October 2019 Young Children Newsletter

Good Morning Fellow Kiwanians!

I am the New England District Chair for YOUNG CHILDREN. This program focuses on the needs of young children with an emphasis on infants and youngsters ages 0 to 8)

I have been your District Chair for 8 years, and I am passionate about educating new parents to promote optimal health and brain development in their babies along with preventing trauma in their lives.

This month I am focusing on materials available from:
KIWANIS PEDIATRIC TRAUMA INSTITUTE (KPTI) at Tufts Medical Center in Boston. Materials for Young Children projects will be provided from KPTI at no charge to your club. More information and an order form can be found at: www.kpti.org
Materials available for service projects:

1. EARLY CHILDHOOD INJURY PREVENTION KITS include Bath Safety Duck to test water temperature, Car seat information sticker, Car seat and seat belt information card, Shaken baby information card, “Keeping the Promise” window safety brochure, Burn prevention brochure, Home safety checklist booklet, Electric outlet covers(24 pk).

These materials are delivered to the Kiwanis Club and need to be put together in a plastic bag which is also provided with the materials. Then the Kits need to be delivered. Possible distribution to: Day Care Centers, Day Care Homes, Mother’s Groups, Hospitals with Birthing Centers, Health Clinics, Pediatricians’ offices, any facility that provides prenatal classes or care for expectant mothers.

EACH CLUB IS ALLOWED 200 KITS ANNUALLY FOR DISTRIBUTION.

2. BIKE HELMET EMERGENCY CONTACT STICKER (put inside helmet)
Possible distribution: public schools, bike shops, stores (WalMart, Target), police and/or fire departments.

3. CHILD SAFETY SEAT STICKERS which provide emergency contact information & Dr. contact. Possible distribution: Fire and/or Police Dept. when they conduct proper installation of car seats, at a pre-school, hospitals, clinics, ambulance companies, doctors’ offices.

4. BIKE RODEO MANUAL & I’M SAFE ON MY BIKE IN NEW ENGLAND
Children and families learn about bike safety; COMPLETE RODEO MANUAL provides all information needed to organize and set up a rodeo.

HELMETS are available at reduced cost. Also provided: bike safety information handouts, helmet reflectors, identification stickers and much more. Kiwanis Clubs can partner with the Police/Fire Department and hold a Bike Rodeo Day. more info at: www.kpti.org

5. ELECTRICAL OUTLET COVERS are available in a 24 pack. Possible distribution: Parent Education Classes, Clinics, Pediatrician’s Offices

6. MORE SAFETY BROCHURES FROM KPTI (available in English, Spanish, Chinese)

• Window Safety Brochure
• Summer Safety Brochure
• Pedestrian Safety Brochure
• Water Safety Brochure
• Holiday/Winter Safety Brochure
• Fire Safety Brochure
• After School Safety Brochure

FIRST AID/CPR CRART FOR PARENTS FROM THE AMERICAN ACADEMY OF PEDIATRICS. For Kiwanis clubs, to be distributed to pediatrician’s offices, parenting groups and also can be handed out at club events for the public.
Possible Distribution: Schools, Clinics, Doctor’s Offices, Police/Fire Department, Health Fair, Holiday Fair.

7. BIKE SAFETY
Bike Safety Packet which includes Inspection Checklist, State Bike Helmet Law & Five Common Accidents, Message to Parents, Teachers and Motorists and Easy Steps to Properly fit a Bike Helmet, and more!

Possible Distribution: Day Care Centers, Doctor’s Offices, Bike Shops, Police/Fire Departments, Schools

8. CONCUSSION INFORMATION FOR COACHES AND PARENTS
Heads Up Concussion in Youth Sports is a Center for Disease Control (CDC) program to bring awareness to the dangers of head trauma in young people, particularly those in youth sports.

Available are sheets for athletes, parents (teachers) and coaches with information about:

• What a concussion is
• What are the symptoms
• Prevention and preparedness
• What to do if you suspect a concussion
• Athlete and parent fact sheets are in English and Spanish.

This information can be distributed to High School and Middle School athletic coaches who then can distribute this valuable information to parents of student involved with contact sports.

9. BULLYING PREVENTION TIPS FOR KIDS AND TEENS(PAMPHLET)
Bully Free Zone(ACTIVITY BOOKLET)
Inspire bully-free attitudes and actions with the Bully-Free Zone Activity Book for kids ages 9-13.
Reviewed by experts, Bully-Free Zone was created by Child Safety Solutions and integrates fun with key bullying prevention messages, including:

• What bullying is.
• How to know if you are a bully and what you can do about it.
• Ways to stop a bully from bothering you.
• How to deal with cyberbullying.
• How to make your school a bully-free zone.

Featuring tweens talking to tweens, this colorful booklet gives kids the opportunity to collect “Big Bonus Points” and stay away from “Big Damage Points” as they work through bullying-prevention activities.

These booklets can be distributed to schools, after school programs, youth sports organizations, PTA, and parent groups.

Bullying can happen at any age. These materials can be distributed to school administrators who then can decide how and with what age group to used.

Many communities have Arts and Crafts Fairs in November and December. Consider having a table at a Holiday Fair. It can serve two purposes:
1. Distribution of safety brochures and
2. Provide information about your Kiwanis Club and attract potential new members to learn about your Club.

I’m sure many of you can come up with more creative ways in which to distribute these materials. I hope that your Club will take advantage of the materials available through KPTI and will start a new project this year. Prevention is the key to keeping our children healthy. Education is the key to healthy families and we, as Kiwanians, need to educate families in our communities.; saving lives one community at a time!

Please feel free to contact me if you have questions or comments and also let me know what Children and Youth Services projects your Kiwanis Clubs are doing!

And if your Club is currently using materials from KPTI consider making a donation to the Kiwanis Foundation of New England (KFNE) which supports KPTI.
A REMINDER FOR HALLOWEEN/TRICK OR TREAT FOR UNICEF:
If your Club sponsors a Key Club or a Builders Club encourage members to think about organizing a Trick or Treat for UNICEF Project for next year, or at least put it at the top of the list for projects for next fall. Kits can be ordered at 1-800-KIWANISX411.

There is information and resources available at: http://youth.unicefusa.org/trickortreat/ to help a club get started. And funds raised for Trick or Treat for UNICEF through Kiwanis can be designated to go to the ELIMINATE PROJECT! When Kiwanis youth members participate in Trick-or-Treat for UNICEF America’s kids help kids the world over. Let’s encourage all of our Kiwanis youth members to participate in Trick or Treat for UNICEF; I can’t think of a better way to empower, educate and inspire our youth.

And if your Service Leadership Programs are already collecting for Trick or Treat for UNICEF, then children around the world thank them and the Kiwanis Family thanks them for a job well done!

I am YOUR District Chair. Please feel free to contact me with question. Or if you would like me to visit your Club/Division with Project ideas, please contact me. And please share with me anyYoung Children projects you are doing this year.

Finally, I hope to see you at Fall Conference and other District happenings. I have a Young Children table in the exhibit hall with lots of educational materials and project ideas which I hope you will share with your Kiwanis Club. I look forward to meeting each of you in the near future!

Sincerely,

Ava Adams, District Chair
Young Children
Scarborough, Maine
New England Bermuda District
email: [email protected]