Child Focus’ Post

Your teen’s first job or internship can be a significant and pivotal moment for not only their career; but for their personal development as well. In the Spring issue of Raising Arizona Kids Magazine - RAISING ARIZONA KIDS, I offer parents helpful tips on navigating the workforce landscape and important factors to consider before submitting that first application. https://bit.ly/3VeejEC (page 48)

🌟Our community’s future depends on the strength and potential of its youngest members. Giving back to the kids in our community is one of the most impactful ways we can create a brighter tomorrow for everyone. 🌟 There are many ways to make a meaningful difference: 🔶 Mentorship Programs: Share your expertise and experiences by mentoring young individuals. Your guidance can shape their careers and personal growth. 🔶 Volunteer at Schools: Offer your time to support school programs, whether through career days, after-school activities, or guest speaking engagements. 🔶 Support Local Sports Teams: Sponsor a youth sports team or volunteer as a coach. Sports teach kids valuable life skills like teamwork, perseverance, and leadership. 🔶 Provide Internships and Job Shadowing: Create opportunities for high school students to gain real-world experience in your industry. This exposure can ignite their passion and guide their career paths. 🔶 Fund Scholarships: Contribute to or establish scholarship programs that help young people achieve their educational goals without the burden of financial stress. 🔶 Organize Community Events: Host or sponsor events that bring families together, such as educational workshops, health fairs, or community clean-ups. 🔶 Donate Resources: Support local schools and youth centers with donations of books, technology, or sports equipment. When we invest in the youth of our community, we pave the way for innovation, resilience, and a thriving future. Let’s take action today and make a difference that echoes for generations. What are your favorite ways to give back? 👇 Share your ideas and stories in the comments below! 👇 #TeamOCMentors #CommunityEngagement #GivingBack #YouthDevelopment #Mentorship

At summer camp, children learn lessons that extend far beyond the boundaries of a traditional classroom. As a summer camp director and founder of Happy Camper Live, I've seen how these experiences shape young minds. Summer camp is a canvas where children paint their personalities, foster friendships, and learn the art of teamwork and creativity. Unlike the structured environment of a classroom, summer camp offers an open playground for imagination and collaboration. One of the most valuable lessons children learn at camp is the importance of working together. Group activities like building a campfire, participating in team sports, or even creating a camp skit, teach kids how to communicate, share responsibilities, and respect each other's ideas. These activities are not just fun; they are essential in developing social skills and building a sense of community. Moreover, summer camp ignites a spark of creativity and fosters innovative thinkers who are not afraid to take risks and try new things. As these young minds return to school, they bring with them a treasure trove of experiences. The teamwork and creativity nurtured at camp become invaluable tools in the classroom, enhancing group projects, inspiring creative thinking in assignments, and building a more collaborative and inclusive learning environment. What lesson from summer camp do you think is most beneficial for students to bring back to their classrooms? Share your thoughts and experiences in the comments below! #SummerCamp #Teamwork #Creativity #Collaboration #Innovation #SocialSkills #LearningEnvironment

🔴 LIVE TODAY: Why Only Hosting Summer School Won't Prevent the Summer Slide Join us here on LinkedIn or on Instagram to talk about summer school programs and what you should consider when hosting summer school on your campus! We'll explore: • Enrichment activities that boost learning • Community partnerships for enhanced programs • Creating positive environments for consistent attendance • Integrating summer learning with the school year Date: Thursday, June 20th, 2024 Time: 6:30 CST Don't miss this opportunity to learn effective strategies for preventing summer learning loss! #SummerLearning #Edchat #Education #Edreform #LiteracyMatters #Learning #Schools #ElementaryPrincipals

When "Take Your Kids to Work Day" turns into a summer-long adventure! ✏️ 🍎 I’ve been in Continuing Education for 25+ years, but this summer I took on my most rewarding project yet: building a summer program for my kids at their neighborhood school. Any working parent with school-aged kids knows how confusing, competitive and expensive it can be to find high-quality care during the summer months. Junior AcadeME was the answer to that: high-quality enrichment programs with age-appropriate subjects, easy registration, reasonable costs and flexibility for before and after care. Right at their own school. Our philosophy is to “trick kids into learning,” and by that I mean building the program with all the rigor of an educational endeavor … but all the fun of the monkey bars. It came together so organically, too. At a school fundraiser, I got to chatting with the principal, who said she had the classroom space and interest from parents, but no one to actually build the program. Fast forward a couple weeks later, and we hit the ground running: developing the curriculum, standing up the website, taking registrations seamlessly and doing all the hiring of teachers and aides. I used to do this thing all the time for other people’s kids, so it was a real joy finally getting to do so for my own gang of three. (And fellow parents loved it too, calling it the easiest registration process they’ve experienced in a long time. After experiencing a number of crashed sites while trying to register my own kids for things, that was a real win.) This experience was rewarding on its own terms, but it also made me realize we could easily implement this program at other schools — anywhere. Summer, after school, days off, whatever. If you’re looking for a non-school-day enrichment program that’s ready to go, definitely reach out and let’s chat! #continuingeducation #youthprograms #summercamp

The summer has arrived! 🌞 It’s tempting to rush forward into days with a bit less routine and a lot more sunshine, but the end of the school year and the first few weeks of summer are an important time for kids. No matter how old your child is, making the start of summer productive and positive sets the stage for a successful transition back to school in the fall. Here are 6️⃣ tips you can follow to help your child make the most out of summer by starting the break off right: 🏫 Reflect on the 2023-2024 School Year 🎉 Celebrate Accomplishments and Progress 📊 Find Out Where Your Child Stands ✏️ Set Goals for the Year 📅 Create a Summer Learning Plan 📚 Get Your Kids On-Board with the Plan To learn more about these 6 tips, click here to read our blog: https://bit.ly/2THfvm3 #summer #summerlearning #parenttips #huntingtonhelps

𝗖𝗼𝗹𝗹𝗲𝗴𝗲 𝗶𝘀𝗻'𝘁 𝗷𝘂𝘀𝘁 𝗮𝗯𝗼𝘂𝘁 𝗹𝗲𝗰𝘁𝘂𝗿𝗲𝘀 – 𝗶𝘁'𝘀 𝗮𝗯𝗼𝘂𝘁 𝗱𝗲𝘃𝗲𝗹𝗼𝗽𝗶𝗻𝗴 𝗰𝗿𝗶𝘁𝗶𝗰𝗮𝗹 𝘀𝗸𝗶𝗹𝗹𝘀 𝗮𝗻𝗱 𝗺𝗮𝗸𝗶𝗻𝗴 𝗮 𝗱𝗶𝗳𝗳𝗲𝗿𝗲𝗻𝗰𝗲. You see, college life can be a wild ride! Between lectures, late-night study sessions (fueled by questionable pizza choices?)... And, with new experiences galore, it's easy to forget how much we're actually growing. Here's the thing, every class, every project, every late-night discussion with friends is shaping who you are. You're learning more than just facts – you're developing critical thinking skills, communication chops, and the resilience to tackle any challenge life throws your way. But here's the secret sauce, college growth isn't confined to the classroom... Stepping outside your comfort zone and giving back through community service can be eye-opening! Whether it's tutoring younger students, volunteering at a local shelter, or mentoring a community program... Helping others not only makes a difference, it teaches you valuable lessons about empathy, teamwork, and the power of making a positive impact. -------------- So, College Crew, let's celebrate our growth journey! Share a lesson you've learned in college so far that's stuck with you, and tell us how giving back has impacted your experience in the comments below, Let's build a community of college students who are constantly learning AND making a difference! #EducationJourney #CommunityImpact #MBBF

Preparing young people for adulthood is all about providing them with the right blend of experiences; both in and outside of school. Building literacy, numeracy, and content knowledge will give students a foundation for success; but we need to pair that with real-world experiences where they can apply that knowledge in real time. When we think about “real-world” experiences; we often think of internships, “on the job” skills, or daily tasks and other things we’d categorize as “adulting”. However, outdoor excursions offer kids and young adults the opportunities to explore and experience things beyond the day-to-day. It’s one thing to learn about water health and environmental studies in a classroom; but when you get the chance to do a multi-week excursion along the Hudson river and drink from a natural water source, you amplify your learning to a new level. That’s why I invited Greg Morrissey to the De Facto Leaders podcast for episode 163. If you enjoy hiking, skiing, and other outdoor activities you’ll want to listen. Trust me, you’ll thank me later :) Greg Morrissey is an educator, explorer, and founder of Mountain Goat Movement -- an organization that provides transformative adventures for students while connecting them to leading explorers, educators, and storytellers. Think: education through adventure. Projects can be as short as one day or as extensive as a multi-week expedition, everywhere from the Adirondacks to Antarctica. In this conversation, we discuss: ✅Bringing traditional curriculum and content areas to authentic outdoor experiences. ✅How to use excursions to help kids work as a team and form connections with peers. ✅The concept of “tiered” expeditions: Offering different activities to support different levels of experience with the outdoors ✅What habits and skills can you practice in daily life to prepare for a multi-day or multi-week adventure ✅A behind-the-scenes look at what it takes to prepare for quality outdoor education; including what Greg is doing to raise funds for scholarships to increase equity. You can listen to the entire episode here: https://lnkd.in/gTtPv_67

Bridging the Summer Gap: Why Continued Learning is Crucial — PRBuzz.co — Summer #Learning #Vital #Reading #Activities Bonding MILPITAS, Calif., May #30 #2024 Raising a #Reader a #national #leader in #early literacy and #family #engagement emphasizes the critical importance of continuous learning over the #summer months. "The summer #months #offer an #opportunity to reinforce and #build upon the learning that occurs during the #school year," #said #Michelle Sioson Hyman, #Senior #Vice #President #Program and Partnerships at Raising a Reader. "However, #without resources and learning activities, children can experience significant setbacks in their educational progress, commonly referred to as the 'summer slide.'" "The summer is a chance to strengthen school-year learning," Michelle Sioson Hyman, Senior VP at Raising a Reader, highlights. "Without resources, kids face the 'summer slide,' hindering educational progress." The Importance of Summer Learning Research indicates that students can lose up to two months of reading and math skills if they are not actively learning over the summer. This loss is more pronounced among students from families navigating strategic barriers, who may have less access to educational resources during the break. Key Strategies for Effective Summer Learning " We know that by providing families resources to incorporate fun ways of learning at home throughout the summer, we can help students return to school ready to learn and succeed," added Sioson Hyman. "Our Super Summer Learning Adventures Program is designed to make learning a fun and integral part of the summer for every child and their family."

Summer camp is not only fun but it helps develop important skills in children of all ages. Read our latest blog from Kristin Heimall, who shares the importance of summer experiences for children: https://bit.ly/3vZNHNh