The district hosted its first bilingual workshop at the Bayview Avenue School to provide English as a Second Language parents with early intervention strategies to effectively prepare their children for school.
Long Island Early Childhood Direction Center community outreach coordinator Sonia Puertas-Galletta presented two “Helping Your Child Learn” workshops on Jan. 17 at the Bayview Avenue School in Freeport. The workshops were held in both Spanish and English.
Ms. Puertas-Galletta’s presentation focused on the five developmental areas – physical, cognitive, speech/language, social/emotional and self- help skills – and how parents can promote their children’s development in naturalistic settings. She explained that certain developmental skills are expected from most children by a specific age. However, cultural expectations of developmental skills can vary across cultures. “This workshop’s intent is to provide families from different backgrounds with a set of developmental skills that can be addressed at home to better prepare children to be ready for kindergarten,” she said. This particular workshop targeted children from 48 to 60 months of age and gives parents an overview of the skills expected within the five developmental areas framework.”
LI ECDC handouts provided by Ms. Puertas-Galletta explained that how a child plays, learns, speaks and acts can offer important clues about his or her development. According to the Center for Disease Control and Prevention, the average four-year old’s physical skills include the ability to catch a bounced ball most of the time. Typical cognitive skills for four-year olds include remembering parts of a story, naming four colors and understanding the idea of “same” and “different.” By age five, most children can classify objects by size, quality or quantity. They can also sort and compare items like foods, toys and coins, and have the ability to identify various sizes. She explained that most five-year old children also have the ability to write their names, follow short routines independently, count 10 or more things, tell a simply story using full sentences and understand the difference between real and make-believe.
Parents were encouraged to enjoy activities with their children using common items found around the house. Suggested early childhood activities included making dough to strengthen hand muscles, counting objects, assembling puzzles, and comparing items by size, color, quality or quantity and to speak to their children frequently and slowly. Parents were also advised to check with their child’s doctor at every visit about the developmental milestones their child has reached and what to expect next.
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