Latest news with #earlychildhood
Independent Singapore
6 days ago
- General
- Independent Singapore
EC centre worker says 'distasteful' comments from 'entitled parents' are taking a toll on their mental health
SINGAPORE: A local Redditor who works in a public early childhood (EC) centre asked for advice on how to not be affected at work. Although they love children, what they find the hardest is being at the receiving end of 'condescending and distasteful remarks' from 'horribly entitled' parents. In a July 22 (Tuesday) post on r/askSingapore, u/ strugglingsince99 wrote, 'the worst comments I heard in my career come from these parents,' and added that the stress from these comments has taken a toll on their mental health and well-being. ' I'm thinking of resigning. I'm burnt out. I have drafted out my resignation email and filled up the form,' they wrote, although they can't resign at the moment for financial reasons. For the sake of their mental health, however, they are tempted to do so in spite of the state of their finances. 'I feel like a loser being so affected by what happened at work,' u/ strugglingsince99 also wrote, adding that their salary isn't very high, and the stress they feel isn't worth putting themselves through. The post author also wrote that they used to go to therapy, but since it costs S$180 per session, they can't afford it. 'Please share how I can care less… I feel miserable and like a joke that I work to pay my therapy fees,' they added. When a commenter suggested that they could try transferring to another public early childhood centre, the post author wrote that there are likely to be unkind parents at whichever centre they transfer to. They are now considering moving to the corporate world and leaving the early childhood sector for good. 'I know in corporate, there may be demanding bosses and challenging clients. But I'm burnt out dealing with these parents for now and an unsupportive management that throws us to deal with all these,' they added. Other commenters then suggested that the post author move to a centre with a more supportive management. Some noted that workers in the post author's sector are indeed paid too little and said that this needs to change. A number of Reddit users praised early childhood sector workers and thanked the post author for the work that they do. 'Thank you for doing the job that you do! I think it's often thankless and involves a lot of sacrifice. There are parents out there who recognise that and appreciate it!' one wrote. 'I send my child to playgroup, so I truly respect the teachers who are taking care of her. I always feel that it takes a village to raise children, so hopefully SG Govt can do more for these early childhood teachers,' another opined. A Reddit user who also had experience in dealing with difficult parents in the sector wrote, 'I'm not saying you should grit it out; in fact, I support you leaving if that is what will help you. Before you quit, try applying for other roles outside of EC to see if you're able to land any interviews. Otherwise, quit, take a short break, and maybe apply for centres that promise a small student:teacher ratio. The pay may be less, but hopefully it'll improve your mental health. 'The centre leader plays a big role as well. I felt very embarrassed to speak to my principal about what I was going through, but she's someone I've worked with for many years, so I did open up to her, and she became more understanding of the decline in my work performance, because she knew it wasn't like me. If your centre leader prioritises parents and always takes their side, I think the decision to leave will be easier.' Another had this advice to give: What you feel is valid and not something to be dismissed Hiring is still robust in the childcare industry. Taking a few months off work to recover is important (hopefully you can afford it); suffering long-term in a traumatic environment is not worth the cost. In the meantime, there are lower-stress non-customer-facing part-time roles you can take if money is tight. I don't think any amount of therapy can cancel out the toxicity you face from awful parents. Alternatively, you have to tune out the negative parents. If you know you're doing the right thing, your Principal should step in and draw the boundaries between you and the Parents. If the Principal is not supportive, better leave. /TISG Read also: Singapore to boost early childhood care with 40,000 new facilities by 2029
CBS News
20-07-2025
- Business
- CBS News
Howard County's Head Start program to expand to children as young as infants
A $12.6 million federal grant is helping expand the early childhood program Head Start in Howard County. The Community Action Council of Howard County, the county's Head Start program provider, emphasized that this expansion will benefit more families beyond childcare. Lola Tanimowo knows how much Head Start can make a difference. WJZ first met the mom of two in September 2024, when CAC celebrated the reopening of its Children's Learning Center, or CLC. "My daughter got therapy [through Head Start]. She has a speech delay," Tanimowo said. "She got [in the program] when she was three, [and now] she is going to kindergarten without any delays at all." Tanimowo was outside CAC's Dasher Green Early Childhood Education Center on Wednesday to celebrate the new federal grant. The grant runs for five years and will help provide infants, toddlers, and two-year-olds with year-round, full-day classes starting next school year. These children will be served in the Bauder Education Center and CLC. "It has a lifelong impact on children and their families. It is the promise of a better future," said Tracy Broccolino, CAC's president. Tanimowo said without Head Start, she wouldn't have been able to further her education at Howard Community College. "There's no end to learning, I tell my kids every day," Tanimowo said. "I'm so happy that I'm given this opportunity." This Head Start expansion comes just months after Howard County Executive Calvin Ball put in $1 million to nearly 30 childcare providers to increase the number of children those providers can serve. This expansion is part of Ball's efforts to support federal workers in Howard County who may have lost their jobs under President Trump's workforce reductions. For families in Head Start, enrolling in the program goes beyond childcare. Since CAC is the Head Start provider, families enrolled get access to CAC's range of services -- which includes access to the Howard County Food Bank. "When a child enters a program, a family enters our program. Enrollment in our program opens the door to a broad range of services that help our families build stability and opportunity," said Erin Adelsberger, CAC's director of education. CAC is currently taking applications from families to enroll in its Head Start program, as well as applications for educators and staff for the expansion. You can learn more here.
Yahoo
17-07-2025
- General
- Yahoo
These Are Toys That Babies Love (and Parenting Experts Approve of)
"Hearst Magazines and Yahoo may earn commission or revenue on some items through these links." Don't count baby out at playtime. The littlest ones hit major milestones through playing with toys. They acquire new abilities like reaching, grasping, building hand-eye coordination, learning cause and effect and more. And it starts early. "Play is a skill that begins in infancy. We see a newborn go from unoccupied to enjoying solitary play within about 3 months. This is a big step for our little ones!" says Becky Thomas, founder and teacher at Playgroup. She's also a specialist in infant and family development, early childhood and special education. In our list, we left out plush animals. You'll likely receive plenty of bears and bunnies as newborn gifts for your baby to love. Instead, our Good Housekeeping Institute parenting pros and early-childhood specialists focused on developmental toys that help with specific skills as well as toys that can be manhandled by your baby and that engage more than one of their & Count Stacking Cups Cups nesting into each other is magic to a baby. And these colorful cups can do more: "Once an infant has developed the skill of grasping them, placing the cups on top of each other to create a tower is a great problem-solving and cause-and-effect form of play which is a precursor for so many skills later on," Thomas says. Use these to talk about colors and show your baby the raised numbers on the bottom of each cup. They double as tub toys, because holes in the bottom of each cup turn each into a little sieves. These are age-graded starting at 6 months because a baby needs some dexterity and patience to try and stack or nest them. (Knocking them over will be easier!) Plus, your baby is not going to name colors or numbers out loud until toddlerhood. Still, for pure value — you'll use these for years, your child can learn an array of skills from them and the set is less than $10 — these are hard to beat. $7.49 at It doesn't get much more classic than a ball — but infants have trouble grasping a smooth sphere. Even plush balls and bumpy balls can be a challenge at first, when a baby is just gaining hand-eye coordination. The 4-inch, lightweight Oball has a mesh design with 32 finger holes practically guaranteeing that your young baby will be able to grab on, wave this around and revel in a feeling of accomplishment. "The Oball can be thrown, rolled, squashed and passed from hand to hand," Thomas says. This toy is not easy for a baby to gum as a teether but expect them to try and mouth it. It's not dishwasher-safe, so wipe it down with a damp, soapy cloth. This is another infant toy that lasts and lasts — we have a staffer with a 4-year-old who still loves this toy. $4.99 at One of the first things your newborn will do with a toy is track it with their eyes. Dangle these rings, made in eye-catching contrasting colors, and watch your infant learn to follow where they go. Shake the rattle and see if your newborn will turn toward the sound. These are the earliest forms of play! Once your 3-month-old can reach for the NogginRings and grasp them, they'll love putting them in their mouth (of course) and exploring their shape and sounds. "This can help your infant learn to bring their hands together on an object, then transfer it hand to hand," says Jennifer Rothman, LCSW, a child therapist in New York City. NogginRings will stay fun throughout your baby's first year but your toddler will outgrow this little rattle. $23.95 at Fish Babies love to pull at fabric tags, and this tactile toy gives them plenty. Crinkling, squeaking parts, bright patterns, hidden pictures and mirrored surfaces plus a teething fin keep a baby fascinated and exploring. We like this for the prime tummy-time stage from 3 to 6 months when babies can build a lot of core strength by spending some playtime each day on the floor, placed on their tummy with a toy in front of them. Use this toy to encourage your baby to lift their head, then reach and flip the fish fins. This is also a fun toy for your baby to explore while sitting in their bouncer seat. It's just a little bigger than it looks — just over a foot long — which surprises some parents, so it's not super easy to take around on the go. $18.89 at As you introduce solid foods, it's nice to have toys that keep your baby happy in the high chair, waiting to be served or digesting while you clean. Make the time educational with this set of three silicone fidget toys for infants that can stick to a flat surface, then pull off with a popping sound. "They're versatile and can continue to be played with as your child grows older and experiments with creative play," Rothman says. Thomas agrees, adding, "Babies eventually figure out that they can plug pieces together and problem-solve as they create a construction plan. They'll stick them to different vertical surfaces." This toy was a favorite with the daughter of Marisa LaScala, Good Housekeeping's Senior Parenting & Relationships Editor. She was obsessed — and so was LaScala and her husband. "We'd use them as fidget toys for ourselves!" LaScala says. Wash them in the dishwasher. They're a little pricier than most baby toys, but we think they're worth Best Toys and Gifts for 6-Month-Olds $24.95 at Rather than a shape sorter, start a baby with a toy that lets them stuff things in and take them back out. "There's a stage of infant development when they begin to collect and this toy is so perfect for not only collecting the pieces it comes with, but any toy that can fit inside," Thomas says. "Fitting materials inside of the InnyBin requires strong fine-motor skills and problem-solving for size, fit and shape. This is a great toy for practicing determination and developing resilience through focus." Prime time for this toy is 10 months to age 3, as a baby develops better spatial reasoning and gradually gains control over the pieces shaped like a cube, sphere, flower, diamond, happy face and triangle. If this frustrates your baby, first be sure they're in the age window. Second, demonstrate by showing how you pull a toy out or stuff one in. Third, let them experience the possibly maddening period of learning how to do it themselves. "They're building frustration tolerance," Rothman says. The payoff will be your baby beaming with pride. $27.95 at Little Artist Playset This Good Housekeeping Best Toy Awards winner includes a squeaking paint tube, a crinkling paint brush and a crayon that makes a giggling sound. The artist bear in a beret is sweet, too! When we tested with families, they loved that their infants could grasp and wave around the small toys by themselves, and that older babies were able to load the toys in and take them back out of the carry case. Gund makes sensory-toy sets with other themes, too, like a food truck set, a plush duffel with four sports balls and a cute plush gift bag for a baby's first birthday. You can spot-clean the toys that make sounds and put the carrying case in the washer on the delicate cycle. Some online reviewers say the pieces are smaller than they expected; each toy is only 3 or 4 inches tall. They're baby-sized! RELATED: Best Sensory Toys $8.11 at Play Center This new developmental baby toy is Montessori-inspired, with simple toys like a mirror, spinners and a wooden bead maze in muted colors. In stage one your baby sits inside, as shown. For stage two, it converts to a tabletop so a toddler can stand and play on the outside. In stage three, you take off the toys and use this as a table for a preschool kid. So it works for infancy through toddlerhood and into preschool. When we tested this in our Lab and with parents we found it easy to build and entertaining for babies who had good head and neck control. Though it is age-graded for 4 months and up, we found that babies started to really enjoy it at more like 6 months. $184.99 at The Giraffe Teether Sometimes it seems as if every baby in America owns this toy. If yours has not yet met Sophie The Giraffe (real name: Sophie La Girafe, she's French), you might want to introduce them to this popular teething toy made of soft yet durable rubber that's been around since 1961. There are a lot of theories as to why Sophie is a babe magnet. She's sized right and provides a bit of bumpy texture for infants, with their clumsy grips, to hold onto. "The shape of the toy offers so many ways to grasp it and it's long enough for an infant to easily bring to to their mouth," Thomas says. Sophie's dark eyes and big brown spots stand out on her white body, and babies love that contrast. Finally, she squeaks when squeezed, a cause-and-effect bonus that tots find hard to resist. "Both my babies tried other teethers but loved Sophie," one tester told us. "And seriously, every kid has a Sophie." A downside is that it can't be sterilized, run through the dishwasher or submerged in water. In order to clean it, the brand recommends wiping it with a damp cloth. RELATED: Best Teething Toys $28.99 at Play Gym This brand makes one of our go-to subscription boxes, but you can buy this play gym à la carte. "I love that it's not visually overstimulating, like many baby play mats," Rothman says. "Plus, this is easy for a baby and mamma to use together." That's one of the things we like most — and it comes with an excellent play guide with stage-based tips and activities for you to try. (Because, let's face it, most of us do not actually know how to play with a baby!) The high price is made more palatable by the fact that this can transform from a play gym into a toddler fort and last for years. We consider this one of our favorite high-quality baby toys because it comes with simple Montessori-style toys like a wooden batting toy and organic cotton ball as well as 14 high-contrast pictures on sturdy cards for your baby to study. The mat itself has different areas of color, pattern and texture to keep things interesting. RELATED: 3 Best Baby Toy Subscription Boxes $140.99 at Time Floor Mirror One way to get a baby lying on their tummy to lift their head and look up is to offer them a glimpse of something cute: "Babies love looking in the mirror so this helps you extend tummy time," says Rothman. This was a favorite for both daughters of Lexie Sachs, Good Housekeeping Institute's Executive Director, Strategy & Operations. "So vain, they loved to see themselves," Sachs joked. (Actually babies don't know it's them in the mirror until they're about 18 months old.) "They also loved reaching for the two sensory toys on the top and bottom." The mirror is baby-safe and unbreakable, so it's a little more distorted than a regular glass mirror. Be sure to peel off the plastic film that comes on for more clarity. $14.99 at Along Tunes Musical Toy Kids love this for the lights and music. Parents appreciate the tunes, since it plays seven classical melodies by Mozart, Vivaldi, Chopin and more. It's pleasant for everyone, and there's volume control if you need it to be a bit louder in the car or softer at home. We like this to throw in the diaper bag for outings because it's so small but so stimulating — if you need to soothe or distract your baby at a restaurant, in the supermarket or while doing a diaper change in an unfamiliar bathroom, this can be little lifesaver. It's also easy to wipe clean. It comes with the two AA batteries needed to get started but online reviews say that you'll want more on hand if your baby loves this toy and uses it often. $9.96 at Ring O Links Infants love how these C-shaped rings clack together and fall all around the main circle ring, which is done up in contrasting black and white. Sassy's O Links are differently textured rings in rainbow colors and the toy, about 5 inches tall, is easy to take anywhere. Pull off any one ring for your infant to grip and gum or keep them all together as a rattling distraction as you travel around in the stroller, car seat or on a plane. If the toy lands on the ground, feel at ease knowing that it is dishwasher-safe. Some parents say they also use the black and white ring to attach other toys for dangling — the main ring pulls open enough to link a toy on, or to clip it to something like the stroller harness. It's a small purchase, not a big giftable kind of toy, but one that you and your baby will probably turn to more than you'd expect. $4.46 at Rattles Wait, did I just do that? When wearing sock rattles, an infant's own motion entertains them, leading to exciting discoveries like finding their own feet. The black and white zebra and smiling cheetah are also made for a newborn to be able to see their contrasting stripes and smiles. Eventually your baby will have the dexterity to pull the booties off and hold them in their hand. Some sensitive infants might get overwhelmed by the rattling after a few minutes so be sure to keep an eye on your baby and remove the socks if looks as if they're agitated or grown tired of them. $8.00 at Stages Piggy Bank A baby able to sit up and grasp, usually after 6 months, will enjoy fitting the 10 coins into this smiling piggy bank — and it hones their hand-eye coordination and fine-motor skills. The toy rewards their persistence with songs and phrases, offering words in Spanish and lessons in colors and counting. Once your infant has heard all of the Stage 1 lessons plenty of times, you can switch to Stage 2 for new lessons for your toddler. We like that it comes with the batteries included and that the coins can all store inside the bank. You can turn off the music and sounds, but there is no volume control. $19.49 at Tails Soft Fabric Book Before their clumsy little hands are even ready to turn the pages of a board book, your baby can play with all the tactile features on this soft cloth baby book. Infants can pull on the dangling tails — they love to pull tags and pieces of fabric. Follow each tail to the animal inside and call out its name. The pages crinkle for added interest. Jellycat makes other variations, like one called Farm Tails. This is a book you can explore together, but to help your baby's vocabulary grow, you should also read aloud from regular board books. RELATED: Good Housekeeping Kids' Book Awards $21.00 at the Firefly We're showing the firefly, but Lamaze makes a herd of bright, dangling creatures that include an axolotl, an octopus and a lobster. This clip-on toy can attach to the stroller and not be thrown overboard, which, you'll learn from experience, is a problem with other toys. Hook it around the stroller harness so your baby can hold this in their hand and explore the layers of textures and fabrics, little mirrors, clacking rings and more. If your infant is still young and not reaching, just looking, you might hook it to the stroller canopy like a mobile. Some parents also hook one to the diaper bag so it's always available as a distraction during on-the-go diaper changes or if you're out running errands and your baby starts to fuss. Any toy that travels with you can get dirty, but note that this toy should be spot-cleaned only; it's not recommended for machine washing. $14.99 at of Circles Stacking Ring You can practically hear your baby's brain whirring as they play with these nine differently sized rings in varying colors and textures. The clear ring even makes a rattling sound. The rings can be stacked in any order, which decreases frustration when stacking. Join in the play and show your infant the difference in size between the large black and white ring and the small one. Then count from 1 to 9 as you put the rings on the pole one at a time. Stacking the rings helps hone hand-eye coordination. In fact this has been lauded as an early STEM toy that can help kids learn sorting, counting, sequencing and recognizing what is the same or different about two objects. We like that the rings are easy for an infant to grab and manipulate. They will outgrow this, however, and be ready to move on to building blocks by age 2. $6.14 at Toy Maracas Shake it up! Toys that play music for your baby are not as richly educational as something like these egg-shaped shakers that let your child make the sounds. We love that they're each shaped like an adorable animal to catch your baby's attention, that there are textures to explore on their bellies and that each one makes a slightly different noise when shaken. They're a bit chunky but if your baby can't grip one at 3 months, they may be able to hold and shake them by 6 months. Note that the sounds these make are pretty soft. We like that they're not cacophonous but if your baby is shaking them while you play music, they might be hard to hear. $9.78 at Learning Walker Once your baby pulls to a stand and takes tentative steps, they're no longer your infant anymore — you're entering toddler territory. Help them along with a push toy your baby can use for balance as they stand and walk. This best-selling toy, which has tens of thousands of five-star Amazon reviews, is much safer than the kind of walker a baby sits inside, where they are essentially trapped. Your baby can let go from a push walker anytime they need to. Your little one can first sit in front of this to play with all the toys on the activity panel, or the panel can be removed and used as a floor toy. They'll stay busy and hone fine-motor skills with the light-up piano keys, a play phone, gears that spin and buttons that, when pressed, deliver fun songs and vocabulary words. When your baby is ready to pull to a stand and work large-motor skills, the toy has a wide base for stability. Your baby can easily grab the green handlebar and push this four-wheeled walker. The two AA batteries needed to get this started are included. The lights and sounds can get a little overstimulating but fortunately there are both high and low volume settings or you can turn it completely off. $47.99 at we choose the best infant toys The experts at the Good Housekeeping Institute include parenting-product pros, Ph.D.s who are also parents and journalists who scour the market for the latest and greatest toys. Children's toys and gifts are tested all year. This story consists of top trusted infant-toy brands and products that adhere to all federal safety standards for toys. For infant toys especially, it is critical that each toy has no choking hazards or pinch points. We also included toys that have proven over time to be durable and to hold interest for most babies. Finally, we surveyed child-development specialists outside of the Institute for both their general infant-toy to look for when shopping for the best infant toys The first year is full of developmental milestones. According to the Centers for Disease Control and Prevention, an infant's interaction with toys starts with them looking at a toy for several seconds at about 2 months old and progresses to a baby crawling over to play with a toy by about 9 months, with many small steps in between. (See milestones listed below.) When deciding which toys to introduce in the first year, consider: ✔️ Age grading and size: Brands put testing, reasoning and science behind their age grading. If a toy is for 6 months+, your 3-month-old will likely be frustrated by it or completely uninterested. Any toy for ages 3 years or older might include small pieces, which are choking hazards and must be completely avoided during infancy. Our advice: Though you might buy ahead in baby clothing sizes, like getting your 6-month-old some 12-month bodysuits, stick to toys that correspond to your child's age the day you buy them. Toys can age up, potentially being fun for years, but don't age down. (Your baby's reaching for their toddler sibling's toys notwithstanding.) ✔️ Materials and appearance: "Find toys of different shapes, sounds, textures and colors for babies to explore," Rothman says. Infants learn so much by first staring at toys and are especially drawn to ones with contrasting colors, such as toys in black and white. Then sometime between 3 months and 9 months, they will begin tasting, smelling, shaking and generally mauling their toys to learn all they can. We like wooden toys and those made from materials such as organic cotton, but toys made from plastic are easier to clean and sterilize. Read each toy's care instructions. We also have the Good Housekeeping Institute's advice for the best way to clean toys. ✔️ Age-appropriate challenges: While newborns won't do much more than gaze at toys you hang near them, within a few weeks you can try moving a toy across their line of vision to see if they track it with their eyes. It's a very early form of playing together and your baby might only be able to do it for a short bit before needing a break and looking away. You should begin to hand age-appropriate toys to your infant by about 3 months. "It's about reaching, grasping for objects, shaking, banging, using both hands together, mouthing materials to get information and building their sensory database," Rothman says. Once your baby is older than 6 months, you can look for toys that invite them to spin things, empty small toys out of a larger one and build. "At around 8 months, a baby's sense of object permanence will make hiding, looking and finding objects exciting," Rothman says. "That's why shape sorters and pulling toys out of something is so fun and elicits curiosity." ✔️ Opportunities to interact: Although babies benefit from exploring a toy on their own, it's also great when a toy sparks ideas for how you can play together. "It's about bonding with caregivers and having back-and-forth interactions," Rothman says. "You can babble and sing together." A few ideas to try:• Point to a toy and name it.• Play with the toy "wrong," like putting it on your head, to make your baby laugh.• Use a toy to entice your baby to reach for it or crawl over to it, and let them experience the success of getting to it.• Narrate what your baby does with a toy, to build their vocabulary, such as "I see you putting that round rattle in your mouth."• If the toy says phrases and sounds, repeat them and add some vocabulary, as in, "It said that's the letter A. That's the letter for 'apple.'"Guidelines on baby milestones You can track your infant's development by watching how they play with you and their toys. The Centers for Disease Control and Prevention, together with the American Academy of Pediatrics, list these and other infant milestones with their corresponding age markers. Talk with your pediatrician if you think your baby is missing milestones. Every baby is different, but in general (and as it pertains to play) progression looks like this: At 2 months, your baby: • Calms down when spoken to or picked up • Looks at your face • Makes sounds other than crying • Reacts to loud sounds • Looks at a toy for several seconds • Holds head up when on tummy • Moves both arms and both legs • Opens hands briefly At 4 months, your baby: • Smiles on their own to get your attention • Chuckles (not yet a full laugh) when you try to make them laugh • Looks at you, moves, or makes sounds to get or keep your attention • Makes sounds back when you talk to them • Turns head toward the sound of your voice • Holds head steady when you are holding them • Holds a toy when you put it in their hand • Uses arms to swing at toys • Brings hands to mouth • Pushes up onto elbows/forearms when on tummy At 6 months, your baby: • Likes to look at themself in a mirror• Takes turns making sounds with you • Blows 'raspberries' (sticks tongue out and blows) • Squeals • Puts things in their mouth• Reaches to grab a toy• Rolls from tummy to back • Pushes up with straight arms when on tummy• Leans on hands to support themself sitting At 9 months, your baby: • Expresses being happy, sad, angry, and surprised• Smiles or laughs when you play peek-a-boo• Makes a lot of different sounds like 'mamamama' and 'bababababa' • Looks for objects when dropped out of sight • Bangs two things together • Gets to a sitting position by themself • Moves things from one hand to her other hand• Sits without supportWhy trust Good Housekeeping? Experts at the Institute have been evaluating consumer products for 120 years. The Good Housekeeping Institute parenting pros test everything for babies, kids and teens. See our annual Parenting Awards as well as our Family Travel Awards for more great products for your family. Former Chief Technologist & Executive Technical Director Rachel Rothman is particularly passionate about children's development through play. She sat on the ASTM toy safety committee for more than a decade for and is a Play Ambassador for the Toy Industry Genius of Play program, and she reviewed this story. This article was written by Contributing Writer Jessica Hartshorn, who has covered the toy market for 25 years, previously for American Baby magazine as well as Parents magazine. She's one of the judges of the annual Best Toy Awards and keeps up with the year's hottest toys. You Might Also Like 67 Best Gifts for Women That'll Make Her Smile The Best Pillows for Every Type of Sleeper
Mail & Guardian
17-07-2025
- General
- Mail & Guardian
How a geographic environment shapes a child's learning
Geography dictates not only resources but also exposure. (Delwyn Verasamy/M&G) Does a child's future depend on where they are born? In South Africa, the answer is 'yes.' We speak of education as the 'great equaliser', yet the truth is that a child's environment, whether they live in a village or a city, a suburb or an informal settlement, shapes how and what they learn before they even step into a classroom. In some communities, a child might arrive at a colourful preschool, where trained teachers guide them through puzzles, books and creative play, planting the seeds of critical thinking, numeracy and language development. They may play outdoors safely, observe insects, ask endless 'why' questions, and be met with patient, curious adults who guide exploration with stories and songs. In contrast, a child in a remote village may spend their day looking after younger siblings, fetching water or sitting in a classroom with no books, no toys and a single teacher managing four age groups at once. Their questions may go unanswered, their hunger may overshadow their curiosity, and their opportunities to learn through play may be scarce. Research shows that 90% of brain development happens before the age of five, yet the quality of stimulation children receive in these critical years depends largely on their environment. Access to clean water, safe spaces to play, nutritious food and parents or caregivers who have time to talk to them and tell stories are not just 'nice to haves'. They are the building blocks of literacy, problem-solving skills, emotional well-being and the foundations of lifelong learning. Geography dictates not only resources but also exposure. A child growing up in a community where adults read, where libraries are within walking distance and where children can safely explore nature, enter grade 1 with an advantage that cannot be captured by standardised tests alone. They arrive at school with a broader vocabulary, an ability to concentrate and a curiosity that drives them to learn. Conversely, for many children in under-resourced areas, the world remains small, their vocabulary limited and their curiosity dampened by the daily issue of survival. It is easy to blame schools when children cannot read for meaning by the age of 10, but we forget that learning starts long before that. Children learn by observing, listening, touching and interacting with the world around them. If a child's environment is one of deprivation, where caregivers are too burdened to talk or play with children, or where there are no safe spaces to explore, the learning gap starts early and deepens over time. In South Africa, only a fraction of children under the age of five attend early childhood development (ECD) programmes that meet the standards necessary for optimal development, with rural and informal settlements lagging furthest behind. Nutrition and health are deeply tied to geography. A child who is malnourished struggles to concentrate and is more susceptible to illness, leading to absenteeism from early learning opportunities. Access to healthcare services, including maternal health and immunisations, varies across geographic regions, further entrenching inequality. In areas where violence is common, children may experience toxic stress, which has been shown to disrupt brain architecture, leading to long-term difficulties in learning, emotional regulation and social skills. Safe, nurturing environments are essential to allow children to learn without fear, and geography often determines the level of safety a child experiences daily. Geography shapes not only physical environments but also cultural practices and community structures. In some rural communities, extended families and communal caregiving can provide rich opportunities for social learning and storytelling, while in others, poverty may force children into adult responsibilities, limiting time for play and learning. Urban environments, while often providing greater access to resources, can also be isolating for children, with limited safe outdoor spaces and parents working long hours, leaving children in the care of overstretched caregivers. The balance between resource availability and community support structures varies, and understanding these nuances is crucial in designing interventions that support early learning across different environments. Technology, community-based programmes and innovative mobile learning solutions are bridging some of these gaps. For example, mobile libraries, solar-powered digital learning stations and radio-based storytelling programmes have been used to bring early learning resources to under-resourced areas. Apps designed for early literacy and numeracy can provide children with access to engaging learning materials even in areas where schools are under-resourced. But these innovations cannot replace the need for safe, nurturing physical environments and the human interaction essential for young children's development. Technology should be seen as a tool to supplement, not replace, the need for community-based ECD centres, well-trained teachers and caregiver support. Despite progress, technology and innovation are not enough without the political will to prioritise early childhood development for every child, everywhere. Investment in ECD is not only a social imperative; it is an economic one. Studies show that for every rand invested in early childhood development, there is a significant return in terms of future productivity, reduced social welfare costs and improved societal outcomes. Imagine if every village had a safe, stimulating ECD centre. Imagine if parents in informal settlements had the support and tools to turn homes into learning spaces. Imagine if community health workers were equipped to support parents with practical strategies for early stimulation, nutrition and responsive caregiving. Imagine if geography did not decide a child's destiny. Addressing the geographic inequities that leave some children hungry, others neglected and many stuck in cycles of poverty without access to quality early learning requires a multi-faceted approach. This includes expanding access to quality ECD programmes, improving infrastructure in under-resourced areas, supporting parents and caregivers with practical tools for early learning, and integrating nutrition and health services into early childhood programmes. Theresa Michael is the chief executive of Afrika Tikkun Bambanani and leads a team that has implemented an early learning programme at more than 700 ECD centres in rural and under-resourced communities in South Africa.
Malay Mail
14-07-2025
- Health
- Malay Mail
Tanoto Foundation Presents Community-Led Early Childhood Parenting Models from Indonesia and China at ARNEC Regional Conference 2025
MANILA, PHILIPPINES14 July 2025 - At the recent Asia-Pacific Regional Network for Early Childhood (ARNEC) Regional Conference 2025, Tanoto Foundation, an independent philanthropic organization that catalyzes systems change in education and healthcare, presented its successful community-driven early childhood parenting models from Indonesia and China. The two initiatives,, showcased proven methods for boosting child development in rural and underserved initiatives address the critical 0–3 age window, a golden period in a child's life marked by rapid brain development that reaches up to 80 percent of an adult's brain size. A study by the Center on the Developing Child at Harvard University highlights that brain cell development during early childhood can reach up to 90 percent, laying the foundation for cognitive, language, motor, sensory, and emotional period is especially challenging in many parts of Asia. A 2023 study by the Australian Council for Educational Research (ACER) revealed that 57 percent of children aged 0–3 in parts of Indonesia are at risk of not reaching their full developmental potential. The study also found that 26 percent of children live in low-quality caregiving environments. In China, a similar concern is the high rate of developmental delays among children aged 0–3 in rural areas, where more than 80 percent fail to meet at least one developmental indicator, according to a 2019 article in the Journal of Comparative Foundation's Rumah Anak SIGAP program in Indonesia has demonstrated significant positive results. An impact evaluation showed that children in rural areas with initial developmental delays who received stimulation through the program recorded an average developmental score increase of 1.06 points, compared to a 0.53-point increase for urban children. By 2024, the program had reached over 3,000 children and parents through 29 service centers across five provinces: Banten, Central Java, East Kalimantan, Jakarta, and program's success lies in empowering community cadres as agents of change, fostering the local ownership essential for sustainability. Ancilla Irwan, Education Development Lead, explained that this deep community and government collaboration transforms the program into "a vital part of an integrated caregiving ecosystem." The strength of this model was underscored when the Mayor of Semarang, Agustina Wilujeng Pramestuti, presented her city's initiative—which integrates a Rumah Anak SIGAP center with a stunting prevention center—at the same ARNEC conference."Out of 64 parents interviewed, 59 reported positive changes, such as improved breastfeeding practices, more nutritious feeding, and deeper engagement with their children. The most significant change happens at home, when parents begin to interact with their children consistently and attentively," said Radi Negara, Impact Evaluation Lead at Tanoto this success, the HOPE program in China has effectively scaled its community-driven model to address developmental gaps. The program has successfully trained 330 facilitators and established 138 centers across five provinces: Beijing, Guizhou, Jiangsu, Jiangxi, and Shandong serving over 16,000 children aged 0–3 and their families in rural Wei, Country Head of Tanoto Foundation China, explains that "Investing in Early Childhood Development (ECD) promotes social equity, breaks intergenerational poverty, and strengthens the human capital essential for China's long-term sustainable development."As a Core Team member of ARNEC, Tanoto Foundation is committed to the network's goal of advancing ECD by fostering strong partnerships, sharing knowledge, and advocating for children's rights. This collaborative spirit was captured in the conference's closing session by Eddy Henry, Head of Policy and Advocacy at Tanoto Foundation:"This conference exemplifies how collaboration can drive knowledge mobilization, amplify voices, and advance the ECD agenda across the Asia-Pacific region. I hope every organization participating will now bring home and implement these best practices locally, helping influence policy changes to ensure every child has access to inclusive, equitable, and high-quality early childhood development."Hashtag: #TanotoFoundation The issuer is solely responsible for the content of this announcement. About Tanoto Foundation At Tanoto Foundation, we unlock human potential, help communities thrive, and create lasting impact. Founded in 1981 by Sukanto Tanoto and Tinah Bingei Tanoto, we are an independent family foundation that believes in providing every person with the opportunity to realize his or her full potential. To do so, we catalyze systems change in education and healthcare. Our approach is impact-first, collaborative, and evidence-based. We invest for the long term and strive to develop leaders who can drive sustained, positive outcomes. More information is available at
