All together now!

              Summer 2002 Vol. 8, No.2
Providing quality care and education for all children
Summer 2002 Vol. 8, No.2
Providing quality care and education for all children
Relationships
TOC
All Together Now! is published three times per year.
Letters, contributions, subscription requests, or reprint
requests should be sent to
All Together Now!
521 South Greensboro Street, Suite 100
Carrboro NC 27510
919.966.0059 • FAX 919.843.5784
email Molly_Weston@unc.edu
www.fpg.unc.edu/~atn
27,000 copies of All Together Now! were printed at a
cost of 42¢ each.
3 Concept Sounds on the Playground
by Petra Kern, Sherri Marlete, & Amanda Snyder
6 Policy Update Research to Practice for Deaf/Hard of Hearing
by Rosalyn Proctor, PhD
8 Research Touching Relationships
by Joan Kennedy, MSW, CIMI, LMT
10 Books Reviews
by Molly Weston
12 Trainings Calendar of Training Events
14 Family Focus Almost Mayberry
by Molly Weston
16 Ask PFI Community Forums: Voices for Change
by Rhodus Riggins, Jr.
18 Feature Program Encouraging Gardeners at Farmer’s
by Molly Weston
22 KidSeen&Heard KidSpeak
24 Programs Reaching the 5 Stars
The latest programs to receive 5 stars
Editor’s Notes
Every summer,when my anniversary date with Partnerships for Inclu-sion
rolls around, I reflect on how we’ve changed during my tenure.One
of the most obvious differences is our reliability on technology. We
depend on email and websites for so much of our information these
days. This was brought home to me recently when I visited with older
friends who don’t use computers. The man wasn’t complaining, he was
merely pointing out the obvious, “We don’t get all the information on
the news anymore.We’re just told to go to a certain place on the inter-net
to find out more.”
I notice that we’re doing that with ATN! too. In several places we’ve
offered you places to look for more information. I hope this informa-tion
is helpful to you. We are very careful to check every site before
printing its URL.
As always, I am excited about this issue of our magazine, and I hope
you’ll find many things pertinent to your work. Thank you for your
feedback, your questions, and your interest.Have a great fall!
A publication of
Partnerships for Inclusion
Pat Wesley, Director
Editor Molly Weston
Designer Gina Harrison
Photographer Don Trull
Proofreaders Brenda Dennis
Sabrina Tyndall
Editorial Board & Contributing Agencies
Norman Allard Head Start
Chapel Hill Training Outreach
Kathy Baars NC Public Schools Early
Childhood/Exceptional Children
Susan Byerly Cumberland County Schools
Deborah Carroll Early Intervention Branch
Karen Chester NC Interagency Coordinating Council
for Children Ages Birth to Five with
Special Needs
Karen Ferguson NC Division of Child Development
Gina Harrison FPG Child Development Institute
Katherine Laveck NC Division of Early Childhood,
a division of the Council for
Exceptional Children
Ron Moore Head Start
Duncan Munn Early Intervention Branch
Karen Ponder NC Partnership for Children
Pat Wesley FPG Child Development Institute
It’s 10:30 AM, playground time! The
great outdoor adventure begins at the FPG
Family and Child Care Program. As the
classroom door opens, a group of children
filled with excitement come running to the
giant green fence where mysterious
sounds and shadows are moving.By peek-ing
through the fence, the young detec-tives
uncover the mystery that there will
be a music center, called the Music Hut,
and it is being built. The anticipation and
speculation about the Music Hut grows
over the next few months until the final
grand opening. The children and teachers
are invited to explore the new equipment
with a special introduction by the music
therapist who uses the puppet Babette,
songs, and musical games.Under the huge
green canopy the children find a Chinese
wind gong, six drums in different sizes, a
cymbal, a mini cabasa, three sound tubes
made of PVC pipes of different lengths, one
marching drum, and an ocean drum. All
instruments are donated from West Music
and local musicians.
The Music Hut was designed by an archi-tect
at UNC and built by employees of the
campus carpentry shop. The instruments
are located on a 10’x 8’ long hardwood
deck and are wheelchair accessible.
Wooden beams, steel arches and plexiglas
walls are used to attach the instruments,
and the result is both functional and visu-ally
pleasing. Design and construction
meet the guidelines of playground safety
regulations. (See more photos of the FPG
Music Hut, at www.fpg.unc.edu/~atn).
The Music Hut is integrated in the Sound
Path that structures the playground
through six musical stations via a path
looping around the playground. The
Sound Path was originally designed to
support the independent locomotion and
development of a child with visual impair-ments.
With the addition of the Music Hut,
the daily playground adventure is further
enhanced and expanded with more
opportunities for making music.
Opportunities for all
The child care schedule involves large
blocks of time in outdoor play. To ensure
the time spent on playgrounds promotes
the development of all children, adapta-tions
and support may be needed for chil-dren
with special needs. Creating a more
accessible and meaningful playground
through musical equipment supports chil-dren’s
needs for developmental stimula-tion,
especially of children with disabili-
Sounds on the
Playground
by Petra Kern,
Dipl. Sozpaed.,
MT-BVM, MT-BC;
Sherri Marlette,
BS, B-K Licensure;
& Amanda Snyder
Petra is a research
scholar at the FPG
Child Development Insti-tute
and a doctoral
candidate of the Univer-sity
Witten-Herdecke,
Germany.
Sherri and Amanda are
preschool teachers at
the FPG Child Develop-ment
Institute of UNC-Chapel
Hill.
Concept
ALLTOGETHERNOW! 3
ties. The Music Hut is designed to provide
opportunities to socialize, develop
sensory-motor and cognitive skills,
support self-expression and communica-tion
skills, create games, and benefit from
the enjoyment of music. The instruments
are easy to play and provide high motiva-tion
for all children to engage and interact
with peers. Music crosses cultural lines
and facilitates non-verbal communication,
and children from different backgrounds
and language skills can participate. Both
typically developing children and children
with disabilities can create, enjoy, and
learn as they engage with the instruments
and each other at the Music Hut.
Meaningful moments
◗ Keegan runs across the playground and
hits the gong, just like he saw it in an
Asian movie.
◗ Tierney sits under the cymbal and
shouts, “Want to see my umbrella?” and
listens to Annie play the rain tropes.
◗ Sloan shows her talent as a singer. She
pretends that her drum stick is a micro-phone
and sings, in a soulful voice, pop
songs she heard on the radio. Her class-mates
are the band and they join in with
the instruments.
◗ Max shouts excitedly, “Cool! This is like
an aquarium,” while lying under the
ocean drum watching the beads flowing
from one side to the other.
◗ Conner imitates Petra’s rhythm on the
marching drum and gives her a big
smile when she repeats it for him.
◗ Sarah plays the gong with the big boys
and joins in the song “If you’re happy
and you know it play the gong.”
◗ Ali hits the drum and sings with dedica-tion,
“Row, row, row, the boat gently
down the stream. Merrily, merrily,
merrily, merrily, life is like ice cream.”
◗ Brandon stands on the xylophone and
moves rhythmically to Petra’s drum-ming
and sings, “yah yah, ba ba, bo bo.”
It doesn’t take a minute until others run
over and join in the hip sounds.
◗ Max says,“My favorite instrument is the
cymbal, because you can play very loud.”
◗ DeMarcus runs straight to the Music Hut
and plays the drums intensely, an activ-ity
he requested from his teachers the
whole morning when in the classroom.
Making friends
Based on the child’s interest, teachers and
therapist use the motivational factor of the
Music Hut to implement specific IEP goals
in the context of the daily playground
routine. At the FPG Family and Child Care
Program it is common practice to imple-ment
special interventions in the context of
ongoing activities and routines to minimize
the stigma and isolation of the child with
special needs, and to take advantage of
naturally occurring learning opportunities.
A music therapy intervention was
conducted for four children with autism
spectrum disorder. Children with autism
have a delay in understanding social rela-tionships,
which results in a lack of coop-erative
play and peer interaction.A goal of
intervention was to increase the frequency
of their interactions with peers and to
engage in meaningful play on the play-ground.
The goals were embedded in
songs composed by the music therapist for
the intervention and sung by the teachers
and peers using the instruments in the
Music Hut. For instance children practiced
taking turns by handing over a drumstick
to a peer to play the drums or by learning
acceptable touches—holding hands, tick-ling,
hugging, or patting.
4 Vol. 8, No. 2 • Summer 2002
When children cooperate to move
the ocean drum, they hear
the sounds of breaking waves.
The canvas over the Music Hut is
the umbrella when we pretend that
it rains. Another child would imitate
the rain sounds by playing
the cymbal with her finger tips.
Carmen, a typically developing five-year-old
girl, shows Ben, diagnosed with autism,
how to sign (using American Sign
Language),“You and I,we make music”and
guides him to the cymbal. By imitating her,
Ben gets an understanding of the concept of
“you, I and we,” as well as how to play the
cymbal.He sings with a big smile on his face,
“play the cymbal.” Both end the song by
signing, “I liked making music with you.”
Justin and Phillip, both diagnosed with
autism, hold hands and run across the
playground. Destination: Music Hut. Both
are playing the gong enthusiastically and
singing, “I want to play the gong with you.”
Justin wants to know if this song is called
“Phillip’s Groove” and jumps joyfully up
and down when his teacher verifies it.Next,
Phillip initiates dancing and sings, “I want
to dance with you, I want to dance with
you.” He takes Justin’s hand and spins
around with him. His eyes are sparkling
and Justin says, “This is my favorite part.”
When leaving the Music Hut, the friends
give each other a big hug, sign thank you,
and wave good-bye.
The natural interest children have in
music, the freedom inherent in outdoor
play, and the engagement that comes from
being creative have established the Music
Hut as an environment for learning,
excitement, meaningful play, and, last but
not least, joy and fun.We hope to continue
integrating and expanding the wonderful
opportunities afforded by the Music Hut
to engage children, families and others in
a variety of both therapeutic and creative
activities.
Feeling the music is especially important for some children with special needs. Vibrating
instruments, such as the gong, let them enjoy music through another sense.
ATN!
Want to know more?
Music therapy is an established health profession that uses music to address physical,
psychological, cognitive, behavioral and/or social functioning. A music therapist uses music as
a tool to reach non-musical goals such as developing self-awareness, confidence, coping
skills, social behavior, perception, relaxation, orientation, concentration, emotional expression,
self-esteem, communication, integration, and creativity.
Research on Music Therapy
◗ Aldridge, D. (1996). Music Therapy Research and Practice in Medicine: From out of the
silence. London, England; Bristol, PA: Jessica Kinsley Publisher.
◗ Kern, P. & Wolery, M. (2001). Participation of a preschooler with visual impairments on
the playground: Effects of musical adaptations and staff development. Journal of Music
Therapy, 38, pp. 149-164
◗ Warwick, A. (1995). Music therapy in the education service: Research with autistic children
and their mothers. In T. Wigram & B. Saperston & R. West (Ed.), The Art & Science of
Music Therapy, pp. 209-225. Chur, Switzerland: Harwood Academic Publishers.
Making a Music Hut
◗ Ask your local music store, musicians or band leaders for used drums, cymbals and small
percussion instruments. Attach them with nylon ropes to wooden posts. Use wooden dowels
as drum sticks.
◗ Find materials in the hardware store that sound good, such as copper or PVC pipes of
different lengths. Attach them to the trunk of a tree. Different lengths create different
sounds. Use a strong string to suspend the pipes between two metal braces. Screw the
braces into a tree trunk. Strike the pipes with a dowel.
◗ Bend metal rods to triangles and hang them from the branches of a tree. Different sizes
produce different sounds. The wind will activate them, but a metal mallet attached to the
triangles will allow children to ring the triangles, too
◗ Get three galvanized pails of different sizes. Turn them over and attach them with a rope
between wooden posts. This instrument can be activated by pounding on the pail bottoms
with hands or dowels.
ALLTOGETHERNOW! 5
6 Vol. 8, No. 2 • Summer 2002
Anew website is available for
professionals, child care providers and
parents concerned about children who are
deaf or hard of hearing.CENTe-R (Collabo-rative
Early Intervention National Train-ing
e-Resource) is a new project funded by
the US Department of Education, Office of
Special Education Programs to develop
web-based resources and training
modules for professionals serving families
with infants and toddlers who are deaf
and hard of hearing.
This site, found at http://center.uncg.edu
(notice, there’s no “www” in this URL)
features internet resources, articles,
books, and national connections to
support professionals and families.
National mandate
Recent passage of the Newborn Infant
Hearing Screening Act of 1999 promises
earlier identification of infants who are
deaf and hard of hearing. The Joint
Committee on Infant Hearing (2000)
stated that infants and toddlers who are
deaf and hard of hearing and their fami-lies
should receive intervention by the
time the child is six months of age.
Historically, children with hearing loss
exhibit delays in their language and social
development. Detection of hearing loss
during infancy followed by appropriate
intervention enables these children to
attain reading and academic achievement
levels equal to those of their hearing
peers. Accordingly, appropriately prepar-ing
personnel to serve infants and
toddlers who are deaf and hard of hearing
and their families is critical. In response to
this need, CENTe-R goals are to:
◗ Develop a program of study focusing on
the acquisition of professional standards
in the areas of child development,commu-nication,
socialization, cognition, cultural
sensitivity,medicine and technology.
◗ Partner with state agencies, medical
communities, parent organizations,
professional and advocacy groups,
colleges and universities.
◗ Develop, field-test, and disseminate web-based
modules in early intervention for
pre-service professionals.
◗ Establish ongoing training activities via
on-site, distance education, and consul-tation.
◗ Provide an electronic and print media
clearinghouse featuring topics in early
intervention and hearing loss.
Research to Practice for Nee
Deaf/Hard of Hearing
by Rosalyn
Proctor, PhD
Rosalyn is a co-director
of CENTe-R
at UNC-Greensboro.
Policy
CENTe-R’s mission is to provide training
and resources while honoring multiple
perspectives on deafness, recognizing
strengths of children and families, and
acknowledging the desire of professionals to
acquire unique expertise. In support of this
mission, families and nationally recognized
professionals—representative of various
perspectives on deafness and early interven-tion
are involved in the development of
CENTe-R resources. Groups of these profes-sionals
and parents have met over the past
year to identify and select national training
standards in legislation, families, infant-toddler
development, communication,
assessment, technology, teams, and ethics
and professionalism.
CENTe-R will release the first training
modules in the areas of Infant/Toddler
Development and Early Intervention this
winter.
Parent/Provider input
CENTe-R staff is eager to receive your feed-back
about the site and to respond to
inquiries through the “Contact Us”button.
In addition, website submissions for tips
are invited. Professionals, caregivers,
providers, and parents have the opportu-
Website Tip
How can a family increase visual cues
for their baby who has been newly
identified as deaf or hard of hearing?
Families naturally interact with
infants in many bonding and stimu-lating
ways.The enjoyable activities
caregivers do daily with babies can
easily include visual aspects.
◗ Gently move your hand in front
of the baby to get her attention.
◗ Get close, be at eye level, and
look directly at the baby when
talking to him.
◗ Point to household objects and
people when they are making
sound.
◗ Use brightly colored toys with
movement, texture, and varied
types of noise.
◗ Talk, laugh, sing, clap, and babble
while holding the baby so she can
watch you.
◗ Use natural gestures and anima-ted
expressions when interacting
with her.
◗ Keep rooms well lit when the
baby is awake so he can see what
is happening around him.
◗ Avoid standing with light behind
your face as baby then can't see
expressions.
◗ Respond to the many ways your
baby tells you what she wants
and feels.
Celebrate how your beautiful baby
is growing and learning every day.
As parents do these types of activi-ties
they can also begin exploring
information about hearing loss with
other families of young children
who are deaf or hard of hearing
and choosing informed non-biased
professionals to work with them.
While cente-r ’s website is designed for professionals,
its content and format are totally family friendly.
nity to submit tips and to share their
expertise with other visitors to the
website. Upon submission, tips are
reviewed, posted, and highlighted in the
“Advice and Answers” portion of the site.
Drs.Mary V.Compton, Judith Niemeyer, and
Edgar Shroyer,principal investigators for the
grant, received funding to begin CENTe-R
operations in January 2001. Rosalyn Proc-tor,
PhD and Anne McNally, MS serve as
directors of CENTe-R located at the Univer-sity
of North Carolina-Greensboro.
CENTe-R staff includes an adult who is
hard of hearing, an adult child of a deaf
parent, parents, and other professionals
involved in deafness and early interven-tion.
Partners and experts who advise
CENTe-R have been chosen from across
the nation and represent deaf/hard of
hearing individuals, parents of young chil-dren,
and adults with hearing loss.
Because it is a primary goal of CENTe-R to
offer a clearinghouse of information to
professionals serving families with infants
and toddlers who are deaf or hard of hear-ing,
the site will change frequently. So, we
invite you to visit often!ATN!
ALLTOGETHERNOW! 7
8 Vol. 8, No. 2 • Summer 2002
Massage is a gentle form of
communication between a caregiver and
an infant. Touch is the first sense to
develop in humans and it is vital for
healthy growth and development. It is as
important as food to a baby. In fact, we
have known for many years that touch is
important to a baby’s very survival.
At the Touch Research Institute at the
University of Miami, there is a preschool
for children ages six months to five years.
Massage is an integral part of the curricu-lum
in which each child receives a daily
15-minute massage. According to their
research, the children are “more alert,
more responsive, and able to sleep more
deeply.” Additionally, the research has
proven that massage has many benefits
including the facilitation of the release of
food-absorption hormones that help
premature babies gain weight.
When a baby is anxious about new child
care surroundings,massage can be a help-ful
way to establish a calming and trusting
relationship. Massage affects digestion,
congestion, sleep, irritability, and more.
These hints may help in beginning a
massage routine for relaxation for any child.
◗ Pick a time when the activity level in the
classroom is low (story time, or before a
nap).
◗ Adjust the sound in the room so it is
quieter.
◗ Dim the lights.
◗ Position the child to allow for relaxation
(on a mat or your lap).
◗ Use a gentle but firm touch, with a slow,
rhythmic movement.
◗ Try rocking if you’re holding the child.
◗ Focus on legs, feet, arms, and hands;
moving down the body.
◗ Use slow movements when stroking
down the back for relaxation
◗ Remember, it takes only a few moments
to see a change!
All babies, including those with traumatic
or complex medical histories, can benefit
from massage. As an example, some
babies may have stiffness in their arms,
legs, or back, or suffer with painful gas or
constipation. In the beginning of massage
they may seem leery of handling because
of past negative experience with medical
procedures. Through gentle massage, the
Research
by Joan
Kennedy,
MSW, CIMI,
LMT
Joan works as a
pediatric massage
therapist for the
Developmental Evalu-ation
Center in
western NC. She has
worked with children
and families since
1980.
Touching
Relationships
baby begins to allow for longer periods of
touch and begins to trust the caregiver
and the world in general as a caring place
that brings relief from pain and discom-fort.
This is evident by the infant’s
response.
Obviously, as part of the massage process,
the caregiver must be able to recognize the
baby’s cues or language. For example, a red
face turning away is language that may be
saying, “I’m not ready,” but pink skin with
good eye contact says,“I’m ready for more.”
If these cues are respected, the caregiver
soon finds that the baby is able to release
tension due to the trust that has become a
part of their relationship. This, combined
with her other physical needs’ being met,
makes for a positive,warm relationship.
The Massage: Birth to Three Project,
through the Developmental Evaluation
Center in Western North Carolina is a
grant-funded program through Smart
Start. It provides specialized services for
families of infants with special needs
including home-based, one-on-one
instruction in infant massage based on
the individual needs of the baby and
family. It also provides training to child
care providers of these infants to allow for
more confident care.
Since its inception in 1999, the project has
served more than 200 families and infants
with a variety of special needs in a seven-county
region. With agency referrals,
massage instruction has become a stan-dard
part of intervention services provided
by the DEC.
To find more information on massage
instruction in your area, contact the Inter-national
Association of Infant Massage at
800.248.5432. For a full listing of research
citations from the Touch Research Insti-tute
at the University of Miami (FL), visit
their website at www.miami.edu/touch-research/
index.html.
Choose a time and place where
an infant feels comfortable
when initiating massage.
ALLTOGETHERNOW! 9
ATN!
Selected Citations
Cigales, M., Field,T., Hossain, Z.,
Pelaez-Nogueras, M. & Gewirtz, J.
(1996).Touch among children at
nursery school. Early Child Develop-ment
& Care, 126, 101-110.
Field,T., Harding, J. Soliday, B.,
Lasko, D., Gonzalez, N., & Valdeon,
C. (1998).Touching in infant,
toddler & preschool nurseries.
Early Child Development and Care,
98, 113-120.
Field,T. (1999). Massage therapy:
More than a laying on of hands:
Contemporary Pediatrics, 16, 77-94.
Hart, S., Field,T., Hernandez-Reif,
M., & Lundy, B. (1998). Preschool-ers'
cognitive performance
improves following massage.
Early Child Development & Care,
143, 59-64.
10 Vol. 8, No. 2 �� Summer 2002
Vera Goes to the
Dentist
by Vera Rosenberry
Henry Holt
ISBN 0-8050-6668-3
Going to the dentist can be challenging
for adults; going for the first time was
horrific for young Vera. First, she had to
wait while her two older sisters saw
him. She did like being in the high
chair—it made her feel very tall. It
wasn’t bad when the dentist checked
her teeth. But then, when he brought a
whirring machine on a long handle
toward her mouth, Vera had enough.
She wasn’t prepared for the cleaning.
Out! Out of the office! Vera led every-one—
dentist, technician, mom,
sisters—on a chase around the block.
Of course,Vera learns that the dentist is
a very nice man. And the dentist learns
that first-timers need a little prepara-tion
for the strange encounters they’ll
find in his office.
First Art: Art
Experiences for
Toddlers and Twos
by MaryAnn F. Kohl
with Renee Ramsey and Dana Bowman
Gryphon House
ISBN 0-87659-222-1
At last, here’s a book with activities that
don��t need modifications for toddlers.
With chapters like “Primarily Paint”
and “Hands on Dough” and “Sticky
Business,” the authors have covered all
the bases and they’ve done it with
recipes, ideas, and techniques that will
revive your art program. Whether
you’re a new mother facing her child’s
first play date or a veteran teacher
“who’s seen it all,” there’s something
great for you in the pages of this
friendly art book.
Hello,
Hello!
by Miriam Schlein
illustrated by Daniel Kirk
Simon & Schuster
ISBN 0-689-83435-7
If you value a quiet,
staid environment for children, you
probably won’t want to read this charm-ing
book. On first reading, the children
will giggle, but with subsequent read-ings,
they’ll giggle, imitate, and make
raucous noises. Schlein gives the words
and phonetic spellings to the ways
animals greet each other, and Kirk’s oil
paintings illustrate exactly how they
punctuate their hellos. From lions,
zebras, and elephants in the jungles to
polar bears and penguins in the arctic,
the examples are many. Youngsters will
revel in knowing (and demonstrating)
the ways wild animals say Hello,Hello!
My Big
Brother
by Valorie Fisher
Atheneum
ISBN 0-89-84327-5
Little sisters often
idolize their big
brothers, but few
write a book about them. One little
sister gets to show just how special her
brother is with delightful photos taken
from a baby’s view finder. The simple
text explains why, sometimes, the
pictures are a little fuzzy. Babies, older
siblings, and adult readers will enjoy
this look at family life.
books
ALLTOGETHERNOW! 11
It’s Okay to Be
Different
by Todd Parr
Little, Brown
ISBN 0-316-66603-3
Throwing away the “one size fits all”
theory, Parr addresses the differences in
people and validates them by saying, “it’s
okay.” His cheerful illustrations will make
children laugh at their absurdities, and at
any fears they might have about being
different—having wheels, missing teeth,
feeling proud, or losing mittens. Parr
assures readers it’s even okay to have an
invisible friend!
God Bless America
words and music by Irving Berlin
illustrations by Lynn Munsinger
HarperCollins
ISBN 0-06-009788-4
A delightful bear family leads us on a jour-ney
across America, celebrating our coun-try
as they go. They cheer as firemen,
policemen, and construction workers
march in a Fourth of July parade, and
stand respectfully at the Lincoln monu-ment.
Camping in the mountains and
walking through prairie hay fields with
their father, the two little bears see first-hand
how diverse our countryside can be.
After a full chorus of visiting landmarks,
the family comes full circle to “home sweet
home.”Words and music to the song are
included, as well as a CD recording by
Barbra Streisand.
by
Molly Weston
To check out books
reviewed in
All Together Now!
contact
Clara Hunt
NC Early
Intervention Library
517 West Fleming Dr.,
NC School for the Deaf
Morganton NC 28655
828.432.5970
email
ncei.library@ncmail.net
Hands of
the Maya:
Villagers
at Work
and Play
by Rachel Crandell
Henry Holt
ISBN 0-8050-66687-X
Elementary school teacher Crandell spent
several months (and many rolls of film)
living and visiting in Mayan villages. Her
experiences come alive in vivid photo-graphs.
Each spread in the book offers a
story: One scene shows an event with a bit
of explanatory text. On the opposite page
is a close-up illustrating a specific in the
story and featuring someone’s hands.
Building a house, gathering firewood,
playing music, washing—anything in
daily life is worthy of a story. This is a
wonderful opportunity to visit a place
quite different.
Feelings
by Jenny Miglis
photographs by
John E. Barrett
illustrations by
Jenine Pontillo
Simon Spotlight/Nick Jr.
ISBN 0-689-84843-9
With the help of a delightfully diverse crop
of babies, everybody’s favorite blue dog
showcases the faces of emotions.With the
repeated readings that this sturdy board
book will enjoy, little ones will soon be
mimicking the expressions and actions
shown here. It’s never to early to talk about
feelings, and this is a delightful way to
start.
Mark your calendar! Children’s Book Week is November 18–24.
12 Vol. 8, No. 2 • Summer 2002
September 17
  Building Connections Pre-K to K TSB2
September 18
  A Family Guide to Second Step TPB3
❖ Creating Emotionally Safe Learning Environments
for Children
September 19
Getting Families Involved in Early Intervention
Greenville
Eastern AHEC 252.816.5228
September 24
  Building Connections Pre-K to K TOB4
September 24–25
Inclusive Classroom Strategies: Caring for Children with
Challenging Behaviors
Greenville
Dave Sanel 919.843.8041
September 25
❖ Effective Teacher/Child Communication
Sept. 25, Oct. 2 & 9
  Teaching 3-, 4-, & 5-Year-Olds with Challenging
Behaviors TPB5
September 26
❖ What Sexuality Means to a Child
October TBA
Orientation to Early Intervention
Meryl Murphy 336.334.5601
October 2
❖ Why & How Children Play
October 3
  A Guided Observation of the Demonstration
Preschool at Project Enlightenment TDB6
❖ The Psychology of Extremely Gifted Children
October 3–4
Needs, Dreams, & IFSPs
Morganton
Clara Hunt 828.430.5970
October 9
❖ Effective Parent/Teacher Relationships
Oct. 9, Nov. 13, Jan. 8, Feb. 12, Mar. 12
  Early Childhood Directors’ Forum TPB7
October 10
❖ Effective Parent/Teacher Relationships
October 12
❖ Approaching Discipline & Aggression Constructively
October 14
  A Family Guide to Second Step TPB8
October 15, 22, & 29
  More Than the ABCs…Helping 3-, 4-, & 5-Year-Olds
Be Literacy Successful TPB9
October 16
❖ Multicultural Issues & Effective Teaching
Oct. 16, 23, 30, & Nov.6
  Let’s Build on WORD TWB10
October 17
  A Guided Observation of the Demonstration
Preschool at Project Enlightenment TDB11
October 17
  Flannel Board Fun TPB12
❖ The Advantages & Hazards of Creativity in Early
Childhood
October 23
  Creating a Caring Community TPB13
October 24
  The NC Museum of Natural Sciences as a Resource
for Early Childhood Professionals TOB14
  Using Sign Language to Enrich Literacy &
Language With 3–5 Year Olds TPB15
❖ Touchpoints: Enhancing the Parent/Child Relationship
October 30
  A Guided Observation of Infants & Toddlers TOB16
November TBA
Needs, Dreams, & IFSPs
Raeford
Rita Jenks 910.486.1605
Needs, Dreams, & IFSPs
Greenville
Sherry Franklin 252.328.2938
November 1
  A Guided Observation of the Demonstration
Preschool at Project Enlightenment TDB17
November 7
❖ Sibling Rivalry & Relationships*
November 8
Autism in Toddlers & Preschoolers: Implications for
Communication Intervention
Greensboro
Greensboro AHEC 336.832.8025
November 12
  The Kids Are Here! What Do I Plan? TPB18
November 14
  A Guided Observation of the Demonstration
Preschool at Project Enlightenment TDB19
  Reflections on Curriculum for Toddlers & 2s TPB20
❖ Effective Teacher/Child Communication
November 18–24
Children’s Book Week
November 21
School Age Children with Special Needs
Fayetteville
LaLisa Hewitt Robinson 910.678.7293
❖ Parenting & Teaching Young Children with Autism
December 2–3
Leo M. Croghan Conference
Raleigh NC
Wake AHEC 866.641.1814 or 919.350.8547
December 3
  Setting Up Learning Environments for Toddlers &
Twos TPB21
December 4
  A Guided Observation of Infants & Toddlers TOB22
  Learning to Read & Write: Pre-K Emergent
Literacy TPB23
December 5
  Coaching Social Skills TPB24 trainings
ALLTOGETHERNOW! 13
❖ Cary, Lucy Daniels Center for Early
Childhood 919.677.1400
  Raleigh, Project Enlightenment
919.856.7774
• Training events are subject to change.
• Call the contact number before
attending any training events.
• To add your event to this calendar,
contact
Molly Weston 919.966.0059
FAX 919.966.0862
molly_weston@unc.edu
January 21
Evaluation of Young Children with Complicated
Developmental Disabilities
Greensboro AHEC 336.832.8025
  What’s New in Early Childhood? TPB37
Jan. 27, Feb. 3, 10, 17, & 24
  Let’s Build on WORD TW38
January 23
  Spirited Child: Dealing with Strong Emotions TPB33
❖ Why & How Preschool Children Play
January 30
  Spirited Child: Strategies for Promoting Positive
Behavior TPB34
  A Guided Observation of the Demonstration
Preschool at Project Enlightenment TDB39
February TBA
Orientation to Early Intervention
Southern Pines
Rita Jenks 910.486.1605
February 6
  Spirited Child: Teaching Social Skills TPB35
February 13
  The Spirited Child Bridging the Gap Between
Home & School TPB36
February 4–6 & March 4–5
Trauma & Loss in Children
Fayetteville
LaLisa Hewitt Robinson 910.678.7293
February 6
❖ The Impact of Divorce & Other Losses on a Child
February 11
  Finger Play Fantasy for Toddlers & 2s TPB40
Feb. 19, 26, & March 5
  Exploring Sensory Integration TPB41
December 10–12
Improving the Quality of Early Childhood Programs:
PFI’s Model of On-Site Consultation
Chapel Hill
Sabrina Tyndall 919.966.7174
December 11
Update on Psychopharmacology in Children
Fayetteville
LaLisa Hewitt Robinson 910.678.7293
December 12
❖ Social & Emotional Kindergarten Readiness*
December 13
  A Guided Observation of the Demonstration
Preschool at Project Enlightenment TDB25
January 9
  Reading Aloud with 3- & 4-Year-Olds TPB26
❖ Helping a Child Develop a Healthy Conscience*
January 14
  Sharing Music & Movement with 3-, 4-, & 5-Year-
Olds TPB27
  Sharing Music & Movement with Toddlers & 2s TPB38
January 15
  A Guided Observation of Infants & Toddlers TOB29
January 15, 22, & 29
  Teaching 3-, 4-, & 5-Year-Olds with Challenging
Behaviors TPB30
January 16
  A Guided Observation of the Demonstration
Preschool at Project Enlightenment TDB31
  The Spirited Child: Understanding the Spirited Child
TPB32
January 16
❖ Recognizing & Responding to Child Maltreatment
January 18
❖ Does This Child Have AD/HD? What Then?
Useful Web Sites
Charlotte AHEC . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . .www.cltahec.org
Division TEACCH . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . .www.teacch.com
Early Childhood Link at UNC . . . . . . . . . . .www.cdl.unc.edu/link/trainmenu.htm
Early Childhood Low Incidence NetworK (LINK) . . . . . . . . . . . .www.ec-link.org
Exceptional Children's Assistance Center . . . . . . . . .www.ecac-parentcenter.org
Family Support Network of North Carolina . . . . . . . . . . . . . .fsnnc.med.unc.edu
North Carolina Partnership for Children . . . . . . . . . . . . . .www.ncsmartstart.org
Parent Training &
Information Center . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . www.ecac-parentcenter.org/
Smart Start . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . .www.calsplus.net/ncpc
TelAbility . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . www.TelAbility.org
US Consumer Products Safety Commission . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . .www.cpsc.gov
Wake AHEC . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . .www.wakeahec.org
Feb. 20 & 27
  Tricks of the Trade: Making Learning Centers
Exciting TPB42
February 21
  A Guided Observation of the Demonstration
Preschool at Project Enlightenment TDB43
Feb. 25 & March 4
  Art as a Process, Not As A Product TPB44
February 27
  Puppet Pals TPB45
❖ Supporting the Adopted Child
March 6
  Managing Toddlers & 3s without Saying No or
Stop TPB46
❖ Helping Children Develop Healthy Self-Esteem*
March 13
  A Guided Observation of the Demonstration
Preschool at Project Enlightenment TDB47
Mar. 25,Apr. 1 & 8
  Beyond Story Stretchers TOB48
March 26
  Issues & Solutions for Preschool & K Classrooms
which Include Spanish-Speaking Children TSB49
March 27
  A Guided Observation of Infants & Toddlers TOB50
❖ Childhood Bereavement
April 2
  Circle Time: Come Join in…for Teachers of 3-, 4-,
& 5-year-olds TSB51
April 3
  Using the Discovery Room at the NC Museum of
Natural Sciences TOB52
April 10
  A Guided Observation of the Demonstration
Preschool at Project Enlightenment TDB53
As part of therapy when undergoing rehabil-itation,
a doctor suggested that he might
enjoy making things. Daddy started with a
few woodworking tools while he and Mother
traveled around the state for her to finish her
teaching degree in summer schools, and by
the time they were settled in Apex,his therapy
had grown to a full-sized workshop. In fact,
the workshop building came before their first
house so that the carpenters would be able to
access his tools.
I can still see Daddy squatted down on his
haunches holding the rope to the pulley to let
down the ladder to the loft where he stored
extra plywood. With the rope held in one
hand, he’d use his crutch to move the hook
that held the ladder in place. With that
released, he’d gently let the ladder down and
scamper up for supplies.
In the summer time, the shop’s tin roof
offered little protection from the North
Carolina heat. Daddy had ropes and pulleys
on all the windows and he’d use his walking
stick to tilt a notched piece ofmolding to hold
the open window in place. Around the shop
and house, he made it a point never to take a
by
Molly Weston
Almost Mayberry
FamilyFocus
14 Vol. 8, No. 2 • Summer 2002
You wait here—and if a policeman
comes, tell him your daddy is crippled and
he’ll be right back.” Nobody would ever
leave a five-year-old alone in a car in
downtown Raleigh these days, but when I
was a child back in the fifties, I was proud
to wait in that fire zone while Daddy went
in the hardware store to pick up some-thing
he couldn’t get in Apex.
Those happy days we all enjoy on TV weren’t
always kind to people with disabilities, but
my dad made the best of the times and of his
rheumatoid arthritis.Not only were there no
handicapped parking places, there were no
special concessions at all for anybody with
disabilities. People in our small town,
however, knew our car and we were allowed
to park at will. Certain seats in our church
were unofficially reserved so that Daddy had
a clear view of the preacher without having to
twist in his seat.
Drawn to a sitting position, he used a
crutch and a walking stick to help him
walk—and to reach things and to pull
things, and to rescue things.
ALLTOGETHERNOW! 15
step unnecessarily. Every tool had its place,
every tool was in its place, and that place was
near where it was used. And a five-year-old
made a good helper in putting things back
when they were displaced!
Putting tools away and watching for police-men
weren’t my only jobs—I also watched
for cars when turning onto the highway.
Because Daddy’s arthritis had totally fused
his spine,he couldn’t turn his head to look.He
used a succession of mirrors—outside and
two rear views—when he drove alone, but if
anyone was with him, the person riding
“shotgun” checked for traffic coming from
the right. I was so confident that I was in
charge of when we could pull into the stream
of traffic that it never occurred to me in later
life to ask if he really took the word of a five-year-
old! But then, it was the fifties in small
town North Carolina.Maybe he did.
Why am I telling you all these things? The
lessons learned, literally at my father’s knees,
have stayed with me over the years and are
now part of my personal life. I arrange my
workplace so that things are where I need
them—my dictionary at work is just behind
my desk where it’s easy to look up that
obscure word.My style manual is on the shelf
nearby so I can reach it without leaving my
chair.At home,the everyday glasses are in the
cabinet near the sink and the dishwasher to
eliminate unnecessary steps.
Because I was charged with responsibility
early, I gained confidence in myself and my
abilities.Because I saw my dad figure out ways
to make his life easier, I have become a prob-lem-
solver: I know how to streamline tasks.
I would submit that every child who grows
up around someone who is differently abled
will learn many of these same life skills and
be glad of these experiences later. I would
further argue that the more differences a
child experiences, the more she learns—and
the easier she adapts.
Our family and friends never looked on
Daddy as having a disability or even being
different. He was just Daddy. Whenever
anyone commiserated with him about his
condition,he would lean back in his chair (or
on his crutch and stick) and look the person
squarely in the eye.“I wouldn’t trade my body
for yours!” he’d say emphatically.Aghast, the
person would inevitably ask,“You wouldn’t?”
“No,”Daddy would reply,with a gleam in his
eye, “I know what’s wrong with my body. I
don’t know what’s wrong with yours!”
Times have certainly changed since I served
as lookout while parked in a fire zone,but the
attitude of changing things that can be
changed and accepting the others has served
our family well over the years.ATN!
Daddy and Mother on their fiftieth wedding anniversary.
16 Vol. 8, No. 2 • Summer 2002
Each year Partnerships for Inclu-sion
provides resources, financial support,
and consultation to assist communities in
conducting early childhood forums on
inclusion and transitions.
A community forum is simply a commu-nity
meeting. It is typically a three- or
four-hour public event at which families,
professionals and other community
members come together to share their
experiences and perceptions about serv-ices
available to support children with
special needs and their families. It is a
time for community members to begin to
envision together the future of early child-hood
services in their area.
A forum highlights existing inclusive
opportunities for young children with
special needs and their families and
explores how to create smooth transitions
for them between programs and services.
Forums provide training credit, door
prizes, food, on-site child care, and special
accommodations, such as interpreting
services, translation of print materials,
and sometimes transportation, to attract a
variety of individuals from families, busi-nesses,
churches, and agencies.
Community forums are sponsored and
funded jointly by Partnerships for Inclu-sion,
the local Interagency Coordinating
Council, and other community agencies.
Because communities have their own
unique cultures, the role of Partnerships
for Inclusion is to identify forum organiz-ers
who can work together to ensure that
the forum responds to the interests and
concerns of community members. Local
organizers make all critical decisions,
including the type of meal to serve—the
cornerstone of the event. The forum plan-ning
process is an empowering one and
many communities continue to host
future forums and conduct follow-up
activities to address challenges identified
from their initial forum.
The voices of families are critical in plan-ning
and to the success of the forum.
Communities hold focus groups to gather
families’ perceptions about inclusive
AskPFI
Community Forums
Voices for Change
by Rhodus
Riggins, Jr.
Rhodus is an inclu-sion
specialist in
PFI’s central region.
He lives in Chapel
Hill and works from
the Carrboro office.
What’s the story on all of these forums PFI is sponsoring across
the state? Does my community need to sponsor one? What are
they, anyway?
Community forums are viewed as a
springboard for planning by community
members.A forum is just the beginning of
the continued work that the community
will to do together to expand inclusive
options, to strengthen supports during
transitions, and to build on the voices for
change beyond the day of the forum.
PFI has a new video about forums. Look
for information about it in the article in
the sidebar box on page 23. If your
community is interested in additional
information about conducting a commu-nity
forum on inclusion or transition,
please contact your regional PFI inclusion
specialist.
ALLTOGETHERNOW! 17
opportunities, services, and community
supports during their children’s transi-tions.
Families’ voices are also shared the
day of the event through a keynote address
or as part of a parent panel.
The forum planning process is intensive
and typically results in several positive
outcomes.
◗ Valuing families as partners. During
the forum planning process and on the
day of the forum individuals begin to see
the importance of working with families
to develop strategies for addressing chal-lenges,
and to ensure that community
supports are responsive to the goals for
their children and their families.
◗ Strengthening relationships among
community agencies. Community
agencies develop greater trust, knowl-edge,
and respect for other agencies’
roles in the lives of young children and
families. This often leads to enhanced
collaboration both with each other and
with families to implement more coordi-nated
local services.
◗ Connecting families. Families have the
opportunity to meet other family
members and realize that they are not
alone. Families realize that their hopes
and dreams are the same, regardless of
their children’s abilities.
◗ Increasing knowledge of resources.
Families, professionals, agencies, and
other community members gain greater
awareness of community resources
available to support children and fami-lies
and each other.
◗ Bringing children together. On the day
of the forum families have the realiza-tion
of one of their greatest hopes for
their children: the chance to play and get
along with others. Children with and
without special needs play together.
◗ Connecting the community. On the
day of the forum participants feel
connected to something bigger. It is this
connection that helps to shape one of the
greatest realizations of hosting a forum:
Members of a community need each
other!
ATN!
PFI Inclusion Specialists
Central
Brenda Dennis, 919. 962.7359 or
Rhodus Riggins, Jr, 919. 966.8915
Eastern
Sandy Steele, 252.328.2940
Western
Katherine Laveck, 828.430.7814
Counties that have hosted inclusion forums since 1998 are in
green; transition forums, in blue.
18 Vol. 8, No. 2 • Summer 2002
by Molly
Weston
Molly is editor of
ATN! She lives with
her husband and
Old English Sheep-dog
in Apex and
works from PFI’s
Carrboro office.
Feature
lunch. All the children help.” The children
were eager to share their culinary
favorites. Morgan likes to make pizzas—
with pepperoni. Madison prefers putting
sprinkles on ice cream. Adam enjoys
scooping cupcakes into muffin pans. And
everybody likes making soup!
Physical facilities
The classroom for the program is the
Farmer’s converted garage. Three spacious
rooms feature developmentally appropri-ate
activity centers, and clearly labeled
shelves and bins hold enough supplies for
a far larger program. One outside door
leads to a playground with an adjoining
paved area for riding toys. The front door
leads to the family’s backyard—and the
children’s farm. Marie leaves nothing to
chance when indoctrinating her garden-ers.
They have bordered beds to keep
topsoil in place and well-screened orna-mental
pools which entice children with
fragrant water lilies and lazy koi. Plenty of
miniature tools are available for proper
cultivation techniques and children’s
artwork serves as garden markers.
Gracious old trees provide shade for
benches where the pint-sized gardeners
can take a break and talk about their
collective projects.
Lots of the projects children do at
preschool cover refrigerator doors. Lots of
the Farmer Preschool projects land inside
them. Marie Farmer, owner and operator
of the five-star inclusive family child care
home in Richlands, loves gardening and
instills that love in the children in her care.
Her philosophy is simple: “I like to garden
and parents of most children who are in
care haven’t time to add this activity to
their lives. Herbs, vegetables, flowers—
these all flourish here. If we send five new
gardeners out at the time, this is good for
America!”
Building a relationship with nature,
through gardening and watching birds,
animals and fish is an important part of
the curriculum here. Bird feeders, fish
pools, squirrel feeders, and butterfly
bushes attract conversation and questions
among children just as surely as the crit-ters
they target.
Under Marie’s careful tutelage, children
plant and care for herbs, beans, squash,
tomatoes, beets, and other vegetables.
Then they harvest and use them in their
meals.Much that isn’t used at the program
goes home with the children. “We spend
part of every morning preparing our
Encouraging Gardeners at
Farmer’s
ALLTOGETHERNOW! 19
Feeling that a family child care program
should provide a home-like environment,
Marie gives the children free range in her
house. “I’ve never had anything broken in
16 years,” she said. “It’s just a matter of
defining things as ‘lookies’ or ‘touchies.’The
children quickly learn what’s what.We have
tea parties in my dining room.” Fragile
demitasse cups and saucers make great tea
sets. Learning good manners and to treat
things with care are important. “Anything
we would do with our own kids,we do here
with eight! Lots of it depends on the partic-ular
group of children at the time.”
Children of the military
Because Richlands is so near Jacksonville’s
Camp Lejeune Marine Corps base, about
half of the children are from military
families. In keeping with the whole coun-try,
signs of patriotism were prominent at
the Farmer home in early July. “We deco-rated
a little bit extra for the Fourth of July
to show our patriotism.We tend to deco-rate
a lot for every season though.”Marie
laughed. “I have bean bags for each holi-day.
The children love hiding them all over
the school and finding them. I made them
out of holiday material and let the children
stuff in the beans.”
Child care programs in military areas
often face different issues than some
others. “When parents were recently
deployed, it was a big deal for the children.
We write letters to the parents, and I try to
give the children a little more attention
during the day. It helps for Uncle Danny to
be a role model during this time.” (Uncle
Danny is Marie’s husband, the youth
director at a church, and he has a golf shop
behind the classroom building, so he’s
often on site.Most of the children call her
“Miss Marie.”) “He tries to spend a little
more time with the kids who are missing a
parent, too.”
One consolation of losing children when
their military families are transferred is
the mail that comes later. “Families send
us things from all over the world, and we
use them here in our classroom,” Marie
said as she pointed to a wall full of post-cards
and artifacts.
Near the souvenir wall Marie keeps in
open view a wish list. “We often have folks
who want to help us, and having the wish
list clearly visible is very helpful. Not only
do families give us things, but sometimes
a casual visitor will see something on our
wish list and offer it to us.” Clearly when
Working together on a gardening project
helps two guys get to know each other.
operating a child care facility, it’s good to
be opportunistic.
Good rules, good program
Marie is an AGS (American Guidance
Service) certified evaluator and she uses
this program to screen children’s skills in
cognitive, language, motor, self-help,
social, articulation, and health areas. She
likes this measure because it is useful for
identifying children who are at risk for
later learning problems and for identify-ing
potentially gifted children.The screen-ing
serves as a tool in goal planning for
each child, not as a device for eliminating
children from the program.
Before enrolling a child, Marie holds a
meeting with the family to familiarize the
child with the new environment. The
paperwork is handled in another meeting
for the parents alone. “I don’t want chil-dren
to get the the impression that they’ll
have to do a lot of waiting when they come
to preschool!”
Having rules is important to the success of
the program. Marie generally has no help
(on the day we visited, the local CCR&R
sent people to cover Marie’s being with
us).Marie laughed at my shock,“I’ve been
20 Vol. 8, No. 2 • Summer 2002
sick only three days in 16 years, and that
was with surgery.” She has a strict policy
not to admit sick children. “Child care is
not nursing care!” Marie also closes two
weeks in July, a week at Christmas and
Easter, and other major holidays.
Enrollment is large and the ages are
varied—from toddlers to after schoolers,
but many children share spots, some
coming at one time, others at another.
Good charts document which children
will be there at any time and Marie’s
lesson plans support smooth transitions
throughout the day.By keeping a workable
schedule, Marie avoids the burnout expe-rienced
by so many home providers work-ing
as a staff of one.
Community involvement
As with other good programs across the
state, Marie Farmer looks to outside
sources for help. She gives credit to Smart
Start grants for many of the additions to
the program—a bigger playground,
kitchen tables, a cassette player, art
supplies, carpet, and a fine set of toy stove,
refrigerator, and sink.
There are a lot of visitors to the program,
partially because of Marie’s dedication to
learning. Local high school and college
classes visit the program, and many of the
children have therapists who come for an
hour twice a week.“I’ve taken a lot of classes
in the different therapies,too,” Marie added,
“so I can better understand and supplement
A master gardener in the making!
When children need costumes for play,
tabards stand waiting to be donned
(behind child on left).
Holding a Worthy Wage (for child care
providers) event was a dream of Marie’s.
With help from Onslow County Partner-ships
for Children, the event enabled
approximately 100 participants to sign up
to be Worthy Wage advocates. Many
providers in her area have adopted the idea.
of makingWorthy Wage Day a paid holiday
off at their preschools!
Going the extra mile is common among
excellent child care providers. Children in
Richlands are fortunate to have so many
people like Marie Farmer, who thinks
nothing of a ten-mile trek!
ALLTOGETHERNOW! 21
what the therapists are doing.We have play
time with speech lessons. Children wear
animal tabards and we act out stories.” The
instant costumes hang on a clothes tree in
the language arts area.
Learning doesn’t stop with the children.
Marie averages between 100–200 hours of
classes every year. If there’s a credential or
certificate to be gained,Marie either has it
or is working on it. One wall in the class-room
is testament to her hard work. One
spot in the middle remains empty—for
now: “That space is reserved for my BA,”
she explained.
It doesn’t really matter whether a class is
required for child care providers. If she
thinks it’s necessary, she takes it. “When I
first started my program, there were no
CPR and first aid requirements. I took
those classes on my own—with the guys
from the local rescue squad.”
Marie is a strong advocate for others in her
profession. She often teaches various child
care classes for her local cooperative
extension service, community college, in-services
for local child care facilities, and
state-wide conferences. One of the recent
workshops she provided is “Learning with
Legos.” “It has been such a fun class for
the providers, I have been asked to provide
it three times already,” she reported. Of
course, her “Gardening with Children”
classes are always a big hit.
Marie never misses a chance
to share her love of nature.
From birdbaths to lily gardens,
all water areas are well screened.
KidSeen&Heard
One afternoon Matthew, age three, came
up to me and said ”Mommy, can I have
a hug?” I was touched that he had asked
and picked him up in a big bear hug.
After a minute, I put him back down. He
looked up at me with a big smile and a
mischievous look on his face and said,
“No,Mommy, the chocolate kind!”
Sabrina Tyndall
PFI Special Projects Coordinator
When Jacky was three years old, one of
his favorite things to do was to sit in the
porch swing with my mom. One day he
broke wind while they were swinging.
My mom,matter-of-factly stated,“You’ve
just got gas.”
Jacky, very indignantly replied, “Well, if
I’ve got gas, you’ve got oil!”
Beulah Ryan,Director
Unionville CDC
Monroe
22 Vol. 8, No. 2 • Summer 2002
KidSpeak
Please join us in making this new feature of ATN!
special to you.We know you hear things every day—
funny things, heart warming things, things that you
remember and tell to friends and family.We’d like you
to share them with the readers of All Together Now!
Photos tell a story too (but we’ll need to get permis-sion
to reprint them).
Send your selections (200 words or fewer, please) to
MollyWeston, Editor
All Together Now!
521 S. Greensboro St.,
Suite 100
Carrboro NC 27510
molly_weston@unc.edu
If your story or photo is used in ATN! you’ll receive a
copy of one of the books reviewed in that issue.
Topic for the next issue: Overheard in Child Care.
Seeing eye to eye!
Mom gets a bear hug—Matthew
gets a chocolate hug!
Voices
Empowering Families of Children with Special Needs
Voices for
Children
Voices for
Change:
Community
Forums is a new PFI
video featuring strong
parent voices. It highlights
the purpose of a forum
and provides an overview
of forums in five counties
that have used the event to
focus on inclusion and
transitions.The video illus-trates
the benefits of
working with families of
children with special needs
in community planning to
strengthen inclusive
options and community
supports during transitions.
Voices for Change is available
through Partnerships for
Inclusion. Call Rhodus
Riggins, Jr. at 919.966.8915
for more information.
Thanks to funding from the US
Department of Education and the leader-ship
of Pat Wesley and Virginia Buysse, the
Parent Leadership Development Project is
still going strong in North Carolina. PLD
offers educational workshops to parents of
young children with special needs. PLD’s
mission is supporting parents across the
state who wish they had a stronger voice
in the services their children receive, and
who want to improve services for all chil-dren
in their community. PLD empowers
and supports families who want to
contribute to the field of early interven-tion.
Over the next two years, PLD will
offer training to parents across the state to
prepare them to serve in a variety of lead-ership
roles, working collaboratively with
involved professionals.
PLD is recruiting parent participants now
for retreats in the fall and spring in all
regions of North Carolina.While develop-ing
leadership skills, parents will learn to
communicate families’ needs, to advise
professionals, to advocate for change, and
to present information to diverse audi-ences.
Professionals who work with fami-lies
or care for young children with special
needs can suggest candidates for PLD
training, and professional groups are
urged to envision and share new roles for
family leaders. Participants will receive
compensation to cover travel and child
care. The goals of PLD retreats are to help
families
◗ Learn about the early care and interven-tion
system
◗ Identify other state and local resources
for young children and families
◗ Meet other parents and professionals in
leadership roles
◗ Develop leadership skills such as public
speaking, serving on a task force or
advisory board, or acting as a mentor to
another parent.
For more information, you can reach
Gretchen Loftis at 919.966.0067 or at
loftis@mail.fpg.unc.edu. Contact Allen
Stutts at 919.843.4133 or email him at
allen_stutts@unc.edu. PLD’S toll-free
number is 866.295.5417. You can visit us
online at www.fpg.unc.edu/~pld.
by Gretchen Loftis
Gretchen is the new
coordinator for the
Parent Leadership
Development project.
She lives in Wake
Forest and works
in the Carrboro office.
ALLTOGETHERNOW! 23
Asheville Alicia’s Child Care Home
Asheville Laurel Elementary HS
Asheville Pisgah View HS
Bayboro Miller’s Day Care Home
Black Mountain East Buncombe Pre-School
Boone Lucy Brock CDC I
Boone New River CDC
Bryson City Bright Adventures Pre-K
Chapel Hill A Toddler’s Place
Chapel Hill Carrboro School Age Care
Program
Chapel Hill Glenwood Elementary
School-Age Care Program
Chapel Hill Mundo Pequeno Preschool
Chapel Hill Scroggs School Age Care
Program
Chapel Hill Seawell School-Age Care
Program
Charlotte Beverly Woods ASEP
Charlotte Blythe Elementary ASEP
Charlotte Crown Point ASEP
Charlotte Landsdowne ASEP
Charlotte McKee Road ASEP
Charlotte Myers Park Traditional ASEP
Charlotte Olde Providence ASEP
Charlotte Piney Grove Elementary ASEP
Charlotte Positive Beginnings
Charlotte Superlative Child Care
Clarkton Busy B’s In-Home Child Care
Coats Precious Ones Learning
Center
Deep Run Happy Faces Day Care Home
Durham Erwin Road Children’s School
Durham Great Horizons Family Day
Care, Inc.
Durham Robin’s Nest Child Care
Durham Sugar ’n Spice Day Care
Home
Elizabeth City Buck Home Day Care
Elizabeth City Touch by an Angel
Elizabeth City Whidbee’s Home Daycare
Erwin The Lighthouse Nursery
Fayetteville The Lord’s Day Care Home II
Garner Elaine’s Home Care
Gastonia Wanda’s Little Treasures
Greensboro Harmony House Preschool
Greensboro NC A&T State Child
Development Lab
Greenville Kids-R-Us Day Care Home
Greenville Nana’s Place
Hallsboro Sandy’s Day Care Home
Hatteras The Friendship Bridge
Havelock Little Tykes Child Care Home
Hays Tiny Treasures Day Care Home
Henderson Rosie’s Kids Home Day Care
Hertford Mrs. Patricia’s Day Care
High Point Vern’s Play & Learn
Preschool
Hope Mills Discovery Home Day Care
Hubert Little Tikes University
Indian Trail Fortson Preschool & Child
Care
Jacksonville Over the Rainbow
Lillington Precious Ones
Matthews Building Blocks Learning
World
Matthews Precious Blessings Day Care
Home
Mebane FACB CDC
New Bern Anderson Child Care
New Bern Missy’s Child Care Home
Poplar Branch Footprints Family Child Care
& Preschool
Raeford Children’s Developmental
Center
Raleigh A Safe Place
Raleigh Raleigh Nursery School
Roanoke Rapids Beary Heavenly Home Child
Care
Rocky Mount Ginger & Spice Day Care
Home
Rocky Mount Pinetops HS
Rocky Mount Star Brite Day Care Home
Sanford Childcare Network #102B
Sanford Stepping Stones Learning
Center
Shelby Lil’ Busy Bees Day Care
Sunbury Tanya’s Loving with Learning
Care Center
Wadesboro Our Daily Bread Christian
Day Care
Waynesville First United Methodist
Church Kindergarten & Day
Care
Wilmington Brighter Day Daycare
Wilmington Creative Angels Child Care
Wilmington Ms. Susan’s Child Care
Non-Profit Org.
US Postage
PAID
Permit No. 177
Chapel Hill NC 27599-1100
Addressee: Please share ATN! with your colleagues.
Reaching the5Stars
521 S. Greensboro Street • Ste. 100
Carrboro NC 27510-2341
New 5-Star Programs
Programs awarded since last ATN! publication or not previously listed.