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Job loss impacts not just the displaced worker, but the entire family.
Mental health, addictions, violence, marital breakdown and parenting challenges are all potential risks.
Together, we can help to better support families in our community during these difficult times.
United Way London & Middlesex wants to better understand the local impact on families, and they need our help in developing a response.
You are invited to join a community conversation.
- What are the issues families face when dealing with job loss?
- What supports do families need?
- What supports currently exist in our community? Where are the gaps?
- How can our community support families through this transition?
DATE: Thursday, May 31, 2012
TIME: 1:00 – 4:00 p.m.
PLACE: Hilton London – Grand Ballroom East
If you are interested in joining the conversation please RSVP to cgouthro@uwlondon.on.ca .
FOR: Mothers* and their daughters ages 9 to 13 (*or mentors age 21 and up)
WHEN: Sunday, April 22, 2012 – 8:30am to 3:30pm
WHERE: Western Fair District, Carousel Room, 316 Rectory St., London, ON
PRESENTED by Childreach
COST: $40 per 1 mother/mentor and 1 daughter, each additional daughter is $15
INCLUDED: activities, breakfast, lunch and refreshments, t-shirts, swag bag for each daughter
REGISTER: By April 4 online or call 519-434-3644 x11
All activities and workshops are geared towards positive messaging, building confidence in girls, encouraging critical thinking and promoting conversation between moms/mentors and daughters.
KEYNOTE SPEAKER:
Saidat Vandenberg is an incredible high-energy artist who uses rap, hip-hop dance and drama to bring across the message that “one person can make a difference, together we can change the world!” She empowers and inspires young people to see their best potential. Saidat has performed in over 400 schools and community events influencing thousands of students. In the summer of 2008, Saidat was given the opportunity to open for the artist Fergie at the Summer Bayfest in Sarnia, Ontario. Being passionate about helping people find the dream in their heart is Saidat’s goal and she is able to rock any venue with her energy, charisma and her smile!
There are many benefits of playing board games with your children!
Social:
- A TV-free activity for you and your child to enjoy.
- Mommy/Daddy & child time.
- Practice of turn-taking and cooperating
- Sharing in an exchange of ideas and points of view.
- Making decisions and choices and accepting the consequences.
Emotional:
- Practice in regulating emotions if child does not “win”. Avoid competition if a cooperative alternative is available. Play in teams rather than one vs. another.
- Sharing and communicating emotions—both excitement and disappointment.
- Developing self-esteem while gaining success at playing by the “rules”.
- Focusing attention on the game and avoiding distraction.
- Persisting even when frustrated and coping with disappointment.
Communication, language and literacy:
- Responding appropriately to the verbal and print directions on how to play the game.
- Using new words and building vocabulary.
- Recognizing numbers in print and counting.
- Recognizing colours and shapes and matching their names.
Cognition:
- Asking questions to solve problems and clarify understanding.
- Using numbers, letters, shapes and quantities of items.
- Sorting objects, pictures and things into groups (classifying).
- Identifying patterns and knowing what comes next in a sequence.
- Using memory to remember picture cards in a matching game.
- Using counters to represent objects.
Physical:
- Fine motor dexterity, eye-hand coordination, by picking up and placing small items such as cards and game pieces.
- Large motor in floor games such as hop-scotch and twister.
- Auditory skills when identifying sounds on a sound bingo/lotto game.
HAVE FUN!
The fall, whether it be for Thanksgiving, High Holy Days, Diwali or other traditions, is a time when many of us gather with friends and family to enjoy good company and good food. As you gather this year, we encourage you to start a new family tradition focused on charitable giving. Take the time to start a conversation about what donating means to your family and to inspire the young people in your life to become the next generation of donors!
Here are some tips to help you get started:
Talk to your children or younger relatives about the causes that matter to you and why you choose to support them. Discuss all of the great things that charities do in all sectors (healthcare, animals, the environment, education, international development, social services etc…).
Visit or volunteer at a charity you’ve supported in the past to see first-hand the important work they do with your donations. Be sure to set up a time to visit in advance – service demands go up for many charities around holidays.
Make this time of year the time that you set your annual giving budget. Decide the amount that works for you , and how you would like to split that amount among the causes you support.
Ask everyone to research a charity they would like to support. Before a meal, go around the table and ask everyone to say a few words about the charity they chose and the impact that organization has on the community.
Summer hours are here! New community playgroups are happening! There are new books and kits in the library! Find out about all of these and more by reading our monthly e-newsletter.
If you liked this month’s issue and are interested in getting it delivered directly to your inbox each month, please let us know by email.
DATE: Thursday, June 2, 2011
TIME: 7 to 8:30pm, Doors open at 6:30pm
PLACE:CentralSecondary School,509 Waterloo St.,London,ON
TICKETS: $10 – You can buy them online here – http://www.childreach.on.ca/civicrm/event/info?reset=1&id=278
Judy is an award-winning speaker, bestselling author and parenting expert on issues facing parents and families in the new millennium. She’s a regular guest on Global TV and has been featured in Chatelaine, Today’s Parent, Parents, Canadian Living, Globe and Mail and many more
Childreach and Investing In Children are bringing Judy Arnall, Speaker, Trainer and Canadian Bestselling Author to London on Friday, June 3, 2011 During the day, she will present an innovative workshop “Helping Parents Raise the Digital Generation” for professionals who work with families, and on the evening of Thursday, June 2 she will be speaking to parents.
Contact Jane Powers at jpowers@childreach.on.ca for more information.
Be prepared! No one wants to think of the unimaginable, but 55 children are reported missing to police in Ontario every day! Volunteers from the Masonic Lodge will photograph, fingerprint and take DNA samples of your child. You will be provided with a disc for future identification purposes; information is then deleted from the system. The only thing retained is the permission slip. See the EZ Child ID system website for more information
Date: Saturday, April 9, 2011
Time: 9 a.m. to 1:30 p.m
Where: Childreach, 265 Maitland St., London, ON
*Register for a 10-minute appointment per child*
To register, call 519-434-3644, x10.
This IS Literacy is an initiative of the Literacy Implementation Team of the Child and Youth Network. This team’s goals are to improve literacy by 2011 and to be a provincial leader in child, youth and family literacy by 2015.
What are we talking about when we say we want to “make literacy a way of life”? We all may use the word “literacy”, but not have the same understanding of what it means. In terms of the work of London’s Child and Youth Network and this website, literacy is defined as:
- The ability to identify, understand, interpret, create, communicate and compute using printed and written materials and
- The ability to express thoughts, feelings and ideas
- Literacy is a key piece of helping people achieve their goals, develop their knowledge and potential and participate fully in their community.
Why the Focus on Literacy?
The Child and Youth Network identified literacy as one of its top 4 priorities. Literacy is an issue for London’s children, youth and families.
- Over 27% of our children are not ready to learn when they enter Grade 1
- In 19 of 26 London neighbourhoods at least 20% of children are not ready to learn when they enter Grade 1
- At least 1 in 3 children in London ages 8 to 14 is not meeting the literacy and numeracy standards established by the province
- 19% to 23% of youth in London are failing to graduate from high school (within 5 years)
- 1 in 5 adults in London is functioning at the lowest level of literacy, often unable to read basic signs and medicine instructions
The emphasis on literacy needs to start at the beginning of a child’s life. Children who struggle with literacy will become youth and adults who struggle with literacy.
Although London is average in terms of literacy – no better and no worse than other communities – being average comes at a cost. Compared to those with low literacy skills, people with strong, well developed literacy skills are:
- Better able to earn a living and contribute positively to the workforce
- More likely to seek medical help when they need it
- More likely to maintain healthy diets and to be physically active
- Less likely to suffer from diseases such as diabetes and poor cardiovascular health
- Less likely to suffer from work related injuries
- Less likely to be involved in crime
- More likely to advocate for their children
What is Family Literacy?
One of the goals of the Child and Youth Network is to improve family literacy. How is family literacy different from literacy, in general? The term family literacy has 2 components. It refers to literacy activities that take place in the everyday lives of families and it refers to programs that aim to increase the amount and frequency of family literacy in homes and communities. It’s what families do together in their homes and out in their local community or neighbourhood. Family literacy is:
- About the ways families use literature and language in their daily lives
- About how families learn
- About how families use literacy to do everyday tasks
- Some examples of family literacy include:
- Shared reading activities
- Parents/caregivers modeling appropriate language skills, labeling objects and actions and describing what they or their child are doing
This website provides you with lots of ideas on how you can make literacy a part of your everyday life.
Learn tips on how to make safer earth friendly choices during pregnancy, childbirth and baby care – from feeding to eco-friendly diapers, household and personal care products. The third week will feature making your own products.
WHEN: Tuesdays, February 8 – 22, 2011
TIME: 6:15 to 8:15 p.m.
WHERE: Childreach, 265 Maitland St., London, ON
REGISTER online here or call us at 519-434-3644
