Children And Step Families

•Insurance And Financial Issues You May Encounter While Raising Your Child
Millions of Americans lack private or public health insurance for at least part of each year, and the number of uninsured continues to grow. Children under the age of 18 make up a large percentage of the uninsured, even though their parents work. Many families who do have health insurance face high out-of-pocket expenses for deductions and co-payments. Also they may have to pay for medical services that are not covered with the health insurance provider. Families with children who have special...

•Helping Your Child Resist Cigarettes Alcohol And Other Drugs
Drug use occurs among children of all racial, ethnic, and socioeconomic groups. American children are bombarded by messages that subtly and often not-so-subtly encourage the use of cigarettes, alcohol, and other drugs. The most effective way to reduce your child's risk of using drugs is to be a good role model. Children get confused when they are presented with anti drug education and prevention programs in school but witness use of these substances at home. Children whose parents use alcohol...

•Your Child s Early Learning Years
Though all of childhood is an exciting learning experience, the beginning of formal education whether a part-time nursery school program or a full day of kindergarten-is a momentous occasion. The best preparation is emotional in nature. The child who feels secure and loved and who has had experiences with developing positive relationships with adults and other children is well equipped to venture forth. Nursery school and preschool are educational environments for preschoolers from age 2% to...

•A Parent s Guide To Early Childhood Education
More and more children under the age of six are now in school. The sweeping social, economic, and technological changes of the last decade have made school an increasingly important part of our children’s lives at ever-younger ages. We no longer see early childhood schools as the luxury our parents once did. For many parents it has become a necessity. As our society has become ever-more complex and our lives more fragmented, our needs and expectations for school have grown accordingly. We...

•Choosing A Day Care Home For Your Child
Many parents choose day-care homes for children under ages 3. This type of day care takes place in the home of the caregiver, who looks after a number of children, sometimes including his or her own. The children may be of different ages. Many parents prefer day-care homes to day-care centers because the atmosphere is more like home and their child has one consistent caregiver who is more likely to give individual attention. This situation generally offers more flexible hours than a center; a...

•Your Child s Rights
Since the 1 970s, numerous federal and state laws have been passed to ensure that children with chronic illnesses or disabilities have the same educational and developmental opportunities as other children. Many states have initiated programs to identify children with disabilities at a young age to help minimize developmental delays and reduce the long-term dependency that could other wise afflict a special-needs child. Children with a chronic illness or disability deserve to live with their...

•Choosing A Day Care Center And Preschool For Your Child
Day-care centers-which are often called child-care centers, nursery schools, or early learning centers-can be operated by churches, schools, universities, social service agencies, the federal government (Early Head Start and Head Start), independent chains, and employers. Day-care centers care for children of all ages, although most are between ages 3 and 6. A major advantage of daycare centers is that parents don't have to worry about a particular caregiver's illness or vacation because...

•Toys That Improve Childrens Communication Skills
A baby begins to communicate right from the womb. It may be just a few kicks in every direction but it is a way of saying `Yes, I'm here'! When a child is born, parents wait for the baby's first words. There are many ways in which parents can enhance a child's communication skills from early childhood. Communication is a very important aspect of our lives. Children will good communication skills stand to gain in school and even later in life. It is a wise parent that opts for toys that...

•Why Your Child May Not Talk To You
How was school today? Good. What'd you do? Nothing. sound familiar? Sometimes it's tough to get children to talk about their day, and even the most persistent parent may give up after the third or fourth one- or two-word answer. Through a parent's eyes, the child may seem just not interested or even bothered by the same old daily questions. Readers might be surprised to find out what it's like from the child's perspective, which is the purpose of this chapter. The central premise is that...

•Helping Your Child To Read And Write
In many elementary classrooms, opportunities to write more than a few sentences at a time are infrequent, so it is critical that you create an environment that encourages writing at home. Several elements need to be present. First, make sure there are plenty of pencils, pens, and paper around the house. If you have a computer, give your child access to its word processing program (or purchase a program designed for youngsters). If possible, give your child his own table or desk where he can...