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Keeping it Real: Para Los Niños Partners with the Real Medicine Foundation
 When a child is exposed to domestic violence, substance abuse or child abuse, teachers and childcare workers are on the front lines. If these caring adults are well-trained in recognizing the signs of trauma, they can ensure that children receive the assistance they need. If no one realizes a child needs help overcoming trauma, the child is at high risk of developing serious psychological and medical problems as an adult.
Para Los Niños continually looks for creative ways to advance our mission to help children succeed. To enable our staff to better identify signs of trauma, Para Los Niños began collaborating with the Real Medicine Foundation in 2006.
The Real Medicine Foundation is a humanitarian organization that provides holistic support to people living in poverty-stricken areas, as well as areas that have endured war or a disaster. They believe that “real” medicine treats the whole person: physically, emotionally, economically and socially. The Real Medicine Foundation assessed our programs, teachers, curriculum and our clients in order to design a relevant, sustainable training program for staff. The first trainings were held for staff in our Child Development Centers and Para Los Niños Charter School, who care for our youngest, most vulnerable children. Over two days, staff members worked with trainers from the Real Medicine Foundation Psycho-trauma team to learn key principals and techniques.
These trainings will better equip Para Los Niños’ teachers and caregivers to recognize, identify and assess the impacts of traumatic childhood events on our children. As a result, they will be able to arrange timely and effective prevention and intervention for children. Due to our partnership with the Real Medicine Foundation, children will grow up healthier and safer at home and school, without the risk of long-term negative consequences.
More Than Just Playing House
 Did you know that playing house is a valuable learning experience for preschool children? Each of Para Los Niños’ preschool classrooms is equipped with a house corner stocked with all of the props a child might use for a fun session of pretend play. Items include dress-up clothes, dolls, cribs, plastic food, and play kitchen items such as a sink, refrigerator, small pots, pans, and dishes. Para Los Niños teachers encourage children to talk about the scenario they are imagining so that children expand their thinking and play. The ability to pretend is very important to a child’s academic success in school later in life. Why? Pretend play with peers engages children in the same kind of representational thinking needed in early literacy activities. Children develop complex narratives in their pretend play. They begin to link objects, actions, and language together in combinations and narrative sequences. They generate language suited to different perspectives and roles.
So, if you want a great learning experience for a child, the professionals say let the play begin!
Click here to learn more about our Child Development Program.
Music Soothes Teen Souls
 Youth Center students are giving some old - and new - fashioned rock and roll to Para Los Niños! Thanks in part to a grant received by the Pasadena Showcase House in 2004, students have learned the backbone of music – its rhythm – through individual and group lessons. Instruction featured an introduction to percussion, bass, and guitar and a drum circle. The NBC Universal Foundation recently donated an upright piano to the Youth Center. Once used at the NBC Studios on productions, rehearsal halls and set dressing, the piano is now a welcome addition to the music program. Inspired by the instruction they received at the Youth Center, students decided to form a rock band last year. To quote the catchy INXS tune, the Youth Center band, Blitzkrieg, is, quite simply, “a new sensation.” Comprised of boys and girls, the band features a lead singer, drummers, and guitarists. Using the Youth Center computer lab, resourceful band members have downloaded sheet music for classic and modern rock; one of their favorite bands is Nirvana. The band has performed at student events and several Para Los Niños celebrations.
Click here to learn more about the Youth Center and other After-school Programs.
Not Just Child’s Play
 Did you know that one of the best ways for children to learn is through play? Playing with wooden blocks, for example, is not only fun, but also one of the most valuable learning tools in our Child Development Center classrooms. Building with blocks helps children learn about sizes and shapes, spatial relationships, math concepts, and problem solving. Children learn about weight and size when they lift, shove, stack, and move blocks. Additionally, when playing with blocks, children make decisions about how to build a structure or solve a construction problem. So, if you want a great learning experience for a child, the professionals say let the games begin!
Click here to learn more about our Child Development Program.
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