July 2008

This issue's newsletter sponsor:
Gary Eason, Agent

http://garyeason.net/

In this issue:

Museum News

• Habitot WINS Parent's Picks Contest!
• Habitot Supports Teen Wellness Program
• Alameda County Sponsors 2008 Art Show
• Parent-to-Parent Program Enjoys 1st Year Success

Announcements  

• Behavioral and Brain Imaging Study
• Volunteer Translators Needed
• Job, Internship, and Volunteer Opportunities

Habitot Voted Best Museum for Little Kids
We're Nickelodeon's Parent's Picks Winner
Thanks to zillions of Bay Area fans, Habitot was selected as the BEST MUSEUM for Little Kids in the San Francisco Bay Area in Nickelodeon's ParentsConnect's First Annual Parents' Picks Contest. ParentsConnect, the online resource for parenting advice and community, nominated family-oriented places and resources in 52 major U.S. cities and users - real parents - were invited to vote for nominees online from May 19 to June 30, 2008. The winning venues' information will remain featured on the site for a year. Thank you to all who helped us win!

Habitot Pays It Forward to Teen Wellness Program
Habitot retired the two-year old couches in our Reading Tent last month to make more room for Singing Circles (Thursdays) and Storytelling (Fridays). The couches, originally funded by a grant from Albertsons and still in good shape, are being donated to a school site Wellness Center where mental health providers on campus provide support, health education, counseling and other services to at-risk middle schoolers and teens. Mairin McCarthy, a social worker with San Francisco Unified School District's health programs department, was the first to respond to our Craig's list ad offering our couches to a non-profit organization working with children. We are happy to see the couches go to a good home!

Alameda County Art Commission Sponsors Habitot's Preschool Art Show
2008 Show Planned for Fall
Habitot's 10th annual Preschool Art Show celebrating the genius and uninhibited creativity of preschool artists will be sponsored this year by the Alameda County Art Commission with a grant of $1,500. Works created in our Art Studio and in our Art Reach school and community programs for low-income children will be collected over the next ten to twelve weeks. Collected works will be returned and there is no cost to participate. Please speak with Art Studio Coordinator, Sarah Wininger, who will be curating the works and selecting the community venues, about including your child's work in this year's Show. habitotartstudio@gmail.com or 510-647-1111 x 33.

Parent-to-Parent Program Enjoys 1st Year Success
Hundreds Benefit from Habitot's Free, Drop-in Programs
More than three hundred parents and almost as many children participated in free, drop-in parenting education and support programs this past year. Funded by a two-year grant from Alameda County's First 5, Habitot held twelve exclusive, after-hours "TeenTimes" for 80 teen parents, four "Special Times for Special Families" for 94 parents and children, and twelve "Caregiver Cafe's" for 31 caregivers.

In addition, Habitot facilitated 53 weekly parent support groups, open to anyone and also free, for multiracial families, single parents, dads, LGBTQ parents, stay-at-home moms and foster and adoptive families. Parenting experts were invited to present at thirteen of the sessions. Almost 170 parents and 75 children participated in the support groups this past year.

All numbers represent unduplicated participants reported to Alameda County for our first year report. Feedback from the parent education program has been universally positive, and we anticipate expanding the schedule to include some weekend and evening sessions in the coming year, to better accommodate the needs of working families.

Upcoming programs are announced monthly in our "Tot-Mail" e-newsletter. To learn more, please contact Parenting Education Manager, Susana Telles at parented@habitot.org or 510-647-1111 x 16.

Announcements

Participants Sought for UC-Berkeley Behavioral and Brain Imaging Study
Want to know how your child’s brain works?
Researchers at UC Berkeley who study the development of skills like reasoning and attention over childhood need participants for research study. Studies involve both behavioral studies and brain imaging to see how the brain matures structurally. Researchers are looking at what areas of the brain work together when subjects apply their abstract reasoning abilities to new situations.

Kids and teens that are ages 6 and up can participate. Families will be financially compensated for their time. Participation in our study consists of coming into our lab on the UC Berkeley campus on three occasions over five years for two sessions that each last about two hours.
For more information on the behavioral and brain imaging studies, please call 510.642.5554, email brainlab@berkeley.edu or visit their website. website

Volunteer Translators Needed
Habitot's "Learning Together" cards need to be translated into languages that reflect our diverse communities. Please contact Susana Telles, Parent Education Programs Manager if you or someone you know would like to donate translation services in Mandarin, Tagalog, Farsi, or Hindi. All in-kind donations are tax deductible and a great help to Habitot! Thank you!

Job Opportunities:
View Habitot's new job openings

Internship Opportunities:
View Habitot's new internship positions

Volunteer Opportunities:
View Habitot's new volunteer opportunities

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