Our friends at Arlington Public School and Cigna have partnered up to provide a school support line linking vital resources for crisis and referral support with students and families. It is available 24/7/365 to students age 14 and over, staff, and parents. Staff on the line are trained in crisis response and can help in […]
The Clothesline is Arlington’s first free clothing store dedicated to school-aged children. The Clothesline provides a welcoming, fun, retail-like environment for low-income families to shop for and select a season’s worth of quality clothing – twice a year – completely free. Staffed and supported entirely by local volunteers, The Clothesline represents Arlington at our best – neighbors helping neighbors.
> Read the NEW Summer/Fall 2020 Issue! The Parent Connection Resource Guide (PCRG) is a semiannual publication that helps service providers find parenting classes, parent support groups, playgroups and a variety of other parenting resources for the parents and families they work with throughout Northern Virginia If your agency has programs that you would like […]
A child’s behavior does not mean they are “good” or “bad” — instead, it says a LOT about how they are feeling. From tears to tantrums, children often communicate in strong ways that can really test our patience! If we learn to react in calm, positive ways, we can be more effective in understanding and helping them learn to manage their behavior.
Child abuse can be of a physical, emotional, neglectful or sexual nature. Abuse and neglect can occur within families or in other settings where children are provided care or services, including schools, residential facilities, day care centers, and recreational or sporting programs.
What activities does your family do every day? Routines can help our children (and us!) build healthy habits, reduce stress, and reinforce values.
Children have a lot of stuff to deal with in today’s world: Sex. Drugs. Bullying. Death. The list goes on and on. It can leave parents feeling scared, uncomfortable and overwhelmed. But talking openly with your children is critical to their healthy development and will help foster open and ongoing communication.
From birth to the teenage years and beyond, communication with your child is very important. Positive communication can reinforce good behavior, and help you understand and eliminate bad behavior. It can build your child’s confidence and self-esteem.
Co-Parenting—or “shared parenting”—is a way for divorced, separated, or never-married parents to approach the challenges of raising children together even when they’ve chosen not to live together or maintain an intimate relationship with one another. Managing this partnership can pose special challenges but the rewards for our children are invaluable.
Life is stressful. As overworked and overscheduled parents and children, we’re all susceptible to stress, especially in our fast-paced region. And children—even the youngest children—have anxiety and concerns which parents need to be aware of. How can you manage your own stress and learn to understand and reduce your child’s stress as well?
Surveys show that as many as 1 in 4 children have suffered some sort of sexual abuse by the time they reach 18. Statistics show that child sexual abuse crosses boundaries of race, class, culture, ethnicity, gender, and sexuality, affecting all types of communities. What can you do as a parent to help protect your child?
All families deal with stress at one time or another. With the images of “perfect” families we so often see in magazines and on TV, parents and children can begin to develop unrealistic expectations for both themselves and their family members.
Parenting is a difficult job that can leave us feeling tired, stressed and alone. As a result, parents often feel cut off from the world around them. When parents are disconnected from the family, friends and activities they once enjoyed, they are parenting in isolation without the support they need to keep themselves healthy and able to nurture their children.
Are you a role model for your child? Parenting can be tough, but one of the most basic ways we can raise our children is simply by being a good role model for them.
Who is in your child’s life? Parenting is not an easy job, with responsibilities that seem to change every day. The daily tasks and roles you perform as a parent are bound to change as your child gets older. However, there is one task that is always important: monitoring your child’s contact with his or her surrounding world. Parents need to be aware of their children’s activities and interactions through every age and stage of growth.
When parents divorce or separate, their children’s world is often turned upside down. Feelings of loss, anger and confusion are common among children whose parents have separated or divorced. Children who have lost parents through death have similar feelings. Even children of single parents can have negative feelings associated with “not having” a mother or father in their life.
Sex and violence are common occurrences in the media and with the available exposure kids have to media, their behavior, perceptions and personalities can be easily influenced and distorted.
Self-esteem. It’s a phrase we hear discussed quite a bit, but it can be hard to understand what it really means and how important it is for children. Join us as we discuss what self-esteem is, what it means for our children, and how parents can positively impact the self-esteem of their children and what it means for their future.
Ask any parent about their child’s development, and they’ll often talk about speech and language development, gross motor skills or even physical growth. But a child’s social development—her ability to interact with other children and adults—is a critical piece of the development puzzle.
Research shows that one of the most important factors affecting a child’s performance in school is how involved their parents are in their education. How can you be sure that your child is receiving the quality education they deserve? Get involved and be their advocate!