Here is a January 2011 Calendar of Activities for the New Brunswick, NJ Family Success Center.  All of their programs are voluntary and FREE and many of them include refreshments and childcare.  Please contact the Family Success Center at 732-828-2134 OR 732-828-2135 with any questions or to register a family for one of their events.

·         January 11th  – Tax Workshop

o   FSC, in collaboration with the BOAZ Program, will host an ITIN PIN workshop.  This workshop will provide education to undocumented workers about filing income tax.

·         January 13th – CPR (Spanish)

·         January 25th – “Abriendo Puertas” Opening Doors Program Begins

o   The FSC will host the “Abriendo Puertas” Opening Doors Program in partnership with the Prevent Child Abuse of NJ on January 25th from 6-8PM.  “Abriendo Puertas” is a comprehensive 10-session parent leadership and advocacy training program developed for low income, primarily Spanish-speaking parents with children ages 0 to 5.  This unique train-the-trainer program draws from the real-life experiences of its participants, with curricular content that builds from their cultural strengths.  Materials will be presented in an interactive way and will encourage involvement and discussion.

·         January 27th – New Year/New You Health Series Lead Safety Workshop

o   This is the second in a scheduled series of events focused on improving the Health of the New Brunswick Community.  Through a partnership with Rutgers University, Nursing Students will provide free Diabetes Screenings as well as an interactive presentation on sugar.

The Story of Iyal is a video that tells the story of one family living with FASDs. Every family has unique experiences, challenges, and successes. The intent of this video is not to endorse specific interventions, but to share one family’s story and hope.

Visit the National Organization on Fetal Alcohol Syndrome National and State Resource Directory External Web Site Icon to find FASD professionals, support groups, and other resources in your state.

This webinar will identify and explore opportunities for obesity prevention through early childhood programs, highlighting the work being done through ECCS(Early Childhood Comprehensive Services) in the states.  The Project Thrive team will present background information on this national issue and highlight some racial/ethnic and income disparities.  We will also hear from Melissa Courts of Healthy Child Care Ohio and Martha Hiett of Arkansas ECCS about the work they’ve been doing to improve nutrition and physical activity standards in their states’ early childhood programs.

The webinar will take place on January 6, 2011 at 2:30-4:00 pm EST

Please note, Project Thrive always welcomes your questions in advance to help shape our interactive events.  Email your questions or suggestions to: higgins@nccp.org

You may register for this insightful webinar on obesity prevention by clicking on this link.

How safe are your toys? In November of this year, the NJPIRG Law & Policy Center did another survey of toy safety. This revealing report looks at areas related to:

• Lead in Toys and Children’s Products
• Toxic Phthalates in Children’s ProductsPhthalates, or phthalate esters, are esters of phthalic acid and are mainly used as plasticizers (substances added to plastics to increase their flexibility, transparency, durability, and longevity). They are used primarily to soften polyvinyl chloride. Phthalates are being phased out of many products in the United States, Canada, and European Union over health concerns(Wikipedia)
• Other Toxic Hazards
• Choking Hazards
• Strangulation Hazards
• Drawstring Clothing
• Plus,2010 Summary of Toy Hazards and Examples of Potentially Dangerous Toys and Children’s Product

Click on this link to review this excellent report on Toy Safety

This innovative and insightful workshop focuses on the circumstances of incarcerated women, including the mental health and medical care services available to them in jail as well as the lingering effects of their incarceration on rehabilitative release efforts.

Click this link to  get more information on this powerful workshop: Incarceration, Underlying Trauma and Perinatal Stress

A recent report from The Joan Ganz Cooney Center at Sesame Workshop documents the growing trend among young children to engage in play sessions using applications downloaded to mobile devices such as iPhones. The sessions, most often occurring when the devices are passed to the kids by siblings or adults, last between 5 and 20 minutes and consist primarily of playing games.

The report says there is evidence the kids are learning, citing research on the Martha Speaks: Dog Party and Super Why apps that focus on literacy skills. Positive effects were found for children as young as age 3. The report also provides guidelines for app creators and family members with young children.

Read this  article “Are Preschoolers Learning From Mobile Device Apps?

On the surface, children with fetal alcohol exposure and attention deficit hyperactivity disorder (ADHD) appear to have similar symptoms and issues, but this study shows that each disorder appears to affect different areas of the brain. Read more about this insightful report on ADHD and FASD.