Family Engagement

Parenting isn't always the joy it's made out to be. On the contrary, many parents feel they are struggling to maintain their sanity and control of their young children's behaviors. Offering realistic, practical advice for parents who want the joy back in parenting. Instead of getting bogged down in negative cycles, the book will help readers leave those behavior struggles behind and turn children on to cooperation and respect. The book will also help adults model their "best self" and… More »

Build the home-school connection to prepare for Kindergarten! Studies show that parent and family involvement with school is an important factor in children's later academic success. Many families of young children want to learn ways to support their little ones in preparing for and getting the most out of kindergarten. With easy-to-share parent letters and simple, fun activities for families to do together at home, Kick-Start Kindergarten Readiness is the perfect tool for early childhood teachers… More »

Who's the expert on your child? You are! But, what if you need validation? What if you need support? What if you have questions? As a parent, you may assume others have it all figured out-that there is some kind of magic decoder ring or secret handshake that will give you the key to parenting. But, if each child is unique, how can there be a one-size-fits-all guide to parenting? Although no one can has it all figured out, "Parents Ask, Experts Answer" empowers you by offering caring, informed… More »

Children are the inspiration for positive family-provider relationships that are essential for promoting healthy child development and learning. School-to-Home Connections is bursting with ideas for early childhood educators. Inside, you'll find simple ways to explain developmentally appropriate practice to parents, ideas on partnering with them on their child's journey to school readiness, and tips for nurturing families' active involvement in the school community. Along the way, you discover information… More »

Author, Rebecca Green, takes readers on an inspiring journey using beautiful color photos that she took of her children doing activities she describes in the book. This book takes a lighthearted approach to the serious business of parenting, and helps parents find activities that they enjoy, while their children learn and have fun. Green suggests ways for parents to maintain their own identities and pursue their own interests while raising children who are creative, confident, and independent thinkers.… More »

For the littlest learners, everything is an activity--feeling a rock, trying to lick a bubble, smelling a flower, or poking sand. In this book, teachers and caregivers of infants and toddlers will learn how these simple explorations support cognitive and vocabulary development. The book explains heuristic learning--discovery by trial and error--and how to encourage this type of learning to boost development. Through his explorations, the child is answering some fundamental questions: What is this… More »

"99 Tips for School Readiness" is designed to provide simple, developmentally appropriate activities to help children ages four and five get ready for school. The activities progress in difficulty within each skill area and can be used by families or by teachers. Skill areas include: Self-Help, Social-Behavioral, Gross Motor, Fine Motor, Language, and Cognitive. Book measures 9"L x 6"W x .25" thick.

The children in today's early childhood classroom are more culturally, linguistically, and ability diverse than ever. As a teacher, your challenge is to partner with each family through recognizing their individual strengths, concerns, priorities, and resources. Dr. Johnna Darragh Ernst offers practical ideas for creating a welcoming atmosphere for families that will encourage them to participate in their children's learning community. From improving children's school readiness to encouraging positive… More »

"Around the Family Table" contains 365 intriguing questions guaranteed to spark lively discussions between parents and children. Families can establish a valuable, enriching tradition of spirited mealtime conversation that will bring them closer with every question. Paperback. 160 pages.

This fresh, practical, and realistic guide explains to parents how they can avoid mealtime battles with kids aged one to six years, using sensible strategies that will establish a lifetime of healthful eating habits. With cases ranging from the toddler who eats only peanut butter and jelly on white bread to the six-year-old who insists on scrambled eggs and cheese at every meal, pediatrician William G. Wilkoff, M.D., has been counseling picky eaters and their concerned parents for more than twenty… More »

The classic guide of the post-Dr. Spock generation has been revised to include the latest information on virtually every aspect of infant and baby care. "The Baby Book" is unrivaled in its scope and authority, and presents a practical, contemporary approach to parenting that reflects the way we live today. Focusing on the essential needs of babies -- eating, sleeping, development, health, and comfort -- it addresses the questions of greatest concern to parents. The Searses acknowledge… More »

Seventy-nine interactive activities based on positive messages help children increase their attention spans, reduce hyperactivity, build self esteem, and facilitate language development. The interactions teach children how to be kind and caring using gentle touches. 208 pages.

"ScreamFree Parenting" is not just another parenting book. It's the first parenting book that maintains -- from beginning to end -- that parenting is NOT about kids, it's about parents. As parents pay more attention to controlling their own behavior instead of their kids' behavior, the result is stronger, more rewarding, and more fulfilling family relationships. By staying calm and connected with your kids, you begin to operate less out of your deepest fears and more out of your highest… More »

Few behavioral problems challenge and frustrate parents, caregivers, and teachers as does verbal rudeness in children of any age. Reinforced by the wise-cracking kids on TV and in the movies, backtalk has become all too common among today's youngsters. But there is nothing cute about this behavior. Remarks like "Yeah, right," "Big deal," and "Make me" -- from children as young as three -- get in the way of real communication between parents and kids, and can also be… More »

This book contains hundreds of up-to-date service projects and ideas presented in an engaging, kid-friendly format and it has something for everyone who wants to make a difference. Features and benefits include: over 500 service learning project ideas -- from simple to large scale, the "Ten Steps to Successful Service Projects", a new sections on Internet use and school service learning requirements, step-by-step instructions for creating flyers, petitions, press releases, and more. The… More »

In this controversial look at privileged families, Madeline Levine offers thoughtful, practical advice as she explodes one child-rearing myth after another. With empathy and candor, she identifies parenting practices that are toxic to healthy self-development and that have contributed to epidemic levels of depression, anxiety, and substance abuse in the most unlikely place -- the affluent family. Paperback. 256 pages.