Governor Larry Hogan and State Superintendent Dr. Karen Salmon announced on March 12 that all Maryland schools will close for two weeks, Monday, March 16 to Friday, March 27. Montgomery County Public Schools will close for these two weeks, and in line with GSLP policy to follow MCPS closures, the preschool will also close. This is a developing situation, and we will provide families with more information as we learn more.
GSLP is still scheduled to be open for classes on Friday, March 12. Friday’s Family Movie Night is canceled.
Good Shepherd Lutheran Preschool has updated its Infectious Disease Policy page to outline policies on monitoring coronavirus in our community, potential school closures, and promoting health and hygiene among students. We will continue to update families as more information becomes available.
Visit these websites for insight into dealing with challenging behaviors, setting routines for your child, and more:
Parenting by Dr. Rene: GSLP teachers attended a conference with several workshops led by Dr. Rene Hackney, a Ph.D. in developmental psychology and founder of Parenting Playgroups. Her positive strategies for managing challenging behaviors have had great success in our classrooms.
Maryland SEFEL Pyramid Model: The Pyramid Model provides an approach to teaching your child foundational social-emotional skills, which are essential for success in both school and life. Visit the Resources page for practical strategies for families on teaching children to cooperate with your requests, to learn daily routines, to identify and deal with emotions, and to manage challenging behaviors.
Maryland Family Network is an early childhood advocacy organization that provides support to young families and to child care providers.
A major part of Maryland Family Network’s outreach to young families is its 24 Family Support Centers. These centers provide free services primarily for families with children birth to age 3. The centers offer parent education, peer support, service coordination, and connections to community resources. Montgomery County’s Family Support Center is called the Family Discovery Center, located at 1010 Grandin Avenue in Rockville.
Maryland Family Network also helps families find quality child care and after-school activities through searchable databases on its website. The site also provides helpful information on choosing the right child care program.
Maryland Family Network also works to prevent child abuse and neglect through its Strengthening Families Maryland initiative. This program aims to teach parents about the five protective factors that research shows help make sure that children grow up happy, healthy, and safe: parental resilience, social connections, concrete support in times of need, knowledge of parenting and child development, and social and emotional competence of children. MFN holds Parent Cafés designed to support and educate parents in the five protective factors so that parents can develop strong relationships with their children.
Maryland Family Network also produces a weekly radio program called “The First Five Years.” The program has covered topics ranging from reading to infants and teaching persistence to why people get the urge to take a little “bite” out of a super-cute baby. The show airs on WYPR 88.1 FM in Baltimore but is also available on both WYPR’s and MFN’s websites.
Maryland Family Network also acts as an advocate for young families with the state government, pushing legislators in Annapolis to consider issues such as Universal Pre-Kindergarten, early childhood mental health initiatives, and child care subsidies for parents.
By Colleen Fischer, GSLP Educational Program Director
There’s love in the air in Book Nook! This month we feature books with themes about animals, including a couple who celebrate Valentine’s Day.
The Valentine Bears, by Eve Bunting: This sweet, gentle story features Mrs. Bear, who interrupts her usual winter hibernation to create a special Valentine’s Day celebration for her husband, Mr. Bear. Kids will enjoy learning about hibernation as well as Valentine’s Day traditions for celebrating the people we love. Find this book in our Family Lending Library.
The Gruffalo, by Julia Donaldson: A clever mouse creates an imaginary creature to frighten away the predators who think a mouse looks like a tasty treat. But is a gruffalo really so imaginary? Still, there’s no outsmarting this mouse—you’ll enjoy the problem-solving twist in this story! Find this rhyming hbook in our Family Lending Library.
Animals should definitely not wear clothing., by Judi Barrett: This silly one-sentence story lays out the case for animals staying in their birthday suits. Pick it up for the funny illustrations of all the potential problems that may arise from trying to put porcupines in pajamas or wooly sheep in wool sweaters. This book can be found in our Family Lending Library.
