Webinar: Trauma Informed Care for Refugees and Children
What are the effects of trauma on immigrant children? How is mental health screening done? What are some options for helping children who have experienced trauma? Recorded in November 2016,
this webinar discusses issues that children face when exposed to trauma and helps caregivers learn to respond appropriately.
Breaking the Stigma: Can Children with Special Needs Learn a Second Language?
Some families and professionals believe that it’s too difficult for a child with special needs to learn a second language, but
research shows that children with special needs can become bilingual. In a study of children with language impairment, Down syndrome and autism spectrum disorder, researchers confirmed that children’s ability to learn is based on their age, the degree of their disability, their intellectual capacity and their proficiency in their first language.
40 Fine Motor Skills Activities
Before a child can learn to write they need strength in their hands and fingers and hand-eye coordination. Here are
40 fine motor activities for babies to five year olds that help to build these skills. These ideas are not only well-explained but are simple, open-ended and make use of art, sensory play and simple manipulative games.
CNC in Action: Special Needs
When ‘Sarah’* joined the Toronto District School Board Rexdale CNC program, she did not engage with either the children or the toys in the room. Diagnosed with autism, Sarah needed different supports. The child care staff welcomed her with open arms and wanted to help her integrate into the program. They started off with keen observation, hard work, and a request for funding.
In the end, they improved the CNC experience for not only Sarah, but the other newcomer children as well.
Risks of Sleeping in Car Seats: Keeping Children Safe
Shepard Dodd was not even 3 months old when he died after being put to sleep in a car seat at daycare. It is not safe for babies to be in a seated or semi-reclined position to sleep.
When sleeping, a baby's head can fall forward because their muscles are under- developed, and their airway can become constricted.
Anaphylaxis Education, Anytime, Anyplace
AllergyAware.ca offers free online courses to increase awareness of anaphylaxis, including a course designed specifically for child care staff/caregivers called Anaphylaxis in Child Care Settings. Available in English and French, the interactive course takes about 30 minutes to complete and ends with a short review quiz. When this quiz has been successfully completed, participants can download and print a personalized certificate of completion.
Video: Why are the early years so important?
Did you know that 90% of brain development happens in the first 6 years of life? Watch this
fun 2-minute video to learn more about how early experiences impacts everything!
CNC in Action: Helping Parents
Mennonite New Life Centre of Toronto believes it is important to help immigrant parents take an active role in their child’s education. This can be challenging for families who find the school system in Canada very different from what they were used to in their home country. By participating in events through a school’s parent council, they can get to know the teachers and school administrators, and get a better understanding of what and how their children are learning. To help parents of children in the CNC program make that leap, Mennonite started a
Newcomer Parent Council.
Podcast: Immigrant and Refugee Children in Childcare
In this
recording, Julie Dotsch, writer, presenter and trainer for CMAS, discusses research and practices that support refugee children and families. She looks at the importance of keeping traditions alive by integrating them into the new culture as well as the importance of newcomer families maintaining their home languages.
Immunization Information for Newcomer Families
All CNC programs must provide newcomer families with information on immunization in Canada. This can be difficult when you serve a vast number of languages and the information is complex. Health Canada has recently jreleased: A
Parent’s Guide to Vaccination in Canada that can help. The in-depth guide is available in French, Arabic, Chinese, Farsi, Korean, Punjabi, Russian, Spanish, Tagalog, Tamil and Urdu.f valuable material) is available in French, Arabic, Chinese, Farsi, Korean, Punjabi, Russian, Spanish, Tagalog, Tamil and Urdu.
