked for your child is a better choice than the one your neighbor recommends.

2. When parking for a school event is terrible. Parking is always terrible. Get there early so you can find a spot and then just grin and bear it. There are more unpleasant things we do for our kids.

3. When you want to complain about a laundry list of things that happened in your child’s classroom. When your student shares things that happen during the day, remember that you’re only getting one side of the story. It’s often much more productive to chat with your child’s teacher first and only go to the principal if you have concerns after that.

We know that the most significant forms of parental involvement happen at home. By encouraging the activities that have a greater impact on achievement, remaining in communication with teachers and calling on the help of the principal when needed, we can ensure students have the best opportunity for success.

Hilary Scharton is the VP of Innovation, Instructure Canvas, the open online learning management system (LMS) that makes teaching and learning easier. 

The education world will undoubtedly learn a lot from the coronavirus experience, so expect online education to evolve as well. We’re witnessing a newfound appreciation for all of the things we take for granted about schools—they provide childcare, socialization, meals, extracurricular activities. Schools do so much more than just educate and we’re seeing parents, teachers, and administrators really come face to face with all of those other benefits.  

While I don’t think there will be a mad race to replace brick-and-mortar schools when this is done and think most people will be really happy to see them return, I do think we will likely see more integration of technology into the traditional school experience. If your school doesn’t have the funding or demand to offer more AP classes? You can take them online. Does a student have a specific need when it comes to reading? We now know that it works to put together small, specialized groups online so that across multiple schools or districts we can form groups that fit those exact needs. 

The lessons from this period could make learning more personalized and expose students to more options within the flow of a traditional school day. One other big lesson we’ve learned is how much of a strain it is on parents to facilitate online learning from home for entire days or weeks.  Schools are all at various stages in the life cycle of being remote-ready. That was a challenge for us in launching Virtual School Day, trying to determine where we could help best whether through “office hours” to assist students with lessons and homework they were already getting through school, enrichment-type classes to help fill the day with extracurriculars while core content was delivered through the school system, or core curriculum classes to fill the void left by schools that weren’t yet equipped to deliver remote learning. 

One thing that’s been really impressive is how innovative teachers are, themselves. So many teachers had websites ready to go to keep parents updated, allow for the distribution and collection of assignments, and stay in regular contact. 

The college experience is a whole other can of worms and one that has been due for a major shakeup for some time now. Tuition is rising, the typical bachelor’s degree doesn’t have the same value as it did in the past, class sizes are massive and yet students often cannot get into the classes needed to graduate on time. And don’t discount the fact that we have an entire graduating class, carrying a fortune in student loan debt, coming out into the toughest hiring market since arguably the Great Depression. That combination of a semester’s worth of online classes filling the void and a really diminished ROI on most degrees will accelerate what has been due: top universities really leveraging their brand by offering certificate programs in an online format, innovative colleges driving down costs by making more coursework scalable online, and those that aren’t able to adapt seeing their value proposition look worse and worse over time.

So, can remote learning work? Absolutely. Since schools began to close, we’re already noticing kids love the quick-comment nature of typewritten chat, so that they don’t have to be “on stage” as the sole speaker in the room when asking or answering a question. They’re working through adaptive assignments based on diagnostic quizzes. And, they’re making new friends across the country. Remote learning at its best is highly personalized, highly interactive, and, consequently, highly effective.  

But I’d also be lying if I didn’t admit that we have a huge tailwind: right now, classes are optional so it’s the most motivated, naturally curious students who are joining the most classes and submitting the most assignments. For highly motivated students, remote learning works extremely well. And online learning really does, also, have the ability to help motivate other learners because it can be so easily personalized, more learners get to feel that schools challenges but doesn’t overwhelm them and involves them without the same level of pressure of being on stage in front of potentially judgmental classmates. But that also doesn’t mean it’s a panacea. We all remember that teacher whose side-eye glance could snap a student back in line, or whose friendly hallway greeting could help a student realize that he’s valued and that someone believes in his potential. Online learning has lots of advantages that we’re discovering and accelerating right now, but in-person learning has some very hard-to-replace aspects, too. Ultimately, a system where the two work hand in hand will benefit the most students. 

Brian Galvin is the Chief Academic Officer for Varsity Tutors. A lifelong educator with a Master's in Education, Brian's been teaching and developing online classes since 2009. He most recently helped design Virtual School Day, a free remote learning program that includes live, online classes to help students during coronavirus school cancellations.    

When the heat or the rain puts a cramp in your plans for the day, we’ve got you covered! This list of indoor playgrounds for kids in Miami has all the activity you need to tire out the little ones and keep them from the climbing your walls. Find your new favorite spot below!

photo: POD 22 via yelp

POD 22
This totally-adorable kids play space is a mom’s dream come true. It offers open play and even supervised play where you can take advantage of the on-site nail salon and give yourself a break. They also offer Montessori classes on the weekdays for those looking for a little more socialization time.

8101 Biscayne Blvd #102
Miami, FL
Online: thepod22.com/play

Just 4 Fun
This play space is located inside the Shops at Sunset Place in Miami. The toddler section is decorated in pastel pink, blue, and green, with small slides, tunnels, and little rope swings. The remainder of the space has a large play structure with a roller slide, a trampoline, climbing platforms, tunnels, and a ball pit. Food and drinks are also available for purchase.

5701 Sunset Dr.
South Miami, FL
Online: just4funparks.com

photo: Veroniko L. via yelp

IGi Playground
This indoor playground has a large play structure with lots of steps, tunnels, slides, and ramps, as well as a ball pit. There are plenty of tables outside the play area for snacks when you need a break. A big highlight is the pirate ship, perfect for pretend play.

12885 Biscayne Blvd #3
North Miami, FL
Online: igiplaygroundmiami.com

Planet Kids
This 3,000-square-foot indoor playground caters to young kids, with separate spaces for babies and toddlers under three and kids 3-7 years. Activities include a rock wall,  play structure with slides, platforms and a ball pit. There is also a bounce house and space to run around. Adults will appreciate the Nespresso cafe, with a French bakery.

2403 NE 2nd Ave., Suite 108
Miami, FL
Online: planetkidsplayground.net

photo: We Rock the Spectrum via yelp

We Rock the Spectrum
Kids of all abilities can play together at We Rock the Spectrum. The gym’s sensory equipment benefits both children with special needs and their neurotypical peers. There’s a zip line, trampoline, tunnel, carpet swing, climbing structure, crash pit and hammock swing, plus an arts and crafts area.

5159 S. University Dr.
Davie, FL
Online: werockthespectrumdavie.com

Goin’ Bananas
Goin’ Bananas has a large, colorful play gym with tunnels, slides and a rock wall. Tables surround the play space, where adults can relax and grab a bite while the children play.

15750 SW 56th St.
Miami, FL
Online: goinbananasmiami.com

—Kate Loweth

 

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