Are you one of the 15,000 people each month who listen to the Mom Enough podcasts? Don’t miss out! Attached is a flyer about the upcoming Mom Enough podcasts with Dr. Marti Erickson and Erin Erickson. Each half-hour podcast is recorded and can be accessed from the state of Minnesota parent website (www.MNParentsKnow.info) and from Minnesota on iTunes University. Please share this information with parents participating in your programs, staff and community partners.

Stay-in-touch with this and other valuable and trusted parenting information on Facebook! Find Parents Know on Facebook (www.facebook.com/parentsknow) and Twitter (@parentsknow). Simply “like” the Parents Know page on Facebook to get all the newsfeeds/posts about parent and family resources and early childhood information. Please help us promote the Parents Know Facebook page to your staff, program participants and community partners. Thank you for your help!

Contact Debbykay Peterson (debbykay.peterson@state.mn.us) with questions about the podcasts or our social media strategies.

Download the brochure here:  Upcoming Podcasts

Join an online conversation with Ellen Galinsky on Thursday, April 28, 2011 from 12:00-1:00 p.m.

In Mind in the Making: The Seven Essential Life Skills Every Child Needs leading child development expert and author, Ellen Galinsky identifies seven life skills that will help children reach their full potential in school, the workforce – and in life. The seven essential skills are: (1) Focus and Self Control, (2) Perspective Taking, (3) Communicating, (4) Making Connections, (5) Critical Thinking, (6) Taking on Challenges, and (7) Self-Directed Engaged Learning.

For almost a decade, Galinsky has worked with top researchers from across the country, filming their experiments and studying their results to determine how we learn best. Ellen will talk about her latest book, Mind in the Making: The Seven Essential Life Skills Every Child Needs and show video clips from recent experiments conducted with young children.

Participants will see videos of researchers “in action” sharing studies on the same topic, and they will be able to apply what they have learned to their own lives. They will also be able to ask Ellen questions that help them think about their own learning in relation to the seven essential skills. Please share the attached flyer with parents, staff and community partners about this unique opportunity.

Please join Ellen for this FREE, inclusive, game-changing and collaborative discussion!

Pre-registration is required. This webinar will not be available in a recorded version. Register today at http://www.workingfamilyresourcecenter.org/wfrc/en/p2plive2.asp.

We encourage you to submit your questions ahead of time at parentchat@wfrc.us. Questions will also be welcome during the discussion forum.

Brought to you through a partnership between the Minnesota Department of Education and Working Family Resource Center. Contact Debbykay Peterson (debbykay.peterson@state.mn.us) if you have questions.

There is still time! It is not too late to register for the FREE April Early Learning Counts Webinar about Parenting Your Child with Special Needs. These monthly Webinars are another outstanding way to provide up-to-date, research-based information to parents participating in your programs. Please share the information below or the attached flyer about the April Webinar with your staff, parents and your community partners.

April 13, 2011

12:00 – 1:00 p.m.

Parenting Your Child with Special Needs

Parenting a child with special needs multiplies the challenges a parent faces. It requires more of everything: more money, more doctor visits, more stress, more energy and time, more frustration, and often more discouragement. Learn coping skills to help you manage the extra challenges required and gain a positive perspective on parenting your child.

To register for any of the Early Learning Counts Webinars listed please go to www.workingfamilyresourcecenter.org and click on the links on the right hand side of the page.

Can’t attend the live presentation? Access the recorded version at www.workingfamilyresourcecenter.org/wfrc/en/MDE05.asp. All sessions are recorded so that parents and others can access them at times convenient to their schedules. The past sessions have been receiving outstanding evaluations can be accessed online by topic:

• Parenting 101: How to Understand and Enjoy Your Child’s Development
• Social Emotional Development: The Magic of Encouragement
• Discipline Is Teaching: Guiding Children’s Behavior in Positive Ways
• Good Enough Moms and Dads: Separating Fact from Fiction about Parent-Child Attachment
• Countdown to Literacy
• Healthy Kids, Healthy Families

Early childhood programs can also use these Webinars in their parenting education classes, special events, home visits and to share with their community partners. We would like to hear how you are incorporating this information in your programs. For additional information or to share your suggestions, contact Debbykay Peterson (debbykay.peterson@state.mn.us).

What are the most common injuries to children in the winter? In this week’s Good Enough Moms™ podcast, the Injury Prevention Manager at Children’s Hospitals and Clinics of Minnesota shares ways to keep our children safe this season!

Safe Kids, Happy Kids: What Parents Need to Know about Protecting Children from Winter Injuries

You remember your children’s helmets when they get on their bikes, but are you putting helmets on your children before they go sledding? Kristi Moline, Injury Prevention Manager at Children’s Hospitals and Clinics of Minnesota, joins Marti and Erin for a timely discussion of the most important things you can do to reduce your child’s risk of injury during these winter months!

Find this, other Good Enough Moms™ podcasts and more on www.MNParentsKnow.info. Listen on the website or download to your computer, iPod or other mobile device and listen wherever you want. Share this valuable resource with your staff, parents and community partners. GEMs podcasts can be used in ECFE parenting education classes or on home visits to supplement your curriculum. They provide high quality, evidence-based child development and parenting information featuring state and national experts. Thank you for sharing this information with staff and parents in your programs!

The NEW January/February 2011 issue of the Early Learning Digest is available.  Click here to download.

In this issue:

• Helping Children Become Responsible
• Many Anxieties are Normal
• To Work or Not To Work
• Test Your Knowledge About Teaching Responsibility