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        Text Box: April is “Month of the Young Child”. This month all of us in early childhood setting nation wide focus on the needs of young children and advocate for them. If you have a computer you can go to NAEYC’s web site and view ideas for their “Week of the Young Child” and use them this month. They actually started this advocacy month with the kick off week mentioned above. Since then, the idea has grown and been added to by all early childhood agencies. We are capping off the month with a free guidance training designed especially for parents, but of course can be attended by anyone. It also counts as child development for those of you needed those hours. The class is at the Rockport Library, Saturday Apil 16, and the title is “Discipline without Spanking” and a flyer is enclosed. Please hand them out to your parents and encourage them to come with you or with their partners. The month ends on Saturday, April 30th with “International SpankOut day” where our agency has joined with agencies all over the world asking parents to choose alternatives to spanking for just one day. I know this is a controversial issue, but I know we can find a common ground if we just keep talking about the issue. Come and join us and bring a parent Saturday Apil 16th! There will be door prizes!.                                                                                                                                                                                 

Text Box: HOW MUCH SLEEP DOES MY CHILDREN NEED?   From Anthem news   It depends on her age and other personal characteristics. Most infants and toddlers need 12 to 14 hours of sleep a day. This gradually decreases as they give up their daily nap and sleep progressively fewer hours at night. The chart below offers general guidelines. Keep in mind, though, that these are only averages. Some children need more or less sleep than others their age.   Age  Nighttime Sleep  Daytime Sleep  Total Sleep 1 year  11 1/4  2 1/2  13 3/4 1 1/2 yr  11 1/4  2 1/4   13 1/2 2 years  11  2   13 3 years  10 1/2  1 1/2   12 4 years  11 1/2  0  11 1/2 5 years  11  0  11 6 years  10 3/4  0  10 3/4 7 years  10 1/2  0  10 1/2 8 years  10 1/4  0  10 1/4 9 years  10  0  10 10 yrs  9 3/4  0  9 3/4 11 yrs  9 1/2  0  9 1/2 12 yrs  9 1/4  0  9 1/4  (13 year olds the same) 14 yrs  9  0  9 15 yrs  8 3/4  0  8 3/4 16 yrs  8 1/2  0  8 1/2 (editors note:  I don’t know about you but all my summer kids up to the   age of 10 sill wanted a 1 hour nap during the summer! Smile) How can I tell if my child is sleep deprived? A cranky disposition, a low frustration point, a tendency to throw tantrums, hyperactivity -- these could all signal that your child isn't getting enough sleep. With some kids, though, the behavioral signs are subtler. If your child seems even-tempered but has trouble waking every morning, sleeps in whenever she has the chance, or falls asleep in the afternoon, she probably needs more z's. Some kids fall asleep every time they get in the car or whenever they sit down to watch TV. Others can't even wait for an appropriate venue: In a survey conducted by the National Sleep Foundation, 15 percent of kids reported falling asleep at school. My child seems to get enough sleep but has trouble getting up in the morning. Why? The sleep chart above offers only general guidelines. If your 9-year-old sleeps 10 hours at night but still hates to rise and shine, maybe she needs closer to 11 hours. Or maybe she gets the right quantity, but the quality of her sleep isn't up to par. One possible cause is sleep apnea, which affects about 2 percent of children. This is a serious sleep disorder that can cause your child's upper airway passages to become blocked repeatedly during the night, making it difficult for her to breathe. You might hear snoring or brief periods of quiet interspersed with snoring. Each time the airway is blocked, she wakes enough to shift position, interrupting her sleep. If you think your child might suffer from sleep apnea, talk to her pediatrician. How does sleep deprivation affect my child? In addition to the behavioral changes noted above, your youngster's grades may be affected. Some studies suggest that kids who get poor grades sleep less than those who get A's and B's. At the very least, your child's teacher might label her as lazy or a slow learner if she's half asleep during class.  (article continued on back)  

       

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