“Beyond One” Discussion Group : An evening of conversation with mothers of three or more children

Ever feel overwhelmed with juggling the priorities and needs of more than one child? Wonder how moms of three or more manage to keep their homes and lives running smoothly? Considering adding to your family and wondering if you can handle a second, third, or fourth child? Looking for some strategies, tips, and tricks to make it work?

“Beyond One” is an evening of conversation with mothers of three or more children. Join them at Starkweather Elementary School at 7 p.m. on Tuesday, March 19 to talk about how they manage to hold it together. One mother has two sets of twins, another works full-time, another is a veteran mom of four with a husband who works a lot, and another has a big age span with her children so she’s juggling bottles and backpacks.

The moms will share what works for them – from home organization systems to the ways they find pockets of one-on-one time with each child. They’ll also talk about their failed attempts to gain control and find some order in the chaos of family life.

This session is a presentation of the West Chester Area School District Preschool Parents Group but is appropriate for parents of all ages and is open to anyone in the region. 

RSVP at: http://home.wcasd.net/pages/West_Chester_Area_SD/ForParents/Preschool_Parents__Club or email beth.trapani@verizon.net

Author Meet & Greet: Einstein Never Used Flashcards: How Our Children Really Learn– And Why They Need to Play More and Memorize Less

Dr. Kathy Hirsch-Pasek, author of the book Einstein Never Used Flashcards: How Our Children Really Learn– And Why They Need to Play More and Memorize Less, is coming to Peirce Middle School at 6:30 p.m. on Wednesday, Jan. 23. Fulton Bank is sponsoring her presentation which is free and open to the public. Her appearance is a West Chester Area School District’s Preschool Parents Club event. The presentation will include an expanded question and answer session.

Dr. Hirsch-Pasek is a Temple University researcher who is nationally recognized for her work in the field of early childhood development. She is a distinguished professor in the Department of Psychology at Temple University where she serves as Director of the Infant Language Laboratory. She is the recipient of several prestigious national lifetime achievement awards. Kathy received her bachelor’s degree from the University of Pittsburgh and her Ph.D. at University of Pennsylvania. Her research in the areas of early language development and infant cognition has been funded by the National Science Foundation and the National Institutes of Health and Human Development resulting in 11 books and more than 100 publications. Pasek is an advisor for Sesame Workshop, Fisher Price Toys, Highlights, K’NEX, The Cartoon Network, and a host of Children’s Museums across North America. She is also the co-founder of An Ethical Start, a curricular program in moral development for children ages 3 through 5. This program, created for the Jewish Community Centers of North America was funded by Stephen Spielberg’s Righteous Persons Foundation.

West Chester Schools Host Preschool Literacy Fun Night

Most children learn to read and write in kindergarten or first grade, but the foundation for those literacy skills is laid years before children enter school. Literacy skills actually begin at birth, as children interact and have experiences with language and literacy with the adults and even other children around them.

The West Chester Area School District’s Preschool Parents Group is hosting a Preschool Literacy Fun Night on Thursday, Nov. 8 from 5:30 to 7:30 p.m. at Westtown-Thornbury Elementary School. The event is free and open to the public. It’s designed to be an interactive learning experience for both preschoolers and parents. RSVP at http://home.wcasd.net/pages/West_Chester_Area_SD/ForParents/Preschool_Parents__Club or email beth.trapani@verizon.net.

The event is designed and produced by West Chester University literacy students and faculty. The students have planned numerous engaging, hands-on activities centered around an autumn theme, all designed to promote early literacy development. Preschoolers will have a chance to participate in read-aloud puppet and costume shows, and to use candy corn to form letters as they work on their fine motor skills. Preschoolers will focus on listening skills as they work with university students using iPads, and they’ll get a chance to tell stories of their own.

The event benefits everyone involved: Children will have fun and a great learning experience; Parents will get some ideas for activities to use at home; University students will get a chance to work directly with preschoolers.

This project intersects with the E.L.I.A.N. (Early Literacy is a Necessity) project that the WCU literacy minors initiated. E.L.I.A.N. provides high-quality early literacy experiences and materials for English Language Learner and low-income students living in the West Chester borough. The students have the goal of providing high quality early literacy experiences to all students – the literacy fair/fun night allows them to expand that effort beyond the E.L.I.A.N.

The West Chester Area School District Preschool Parents Group is a free group that provides free programming for preschool paged children and their parents. The group offers a combination of fun, educational activities for kids and parent education sessions. All are designed to help parents better prepare their children for kindergarten – through enriching play and literacy-based activities.

To RSVP for the Literacy Fun Night or any of the group’s other events, visit http://home.wcasd.net/pages/West_Chester_Area_SD/ForParents/Preschool_Parents__Club or email beth.trapani@verizon.net. You can find the group’s page by visiting http://www.wcasd.net and clicking on Preschool Parents Group under Quick Links.

West Chester Area School District Preschool Parents Club

For parents of preschool-aged children in the West Chester Area School District, there is a newly formed Club just for YOU! The WCASD created the Preschool Parents Club to:

• Help parents learn more about ways to help their child learn and grow in preparation for elementary school
• Help parents learn more about the West Chester Area School District (WCASD)
• Provide social and educational opportunities for preschool aged children and their parents

The best part? It’s free! There is a full calendar of events, with many upcoming activities and workshops. Not only is this a great way to learn about the WCASD and prepare you (and your kids) for elementary school, but it gives moms and dads an opportunity to meet more WCASD parents!

You can find out more at The Preschool Parents Club Homepage.