This is the most fabulous idea.

Seniors join preschoolers at day care center
Sunday, January 29, 2006
BY MARGARET McHUGH
Star-Ledger Staff

It was not a traditional wood shop class. The teachers were all over 82; the students were all 4.

Using tools accumulated over a lifetime, the residents of a Morris County retirement community were giving four preschoolers a lesson in woodworking.

The men, most with hearing aids, helped their little partners make spinning toys out of wooden disks and string during a half-hour lesson. On Henry Czarnecki’s order, 4-year-old Matthew Holder yanked the arm of a noisy drill press to make holes in his disk.

“Good job!” the 85-year-old mentor said as he inspected Matthew’s work.

While more and more intergenerational day care programs are opening nationwide, the 14-year relationship between the seniors of Heath Village and the children of Friendship Center is unique in New Jersey, according to one official. Heath Village is the only retirement community in the state to have a day care center on its grounds, said Patrick Brady, CEO of Heath Village and president of the Friendship Center.

Friendship Center is on the edge of Heath Village’s 100-plus acre campus in Long Valley, a section of Washington Township.

The arrangement allows the seniors to share time and expertise with children from ages 2 1/2 to 6, under the supervision of the day care staff.

“We wanted to make the life of child care children better,” Brady said.

About 30 of the 400 Heath Village residents volunteer with the Friendship Center. They teach the children woodworking and hand- bell music and take them on nature hikes on the grounds. Some read stories to them, either at the day care center or in the retirement community’s library. Some head to the day care center for special occasions to decorate cookies or do crafts with their assigned child.

Marie Springstead, 83, teaches hand-bell ringing to kindergartners. In the fall, they learned three hymns and performed them at Heath Village’s nursing home.

“It’s such a disciplined thing, and they catch right on,” said Springstead, a retired teacher and school psychologist in the South Orange school district.

Like Springstead, 78-year-old Jim Madigan, known to the children as “Mr. Jim,” hasn’t lost his flare for teaching. He reads to preschoolers each week, after practicing aloud at home.

“The teacher never quite got out of me. It’s fun and it’s a lot different than teaching high school,” said Madigan, who considers the youngsters “my extended family.”

According to Donna Butts, the executive director of Washington, D.C.-based Generations United, an advocacy group for seniors and children, intergenerational day care programs are growing nationwide.

“The past five years have seen a real increase” in day care centers that cater to children and adults, Butts said.

Butts estimated there are 500 shared-site facilities nationwide, and more than 1,000 service-based programs in which adults or children do something for or with other generation, like seniors tutoring students and youngsters bringing meals to shut-ins.

Different space and staffing requirements between the age groups have been obstacles to shared facilities.

“Public policy doesn’t really encourage it,” said John Rother, policy director for AARP and chairman of the board of Generations United.

Locally, Mount Olive refused to let the Paragon Village retirement community convert its adult day care center into one for children, saying it violated its zoning rule limiting a property to one principal use.

Superior Court Judge Theodore Bozonelis ruled in November that since adult and child day care facilities are “essentially the same,” Paragon Village could make the conversion.

Paragon Village intends to start an intergenerational program like the one at Heath Village, administrator Kim Polachek said.

Children and seniors seem to benefit from intergenerational programs, although “there is little we know about the long-term outcomes,” said Shannon Jarrott, Virginia Tech associate professor and research director for the university’s Adult Day Services.

Studies have shown senior citizens who participate get a mood boost and children tend to be more comfortable around older folks, Jarrott said.

Children in such programs “don’t look at it (aging) as a horrible thing,” Butts said. For seniors, being around children helps them think outside themselves. “They’re talking less about who died and what hurts,” she said.

True intergenerational programs involve sustained contact “so that there is a relationship,” as opposed to a children’s group visiting a nursing home only on occasion, she explained.

Jarrott said some intergenerational programs don’t last because the staff isn’t trained to deal with needs of both children and adults. Some organizers decide it doesn’t work or isn’t worth the effort.

Medford Leas Retirement Community in Burlington County closed its on-campus day care center in September 2003 because residents had to subsidize it, spokeswoman Jane Weston said.

The Friendship Center, which operates independently of Heath Village, was operating in the black within a year of opening, Brady said. It enrolls about 55 children, although on any given day about 35 attend.

Tara Ligos chose the Friendship Center for her children, Jake, 5, and Maddie, 3, because of the seniors’ involvement. Ligos’ parents don’t live nearby, and because her husband’s mother is ill, she can’t do all the things she wants to do with the children, Ligos said.

“All my childhood memories are of my grammy and my poppy,” said Ligos, who lived with grandparents until she was 7. “I wanted that for my kids.”

For 85-year-old Stephen Riddleberger, who only sees his own grandchildren a few times a year, being Jake’s pen pal fills a void.

“I love it. The kids are so great,” the retired machinist said. “Jake is very shy, but I’m slowly but surely bringing him out.”

Margaret McHugh covers the Morris County Courthouse. She can be reached at mmchugh@starled ger.com or (973) 539-7119.

I love this kind of thing. It’s what childcare has had to endure for as long as I can remember. The money is there, the money is given away, the money is a pawn of state, but the money never hits the classroom. Has anyone ever looked at an early childhood classroom and seen the shortages? Do most people know what it takes to run an early childhood classroom? Because children don’t read, they need the materials to learn to read and that’s a lot of stuff. Most classrooms are bare. If one calculated how much money actually dribbles down to the child in the classroom, I bet it would be about one cent on a dollar. I know every time there is a grant in this town, it goes into front desks, new hallways and classroom doors to keep noise down. Noise is important; it means kids are busy and enjoying their lives.

Today’s lesson: Wasting tax money

WHEN someone gives to a campaign, the money should be used for that purpose. That doesn’t always happen due to loopholes in the law. Assemblyman Ron Calderon, D-Montebello, used campaign funds to entertain his staff in Las Vegas, for instance.

Now, cigarette tax dollars earmarked for early childhood education and health-care are being used in an $18-million ad campaign to launch another initiative that would usher in taxpayer-funded universal preschool for 4-year-olds. That’s just not right. Worse, it’s against the law. It is illegal to use taxpayer funds to support political campaigns and ballot initiatives.

The man behind the original initiative that established the First5 program that has handed out welcome grants to communities such as Pasadena and Rowland Heights among other communities in Los Angeles County and elsewhere, is Rob Reiner. Reiner now chairs the First5 Commission. The actor-activist is also the prime mover behind the preschool initiative. While Reiner’s actions are well-intended, siphoning First5 money to push another initiative is, well, meatheaded.

While the First5 TV spots never mention the upcoming initiative, they tout the importance of preschool. They also allude to studies that supposedly found preschool benefits all children.

Some of those studies indicated that children in single-parent families, already at a disadvantage, and socioeconomically challenged communities do indeed benefit from preschool. But other studies point out that not all children, especially boys, thrive in such a structured environment at a young age. It’s a subject that needs much more discussion and much less sound-bite education.

We’ve noticed that First5 commercials of late have returned to their usual good advice to parents without mention of preschool merits. Perhaps the call by the Howard Jarvis Taxpayers Association to pull the ads met with success. Now, the preschool initiative should repay First5 for all that very expensive airtime.

This is an outstanding article and well worth reading. It makes me realize that what we have been doing for ten years is right on target. What Mrs. Faulk wanted is available, but not necessarily at the big places. Our teachers have known for years that educating children must be the primary goal of any good place and we have fought a steady shunning from the early childhood clique locally because our kind of education is just not doable in other places. I thank Cecelia for a wonderful article.

By CECILIA LE
The News Journal
01/29/2006

Shannon Faulk wanted her son in a preschool program that would offer a real education — not just a babysitting service. She wanted to expose him to a diverse group of youngsters. And she wanted something affordable.

But the 41-year-old paralegal and mother of 4-year-old Seth didn’t know if such a place existed.
“They were either for really, really poor people or people with really, really a lot of money, but there were not a lot of stimulating programs for, dare I say it, ‘middle-class’ people like me.”

The problem she faced is common in Delaware: Government-subsidized and regulated preschool programs, such as Head Start, are available only to underprivileged families, while high-quality early education remains difficult to identify and difficult to afford for the middle class.

“Middle-income children are being left behind,” said Libby Doggett, executive director of Pre-K Now, a national advocacy group that supports universal access to preschool. “Children in poverty have access to Head Start. Upper-income parents buy whatever is best for their child — usually a preschool of very high quality. It’s the middle class that’s getting squeezed.”

In Delaware, preschool programs cost anywhere from $100 to $1,000 for a four-week month — lower than comparable states such as New Hampshire, Rhode Island and Vermont. But the quality of instruction and education level of teachers isn’t as good, according to a recent University of Delaware study.

According to the National Institute for Early Education Research at Rutgers University, Delaware’s state-funded preschool programs met seven of 10 quality standards in 2002-03. Delaware was praised for having fewer than 20 students in a class, serving a meal and giving teachers specialized training. However, Delaware preschools didn’t require teachers to have a bachelor’s degree. Arkansas met all 10 standards, while Pennsylvania met only two.

Several initiatives are forming to improve early education in Delaware — such as a task force to study increasing teacher training and pay, and a star system to rate preschools — but they are still in their infant stages.

“This state has put a lot of concentration on reforming the K-12 system, but we’ve done very little with early childhood education,” said Evelyn Keating, provider services director with The Family and Workplace Connection, a Delaware nonprofit child care referral agency. “We can’t wait until they get to kindergarten because then we’re just playing catch-up.”

Help for poor

Delaware children in poverty — defined as a family of four making $19,350 or less annually — and children with disabilities are eligible for free, public preschool from birth to age 5.

Families making up to twice the poverty level can get state vouchers to pay for child care. About 14,700 children — nearly a third of those in child care — receive such a voucher, which can cover all or some costs depending on income.

With poor children taken care of and higher-income families taking care of their own, the remaining middle class are left without the means to pay for a high-quality preschool or the knowledge to even identify one.

Faulk got references and used her own sleuthing skills to make her choice: St. Michael’s School and Nursery in Wilmington. She was drawn to it because of its educational programs and the diversity of its students and staff.

The school, which received the Governor’s Award for Excellence in 2002, charges about $550 a month for prekindergarteners. Preschool teachers, who handle newborns to 3-year-olds, have at least an associate’s degree. All kindergarten teachers have a master’s degree or are completing one.

And as director, Helen Riley has 35 years of experience.

The school Faulk picked is one that met many quality indicators in a 2003 University of Delaware study of 200 programs in the state.

The study determined that quality is connected to price, staff education and the director’s experience. While publicly funded and regulated programs for poor families were of better quality than others, the study found the overall quality of Delaware’s programs was mediocre to poor.

Many were lacking in language and literacy development, reasoning activities and even basic health and safety.

Authors pointed out that the quality of care is probably even worse than the study suggested, because the centers that allowed researchers to visit were of higher quality.

Shopping for quality

In the public eye, preschools have traditionally been seen as educational settings where children learn letters, numbers, manners and other skills to prepare for kindergarten. Day cares, in contrast, have been regarded more as babysitting services.

Nowadays, because all providers are expected to provide learning activities, the state Office of Child Care Licensing doesn’t distinguish between preschool and day care. Any licensed center can call itself a “preschool,” but faces minimal requirements for teacher training and curriculum.That means it’s up to parents to shop the wide variety of programs available and recognize the ones of high quality.

National research shows children who attend high-quality preschool do better throughout school and, as adults, are more likely to go to college, get jobs and pay taxes.

Many states are expanding their programs in response to such research, as well as federal demands that they get all children up to grade level in reading and math.

States spent $3.6 billion on pre-K education in 2005-06, compared with only $200 million in 1998, according to Pre-K Now.

Another UD study tracking more than 700 disabled and poor children found that by fifth grade, those who had attended government-funded preschool were on a par with their peers in reading, with 73 percent passing state reading tests. The group that hadn’t had preschool was doing far worse, with only 34 percent passing.

Those studies involved programs for 3- and 4-year-olds, but experts say preschool education should begin after birth and last until age 5, when the brain is growing most quickly.

“In many ways, it’s the first 36 months that make the difference,” said Michael Gamel-McCormick, who led both UD studies.

Waiting in line

Rep. Melanie George Marshall, D-Bear, said her goal is for every child to have access to quality early education.

But Marshall, who chairs a legislative task force on early childhood education, says a focus on expanding full-day kindergarten has consumed much of the state’s attention and left preschool waiting in line.

“I was really bright-eyed and optimistic that we would be able to accomplish so much,” when the task force was established in 2003, she said. “There’s only so much money to go around. It’s going to take longer than I had initially hoped.

“This isn’t about looking after someone else’s kids,” Marshall added. “It’s about getting their brains ready for school. It can’t be any old program. The real issue is quality — making quality affordable.”

When picking a program, parents usually consider location, cost and hours, said Keating, from the referral agency. Judging quality is more complex.

A high price tag doesn’t guarantee a top-notch program or highly educated teachers — but it’s more likely, experts say. And parents who can’t afford premium rates could sacrifice quality.

“People who are just 18 years old and breathing and aren’t experienced and educated … that’s what we have in some of our family child care centers,” Keating said.

For Faulk, it was the educational programs that ultimately helped her pick St. Michael’s for her son Seth.

“With his teachers now, one is Hispanic and they are learning Spanish — who better to learn it from?” said Faulk, noting Seth can count to 20 in Spanish. And he gets field trips, yoga, nutritious meals and is learning social skills like sharing.

The state Department of Education’s guidelines say preschools should provide activities that help 3- and 4-year-olds develop skills such as recognizing numbers, following directions and expressing care for others. Most learning is accomplished through play.

“You can’t teach them the way you would older children,” said Jeff Benatti, executive director of New Castle County Head Start. “You can’t sit them down in front of a chalkboard and go, ‘Two plus two equals four.’ We don’t believe that’s the way 3- and 4-year-olds learn best.”

Parents need to visit the program, ask questions and watch the children. They also might drop by to see how the school is run when visitors aren’t expected.

Hands-on

At Children First Preschool in Hockessin, which last year won the Governor’s Award for Excellence, each month has a theme.

This month, it’s transportation, so one classroom’s play area is an airport where children act as pilots, passengers and flight attendants. The children “sign up” to play by marking the station with a personalized clothespin.

“The real learning takes place when the children put their hands on things,” said co-director and teacher Anna Traudt.

Pre-kindergartner Alexandra Cresci, wearing a birthday crown, painted her nails blue with a glittery marker.

“Look, I’m making a telescope,” said classmate Tess Foote, peering through a paper towel roll she had colored.

Meanwhile, J. D. Gaylor practiced fine motor skills by picking up cloth balls with a pair of chopsticks.

Even though Heather Willis is a stay-at-home mom, she sent both her children to Children First: Henry, 4, and Ellie, 6, now in kindergarten.

She felt Ellie, more of a risk-taker, needed extra stimulation, while Henry would benefit from time away from mom.

“It was worth that sacrifice of not having that extra money,” Willis said. “Both of them are more confident and more inquisitive. They learned how to play with friends and do things without me being around.”

Children First, which charges $510 a month for a five-day-a-week program, requires teachers to have a degree in early childhood education or complete 60 hours of coursework.

But most programs don’t. Thirty-eight percent of early care and education teachers have only a high school diploma or less, UD researchers found in the 2003 study.

Teachers are paid an average of $8.90 an hour, which is comparable to national pay.
“Some of them actually qualify for public assistance themselves, and that’s sad,” Keating said.

Better training

Several programs are in the works to improve early education in Delaware.

Teachers can get scholarships to work toward an early childhood credential or degree through the TEACH (Teacher Education and Compensation Helps) program, administered by the Family and Workplace Connection. After getting credentialed, they would be eligible for higher pay.

Rep. Marshall plans to introduce legislation soon that would create a task force to study other ways preschool teachers can get better training.

Early childhood advocates also want to create a rating system that would give stars to participating programs — like those used for restaurants and hotels — and grants to help them improve.

While the task force doesn’t focus on the squeeze facing middle class families, both of those initiatives could help them identify quality programs they could afford.

Similar systems exist in other states, but Delaware still is seeking funding from government and private sources, said Keating, who hopes the Family and Workplace Connection will administer the system.

Meanwhile, Estela Lemus would give good marks to the Head Start at Absalom Jones Community Center in New Castle. She says her 5-year-old daughter, Andrea Rodriguez, has matured since starting there.

Andrea will be ready for school, her mother thinks.

“Her shyness is going away,” she said. “She likes to read books and make up what’s happening in the pictures. She has a cousin in kindergarten and she says, ‘Mom, I want pretend homework.'”
Contact Cecilia Le at 324-2794 or cle@delawareonline.com.

Foundation Stone Laid for Muttaiyankattu Preschool
TamilNet
January 27, 2006

Project Co-ordinator at The Economic Consultancy House (TECH), Mr Pulendran, presided over the foundation stone laying ceremony for a new preschool for children of the war-affected community in Jeevanagar, Muttaiyankattu in Mullaitivu district Wednesday at 10 a.m., sources in Kilinochichi said. TECH is a Sri Lanka Government registered NGO working exclusively in the NorthEast on employment generation projects.

The new building will replace the preschool for nearly 40 children that is functioning out of a temporary shelter. The permanent building will be a good first step to provide progressive educational opportunities to the impoverished community, TECH officials said.

The financial assistance for the center is being provided by an Internet group of Tamil-Norwegians and the school will function under the administration of TECH.

Head of the Political Section in Mullaitiuv, Thamilarasan, laid the foundation stone. Village Development Council President, Mr Rasalingam, Preschool teacher, Ms Kalaichelvi and several Jeevanagar residents attended the foundation laying ceremony.

Children Nutrition Park Opens in Yogapuram

TamilNet
January 28, 2006

Tamil Rehabilitation Organization (TRO) Wednesday declared open a Children Nutrition Park with a Day-Care Centre for children and a pre-school in Yogapuram in Mallavi area in Mullaitivu district. The project funded by TRO(USA) was implemented by the Mallavi Zonal Office of the TRO Mullaitivu district. The park is named Vaiharai Children Nutrition Park.

Dr.Ehambaramoorthy unveiling the name board of the park.

Dr.Ehambaramoorthy speaking at the event.

Children playing in the newly opened parkThe park would be developed in future to provide computer literacy and English language education to children, officials said.

Mr.Rasu Ravi, Planning Director of Children Welfare Unit of the TRO presided.

Dr.Ms.Ehambaramoorthy, Medical Officer of the Mallavi hospital unveiled the name board of the park.

Mr.S.Mullaiveeran, Mallavi Zonal Director of the TRO declared open the new of the pre-school in the park.

Mr.Arunthavam, Thunukkai area political head opened the learning room in the pre-school.
Mr.Ravichchandran, Deputy Executive Director of the TRO, and Mr.Semmanan, Mullaitivu district political head delivered keynote addresses.

They commended the development work of the TRO in providing assistance to affected children and mothers who are suffering with out proper food and health facilities.

About sixty children, parents and TRO officials participated in the event.

Live Claymore Mine Recovered in Pesalai School

TamilNet, January 27, 2006

Talaimannar police recovered and disarmed a live claymore mine concealed in a discarded water tank kept in the premises of the Pesalai St.Fatima Madhya Maha Vidiyalayam at 9.30 p.m. Thursday, sources in Mannar said. ol. The police rushed to the site and took steps to remove the explosive when notified of the mine’s presence by the school’s principal.

The discarded water tank was kept on a corner of the premises of the school, which was out of bound for students and teachers, sources said.

Washington Post
FDA Approves Inhalable Insulin
By Justin Gillis
Washington Post Staff Writer
Saturday, January 28, 2006

The Food and Drug Administration yesterday approved an inhaled form of insulin, the first new way to get that hormone into the body since it was discovered in 1921 — and a new treatment option for many of the 21 million Americans with diabetes.

The approval fulfills an arduous scientific quest that spanned most of the 20th century and spilled over to the 21st. And it marks the biggest change in diabetes treatment in decades, one that doctors hope will lure a fair slice of the American population into their offices to talk about controlling blood sugar. The product poses long-term safety questions, though, and it’s not clear yet whether it will be more expensive than standard insulin.

Paul Matelis, at top, holds a packet of insulin, which is loaded into an inhaler that is used by a patient. Matelis, a comptroller for a real estate title firm in Miami, was among the first to enroll in human tests of inhaled insulin.

Administration this afternoon approved an inhaled form of insulin, the first new way to get that hormone into the body since it was discovered in 1921 — and a potential boon to many of the 21 million Americans with diabetes.

Millions of Americans need treatment with insulin but don’t get it because it involves frequent, painful needle sticks and injections. About 5 million take the hormone, but a high proportion inject themselves too few times during the day because it’s so inconvenient. Doctors hope inhaled insulin will overcome some of that resistance, helping diabetics ward off a slew of medical problems that afflict those who don’t control their disease.

Studies show that the new product, to be sold by Pfizer Inc. under the brand name Exubera, works and appears to be safe with short-term use. Patients who have used inhalers told researchers they prefer them to needles by a wide margin, according to studies sponsored by Pfizer. “I’m just flabbergasted at the number of people who really do seem to want this, and want it substantially,” said Jay Skyler, a University of Miami doctor and one of the nation’s leading diabetes experts.

However, inhaled insulin causes minor declines in how much air the lungs can hold. Scientists consider that a signal that long-term use could pose risks, though that could take years to sort out. The FDA recommended yesterday that smokers and people with some types of lung disease, including asthma, avoid using the product. Exubera is approved only for people 18 or older, though studies in children are underway.

Pfizer said the product wouldn’t be available in most pharmacies until June or July. Exact prices haven’t been set, but Vanessa Aristide, a Pfizer spokeswoman, said the product would be “priced competitively” with injected insulin. Pfizer is first to market with such a product, but others are under development.

Yesterday’s decision confronts millions of Americans — diabetics make up 7 percent of the population — with a complicated new strategic problem, requiring them to figure out how much long-range risk they’re willing to incur for the convenience, and possibly greater disease control, of using inhaled insulin.

“The issue comes down to: How do we all deal with uncertainty?” said Robert A. Rizza, a diabetes specialist at the Mayo Clinic and president of the American Diabetes Association. “We just don’t know what the long-run safety record will be. Each person will now need to think very carefully about the potential benefits and the risks for them.”

Paul Matelis, 56, a comptroller for a real estate title company in Miami, wasn’t getting adequate control of his blood sugar seven years ago when he heard about inhaled insulin.
“I really didn’t think it was going to work,” he recalled. “I said, ‘How can this stuff come through my lungs?’ “

But he took the plunge, becoming one of the first people to enroll in human tests. The first morning, he ate a huge breakfast — “steak, eggs, jelly, waffles” — and showed up at the doctor’s office with sky-high blood sugar. He took a puff of insulin powder into his lungs, then watched in amazement as his blood sugar fell. He has been on the product continuously for seven years without a problem, he said.

“The flexibility that I have is incredible,” he said. “It’s just so easy to pull it out and take a puff. I’ve done it at the University of Miami games, sitting in a seat at the Orange Bowl.”

The human body burns a simple sugar, glucose, in much the way a car burns gasoline. But the level of this essential fuel in the blood must be tightly controlled, because too much can wreck tiny blood vessels and cause other problems. The pancreas monitors glucose levels and releases a hormone, insulin, that signals cells to absorb the sugar.

Diabetes is a pervasive group of diseases in which this fundamental life process has gone awry. Some people’s bodies don’t make insulin at all, and they must take it as a medicine or die. But the vast majority of diabetics have a milder form of the disease in which their bodies make too little insulin, resist its effects or both.

Paul Matelis, at top, holds a packet of insulin, which is loaded into an inhaler that is used by a patient. Matelis, a comptroller for a real estate title firm in Miami, was among the first to enroll in human tests of inhaled insulin.

Diabetes can be controlled in both groups, but it isn’t easy. Diet and exercise are important. Pills help some people, but many others need supplemental insulin, which cannot be given as a pill. They have to prick their fingers to test blood-sugar levels and inject themselves repeatedly throughout the day with insulin, or wear pager-size insulin pumps that deliver the hormone through tiny needles.

The sheer tedium of the task gets diabetics down, and overall, they do poorly at it. A third of Americans with diabetes don’t even know they have the disease, the government estimates, and many others fail to achieve adequate control of their blood sugar. The long-term result is a litany of severe medical problems: blindness, impotence, limb amputation, kidney failure, heart attack. The government pegs costs at more than $100 billion a year.

Almost as soon as insulin was discovered in 1921, doctors began hunting better ways to get it into the body, with German researchers testing inhalation in 1924. Decades of failure followed, with the required insulin doses always too high and the resultant blood levels of insulin too low.
But in the 1980s, scientists realized they might be able to solve the problems using new technology to turn insulin into a concentrated powder with particles ideally sized for inhalation.

Nektar Therapeutics of San Carlos, Calif., developed most of the technology in the Pfizer product, and Alkermes Inc. of Cambridge, Mass., developed an inhaler that it licensed to Eli Lilly and Co. Human tests began in the late 1990s.

Mohamed Shakir, head of endocrinology at Howard University Hospital, said the new product could be particularly important in a city like Washington. There’s a big racial disparity in diabetes, with blacks, Hispanics and native Americans more likely to contract the disease and less likely to receive adequate care. And Shakir said people lower on the income scale aren’t as willing to read up on the disease and take control of their illness.

He said he hopes Pfizer will price Exubera fairly, and he looks forward to offering it to newly diagnosed diabetics.

“The fear of the needles — we are going to eliminate it,” Shakir said. “That will be a big plus.”

Gulf Daily News
Bahrain
Pioneering Child Care Centre Ready
By KANWAL TARIQ HAMEED

A PIONEERING anti-child abuse and neglect centre providing facilities for children and care-givers will open in Bahrain on Saturday.

The Be Free Centre, Zinj is the first of its kind in the Middle East and will provide Arabic and English language training and support to children as well as parents, teachers and people dealing with children, say founders.

The centre is being opened by the Bahrain Women’s Society (BWS), in partnership with the United Nations International Children’s Fund (Unicef), with the support of the Esterad Investment Company.

It is the materialisation of a 10-year dream and a four-year campaign, thanks to the sponsorship of Esterad, said BWS member and Be Free project president Dr Soroor Qarooni told the GDN.

The opening ceremony will include short speeches by BWS members as well as presentations on the activities of the centre and the development of the Be Free campaign.

Representatives from Unicef based in Jordan and Muscat are expected to attend, as well as officials from the Interior, Education, Social Development, Health and Information ministries.
Jordanian government officials working in the area of parenting will also be present to see how the programme works, said Ms Qarooni.

The centre will be staffed by four full-time workers and supported by volunteer staff from the BWS.

It will allow programme organisers to focus more on healing and support work, as well and long-term programmes for children, she said.

Most services will be free, apart from specialised training for professionals, she added.
“This was a dream for us for more than 10 years. When we started the Be Free programme, we really felt the need for the centre,” said Ms Qarooni.

“We approached an NGO (non-governmental organisation) called the Palm Association and these ladies wanted to do something for the children of Bahrain. They helped us go to the Esterad company.”

Ms Qarooni praised the company for working with the BWS “on a human basis”.

“I would like to tell other organisations to act as they do.”

Learning ABCs are not the most important part of preschool – socialization is. This is true and it’s not. Most good parents know that social skills improve the learning environment. Families unconcerned about a child’s social behavior are generally not interested in a child’s ability to learn, and they don’t.

The problem begins in “day care” with a directive from on high that says, “Never say no to a child.” That’s a poison to a classroom. Therefore, we don’t have “classrooms” we have free for alls with the bully bearing arms against the whole school. Teachers are too afraid to say “Stop!”

Social behavior begins with knowing one’s limits. A limit is the boundary between being a dignified intelligent person and a wild boar. Children have to learn about boundaries and limits and rules and living as a loving person. It’s never been a choice before, but suddenly, we’ve made it a choice – a bad one.

Before a teacher can teach something of value, the students have to be able to listen. One preschool trait is the inability to let someone else talk. Another is the inability to let another child have a special toy. Another is letting someone take the spot light. These are things we learn through instruction. Letting someone give the right answer even if we know too is problematic for some children. Waiting for someone to spit out the answer is a trial for some children. Add that all together and you need a teacher who will be able to get everyone to be quiet for at least a little while. That means saying no and no often. “It’s not your turn; it’s Faith’s turn.” One of the humorous things we say is “Muzzle!” That means remember it’s not your turn to talk.

Kids are funny. They want to do it right. They want to understand, and achieving a love for one another helps so much. When I see one child whisper to another, it always makes me smile. I’m not concerned that the whisperee doesn’t know; I’m just pleased someone does and is discretely helping out.

Anyway, here’s an article from Education News about learning which is more important.

Education News
Character Important for Preschoolers

Jan 15, 2006

SAN FRANCISCO, CA, United States (UPI) — Learning numbers and ABCs are not the most important lessons young children should master before heading off to preschool, a report finds.

Parents who focus too much on academic and technical skills like number and letter recognition in preschool-aged children may inadvertently be overlooking the fundamental building blocks toddlers need to get along with others and do well in school, Horizon Research Corporation found in a national survey of 350 preschool teachers.

Eighty percent of the preschool teachers surveyed said parents need support and guidance when it comes to learning how their children develop, and many are overemphasizing scholastic skills vs. social development.

The teachers indicated that parents who support their children`s verbal communications, ability to follow directions and participate in group activities will help their children get the most out of preschool and will help cut down on behavioral problems inside the classroom and out.

This is one of Edith’s pictures from Australia. Looks a lot like some places in Evansville.

Combining work and home life is a difficult balancing act. I admire women who do it well. One of the things that can make this possible is childcare that cares. Good places for children should be places where parents know providers well enough for everyone to work together. Teachers should be willing to listen and willing to help if possible.

Yes, yes, everyone has their own problems, but for the sake and care of a child, making a special effort means so much to a little person. It builds trust.

Lately, one of our little boys has been reluctant to come to school. We discovered that his great aunt is very ill with cancer and is undergoing chemo. He knows that something is not right at home, and often a child frets miserably when he is away from the trouble zone. They want to know and understand, so being away is tough. He is afraid he is missing something important.

We have stated many times that a good place takes care of families. That means doing as much as possible for a child when the child’s home is in chaos. But like anyone, providers have to know.

News.scotsman.com
Child-care Concerns ‘Holding Women Back’ From Top Jobs
SHAN ROSS

SCOTLAND is losing out on valuable talent because many women are working in jobs below their capability level, according to a new report.

Researchers for the Equal Opportunities Commission (EOC) found that while women make up nearly half of Scotland’s workforce, many lose out on promotion because child-care made combining full-time work and family life difficult.

The report, “Who Runs Scotland 2006?”, also said that even 30 years after the Sex Discrimination Act, only 10 per cent of senior police officers in Scotland are female, while women make up only 22 per cent of councillors and only 12 per cent in top management in the civil service.

Rowena Arshad, the EOC Scotland Commissioner, said: “Making it to the top is far too often the result of exceptional drive and strength; having to overcome significant barriers.”

The EOC wants political parties to improve women’s representation in Holyrood, which is currently at 39.5 per cent. It also wants more high-paid, flexible and part-time work at all levels, for both working mothers and fathers.

Lisa Stephenson, the only female among four executive directors on the board of Lloyds TSB Scotland, said: “It’s a real challenge to get quality child-care and corporates such as Lloyds are in a strong position to do something about it, such as offering child-care vouchers and flexible working.”

Lesley Hinds, the Lord Provost of Edinburgh, said: “It’s all about the individual and what they want, rather than just statistics about who is reaching the top of the professions. Some women, and men, will want to stay at home; others will want to work. But as employers, the mechanisms must be put in place to make this happen.

If day care taught, all day kindergarten would not be the issue. Because there is control in the school system, we begin there, but learning for a child does not begin there. It begins at birth, and the social and reading readiness begins at three. One of our smartest children who just turned five read a whole novel today. It was a children’s novel, but he read with speed and interest. For him the window of opportunity is now – not a year or two from now.

Dems Push for Indiana Full-Day Kindergarten
By DEANNA MARTIN
Associated Press Writer
INDIANAPOLIS (AP) —

Senate Democrats are pushing an education agenda that would require all Indiana schools to offer full-day kindergarten, but their plan does not outline a way to pay for the proposal.

The program calls for full-day kindergarten to be phased in over several years, beginning with about 46,000 students in Title I schools, which receive federal money and are located mainly in high-poverty areas.

All Indiana schools would have to offer full-day kindergarten programs by the 2009-2010 school year.

It would cost the state $138.9 million a year to allow every Indiana child to attend kindergarten all day, said Sen. Vi Simpson, D-Bloomington.

Senate Democrats said they hoped the General Assembly would pass their plan this year, then work out funding details during next year’s session, which will include debate on the state’s budget.

‘‘We have been talking about full-day kindergarten, and every time it comes up, everybody says they’re for it, but nobody wants to bite the bullet and do it and it never gets done,’’ Simpson said. ‘‘In my opinion, the only way full-day kindergarten will ever be implemented in the state of Indiana is if we commit the next legislature to do it.’’

During the next session, however, lawmakers could decide not to fund the proposal.

Supporters say attending kindergarten all day helps students, especially those from disadvantaged backgrounds, get a head start on learning. The Department of Education has for years supported efforts to implement the program. Some schools do have all-day kindergarten.
Republican Gov. Mitch Daniels supports the idea, but says the state should wait until it can afford it.

‘‘We agree on the concept, and I think we ought to have a good, constructive conversation about the financially responsible timing,’’ he said. ‘‘But they are raising a good idea, one that I’ve been for openly now for two or three years.’’

Sen. Earline Rogers, D-Gary, said investing in early childhood education will pay off in the future.

‘‘We realize that this is a big cost, but we argue that there is even a greater cost if we don’t do it,’’ Rogers said. ‘‘Indiana can’t afford to wait any longer.’’

The Senate Democrats’ education plan, dubbed ‘‘Start Smart,’’ includes several other initiatives, which would:

— Give children one free book every month from the date of their birth until their fifth birthday.

— Create a trust fund to award matching grants to school corporations that want to provide early education programs, including for preschool, parental education and early reading.

— Expand education ‘‘purchasing pools’’ that allow school corporations to buy goods and services in bulk to save money.

Meanwhile, a Democrat in the House says he will introduce a similar full-day kindergarten bill.

Rep. John Day, D-Indianapolis, is proposing a $200 million early childhood education program that includes full-day, a preschool pilot program and grants to help teachers earn graduate degrees.

Day’s bill would pay for the program with an income tax increase. Taxes for those making between $75,000 and $99,999 would rise from 3.4 percent to 3.6 percent, and those making more than $100,000 would pay 4.4 percent.

Day acknowledges it would be difficult for lawmakers to vote for an income tax increase during an election year, but said it’s important that the plan has funding behind it.

‘‘I think this is a fair way to do that,’’ Day said.

Yesterday in class I took out a paper dollar, a fifty cent piece, a quarter, a dime and a nickle. I told the kids that it was money. They all knew that. I asked what the pieces were of my group of four and fives. Some knew; some didn’t. I told them it was time to know, and they all agreed that would be nice to be able to understand about money.

I tried to explain that a penny was not the same thing as a dollar. That there were 100 of these little copper spots in every dollar bill. “Where are they?” asked Daymon looking carefully at the bill. “Inside or outside? asked another.

“Well, if you went to the store, and you wanted to buy a candy bar that cost $1.00, and you handed the man the penny instead, he would laugh at you and tell you to go get some more pennies.”

“That’s not nice,” chirped someone under their breath.

“Let’s look at it from another point of view. If I handed you a chocolate chip, and I handed you a candy bar, who has more?”

“I don’t like chocolate,” said Abby.

“Not the point. If you got just that much and someone got a big candy bar, it’s not the same thing, is it?”

“No.”

“OK,” I had them; I was sure. ” So if I gave Dawson a penny and I gave Taylor a dollar, Taylor would have more, right?”

They were blank as unplugged TV. “Let’s just listen and figure this out. Just like the abacus with ten beads on every line, there is a value or an amount, or a total or a whole count of beads on the abacus. How many beads are there all together?”

“A hundred.”

The dollar is just like the abacus. There are a hundred pennies in the dollar.

“Where, Miss Judy?”

“Let’s look at a nickle.”

When we finish with money, we’ll start on time.

When my husband picked me up from school in our car that’s worth about a dollar, I thought about that class. I told my husband about it, and he said there is where the world has really changed. Kids don’t walk down the street to buy penny candy anymore, so they learn a lot later the value of money. “A soda was about ten cents,” he remarked, “Candy was about a nickle, and if you had a quarter, you could get a really nice fountain drink.”

Ten years later, I remember climbing under the boardwalk to find dropped nickles and dimes. We used this money to buy candy. Candy money was not something we generally had. Candy was something that was a pretty big treat. You got candy on holidays like Halloween, Easter and Christmas.

This week in school, we’ve worked hard on building words with sounds we’ve learned. We are currently working with the air sound “a” and adding the mouth or consonant sounds to each side of the “a” and sounding the word out. For every word made, a child receives a penny in a box. When he gets to $1.00, he can take the pennies home. The whole idea is to encourage children to make words and read them. I wonder if it would have gone faster years ago.