Welcome to a new year and a new decade from all of us at LaneKids! For many, this time of year means making New Year's resolutions. Resolutions can be a lot of pressure and set some challenging expectations. For the vast majority of us, it can be tough to stick to those promises and many of us give up on our resolutions within a month. This reality has us thinking of different ways to start off the new year…
3 Alternatives to a New Year's Resolution
Instead of feeling g
uilty about our lack of follow through, what if we acknowledge that as parents we are doing the best we can! Often, life throws unexpected challenges our way and our ability to adjust and regroup is our superpower. As an alternative to resolutions, consider incorporating one of these three positive mindsets into your life:
- Create a list of things to look forward to. These can be big events or small, personal or professional, in your life or the lives of people around you. Save it on your phone or post it to your refrigerator to give you hope through the year.
- Intentions over outcomes. The idea of focusing more on your intentions, and less on outcomes can help you prioritize what is truly important. For the year choose a word to live by, such as Kindness, Self-Discipline, Curiosity.
- Choose, then act. Choose one area of your parenting you have control over and would like to work on. Is it being more patient with your children, taking more time for self-care, or eating healthy meals as a family? Then, check out some of the local resources for parents to give you the tools you need to put your choice into action.
- Parenting Now!: Offers a variety of parenting groups led by parenting educators, as well as feeding support groups and drop-in playtimes.
- Relief Nursery: Mental health and counseling services, therapeutic early childhood program, and outreach and crisis intervention.
- Triple P Online: Available through LaneKids (and free for Oregon Health Plan families), the Positive Parenting Program is an online program designed for parents of children ages 2 to 12
Tell us how it goes at
Info@LaneKids.org
, we would love to hear if these alternatives were helpful!
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"No Small Matter" Film Screening
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Free showing of the documentary “No Small Matter”
On the latest research and momentum for quality early childhood education
Friday, Jan 10, 2020 at 6:30pm
South Eugene High School’s Introduction to Education class has taken a recent interest in the
importance of early childhood education and its effects on later learning. We are hosting a
screening of a documentary called
No Small Matter
, which contains the latest research on early
childhood and the movement for quality early education. The documentary explores the disparity
between children from families who can afford quality education and those who don’t have the
means to place their children in quality facilities, as well as the way this influences the children’s
futures.
The Intro to Education class is a career technical education course focused on the methods,
philosophies, and issues driving contemporary education and early childhood development
theory. The screening will be prepared by this class of dedicated students who have spent many
hours in a preschool setting and are passionate about the future of education in our district. Our
hope for the screening is that it will further the conversation of early childhood education and
help kick-start a movement for the improvement and accessibility of preschools nationwide.
Attending the documentary showing can count towards non-child development training hours for
licensing with the Office of Child Care, and it is a great way to show your support for early
childhood advocates. The showing will take place on Friday, January 10 at 6:30 PM in South
Eugene High School’s auditorium, and will be followed by a short panel discussion hosted by
industry professionals and local politicians.
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Practicing Gratitude: What Are You Thankful For?
At Camilla's 6-year birthday party she was showered with gifts from friends and family. Her parents were overwhelmed with gratitude for the generosity that was shown to their daughter. But when the family arrived home after the party, Camilla...
Read more
www.lanekids.org
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Sofia Valdez, Future Prez
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The empowering phrase, “
¡Sí se puede!”
encapsulates Andrea Beaty’s newest book,
Sofia Valdez, Future Prez
.
When young Sofia’s
abuelo
is injured on their walk to school by a piece of debris from the dreaded “Mt. Trashmore”, Sofia knows that it is up to her to fix this mess! Where others see garbage, she sees an opportunity and she takes her fight all the way to City Hall. Adults try to dissuade her, saying that she’s too young to make these kind of changes, but Sofia refuses to take no for an answer. Showing spirit and love, Sofia succeeds in making her community a better place.
Composed of rhyming phrases, this story has a lovely cadence for reading aloud and the incorporation of Spanish vocabulary throughout the story provides opportunity for readers to learn new words in two languages! With playful illustrations and a fantastic message, you won’t want to miss checking this book out!
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January 18-19
The WORLD is coming to Eugene! A cultural event produced and organized by volunteers who are committed to bringing the richness of their cultures from all over the world, including: Slavic, European, Asian, Mexican, African, Jewish, Scandinavian, Indian, and American cultures.
Enjoy two days of music, dance, arts & crafts, food, and games.
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January 20
The Martin Luther King Jr. March & Celebration will begin in Springfield and end with a celebration at Springfield High School recognizing Dr. Martin Luther King Jr through K-12 students entries of essays, poetry, and art.
Join your neighbors in honoring the Civil Rights leader's life and legacy.
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week of January 20
MLK Day is considered "a day on, not a day off". Give back to our community by volunteering to assemble dental kits for Lane County elementary students. At this family friendly event in Eugene you will help put together a kit consisting of a tooth brush, toothpaste, floss, timer, and directions on how to brush.
Volunteer events will be posted to the United Way Volunteer
website starting January 7th.
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Lunar New Year, January 25
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Chinese New Year, or Lunar New Year, usually falls on the second new moon after the Winter Solstice, which is why it occurs on a different day each year. It is customary for the Lunar New Year to be celebrated with family gatherings, traditional food, exchanging red envelopes containing money, and community festivities including a performance from a lion dance troupe.
The Chinese Zodiac contains 12 animals, all symbolizing different traits and characteristics for those born in that year. 2020 is the Year of the Rat. In Chinese culture the rat is associated with wealth.
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We love to hear your questions, feedback on the content of our newsletter, or recommendations on what you would like to read about next time!
You can reach us at
Info@LaneKids.org
.
Also, you can forward this email to a friend, sign up to receive this newsletter in
English
and
Spanish
, and read last month's newsletter in
English
and
Spanish.
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LaneKids is Lane County’s parenting education hub.
Our mission is to ensure all
parents in Lane County have the knowledge, tools, and support to nurture their child’s optimal development for success in school and life.
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LaneKids is made possible with support from:
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