Newsletter for January 2010

[GSC Web Admin]

The Great Start Collaborative (GSC) of Ionia County is pleased to provide community members with information on early childhood topics that they can disseminate to parents of young children in their organization. The articles will feature a different topic each month that is written by someone who works in the county with young children. The article will appear in three different formats: a long article with in-depth information, a short paragraph with the major points highlighted and one to two sentences with a key message for parents to remember. You may select whatever format best suits your needs and use it in isolation or put it into a newsletter, church bulletin or use a paycheck insert. Parent members of the GSC have told us that having information and knowing what resources are available to them in their community is their greatest need. There has been a significant amount of research lately that has focused on the impact that communities have on the outcomes of its youngest citizens. According to the Carnegie Corporation (1994), “We can now say with more confidence that a family's effectiveness as a childrearing system is bolstered by the existence of a supportive social network that includes people outside the immediate family. There is also increasing evidence that when people feel responsible for what happens in their neighborhoods, children benefit.” We hope that you will take the step and partner with us by providing parents in your networks accesses to this information.


Topic: Happy 1st Birthday! It’s Time to Visit the Dentist!

Paycheck insert: Remember to give your children WATER to drink between meals. Constant sipping of juice, milk, pop, and other sweet drink causes tooth decay. read more... (http://www.greatstartioniacounty.org/forums/attachment.php?attachmentid=189&stc=1&d=1262196708)

Newsletter short version: If your child us under the age of one year, use a toothpaste recommended by the American Dental Association without fluoride. Children over the age of one year may use toothpaste with fluoride. read more... (http://www.greatstartioniacounty.org/forums/attachment.php?attachmentid=190&stc=1&d=1262196708)

Newsletter full version: Dental decay is the most common chronic childhood disease in America. Early childhood caries is an infectious process, and if untreated can lead to extensive and expensive dental treatment for a young child. For this reason, it is imperative that a child visits the dentist by their first birthday. read more... (http://www.greatstartioniacounty.org/forums/attachment.php?attachmentid=191&stc=1&d=1262196708)

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