KidSTART Singapore’s Post

Ms Puspavalli Namasivayam, alongside Lead Practitioner Ms Sua Swee Lee, recently presented about KidSTART at the National Institute of Early Childhood Development (NIEC) Conference 2024. Attended by an audience of early childhood educators and professionals who work with young children, Ms Puspa gave attendees a deeper understanding of the KidSTART programme and curriculum. Research shows that early experiences in utero and the first 1,000 days of one’s life have implications on child health and development. Negative experiences and stress that a mother is exposed to during her pregnancy can impact the foetus’ growth and its brain development, with consequences over its life course if not addressed. With early intervention from the antenatal stage till the child turns 6, KidSTART aims to mitigate the negative effects of these risk factors and promote positive child health and developmental outcomes. This is why KidSTART believes in a good start as early as possible, especially for children from lower-income families. As KidSTART believes in child-focused but family-centric support, the crux of KidSTART practitioners’ work is to empower families to build strong foundations for their children. The KidSTART Curriculum consists of guiding principles of encouraging parents to make everyday interactions count. KidSTART practitioners employ the acronym START to tell parents that strengthening parent-child relationships and interactions can be as simple as - Sing, Talk, Actively play, Read and Teach. KidSTART also subscribes to the Abecedarian Approach, wherein parents are encouraged to incorporate Enriched Caregiving during their daily caregiving routines. Whilst conducting home visits, KidSTART practitioners will also film parents to highlight and reinforce what was done well and how it contributes to their child’s development. Through the strength-based approach, KidSTART practitioners recognise, affirm and support caregivers in developing the skills to interact and engage their children positively. Ms Puspa closed her presentation with the key learnings from the KidSTART programme thus far. Parents know their children best, and have goals and aspirations for them. And KidSTART recognises that relationships and rapport-building are at the heart of interventions, which is why it is crucial to continue capability-building for the KidSTART practitioners who deliver the programme to the KidSTART families. In addition to supporting our practitioners, it is vital that KidSTART continues to have constant engagement with corporate partners and the local community to strengthen the ecosystem of support. It was a fulfilling and productive session for all involved as Ms Puspa explained and demonstrated why KidSTART believes so fervently in the importance of the early years. It is with our support today that we can help build their better tomorrow. #KidSTARTSG #EarlyChildhoodDevelopment #AGoodStart #TheirBetterTomorrow 

🤝Seeking Partners for Collaboration There are already many programs focused on supporting children, but it’s time to take action to prioritize support for mothers. By empowering mothers during the crucial first 1,000 days, we not only enhance their well-being but also create a stronger foundation for children’s development. Let’s partner to drive meaningful change, starting with the mothers who make everything possible. 👩🍼

🤝Seeking Partners for Collaboration The “Mother’s Rights in the First 1000 Days of the Child’s Life” project, based on the 80/20 principle, focuses 80% on supporting mothers and 20% on the child’s development, as follows: 🗝️Main Objectives: 80% Focus on the Mother: 1. Understanding and Respecting Women in This Special Period: • Create a supportive environment both physically and mentally for mothers, helping them feel safe and confident. • Ensure that women are heard and their personal desires and emotions are respected during pregnancy and childcare. 2. Reducing Pressure on Mothers: • Minimize societal and family pressures on achieving perfection in motherhood. • Encourage mothers to trust themselves and prioritize self-awareness rather than conforming to unrealistic standards. 3. Building Community and Family Support: • Train families and communities to better understand and support mothers during this period. • Provide support services such as psychological counseling and dedicated groups for mothers. 🗝️20% Focus on the Child: 1. Ensuring Comprehensive Child Development: • Provide healthcare services for children, including nutrition, preventing malnutrition, and addressing common health issues. • Ensure children develop both physically and intellectually through early education programs that stimulate cognitive growth. 2. Nutrition and Psychological Development: • Offer nutritional guidance to mothers to ensure their children receive the necessary nutrients during the first years. • Support mental health programs for children, helping develop emotional intelligence and social interaction skills. 👩🍼Activities for Mother and Child: 1. Identifying and Addressing the Needs of Women and Children: • Conduct surveys and interviews to better understand the needs and desires of mothers and children. • Build personalized care programs based on real feedback from mothers and children. 2. Raising Awareness and Providing Support: • Communicate about reducing pressures on mothers through social media campaigns, workshops, and television programs. • Organize community events to highlight the importance of support and sharing within the family. 3. Providing Mental and Physical Health Support for Both Mother and Child: • Offer free psychological counseling services for mothers and organize yoga, meditation, and physical activities for mothers while providing healthcare programs for children. Communication Message: • “Motherhood doesn’t need to be perfect; love yourself first.” • “Listening, sharing, and respecting—this is the best way to accompany mothers.” • “A happy family starts with a mother who is understood, and a child who is well cared for.” Expected Outcomes: • Reducing mental stress and improving the quality of life for mothers. • Ensuring comprehensive development for children, both physically and intellectually. • Changing societal perceptions of women’s roles within the family and community.

This week we went public with a shocking piece of original research. But behind the scenes -   We had actually found it hard to figure out how to tell this story at all.   Our findings about children and screens were stark -- but we didn't want to be 'judgy' or blame parents.   Because parents are not the ones who have caused this problem.   Here's what our study of 2000+ UK families had found: - Wraparound childcare isn't good enough - So, many parents are having to work and look after kids at the same time - and give them screens for hours every day in order to cope.   Specifically: - 88% of UK parents who theoretically have access to after school care either struggle to afford it, or it's not flexible enough for their needs - More than a third of parents therefore have to have their children at home with them after school while they attempt to work. These parents give their kids an average of 1.5hrs screen time before 6pm (many a lot more) - Children with special educational needs - for whom childcare provision is particularly poor - get more screen time than those without - Nearly half of parents who used screens or devices to distract their kids after school say it makes it harder for kids to sleep at bedtime  - Over half say it has also created a vicious cycle with children expecting a certain amount of screentime, leading to battles when parents finish work - A third say it has become harder for their children to be entertained in other ways   This matters, because we know that excessive screentime for kids is linked to changes in the brain related to - Processing information - Regulating emotions - Executive functions - Memory - Attention ... all of which impact literacy development and behaviour.    And we also know there's a huge epidemic of behavioural challenges in schools right now.    But here's the thing:   *Parents aren't to blame for this situation* - because you can only work with what you have.   And UK parents don't have good options.   You simply can’t look after young children and work at the same time!   It's impossible.   My company Koru Kids is trying as hard as we can to plug the gap. Every weekday we look after over 3000 children. But I'm keenly aware that our service is only available to parents who can afford it.   I'd LOVE to provide our service to more people, but current funding structures do not make that possible.   So - as we have done many times, today I'm calling for better childcare infrastructure for EVERYONE.   What do you think?   🔄 Repost to join the campaign, and follow Rachel Carrell for more like this              

Systems work. Nothing is in a silo... the individual parts impact the whole. With 1 in 2 kids in 🇺🇸 with a chronic condition, Houston, we have a problem 👩🚀 Big ones. ☑️ The school day does not match up with the work day. ✅ The workplace does not align with kids having summers off. ☑️ There is not enough affordable childcare. ✅ There is not enough childcare workers because we do not value childcare enough to pay them a livable wage (or teachers btw). ☑️ Many corporations cannot afford to offer employees paid leave and yet we refuse to offer universal paid leave programs in 🇺🇸, making us the only industrialed nation on the planet without it, impacting the health and well-being of children (and mothers) out of the gate. ✅ All of this and yet companies are mandating workers back to the office STAT. ☑️ We allow chemicals in our food, water, air and products that Europe bans and we are ok with poisoning our kids every single day. All of this is contributing to our ridiculous (and preventable) infant and maternal mortality rates among women and babies in AMERICA. Again, some of the WORST rates for an industrialed nation and yet nothing to see here? This rolls right into why our kids in 🇺🇸 are dying from disease and suicide at alarming rates. It's a national emergency. We moved 🏔️🏔️🏔️ for COVID. Now we stand back and watch a whole country ravish our children and we're too distracted to care. And we wonder why screens and electronics have become an issue? Suicide is the 2nd leading cause of death in 9 - 24 y/o children (CDC) because we will not fix our upstream systems impacting our most crucial asset we have in this country. Our kids. Our future. We can no longer afford to sit back and allow our children to die in the name of greed and politics. ⚠️ Ban chemicals. ⚠️ Paid leave for families. ⚠️ Improve childcare. ⚠️ Restructure the educational system to align with the work week. ⚠️ Corporate stepping up to instill policies and values to uplift the 75% of employees who are caregivers. Until then, parents, we have to individually make decisions each day to protect our children. Follow along in the weeks and months ahead to learn impactful ways to improve what you can at your own house and for your own kiddos. #Onward ➡️➡️➡️

I'm glad there is research going into this. But I have a beef 🍖 I'll preface my beef with that my wife and I are professional parents with our own careers. I fully appreciate the coordination and challenges that go along with caring for kids and working at the same time (especially working from home, particularly when they are sick). I think the use of screens is the easy way out. I have set strong boundaries on my expectations for my children. When they are home and I'm working, there are no screens. They are expected to find and list things they can do in the time I'm not attentive to them: - Playing with toys - Reading - Doing puzzles - Drawing, colouring in - Knitting Nancy - Going outside Screens are a problem now because there are parents who have abdicated responsibility. I'm not here saying the childcare system is set up in a way that serves the public at large. But these are two separate topics. 1) The use of screens and their impact on children 2) A fit-for-purpose childcare system. I believe you need to separate the issues. Just because the childcare system is not fit for purpose doesn't mean you resort to putting your kids in front of screens. Set strong, early boundaries for your children. Show them there are options for entertainment outside of 4 corners of a device. You are a parent. Parent. Then also raise with your local members the fact you don't have any good childcare options.

Project Self-Sufficiency has earned a prestigious endorsement from Parents as Teachers National Center, Inc., (PATNC) as a Blue Ribbon Affiliate, making it one of the top-performing home visiting affiliates within Parents as Teachers’ international network. The official designation was made in October 2024.   Being named a Blue Ribbon Affiliate affirms that Project Self-Sufficiency is a high-quality member of the home visiting field, implementing the evidence-based Parents as Teachers model with fidelity. Families in Sussex and Hunterdon Counties are positively impacted by the services delivered by this program.   The program includes home visits, group connections, child screening, and connections to community resources. It equips parents with knowledge and resources to prepare their children for a stronger start in life and greater success in school.   “To earn the Blue Ribbon Endorsement, we underwent a rigorous self-study and review process from the National Center. The process confirms that we are meeting Parents as Teachers’ standards of fidelity and quality,” said Project Self-Sufficiency Executive Director Deborah Berry-Toon. “Blue Ribbon Affiliates are exemplary programs, delivering the highest quality services to children and families.”   Implementation with quality and fidelity is vital in home-visiting programs as it determines a program’s effectiveness in accomplishing its original goals and intended outcomes. It also verifies that a program is being implemented as designed. Parents as Teachers’ rigorous endorsement process demonstrates an affiliate's accountability and credibility to the community, its funders, elected officials, and the partner organizations with which they work.    “We are looking forward to strengthening our outreach to mothers of young children in need and continuing to help these families to develop the skills they need for success,” added Berry-Toon.   In addition to Parents as Teachers, Project Self-Sufficiency offers the Nurse Family Partnership® program to pregnant women who are expecting their first child in Sussex, Warren, and Hunterdon Counties. Personal nurses visit participants in their homes throughout the pregnancy, immediately after birth and during infancy and early childhood. All Project Self-Sufficiency home visitation programs are free, voluntary, and confidential.    Participants in the agency’s family support programs receive free parenting tips, baby items, information about childhood health, childhood development assessments, and other topics from certified nurses or family support workers. The programs combine one-on-one discussions with educational outings for mothers and children to help parents boost literacy levels, address health issues, and help prevent potential developmental delays. 

You can only work with what you have!!!! This is a really concerning situation and a great piece of research. If you find yourself in it then be kind, you are not to blame. What you can focus on is how to manage the effects of screen time outside of your working hours. If you want some more help with that then join me for 15 minutes on managing screen time. 💪 https://lnkd.in/eeAeaCTj

I’m always pondering what other countries do to support #parents & #families & #children The issue of after-school care, particularly between 3 PM and 6 PM, is indeed a significant challenge for many parents. Here are some options that various countries implement to address this problem: 1. Expanded After-School Programmes: Many countries, including the U.S. and Canada, offer structured after-school programmes that provide supervised activities, tutoring, and enrichment classes. 2. Subsidised Childcare: In some European countries, like Sweden and Denmark, the government provides subsidies for after-school care, making it more affordable for families. 3. Flexible Work Policies: Countries like Germany and the Netherlands promote flexible working hours or remote work options, allowing parents to adjust their schedules for school pick-ups. 4. Community-Based Solutions: In places like New Zealand, community organisations often provide informal after-school care, leveraging local volunteers and resources. 5. Integrated School Services: Some countries integrate after-school services within the school system, offering activities directly on school grounds, which can reduce logistical challenges. 6. Public Awareness Campaigns: Countries like Australia have initiated campaigns to raise awareness about the importance of after-school care and encourage community involvement. By implementing these strategies, countries aim to alleviate the burden on parents, especially mothers, and create a more supportive environment for working families so it’s a long overdue investment & needs really addressing in the UK … not easy but important How do you juggle 🤹 screens & your children after school?