#Head Start Traditional Foods Preschool Program | Explore Tumblr posts and blogs

looye29 · 2 years ago

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Pet owners have an idea in their heads as to how they would like their pet to behave. The truth is that no one sets out to have a dog with behavioral problems. Yet sometimes, we must cope with the fact that our dogs exhibit troublesome qualities. These include behaviors such as incessant barking, chewing on your possessions and furniture, separation anxiety, and much more. Of course, we want to address the root of the problem rather than simply addressing the manifestation. This is where it’s important to seek professional help from a certified dog training program. There are some huge benefits to enrolling in an online dog training course. The most obvious is convenience, as you’re able to schedule the lessons around your other commitments and can take as much time as you need reviewing each lesson. Online classes also tend to be a little easier on your wallet, which is always a plus. The Product Brain Training for Dogs uses a series of 21 fun games to reach this goal. The 5 course modules are taught in a series from easier to advanced, laid out in the form of traditional education: Preschool, Elementary, High School, College, University, Graduation, Einstein. About the Course Creator First, let’s take a look at the founder of Brain Training For Dogs. Adrienne Farricelli is a CPDT-KA certified dog trainer. She implements a program that emphasizes tapping into your dog’s own natural intelligence. It’s no secret that dogs are highly intelligent animals and Adrienne appeals to this by using techniques that encourage learning. The theory behind the work is that once your dog knows what to expect from you, it’s easier to form a symbiotic relationship. After a trainer has become a CPDT-KA he or she must participate in Continuing Education in order to retain the credential and to keep up on the latest developments in dog training. Adrienne has written articles for many well known publications, including USA Today. Brain Training for Dogs Review: Inside the Course Introduction This is the very foundation of all that you’ll learn, the very first step in the process. You’ll get to know Adrienne and her background, her certificates, as well as her way of training. There’s also a quick introduction to the course, which emphasizes the importance of bonding with your dog through games and providing him with mental stimulation. Next in this module, you’ll go over the structure of the course. Basically, your dog will have to go through multiple levels, which are arranged from the easiest to the hardest. Each level has its own passing grade. Most people will start at the Preschool level, where they can teach their dog or puppy basic skills and ultimately prepare him for the next tasks. The grades are determined by the time it takes for your dog to complete a task. Only when your dog passes the minimum grade at one level is he ready to move on to the next. You’ll also be able to see the items that are required to finish each training. Most of the exercises only require some kind of food or dog treats to reward your dog. The rest of the items are optional or can be replaced with common household items. To sum up this module, there’s a whole class on clicker training and how to use a clicker to mark a wanted behavior. Although you don’t have to use a clicker to follow this course, there are some benefits to it that will be explained in this lesson. Obedience 101 This part of the course teaches basic obedience training. We’re talking about simple commands such as “sit”, “leave it”, “stay”, etc. However, these skills are required in order to tackle most behavior problems in dogs, as well as for teaching your dog some of the brain games in this course. The emphasis here is on developing patience and impulse control. Training Tips This section is dedicated to helping you perfect your training methods and making sure your dog isn’t overly dependent on food lures and heavy hand gestures.

Instead, you’ll learn how to add verbal cues, so your dog can still perform the behaviors you thought him, even when you don’t hold a yummy piece of chicken in your hand. Brain Training This is where the fun part begins! Using the knowledge you acquired in previous lessons, you can now start climbing your way through the brain training levels. All the way from Preschool up to Einstein! Are The Lessons In Brain Training For Dogs Good? To really conduct a solid review of Brain Training For Dogs, I needed to take a detailed look at the actual content offered. The course starts with an introduction module to help you train successfully. After the introduction are the Obedience lessons. I found this section delightful and easy to follow. Adrienne provides multiple ways to train most lessons, some with props which is very helpful when training alone. My favorite lesson in the Obedience section is Take It/Leave It which is often under taught and yet vitally important to your dogs health and well being! The first module after Obedience is Preschool. It may seem counterintuitive to call it that as your dog has (hopefully) already done well with the obedience and has a good foundation to his or her education. However, the Preschool lessons include target training and two attention games which are highly important to being successful as your dog moves forward. Often a building block training system works best when you work in order and don’t move on until your dog demonstrates a solid understanding of the task. An Extra Thought: I would not have formatted Preschool after obedience as the games in this module will only increase your obedience training response. Next is Elementary where your dog will get have fun with games like the “muffin tin” and “ball pit”. Adrienne suggests the use of “high value” treats for times where your dog is harder to motivate. I don’t think that will be the case with the muffin tin game and it’s worth investing in a 12 pack of tennis balls! An Extra Thought: The ballpit game is one where you’re not likely to have the items you need on hand. There are substitutions provided, though I can’t imagine it’s quite as fun. From Elementary you’ll go to High School. This section is neat because your dog will learn how to calm down on cue and includes games that are the basis for scent work. Scent work is fun, engages the dogs mind and body, and gives your dog purpose. After High School comes the College module. This one continues with more scent work and games that encourage patience as well as build confidence. An Extra Thought: I felt like some of the games in this module were not necessary to progressing training with the exception of Open Sesame. This game teaches a skill that is vital and potentially lifesaving. I’m thrilled this program offers training for critical behavioral skills that other programs do not typically offer standard. From College to University, your dog is moving up in the world! This module is definitely introducing more advanced concepts, but again, the information is provided in an easy to follow format. The Hide and Seek game is one I taught often in my group classes. It is an excellent foundation game for search and rescue or service dog training but really, you will be surprised how often you will use this skill with your dog! After all these modules, you will move to Graduation and beyond that, Einstein (Genius). Between these two modules you will learn games that will increase scent discrimination, prepare your dog for agility training (as with other games in this program) and perform interesting tricks. If you plan to go into agility training, retrieving, search and rescue, service dog or other advanced programs, these lessons will be good for your dog to know. The Name Game helps your dog associate items with names and will make training in agility easier as your dog must learn left, right, go out, name identified behaviors.

An Extra Thought: These aren’t necessary for a well behaved dog, however, if you decide to teach them, you will be amazed at the things your dog can do! Other Information About Brain Training For Dogs! There’s a couple of extra bits of information that I thought were worth mentioning in my Brain Training For Dogs review. Firstly, the membership also includes an incredible wealth of information that is categorized and easy to find. Topics are Puppy Training, Behavior Problems, and, my favorite, Case Studies. The information is not displayed in the same lesson format as the Brain Games course, but the articles are informative and detailed without being too much. PROS The course creator is a real, certified dog trainer 100% force-free training techniques Access to 100+ articles on dog behavior Lots of mentally challenging games Free obedience class and puppy training Beginner-friendly for anyone who’s new to dog training Cost is fair and equivalent to an hour with a dog trainer 60-day money back guarantee CONS For some games, you’ll need items that aren’t necessarily available Currently, there aren’t many video instructions My verdict Yes! It is well worth the price! And if you become a member and decide it wasn’t what you were expecting, there is a money back guarantee. It satisfies me that this trainer is willing to stand behind her work! Adrienne addresses the most common issues faced when training your dog right up front. If you don’t skip around, and follow the modules in order you should have a well behaved and mentally stimulated dog! She offers support via email, but chances are you’ll find a lot of answers to issues in the archives. Overall, a massive wealth of knowledge for a very reasonable price! Thanks for reading my Brain Training For Dogs Review!

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pnwrecipehoard · 7 years ago

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Head Start Traditional Foods Preschool Curriculum

Octopus, Seal Garnish Alaska Native Head Start Nutrition Lesson Plan

Published September 6, 2017

Nonprofit creates nutrition curriculum reclaiming and revitalizing Unangan & Unangas culture through education to achieve healthier outcomes for children

ANCHORAGE – On St. George Island about 800 air miles from Anchorage, an abundance of birds, crabs, reindeer, halibut, sea lion and wild plants in the past provided nutritious, hearty meals for the Aleut or Unangan people living here.

Though some of the 13 Alaska Native tribes of the Aleutian and Pribilof Islands like the tribe here still rely on subsistence hunting, modern conveniences such as packaged foods have crept into the Unangan and Unangas diets resulting in unhealthy dietary habits. Rates of diabetes have soared over the years and nearly 40 percent of residents in the region are obese.

The Aleutian Pribilof Islands Association, Inc.(APIA) Head Start Program is addressing this health concern among families through its new Qaqamii}u{: Head Start Traditional Foods Preschool Curriculum, with lessons focusing on healthy eating and sparking interest in traditional foods.

“I’m hoping that this will bring awareness to our communities about how traditional foods have all the necessary nutrients to keep us sustained, and that tradition and our culture are very, very important. It’s vital to who we are as Aleut people or Unangan people in our region,” said Bonnie Kashevarof Mierzejek, APIA Head Start program director, who grew up on St. George eating off the island. APIA is an Anchorage-based nonprofit that assists in meeting the health and safety of the Unangan and Unangas in the Aleutian and Pribilof Islands Region.

The remote rural region is home to some of the most unique and nutritious foods in the world. The curriculum, which will be taught in four communities beginning in September, includes nutrition information on such foods as fish, kelp, marine mammals, reindeer, wild birds, and berries. Recipes include fish spread, seal pot roast, salmonberry cobbler, sea lion meatballs and kelp chips. A nutrition graphic compares the iron content in three ounces of seal meat to the same iron found in pounds of hot dogs or chicken nuggets.

“We wanted to highlight the local foods and their highly nutritious qualities, and communicate this to our younger children in a meaningful and culturally-relevant way,” said Suanne Unger, curriculum co-creator and APIA Wellness Program Coordinator.

Unger said the basis for the curriculum was to fill the gap of relevant, cultural information and highlight recipes and nutritional information about the local foods while incorporating the Unangam tunuulanguage. Podcasts of the pronunciations of the traditional foods are available on APIA’s website.

While current national Head Start nutrition curricula may be applicable in Chicago or even the Navajo Nation, those in the Aleutian and Pribilof region realized that discussions on foods such as cantaloupe and broccoli weren’t quite applicable in their lessons plans since the foods weren’t grown in the region or even available in stores.

Accompanying culturally-relevant nutrition information are activities, such as coloring a salmon, seagull or puffin, or asking a community member to talk about how animal skins were used to create kayaks and boats. Several lessons encourage asking a parent or community member to share a hunting story. The curriculum includes sample teacher letters to families discussing the next lesson and a request for donations of plants or animals to use in recipes prepared in the classroom. Parent letters also encourage participation in the classroom in activities such as teaching a traditional song or dance or helping prepare the foods.

These discussions for preschoolers and their families are vital as contemporary lifestyles and conveniences have impacted traditional ways of life. Access to affordable, fresh, nutritious, and high-quality store foods are limited while traditional local foods are right outside people’s doors.

Traditional foods have such a high nutritional value, Unger said, ‘”and because of the potential for food insecurity in the region it’s vital that people understand the importance of their local traditional foods.”

In addition to eating off the island, Kashevarof Mierzejek remembers constantly being outside growing up even in inclement weather. No TV existed so people gathered at the local movie hall for entertainment and socialization.

“Our 3- to 5-year-olds are being exposed to modern technology like video games and they stay home in front of these games, so it’s hard to get them outside. And they’re sitting there eating junk food—that certainly contributes to obesity as well,” she said. “My hope is that this book will be able to bring awareness and our children will be healthier than they ever were in the last 20 years.”

The curriculum, which was created with a one-year, $40,000 grant from the Notah Begay III Foundation, is an adaptation of a book, Qaqamii}u{: Traditional Foods and Recipes from the Aleutian and Pribilof Islands, written by Unger in 2014 compiled after she searched for a single resource guide on harvesting and cooking methods of traditional foods in the region but discovered none. The NB3 Foundation also awarded the organization an additional $5,000 for digital storytelling.

Olivia Roanhorse, NB3 Vice President of Programming, said the foundation is proud to support this Head Start curriculum as it addresses the traditional and cultural needs unique to the Unangan and Unangas.

“We know when Native American communities take ownership of what works for them, in this case instilling healthier eating habits and lifestyles based on their values and beliefs, healthier outcomes can be achieved,” she said. “By instilling these habits and lifestyles early, APIA and their partners are creating a healthy foundation.”

For more information about the Aleutian and Pribilof Islands Association, Inc., or to view and download the free curriculum and videos on the project, go towww.apiai.org. For more information about the NB3 Foundation, go to www.nb3foundation.org.

#Culturally appropriate curriculum #culturally appropriate nutrition #food #Preschool #Head Start Program #Pre K #children #Head Start Traditional Foods Preschool Program #Alaska

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bpro-cardstories · 5 years ago

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Yuta Ashu SR

2019 ー Kiss and Engine [キスとエンジン]

“Then, will you give me a reward for trying hard?”

『Event: Start of a BRIGHT NEW YEAR (1st - 7th January 2020)』

Part 1

Staff: ‘Alright, we’re resuming the recording. The camera is rolling in 5, 4, 3….’

MC: ‘Now then, we’re sending you the『Fortune Burst Special』! Here we have the ultra-luxurious, limited Osechi*.’

Yuta: ‘Ooh~ amazing! It’s not only a multi-tiered box but the middle is glittering with gold dust~! That’s definitely a good omen! There’s no doubt. Thank you~, thank you~.’

Goshi: ‘Why do you worship that Osechi. It’s not a Buddha statue.’

Yuta: ‘Eh~ Doesn’t it almost look like Buddha!? I mean, such flashiness!?’

Kento: ‘Well, I do understand that the radiance of the gold gives off a divine feeling.’

Yuta: ‘True, true, divineness! This much is a given for the『Fortune Burst』~.’

Kento: ‘Though, my eyes hurt. The pressure of the luck carrier is strong in the studio…..’

Yuta: ‘On the falcon ornament is a big folding screen of Mount Fuji! I feel the staff’s spirit.’

Yuta: ‘Was it 『One Fuji, two falcons, three eggplants』? If you see them in your year’s first dream, it’s a good omen!’

Kento: ‘As for me, I often have the feeling that cute girls coming to see me in my dream will always be a good omen.’

Yuta: ‘Ah, isn’t 『Four』girls then!?’

Goshi: ‘Don’t say stupid stuff at the start of the New Year. 『Four』is the 『Fan』. It’s even decorated over there.’

Kento: ‘I see, that was it.’ ______

Yuta: ‘Waah, Kenken, holding it suits you~!’

Kento: ‘Heh, isn’t that the best luck if this form of mine appears in your dream?’

Yuta: ‘Then, then, how about I take the falcon ornament and Gochin’s in charge of the Mount Fuji folding screen? Together we are 『Fortune Burst The Year’s First Dream THRIVE』♪.’

Goshi: ‘Don’t decide on your own who’s doing what!’

MC: ‘Ahaha, isn’t that great, 『The Year’s First Dream THRIVE』! Since this program is going to air during New Year, what do you think what first dream will you see, everyone?’

Yuta: ‘Hmm…. If I had the choice I want to see one with a good omen?’

Kento: ‘That’s true. Well, if you burn the view of the studio into your memory, you can see it in your dream even if you don’t like it.’

Yuta: ‘Ahaha, true! But then, I wished we had eggplants as well~. Then it would be the top three line-ups.’

MC: ‘Hehehe….. I thought you would say so, Ashu-kun. You know,.....’

Yuta: ‘Eh? ……. It can’t be.’

MC: ‘That’s right, we perfectly prepared the eggplant. Golden ohitashi** eggplant with gold dust!’

His biggest nightmare became reality. His good mood was bummed at that moment.

Yuta: ‘Ah…… I-It really is!’

MC: ‘A gilded splendour osechi which was specifically prepared by the head chef of a ryotei***. Now, everyone, please have a bite!!’

Yuta: ‘Ohi-tashi….. It looks so good~! Thank you for the food!’

MC: ‘Be my guest! There’s another cup.’

Yuta: ‘W-Wah~! Even another serving of the gilded splendour osechi…..!’

Part 2

Tsubasa: ‘ーーEveryone, good work on the recording.’

Tsubasa: ‘The car is on its way, so please wait here for a bit.’

Goshi: ‘Okay.’

Kento: ‘Understood. Then, shall I take a look at my JOIN.’

The only member that looks depressed is Yuta.

Yuta: ‘............’

Tsubasa: ‘Oh…… Yuta-kun, what’s wrong? Your expression……’

Yuta: ‘Ahー...... No, hm…..’

Tsubasa: ‘........?’

Kento: ‘Yuta, how long do you plan to keep that going?’

Yuta: ‘I-I mean…….’

Tsubasa: ‘Keep going…… Was there a problem during the recording?’

Yuta: ‘No, that’s not it.’

Kento: ‘Yuta’s weakness was revealed in the program.’

Tsubasa: ‘His weakness……’

Goshi: ‘...... It’s the eggplant.’

Tsubasa: ‘Eh, the eggplant!?’

Kento: ‘Even though it was fine to leave it there if he doesn’t like it, he had to go with a second serving.’

Yuta: ’I-It’s not that I dislike it? Of course, I also don’t like it……’

Goshi: ‘Isn’t your『Doesn’t like』『dislike』.’

Yuta: ‘Uuh…… That might be true.’

Yuta: ‘Uhm, is it the sudden texture? A mysterious taste that stays until the end? Is it the roughness or the subtle tone? Anyways, in general, I’m bad with the eggplant.’

Yuta: ‘When I think I ate it…. I feel like I can’t say that.’

Tsubasa: ‘That’s how it was….. But, when Yuta-kun was eating the Ohitashi, your dislike of the eggplant was not noticeable.’

Yuta: ‘Eh? Really?’

Tsubasa: ‘Yes! It was something you did not like, however it was amazing how you were able to even eat a second serving without an unpleasant expression.’

Yuta (blushes): ‘E-Ehehe…..’

Yuta: ‘Yayー! I was praised by Tsubasa-chan!’

Goshi: ‘Are you a preschooler, or what.’

Tsubasa: ‘Ah, I am sorry! I did not mean to treat you like a child…..!’

Yuta: ‘I understand. It’s okay, Tsubasa-chan. ♪’

Yuta: ‘Since it was New Year, the theme of the program was『Let’s raise our fortune』. Somehow or other, I was careful not to show anything negative. That’s why Tsubasa-chan’s words relieved me! Above all, it would also be bad for the people that prepared it. From the bottom of my heart, I’m grateful and have to eat it properly.’

Tsubasa: ‘Yuta-kun…. As expected of a professional. I think such an attitude is really wonderful.’

Yuta: ‘Hehe, cool, right?’

Tsubasa: ‘It is!’

Yuta (blushes): ‘Then, will you give me a reward for trying hard?’

Tsubasa: ‘Of course! Huh…. eh? A reward, you said……?’

Part 3

Yuta: ‘Yep, a reward! A biiig one!’

Tsubasa: ‘E-Ehm…..’

Goshi: ‘Haa….. Leave it, Sumisora.’

Yuta: ‘Eh~! Even though I tried so hard….. Is that a no?’

Tsubasa: ‘Of course, it is not. It is true that Yuta-kun gave his best.’

Kento: ‘That’s true. Well, I too am not good with eggplants…. In other words, will you give me a reward as well, Tsubasa?’

Goshi: ‘You, shut up.’

Kento: ‘Ow…. Violence is not good. That’s barbarous, you know.’

Goshi: ‘Shut it.’

Tsubasa: ‘Ahaha….. But, that’s right. When you say reward….. Because New Year is soon, is a New Year’s gift**** fine? Ah, but I thought you will go home directly today, so I do not have it on hand….’

Yuta: ‘Waah, that’s not it!’

Tsubasa: ‘It’s alright, I will go to the wholesale later.’

Yuta: ‘No, no! Doesn’t that look like I extort money from you!?’

Kento (shakes head): ‘It doesn’t look like it, it is extortion, right? How cruel, Yuta…. What a disgrace of a man.’

Yuta: ‘Gyah! I didn’t intend for it to be like that, I said! It’s not the reward I meant.’

Tsubasa: ‘Which means…..?’

Yuta: ‘Hm, how to say, it’s not money or a thing. A reward that energizes me and raises my luck!’

Goshi: ‘What’s that…. It’s too vague.’

Tsubasa: ‘I-I agree…..’

Yuta: ‘Well then~.... Yep, I decided!’

Yuta: ‘Tsubasa-chan, give me a kiss on the cheek!’

Kento & Goshi (shocked): ‘What?’

Tsubasa: ‘Eh?’

Yuta (blushes): ‘If Tsubasa-chan gives me a kiss it will cheer me up an awful lot and raise my luck so that I can give my best for another year. ♪’

Goshi: ‘Oi…. You, do you understand what you’re saying?’

Yuta:’ Hm? I do know?’

Goshi (blushes): ‘Y-You…. Understand nothing!’

Kento: ‘Heh….. Yuta too has quite the surprises, huh.’

Kento: ‘I was at the location since morning and did three TV recordings as well, right? So, will you give me a reward for doing my best, too, Tsubasa?’

Tsubasa: ‘T-That’s….!’

Goshi: ‘Are you an idiot! Good grief…. Sumisora, it’s fine if you sue those two.’

Yuta: ‘Hoeeh!? Why sue us!?’

Goshi: ‘Because…. It’s enough, the talk’s over now.’

Yuta (disappointed): ‘Then there will be no reward…..?’

Tsubasa: ‘That, uhm…. Ehm….’

(W-What should I do. I want to give him something but a kiss on the cheek is…. Is that even a reward in the first place.)

Yuta: ‘...........’

Tsubasa feels even more pressured to find a solution while Yuta looks at her with sad eyes.

(Ehm, ehm…. Something else that cheers up and raises the luck…..)

Tsubasa: ‘T-Then……’

Tsubasa: ‘Why don’t we form a circle with us four!?’

Yuta (surprised): ‘Eh?’

Goshi: ‘Ha?’

Kento (sighs): ‘.........What’s the meaning of this, Tsubasa?’

Tsubasa: ‘W-Well, to gather the same pace next year as well, forming a circle so that everyone is able to give their best…..! If we let out a loud cry, it will cheer us up and if our hearts are one, it surely will bring luck as well!’

Yuta: ‘.............’

Tsubasa: ‘T-That’s a no….. I assume?’

Yuta: ‘.....Puhaha! Tsubasa-chan’s the best, let’s do that~~!!’

Tsubasa: ‘........! Yes, of course!!’

Kento (displeased): ‘No, it’s not a reward anymore…..’

Yuta: ‘It’s fine, let’s do it! Let’s all make a circle and start the engine~!’

Goshi: ‘Haa, how stupid…..’

Goshi: ‘Hey, oi! Stop that…..!’

Yuta: ‘Yes, yes, I won’t let you escape though, Gochin~? Kenken, you too, join us!’

Kento: ‘Wait, it’s a bit hot. If I join shoulders, then only with Tsubasa.’

Yuta: ‘Yeah, Kenken comes between me and Gochin~.’

Kento (horrified): ‘What? Wai-.....’

Yuta: ‘Come on, you too, Tsubasa-chan~♪.’

Tsubasa: ‘Y-Yes! Then…. If you excuse me.’

Yuta: ‘Alーright, with this, it’s perfect!’

Goshi: ‘What’s perfect here……’

Yuta: ‘Ahem! Okay then, to wish that the new year will be the best one…. Give it a good yell~.’

Yuta: ‘OOOHー!’

Kento: ‘Geez, my shoulders hurt…..’

Yuta: ‘OOOHー!!’

Goshi: ‘My eardrums are getting torn!’

Yuta: ‘Ehehe, this is great! It’s really such an exciting feeling!!’

Yuta: ‘Thanks, Tsubasa-chan. Let’s do our best together next year as well.’

Tsubasa: ‘Yes, let’s!’

END _________________

* Osechi: Food served during the New Year’s Holidays.

** Ohitashi: Boiled greens in bonito-flavoured soy sauce (vegetable side dish).

*** Ryotei: traditional Japanese Restaurant (esp. a luxurious one).

**** New Year’s gift: The word Tsubasa used here is お年玉 (おとしだま; otoshidama). It’s a New Gift by relatives and visitors usually given to children.

#b project #b-project #yuta ashu #thrive #myps #card:2020

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ediblegardenspointloma · 5 years ago

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Reflections on a Chopped Salad

Early in my career as a dietitian I worked at the Head Start program in Gloucester, Massachusetts doing monthly nutrition workshops for parents. With the cook, I supervised meal preparation and reviewed menus. Regrettably, I can’t recall her name, but she was a genius in helping the preschool children learn to love vegetables.

She found that the children usually refused traditional salads which can be awkward to eat. Using a fork and keeping the food in place on the way to the mouth is a developed skill. Her solution was a chopped salad with nothing larger than a quarter inch in size. Lettuce, carrots, tomatoes, celery, cabbage, peppers—or whatever was seasonally available—were all carefully cut to size. The salads were colorful, easy to eat and the children could use a fork or spoon. They loved her chopped salads and ate them eagerly. This was decades before chopped salads appeared on restaurant menus.

Today I was remembering my cook friend and how much she taught me and the Head Start parents. So why not have a chopped salad for lunch?

I’m planning to make this chopped salad with my garden kale and a friend’s pomegranate. Link to the dietitian-devised recipe here. Other chopped salad recipes here or using Google.

#Head Start #chopped salads #registered dietitian #Mediterranean Diet

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buri-art · 6 years ago

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If you don't mind me asking, how come you're able to live and work in Japan (and China?)? Where did it al begin? I'm just really curious! Thanks!

I don’t mind, thanks for asking! Turns out I’ve been doing some advising on this topic lately. (Scroll to the bottom for specific advice!)It all began with Digimon…

I’ve always had a history of moving from one obsession to another, starting back with Barney the Dinosaur. Then when I was 11-years-old I found myself very curious about that weird Japanese show on Fox Kids, which looked so different from the Western cartoons I was so fond of. What I caught of it kept me surprised–my stereotypes about it were wrong, the characters and their situations were complicated, and plot had depth? What was this and why did it make me care so much??Well, once I decided I was hooked, I was hooked. Obsessed overnight. I needed to know everything there was to know about it, including the country it came from. Guess I better learn Japanese, I thought.

That thought didn’t go away. I generally got obsessed with anime and Japanese culture, anything I could get my weeby little hands on. Wanting to know everything about Japan led to curiosity about China too, because if you’re going to stretch far back in the origins of Japanese culture, eventually you’re going to get interested in the big collection of nations and time periods known as Ancient China. (Stuff like Fushigi Yuugi and the anime rendition of Condor Hero sure helped drive that interest.)I stayed obsessed with Japan all through my teen years (and started Japanese study in earnest when I was 16) and I chose a college where I could start studying Chinese. It seemed like the natural progression in my studies by that point, but I guess other people thought it was surprising. Or they called me a traitor. (I can tell you now that lots and lots of people wind up studying both.)

Anyway, I went in to college with a pretty wide knowledge of East Asia, but studying it from all sorts of angles, getting good advising in school from nerdy professors, and studying abroad certainly made my understanding more nuanced. Going to a small school where it was easy to stick out also helped me get a good handful of work-study experiences and special attention for my particular passions. (It helps that a couple teachers were enamored with traditional Chinese culture, another loved Heian aesthetics, another wrote a dissertation about the production of shoujo manga, and another loved to give students free food. Now those are my people.)What most people find surprising was that even though I had a heavier course load in Asian studies, my major was Economics. I was concerned about finding work with only nerdy Asian studies, and I felt like I needed to save the world by working at an NGO and sacrificing my personal happiness for the sake of the poor and underprivileged. (I still feel like that, but thankfully there are more ways to support NGOs than only by working in them.) In my research topics I usually had a special focus on developing nations in Asia, and I made sure to get a good understanding of the whole region, not just, like, Edo period gay samurai fanfiction (yeah, that was totally a thing).Well, anyway, I never worked at an NGO. I went to grad school to keep working on my Chinese while keeping up independent Japanese study (including the JLPT), then I worked for the one international company in my hometown doing stuff for their Asian side of business. It was cool if you had any interest in engineering, but I didn’t. I like culture. The weeb shit, as it’s known. All according to keikaku, I became a Coordinator for International Relations on the JET Program (it’s not all English teachers!), and had the time of my life in Matsue (my love for that place is seeeeerious). That’s when I took my wide knowledge of Japan and started getting deeper knowledge, by doing anything and everything, especially practicing naginata, tea ceremony, and competitive kimono dressing. (I like to say I broke the weeb scale a long time ago.) Even among CIRs, who all speak Japanese fairly fluently, I guess I was noteworthy for my nerdy knowledge of obscure pieces of local culture, and my enthusiasm for sharing it. That’s just me being my obsessive self, folks. But yeah, lots of JET Program participants are obsessive and eager to go out and experience things. Aaaahhh, my people. After that, I felt I needed more experience in China, so I got a teaching job (which is relatively easy to do, if you’re a native English speaker). Due to my work schedule and living in Shanghai as opposed to like, Wuyishan or even Hangzhou, I didn’t devote as much as to cultural classes as I originally planned on, but I did practice tea and martial arts throughout my time there, and I continued to work on my Mandarin and gaining obscure cultural knowledge, but especially gaining experience melding with society there. Although it was more overwhelming, I do feel much more competent with my Chinese skills now, and I still love a lot of the culture and have so much more traveling I want to do there. I can still nerd out so hard for so much there.Moving back to Japan felt like a very natural course of things. I know a lot of people who have been happy to be Japan-nerds from a distance, or do the JET Program for a while and then just go back to visit, but at least for now, I don’t see myself happy with only visiting. I have personality flaws, like being very inflexible, that make me work very well in a rigid society like Japan. I’m too used to good convenience stores to live happily without them. I enjoy speaking Japanese all the time instead of taking occasional opportunities. Also, my niche skill set is kind of useless in my part of the US. I did try to find work here, really. That being said, having niche skills means that when I’m useful, I’m super useful. Job searching from outside of Japan was a lot more challenging than applying for the JET Program (which any JET applicant can tell you is not a simple process, but once you’re in, you really appreciate how much they handle for you in matters of moving abroad). It was really, really nerve-wracking to turn down two very good corporate job offers in favor of a somewhat new hotel chain. I really wanted to enter the tourism industry because this feels like the only place (outside of academia) where I can use all my obsessive studies of mainstream and obscure but especially traditional culture, and where my gushing about how much I love stuff is actually useful. Plus, it’ll make use of all three of my languages, not just one or two at a time. I hope this will work out for at least the next few years, if not forever. I also hope that if I live in the US in the future to be closer to family*, then I’ll have enough industry experience to work in hotels here or start a tour company targeted at Asian clients. (*Family is the primary reason I still consider long-term life in America, and it’s a big one, and worrying about them is the hardest part about living abroad. Excessive humidity in a lot of Asia is another reason I might choose to live in the Western US.)But like, now my hobbies are my job. While it won’t be the bulk of it, wearing kimono and performing tea ceremonies is no longer something that makes me cool and special and unexpectedly useful, it’s going to be what I need to be professionally competent in (eeeeeeep). This is the kind of stuff that obsessive teenage Buri would have swooned to know, but also totally expected. Career-Buri is a little more level-headed about it and also very grateful to have these opportunities. So anyway, advice!!—If you think you want to do anything in China or Japan, START STUDYING THE LANGUAGES NOW. Yes, I know they’re difficult. No, there’s no perfect program. Whatever you’re going to use, just do it consistently. Fluency is not actually required for a lot of jobs, but hot damn, some language skills will help. (For reference, I passed N1 of the JLPT before starting JET, and passed HSK5 while I was in grad school. I studied for HSK6 while I was in China and would have had a 50/50 chance of passing, but chose not to because it’s not actually that useful for the price I’d pay for it.)–To get a work visa in either country, 99 times out of a 100, you’re going to need a Bachelor’s degree. Your major is not usually as important as simple proof of graduation. Many places will care about your grades, though, so try to keep them up. –Teaching is still the easiest way to get there. There’s a wealth of programs to recruit you, but I suggest trying to steer clear of places that only provide a stipend instead of a salary, or small dispatch companies with questionable reputations. The JET Program is probably the best way to teach in Japan because of the level of support you get, but I’ve known people who had good experiences on the larger dispatch companies like Altia or Interac as well. For more direct hires, there are English tutoring companies (like English First (EF) or Coco Juku) where you might have students of all ages, as well as companies that focus on very small children (where you’ll basically be a glorified preschool teacher). On that note, many kindergartens and other for-profit education companies (like what I did in China) will hire directly, but your experience can vary widely. Finally, you can also look into international schools, but your teaching credentials will be much more important. Any background in teaching, or TESOL certification, will be a boon to your application (and at some places, your paycheck). –All of these places will want to see that you are a dependable, flexible person. Getting experience abroad, being able to speak frankly about challenges you’ve dealt with, and showing a willingness to go anywhere and do whatever is needed will look really good on your interviews. I say this a JET Program interviewer; the people who displayed the most patience and maturity were the people we felt best about giving a high score to. Those are the people we like to send out into the communities. –As we like to say in the JET Program, every situation is different (ESID for short). That applies to every teaching situation you might yourself in abroad.–You don’t have to be a teacher (after all, I only did JET because of the CIR position, I loved it!!). But you’re going to have to be really competent in whatever else it is you’re doing. Headhunters, such as at Pasona Global (which has branches in many Asian countries), are really, really good to work with, but they are most likely to hook you up with corporate jobs in big cities. If that’s what you want, awesome. (I wound up finding my hotel through a Japanese job searching site specifically for tourism related work. Other industry-specific fields may have their own job hunting sites, possibly in English, possibly not.) Language competency will be a lot more important if you take this route. –If at all possible, STUDY ABROAD!!! Many people will get the experience they want doing this instead of dealing with the frustrations of working and residing abroad. It’s a good way to see how much you love it and decide if the frustrations are worth it. Plus, it really helps your job applications. –Even if you can’t work abroad due to your personal situation, PLEASE TRY TO TRAVEL THERE!!!! When you’re interested in another culture or a foreign language, it means so, sooooo much to be there, even if it’s temporary. I don’t just say this as someone who has chosen tourism as my calling (though I am more than happy to give travel advice), I say this as a passionate nerd. I feel you. I get you. You need this. –Back to studies and stuff though, if you’re going to major in some form of area studies or foreign language, it is difficult to get jobs with that alone. Consider double-majoring in something that will play into that, or which will open other career options. Money is kind of important, especially if you’re going to have to pay for flights across the Pacific.

–That being said, study what you care about too. You know how oddly useful my elective class about Non-Western Theater has been!?!? And if something in anime catches your attention, for goodness sake, you’re on THE INTERNET. If you liked Jubei-chan, go study samurai, if you like Fruits Basket, go learn to make onigiri, if you like Mob Psycho 100, then go—well—um—go work out, being physically healthy is also important!!

Well, anyway, that’s long enough. Good luck to all you nerds out there!! KEN TANAKA LOVES YOU and all that good stuff!!

#wow this got long #tl:dr #I'm a nerd and that might help you too

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laurelkrugerr · 4 years ago

Text

The Hottest Industries Today

Our list of the franchises best positioned for growth, even in uncertain times.

Grow Your Business, Not Your Inbox

Stay informed and join our daily newsletter now!

August 4, 2020 12 min read

This story appears in the August 2020 issue of Start Up. Subscribe »

Every December, we publish a list in Entrepreneur of what we predict will be the “hottest” categories for franchise expansion in the year ahead. And every summer we typically publish an update on that list—not updating the categories, but updating the information on the fast-growing or newly launched franchises within those categories.

But this year, as we prepared to update the list, we were faced with a question—should we change the categories from those we had listed in December, back when the world looked and felt a whole lot different? While businesses in some of these categories were deemed nonessential and were adversely affected by the COVID-19 shutdowns, many also found creative ways to keep serving customers during that time. And we believe that even those that didn’t will ultimately benefit from the fact that absence makes the heart grow fonder. It’s unlikely that anyone will ever again take for granted the ability to go to the gym or a family entertainment center. So in the end, we removed just a few categories (including breakfast, Mexican food, and juices/acai bowls, which you can find covered in our “Top 200 Food Franchises” list), and added one that saw a boost in popularity during the shutdowns: home improvement.

The road ahead will still hold many challenges for businesses in every industry, and different franchisors and franchisees will tackle those challenges differently. So keep in mind that this list is not an endorsement of any particular franchise company. It’s more important than ever to do your own research before investing in an opportunity. Read the FDD, consult with accountants and attorneys, and talk to existing and former franchisees to decide whether the franchise is right for you. For more information on a particular franchise, click on the company’s name.

ChildcareEntertainment/RecreationFitness BusinessesHealthHome ImprovementPetsRestoration Services

Childcare

For essential workers who couldn’t stay home with their little ones, childcare businesses proved even more vital than ever this year. And those parents who could stay home have likely gained a new appreciation for the work these businesses do to educate and care for their kids. As the economy opens back up and more parents head back to the office, this category should only keep growing.

Genius Kids

Preschool, daycare, public-speaking enrichment programs

Entertainment/Recreation

Entertainment and recreation businesses were understandably deemed nonessential during the shutdowns. And yet, more than ever, people needed things to keep them occupied and take their minds off the world—and many of these businesses found creative ways to still meet that need, like offering take-home DIY projects and online party services.

Ctrl V

Virtual reality arcades

Funtopia

Wall-climbing and family entertainment facilities

Sky Zone

Trampoline parks/entertainment centers

Fitness Businesses

When the pandemic hit, many fitness franchises were able to quickly pivot and offer classes to their customers online. Nevertheless, many people were eager to get back into the gym when restrictions began to be lifted, and with health more top-of-mind than ever, this already strong category should only see more growth going forward.

Alkalign Studios

Group fitness classes, streaming fitness classes, nutrition coaching

Fit4Mom

Prenatal and postpartum fitness and wellness programs

Honor Yoga

Yoga, meditation, teacher training, retreats

Jazzercise

Group fitness classes, conventions, apparel, and accessories

9Round

Kickboxing fitness circuit-training centers

StretchLab

Assisted stretching classes and related therapy services

UFC Gym

Boxing, kickboxing, Brazilian jiu jitsu, high-intensity interval training, and group fitness classes

Health

Being healthy has become more important than ever, so this small but growing category probably looks more appealing than ever to prospective franchisees. And there’s something here for everyone, from traditional health services to more alternative offerings like acupuncture, cryotherapy, IV therapy, and cannabis.

4ever Young

Preventative health, wellness, and aesthetic services

iCryo

Cryotherapy, wellness, and pain management services

101 Mobility

Mobility and accessibility equipment sales and services

Pharmabox

Over-the-counter pharmaceutical products vending

Vegan Fine Foods

Vegan health and beauty stores/cafes/vitamin and supplement stores

Home Improvement

As shelter-in-place orders had people spending more time in their homes, many turned to home improvement, repair, and remodeling projects to keep themselves busy. Most home improvement stores and service business were able to stay open during this time, adjusting their services to maintain proper social distancing and sanitation, with some even pivoting to virtual consultations.

ABC Seamless

Seamless siding, soffit, fascia, gutters, windows, roofing

GarageExperts

Garage cabinets, floor coatings, organization products

Glass Doctor

Auto/residential/commercial glass installation, repair, and replacement

Imeca

Lumber and hardware stores

Mr. Appliance

Residential and commercial appliance installation and repairs

Mr. Handyman

Residential and commercial repair, maintenance, and improvement services

RenuKrete

Concrete flooring installation, treatment, repair, and restoration

Window World

Replacement windows, doors, siding, and other exterior remodeling products

Pets

Americans spent an estimated $75 billion on their furry friends last year, according to the American Pet Products Association, and while spending in other areas has decreased, people are still willing to sacrifice for their pets. Plus, most pet stores qualified as ‘essential businesses’ during the shutdowns, and other businesses like doggy daycares stayed open to provide care for medical workers’ pets.

Dogtopia

Dog daycare, boarding, and spa services

EarthWise Pet

Pet food and supplies, grooming, self-wash, training, and walking

Husse

Pet-product delivery

Petland

Pets, pet supplies, boarding, daycare, grooming

petNmind

Natural pet food and supplies; dog self-wash

Woofie’s

Dog walking, pet sitting, mobile pet grooming

Zoom Room

Indoor dog training and socialization, pet products

Restoration Services

Restoration service businesses have long had the reputation of being recession-proof, and they stand to prove that now. Since disasters don’t stop occuring no matter the circumstances, these were obviously deemed essential businesses, and many found their services in even higher demand than usual during the shutdowns.

Bio-One

Crime-scene and trauma-scene cleaning

DKI

Property restoration

Duraclean

Carpet and upholstery cleaning, disaster restoration, mold remediation

1-800-Packouts

Building contents packing, cleaning, storage, and restoration

PuroClean

Property damage restoration and remediation

Servpro

Fire, water, and other damage cleanup and restoration

Spaulding Decon

Crime-scene, meth-lab, and hoarding cleanup; mold remediation; house buying

Steamatic

Insurance/disaster restoration, cleaning, mold remediation, air quality control

Website Design & SEO Delray Beach by DBL07.co

Delray Beach SEO

source http://www.scpie.org/the-hottest-industries-today/ source https://scpie1.blogspot.com/2020/08/the-hottest-industries-today.html

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riichardwilson · 4 years ago

Text

The Hottest Industries Today

Our list of the franchises best positioned for growth, even in uncertain times.

Grow Your Business, Not Your Inbox

Stay informed and join our daily newsletter now!

August 4, 2020 12 min read

This story appears in the August 2020 issue of Start Up. Subscribe »

ChildcareEntertainment/RecreationFitness BusinessesHealthHome ImprovementPetsRestoration Services

Childcare

Genius Kids

Preschool, daycare, public-speaking enrichment programs

Entertainment/Recreation

Ctrl V

Virtual reality arcades

Funtopia

Wall-climbing and family entertainment facilities

Sky Zone

Trampoline parks/entertainment centers

Fitness Businesses

Alkalign Studios

Group fitness classes, streaming fitness classes, nutrition coaching

Fit4Mom

Prenatal and postpartum fitness and wellness programs

Honor Yoga

Yoga, meditation, teacher training, retreats

Jazzercise

Group fitness classes, conventions, apparel, and accessories

9Round

Kickboxing fitness circuit-training centers

StretchLab

Assisted stretching classes and related therapy services

UFC Gym

Boxing, kickboxing, Brazilian jiu jitsu, high-intensity interval training, and group fitness classes

Health

4ever Young

Preventative health, wellness, and aesthetic services

iCryo

Cryotherapy, wellness, and pain management services

101 Mobility

Mobility and accessibility equipment sales and services

Pharmabox

Over-the-counter pharmaceutical products vending

Vegan Fine Foods

Vegan health and beauty stores/cafes/vitamin and supplement stores

Home Improvement

ABC Seamless

Seamless siding, soffit, fascia, gutters, windows, roofing

GarageExperts

Garage cabinets, floor coatings, organization products

Glass Doctor

Auto/residential/commercial glass installation, repair, and replacement

Imeca

Lumber and hardware stores

Mr. Appliance

Residential and commercial appliance installation and repairs

Mr. Handyman

Residential and commercial repair, maintenance, and improvement services

RenuKrete

Concrete flooring installation, treatment, repair, and restoration

Window World

Replacement windows, doors, siding, and other exterior remodeling products

Pets

Dogtopia

Dog daycare, boarding, and spa services

EarthWise Pet

Pet food and supplies, grooming, self-wash, training, and walking

Husse

Pet-product delivery

Petland

Pets, pet supplies, boarding, daycare, grooming

petNmind

Natural pet food and supplies; dog self-wash

Woofie’s

Dog walking, pet sitting, mobile pet grooming

Zoom Room

Indoor dog training and socialization, pet products

Restoration Services

Bio-One

Crime-scene and trauma-scene cleaning

DKI

Property restoration

Duraclean

Carpet and upholstery cleaning, disaster restoration, mold remediation

1-800-Packouts

Building contents packing, cleaning, storage, and restoration

PuroClean

Property damage restoration and remediation

Servpro

Fire, water, and other damage cleanup and restoration

Spaulding Decon

Crime-scene, meth-lab, and hoarding cleanup; mold remediation; house buying

Steamatic

Insurance/disaster restoration, cleaning, mold remediation, air quality control

Website Design & SEO Delray Beach by DBL07.co

Delray Beach SEO

source http://www.scpie.org/the-hottest-industries-today/ source https://scpie.tumblr.com/post/625589092882825216

0 notes

scpie · 4 years ago

Text

The Hottest Industries Today

Our list of the franchises best positioned for growth, even in uncertain times.

Grow Your Business, Not Your Inbox

Stay informed and join our daily newsletter now!

August 4, 2020 12 min read

This story appears in the August 2020 issue of Start Up. Subscribe »

ChildcareEntertainment/RecreationFitness BusinessesHealthHome ImprovementPetsRestoration Services

Childcare

Genius Kids

Preschool, daycare, public-speaking enrichment programs

Entertainment/Recreation

Ctrl V

Virtual reality arcades

Funtopia

Wall-climbing and family entertainment facilities

Sky Zone

Trampoline parks/entertainment centers

Fitness Businesses

Alkalign Studios

Group fitness classes, streaming fitness classes, nutrition coaching

Fit4Mom

Prenatal and postpartum fitness and wellness programs

Honor Yoga

Yoga, meditation, teacher training, retreats

Jazzercise

Group fitness classes, conventions, apparel, and accessories

9Round

Kickboxing fitness circuit-training centers

StretchLab

Assisted stretching classes and related therapy services

UFC Gym

Boxing, kickboxing, Brazilian jiu jitsu, high-intensity interval training, and group fitness classes

Health

4ever Young

Preventative health, wellness, and aesthetic services

iCryo

Cryotherapy, wellness, and pain management services

101 Mobility

Mobility and accessibility equipment sales and services

Pharmabox

Over-the-counter pharmaceutical products vending

Vegan Fine Foods

Vegan health and beauty stores/cafes/vitamin and supplement stores

Home Improvement

ABC Seamless

Seamless siding, soffit, fascia, gutters, windows, roofing

GarageExperts

Garage cabinets, floor coatings, organization products

Glass Doctor

Auto/residential/commercial glass installation, repair, and replacement

Imeca

Lumber and hardware stores

Mr. Appliance

Residential and commercial appliance installation and repairs

Mr. Handyman

Residential and commercial repair, maintenance, and improvement services

RenuKrete

Concrete flooring installation, treatment, repair, and restoration

Window World

Replacement windows, doors, siding, and other exterior remodeling products

Pets

Dogtopia

Dog daycare, boarding, and spa services

EarthWise Pet

Pet food and supplies, grooming, self-wash, training, and walking

Husse

Pet-product delivery

Petland

Pets, pet supplies, boarding, daycare, grooming

petNmind

Natural pet food and supplies; dog self-wash

Woofie’s

Dog walking, pet sitting, mobile pet grooming

Zoom Room

Indoor dog training and socialization, pet products

Restoration Services

Bio-One

Crime-scene and trauma-scene cleaning

DKI

Property restoration

Duraclean

Carpet and upholstery cleaning, disaster restoration, mold remediation

1-800-Packouts

Building contents packing, cleaning, storage, and restoration

PuroClean

Property damage restoration and remediation

Servpro

Fire, water, and other damage cleanup and restoration

Spaulding Decon

Crime-scene, meth-lab, and hoarding cleanup; mold remediation; house buying

Steamatic

Insurance/disaster restoration, cleaning, mold remediation, air quality control

Website Design & SEO Delray Beach by DBL07.co

Delray Beach SEO

source http://www.scpie.org/the-hottest-industries-today/

0 notes

lydiaabroad · 6 years ago

Text

Blog #7: Monday at CRHP in Jamkhed

**Warning: This is very long and divided by day. I spent the last week at the NGO Comprehensive Rural Health Project in Jamkhed (4 hours east of Pune). It was INCREDIBLE! Seriously so amazing. I typed up all my notes because I think they’re interesting so feel free to peruse… also here is the organization’s website http://jamkhed.org/

Monday March 25, 2019

Major Events: Lectures on CRHP Jamkhed, Primary Health Care Principles, the Jamkhed Model

1. Overview Lecture on CRHP Jamkhed

Drs. Raj and Mabelle Arole founded the Comprehensive Rural Health Project in Jamkhed in 1970. Dr. Raj grew up in the state of Maharashtra and experienced the epidemics of plague and cholera as he was growing up. The deaths of close friends and family affected him so greatly that he decided he would become a doctor to serve his community. Raj went to medical school where he met Mabelle. The two shared visions of serving their communities and were married in 1959. They worked in rural areas and learned about the needs of rural communities. When working at a hospital the presiding doctor decided that the two of them should take over running the hospital. These two young doctors were surprised at this opportunity but took on the work. After working at the hospital a few years, the two went to Johns Hopkins to train in public health, reconstructive surgery, and leprosy. Upon returning to India, the couple was driving home when they stopped to see a friend who was a freedom fighter. When they got to talking about the dreams of the Drs. to provide care to rural communities in need, their friend said to them, why don’t you just stay here? Thus, the idea for CRHP began and stayed in Jamkhed, Maharashtra.

2. Lecture on Primary Health Care Principles

There are four principles of primary healthcare which CRHP follows: equity, integration, empowerment, and appropriate technology. To begin with, we defined equity versus equality. Equality is when you treat everyone the same, or give everyone the same amount of resources. Equity, however, means that instead of giving everyone the same treatment or amount of something, you give the appropriate amount to become equal no matter where they started.

The needs of the most in need must be addressed first, and those in need must be involved and participate and the discussions addressing their needs.

The second principle of CRHP’s primary health care principles is integration. Their definition of integration is a holistic approach to health, as matches the WHO definition of health (“a state of complete physical, mental, and social well-being and not merely the absence of disease or infirmary”). For example, the CRHP has a mobile health team which functions as a direct health outreach team, and there is a CRHP hospital, but there are also programs for social well being such as women’s, men’s, adolescent girls and adolescent boys’ groups, there is a CRHP organic farm, and there are training programs for village health workers.

In addition to a holistic approach to health, CRHP itself functions as an interdisciplinary organization. The organization has a team approach to all decision-making and programs and many workers are trained and qualified for multiple jobs at CRHP. It is common for people to have multiple jobs at CRHP in the time they work there. For example, Meena, the preschool teacher, used to be a lab technician, and then when the preschool was created she became the head teacher.

The programs at CRHP are comprehensive, they respond to the demands and needs of the community instead of imposing policies or practices. The health systems must be affordable, appropriate, and incorporate traditional practices. As an NGO, CRHP wants to cut costs anywhere possible. One of their programs is Jaipur Foot, which provides prosthetic feet to villagers. The cost of the prosthetic, as with hospital services, is on a sliding scale. Patients are asked to pay what they are able. Sometimes that is full price and sometimes that is 100 rupees. The Jaipur foot used to be made out of rubber, but it was realized that these rubber feet did not last long when men especially were working daily in fields. Thus, the foot was switched to wood. The switch from rubber to wood may seem counter progressive, but in fact the use of wood is the most durable and appropriate material for the setting. In addition to this switch, all the pieces of the prosthetic are separate so if it breaks, you are able to replace only one piece instead of the entire prosthetic.

The final way CRHP attempts to have an integrative approach to health is through multi-sectorial work. The organization works closely with the Indian government. They do not ever want to imply that they are a better resource than the government, they only want to fill gaps. For example, up until ten years ago the CRHP hospital was incredibly busy. It was the only affordable and safe hospital in the area. Then, the government began building more primary and secondary care hospitals. Now, the CRHP hospital only has one full time doctor and one full time nurse on duty. CRHP encourages citizens to use the government resources because ideally you are indeed able to depend on the government to provide certain services.

The third principle of CRHP’s approach to health is empowerment. First you must come to know the community, listen to them, learn from them, build rapport, and then you may develop a relationship and partnership. CRHP believes in value-based development. The values in health and development must exist within the community in order for change to occur and be sustained. We defined a state of empowerment as a state of identifying yourself, your strengths, being able to make decisions for yourself, to know you have freedom, and to enjoy this freedom. “Success always lies within the community,” Dr. Mabelle Arole said.

This idea of empowerment explains how CRHP approaches communities with a value-based approach. CRHP will send a mobile health team into communities to conduct basic services, but this tends to be the extent of their involvement, until the community approaches the mobile health team (MHT) or CRHP and requests more involvement. The community members will then meet with CRHP and discuss the strengths of the community, weaknesses, opportunities, and external traits or factors that play a role in the community. After this analysis of the community, CRHP will decide if the community is at need, what needs can be met, and if they should get involved. It is at this point that the community will officially become a “project village,” i.e. one that CRHP is working in. The village is expected to appoint a woman to become the village health worker who will be trained by CRHP and function as the community’s first connection to health knowledge, prevention, and services. The model relies on the trust that the community will value these changes and become empowered to continue them.

The final principle of CRHP’s approach to healthcare is appropriate technology. Who are the available people to work, what facilities are available, what supplies and equipment are available, affordable, and make sense? Which drugs are essential to have, when can traditional medicines be used? Can energy sources be renewable? Does the education CRHP is providing make sense in context? For example there is a science lab, which young people can participate in science courses at. The science experiments are in biology, chemistry, physics, and computer science. The experiments students will perform teach science to be relevant and applicable to students’ every day lives. The final aspect of appropriate technology is the use of locally available resources: materials and also people.

3. Lecture on the Jamkhed Model

The CRHP model at Jamkhed has three primary components, the village health workers (VHW), mobile health team (MHT), and CRHP secondary hospital. They work on the same plane:

The VHW actually inspired the gov’t model’s ASHA role. The village health worker is a married woman with at least one child who is chosen by her community to be trained and serve as the VHW. There is one VHW per 500-1000 population. The village health worker discusses and educates community members about health, primarily with a preventative focus. She discusses social issues such as gender roles and dowry. She screens people and educates about mental health issues such as depression and anxiety. She leads community groups such as the women’s group, men’s group, adolescent girls’ and adolescent boys’ groups. The VHW is not paid, but during her training she receives 200 rupees per training attended, travel, and food at the courses. In the past sometimes VHWs were also given grains, oils, or even saris when they came to training. These are the most tangible incentives for VHWs, but the biggest incentive is the knowledge and skills that come from training as a village health worker. Many of the women we met who were VHWs were from poor, low caste families in which they were not treated as valuable by their families or communities. When coming to CRHP to be trained, for many women it was the first time they had sat or shared meals with women of other castes, and it was the first time they felt they could acquire valuable knowledge. The skills and knowledge they had then gave them a new level of respect in their communities. In addition to this respect, our lecturer Jayesh Ji said that a huge motivation to become a village health worker is the idea and role of helping your own village. For many women this is the most satisfying aspect, to be doing good and valuable work. Once a woman becomes a village health worker she will hold the role as long as she likes.

The Mobile Health Team (MHT) used to be comprised of a doctor, nurse, lab technician, pharmacist, social worker, and civil engineer. As rates of disease have gone down and development has increased it is no longer necessary to have so many members, so the MHT today is mostly comprised of social workers. The MHT trains village health workers, organizes community groups (partnered with VHW), trains international groups that visit CRHP (about the model), and leads the adolescent groups. They are responsible for integrating programs and the community.

We then had the opportunity to talk with the three members of the mobile health team, Surekha, Madhu, and Amol. Surekha leads the girls’ group and womens’ groups. She screens for high risk pregnancies, and works alongside village health workers to counsel and ensure the health of villagers. One interesting tidbit was she taught women (and men) how the sex of a baby is decided (one chromosome from XX and one from XY). She shows the diagram and how the birth of a male child depends on the Y being passed from the father. In this way science can be used to remove stigma and violence against women when they give birth to female children. There is still serious gender discrimination in many areas in which women face abuse when they do not give birth to male children. The adolescent girls program is for girls ages 11-18. The program will have up to thirty girls from two villages (the villages must request CRHP to have an adolescent girls program) and meets every Sunday for six months. Girls learn about their bodies, changes they will experience during puberty, and the group also functions as a safe space to discuss gender discrimination and encourage young women to be independent. Surekha said about her work and the work of the MHT and VHWs, “It’s not important how many years you give, it’s important how you give.”

Madhu is a member of the MHT who had an interesting start to working for CRHP. He was always involved in the Young Farmer’s Club, which partners with CRHP, to learn and educate about farming practices and act as a farmer’s support group. Then one day in his village a mango truck crashed and all the mangos fell out. He helped organize villagers to clean up the mangoes as a CRHP van was driving by. The van pulled over to see what had happened, and during this time they told Madhu he should come work for them! Since then, Madhu has organized many young farmer’s clubs (YFC) in various villages. He used to help VHWs fill out forms and weigh babies because he can read and write. He leads programs on watershed development, organic farming, diabetes, and has led creative education efforts such as puppet shows and plays. He also leads the young boy’s group along with Amol, the third mobile health team member. Madhu said that since working for CRHP he has discovered his faith in humanity. “I find God in all human beings.”

Reflection: The CRHP has a unique approach to health in that they first go to the community and ask what the community needs. I looked up CRHP online and their website explains the mission as follows: “Drs. Raj and Mabelle Arole want to bring healthcare to the poorest of the poor, CRHP has become an organization that empowers people and communities to eliminate injustices through integrated efforts in health and development. CRHP works by mobilizing and building the capacity of communities to achieve access to comprehensive development and freedom from stigma, poverty, and disease.” The doctors believe that trust builds trust, thus they placed a great deal of trust in the communities they served that the communities had, and have, the capacity to achieve health and overall wellness. I found this day to be a good introduction to CRHP and all their roles. It is incredible to me how many facets of CRHP exist. They are indeed more than just health, they are committed to the overall wellness of the community. I was especially interested in how the communities have to come together to decide that they want from CRHP. This concept especially helps create a sustainable cycle in the community of addressing new needs. The community recognizes their strengths and ability to find change in themselves, and ultimately creates an environment of empowerment and action!

#blog

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chestnutpost · 6 years ago

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Here’s What Female Politicians Are Doing To Fix Child Care

This post was originally published on this site

What Women Want Now is a program by HuffPost and sister sites dedicated to creating content about the issues and stories that matter most to women. Read more here. Join the conversation with #WhatWomenWantNow.

Kristel England-Keefe has helped literally hundreds of families find child care over the last three years in her role as a referral specialist with a nonprofit organization that serves Sonoma County, California. But when she and her husband have tried to find care for their own two boys, they’ve struggled.

Both parents are college graduates. Both have jobs. But England-Keefe says that putting the two kids in child care at the same time would cost at least $2,000 a month and probably a lot more. As it is, she says, they can barely cover rent in their two-bedroom apartment, which has no washer-dryer, no air-conditioning and sits just above a noisy street next to a fire station in the city of Santa Rosa.

Their makeshift child care solution is sending the older boy, who is four, to preschool. There, he gets the kind of activity and outdoor time he can’t in the apartment building. But keeping him at preschool all day would be too expensive, so England-Keefe drops him off on her way to work and picks him up on her lunch break to drive him home, where her husband has been watching the younger boy, who is two, since morning.

A few hours later, at around 4:30 p.m., England-Keefe finishes work, drives home again and takes over watching the kids so her husband can go to his job auditing tables at a casino. His shift ends at 2:30 a.m., which means he gets only a few hours of sleep before the 2-year-old is awake and the cycle begins again.

Aaron P. Bernstein via Getty Images Sen. Patty Murray (D-Wash.) is a former preschool teacher and working mother, so perhaps it’s not surprising she’s been leading the charge for Congress to do something about child care.

When England-Keefe and her husband get a day off together, they frequently spend the time taking turns sleeping. “We are not married … we are housemates,” she quips. “Our entire family is in a constant sense of stress.”

If they could find more affordable child care, England-Keefe says, they could get a little time every day to recharge. Or maybe her husband, who has trained as an emergency medical technician, could go back to school and get a nursing degree ― and the much better pay it would bring. “We would just be a family and work on our relationships or work on our economic status, or really work on anything,” she says.

Finding good child care is a struggle all over the U.S.

Stories like England-Keefe’s are pretty common in the U.S. For two-parent families, the average cost of child care for each child works out to about 10 percent of income, according to Child Care Aware of America, which has been compiling these figures for more than a decade. But that figure disguises a lot of variation. The cost burden can be absolutely crushing for parents who live in high-cost areas, have lower incomes or are paying for more than one child at a time.

In Mississippi, for example, the average cost for accredited infant care is $5,300 per year. That’s about 7 percent of median income for a couple in that state. But in California, the average cost is $16,000 a year, or 18.6 percent of a couple’s income.

For single-parent households, the burden is a lot higher because household income tends to be a lot lower. In California, that $16,000 for infant care represents a whopping 60.4 percent of a single parent’s income, on average. And, again, that’s for just one child.

This problem is almost uniquely American. In France, Sweden and pretty much any other economically advanced country, the government finances extensive child care programs. The systems don’t work perfectly, but the reality is that working families in those countries can usually find high-quality care for their children at prices they can afford.

MARGARET BOURKE-WHITE via Getty Images When the U.S. needed women to work in factories during World War II, the government made sure to provide child care. But lawmakers let the program, known as the Lanham Act, lapse when the war ended.

In the U.S., working parents seeking help with child care must rely on a patchwork of relatively modest federal, state and local initiatives. Some families find their way to programs like Early Head Start, which has a heavy focus on child development and is available at no cost. But only low-income families are eligible and, even for them, slots are extremely limited.

In Texas, more than 46,000 low-income children were on a waiting list for subsidized child care as of last September, according to a report in the Texas Tribune. That number was actually 38 percent lower than earlier in the year, thanks to new federal funds that became available, and experts think it still represents just a fraction of the families that would be eligible if they applied.

The consequences of unaffordable child care are particularly perverse for women, who frequently end up with primary or sole responsibility for child-rearing. Some end up turning down jobs or promotion ― in some cases, because better-paying jobs require different, more expensive child care arrangements that they are unable to make. In other cases, it’s because higher income could mean they are no longer eligible for government programs that target the poor.

“For families who qualify for subsidies, many times a promotion and raise of even 20 cents an hour would push them over the income limit for programs and so they have to turn down these opportunities,” Lauren Hipp, senior campaign director at the advocacy group MomsRising, told HuffPost.

Many experts believe the lack of affordable child care in the U.S. is among the reasons that the percentage of women in the workforce has actually fallen slightly since the 1990s, while it is has risen in peer countries like Canada, Germany and Japan.

“This has important ramifications for their future work prospects, including their career path and earnings potential,” a trio of researchers concluded in a major 2017 report from the Economic Policy Institute. “Likewise mothers’ career paths and earnings have implications for family income levels and well-being and the economy as a whole.”

Not that the only effects are economic. Kids end up in poor-quality settings, the worst of which are downright hazardous. Parents like England-Keefe end up with complex, overwhelming arrangements that undermine the whole family’s well-being.

And the political system has paid only fleeting attention ― until now.

Child care is on its way to becoming a top-tier issue.

During the 2016 presidential campaign, Democratic nominee Hillary Clinton introduced a proposal designed to make child care more affordable while simultaneously boosting its quality. A year later, a group of Democratic senators led by Patty Murray, from Washington state, wrote and formally proposed legislation to do the same thing. And just last month, Elizabeth Warren, the Massachusetts senator running for president, unveiled a major child care initiative of her own.

At the moment, the odds of any of these proposals becoming law are low. In theory, child care isn’t a partisan issue. In practice, the most serious initiatives require some combination of new spending and new regulation, two things the Republicans who have run Washington for the past few years generally oppose.

Boston Globe via Getty Images Sen. Elizabeth Warren (D-Mass.) just rolled out a sweeping child care proposal as part of her presidential campaign, giving the issue new visibility.

But Murray and her allies, including her counterpart in the House, Virginia Democrat Bobby Scott, have been working to shore up support for their measure. Warren’s proposal could give the issue a much higher public profile — because she made it the first major spending proposal of her campaign, and because the size of the investment she has proposed works out to something like four or five times what the federal government already spends on existing early childhood programs.

There is even action at the state level. Lawmakers in both Massachusetts and Washington are pushing legislation that would create a universal child care program. Newly elected governors in California and New Mexico have said guaranteeing access to affordable child care is atop their agendas, though they’ve yet to specify how they would do that on a permanent basis.

Only twice before in U.S. history has child care gotten this kind of political attention. One time was during World War II, when the U.S. needed women to build the war machine. Stories of moms leaving young children sleeping in the back seats of cars parked outside factories helped prompt the federal government to set up and run child care centers all across the country.

The arrangement worked well for parents and kids alike. Research later showed that the families ended up with higher incomes, while the kids did better in school. But after the war, Congress let the program lapse, in no small part because many lawmakers wanted men back in the factories and women back at home.

Not that all women were stay-at-home parents. Mothers in lower-income families frequently had to work just to keep food on the table, and finding child care was a struggle. But by the 1960s and ’70s, they had a lot more company, as traditional gender roles started to break down and more women gained access to the workplace.

This created a new demand for child care, and for a brief moment, it looked like the federal government would respond. Congress passed a bipartisan bill to create a universal care program in 1971 ― only to have then-President Richard Nixon veto it because, he said, government provision of child care would weaken families and move the U.S. closer to communism.

New York Daily News via Getty Images In 1971, then-President Richard Nixon followed the advice of conservative adviser Pat Buchanan (right) and vetoed a major child care bill, citing the proposal’s “family-weakening implications.”

Although not everybody in Washington saw child care as such a fundamental threat to the American way of life, there weren’t many lawmakers terribly interested in tackling the issue, either. More often than not, they treated child care as a “woman’s issue.” And without many women in government, that was just another way of dismissing it altogether.

It’s by no means coincidental that it was Clinton, the first woman to be a major party nominee, or Warren, who has spoken frequently about the challenges she faced as a working mother, who made ambitious child care proposals cornerstones of their campaigns ― or that it is Murray, a former preschool teacher and working mom, who keeps pushing for child care to be a top priority for Democrats in the Senate.

Another reason the issue is getting new attention is a surge of grassroots support, not just from unions like the Service Employees International Union, which has long talked about child care, but also newer organizations like MomsRising and the United Parent Leaders Action Network, or UPLAN. These groups rally members through social media and turn out working parents to appear at rallies ― in many cases with their young children in tow.

Child care is too expensive — and yet not expensive enough.

A major challenge of the child care crisis is that it is really two problems, quality and cost, that are difficult to address simultaneously.

Definitive data on the quality of child care is difficult to find, but one of the most comprehensive studies to date, a major federal research project from 2006, found that the majority of child care in the U.S. was mediocre or poor. Only 10 percent was considered high-quality. A newer set of studies by the Center for American Progress, a liberal think tank in Washington, D.C., determined that just over half of all American families live in a “child care desert,” which researchers defined as census tracts with either no licensed child care providers or less than one slot for every three kids.

Parents “may settle for a child care setting that doesn’t feel as safe to them, or end up on really a long commute from their home because that is the only care they can get,” Erin Moore, national organizer for UPLAN, says. “People are resilient, find workarounds, but it’s not a good situation.”

Quality child care does exist in some places. The models that experts most frequently praise are Head Start and the system that the U.S. Department of Defense created for military families once the Pentagon realized that a lack of child care was hurting troop morale and causing some families to leave the military altogether.

The care in those models earns praise because it adheres to high standards. Head Start has a detailed curriculum and requires its educators to get extensive training. Nearly all military child care providers must meet guidelines set by the National Association for the Education of Young Children that cover everything from safety to worker-to-child ratios.

Win McNamee via Getty Images Hillary Clinton proposed a groundbreaking child care initiative as part of her 2016 presidential campaign, but almost nobody noticed.

It costs a lot of money to run programs like these, in no small part because it requires paying child care workers a lot more to attract and retain talented employees. Today, child care workers typically make less than $11 an hour, according to official government statistics. Even parking lot attendants earn more than that.

But child care is already so expensive for families that any effort to drive up quality is likely to make it even more unaffordable ― unless, of course, the government also spends a great deal more money.

This is precisely what promoters of these new plans have in mind. The Murray and Warren proposals differ in some important specifics, but their basic approach is the same. Both would spend a great deal more money on child care. Families could get this care by going through either large centers or in-home providers, as long as those live up to the kinds of high standards that Head Start and military child care are supposed to meet.

Like all policy proposals, these proposed initiatives have drawn some criticism. Some of it has come from progressive writers like Kathleen Geier, who, although supportive in general, thinks the proposals should go farther and make child care absolutely free. (Both the Murray and Warren proposals envision some families paying fees, depending on income.) Matt Bruenig, founder of the progressive People’s Policy Project, feels similarly ― but also says the government should do more to help stay-at-home parents.

Others are more skeptical of the whole approach, arguing that the new quality standards would simply drive up the cost of child care without actually improving quality. The Trump administration just put out a report making that point. Murray, Warren and others promoting these plans will need to address these criticisms and, perhaps, adapt their proposals to win support.

But ultimately, the biggest dispute over any major child care initiative would likely be about the dollars involved. The leading proposals all envision increasing federal spending on early childhood by three, four or even five times, depending on the details, and that’s more than some lawmakers would want to spend.

Advocates of these plans already have a clear, firm response to that concern: They say the investment is worth it.

“I have talked to so many people who cannot afford child care,“ Murray told HuffPost recently. “They are not going to work, they have quit their job, they have turned down promotions. … or they are putting their child in a setting where their child doesn’t get the kind of care they should. Every one of those has a cost ― to the family itself, to the community, to the businesses, to our country’s future.”

England-Keefe knows all about this. She’s seen it happen, at work and in her own life. At one point, she says, she and her husband thought briefly about separating just so their household income would change and qualify them for subsidies. They dismissed the idea, even though England-Keefe says she understands why other couples might do it.

“No one wants to work the system,” she adds. “We just want a system that works.”

The post Here’s What Female Politicians Are Doing To Fix Child Care appeared first on The Chestnut Post.

from The Chestnut Post https://thechestnutpost.com/news/heres-what-female-politicians-are-doing-to-fix-child-care/

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kennethherrerablog · 6 years ago

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New Parents: 11 Tips to Help You Manage Your Money After Your First Kid

So you’re a new parent. Congratulations! Being a parent will change your life in many ways — most of them for the better.

Unfortunately, it’s also super expensive. In fact, you’ll probably spend between $12,500 and $14,000 a year on child-rearing expenses, according to a government study.

Gulp! That’s right, you’ll be spending five figures on day care, groceries, clothes, toys, pediatrician visits… the list goes on and on.

Don’t be intimidated. You’ve got this! New parents like you need to rethink how to manage their financial lives after having a baby. To help you out, we’ve got some tips:

1. Get Creative with Child Care

Child care is a biggie, obviously. It tends to be one of the most expensive recurring costs parents face in the first few years.

There are ways to cut costs. Check out these options:

Enroll in a school-based child care center. Numerous high schools and colleges across the country provide on-site child care staffed by students. Check your local school district or nearby colleges to inquire about programs, availability and cost of enrollment.

Share the cost of a nanny. To make having a nanny more affordable, some families come together to share the nanny and split the cost. The nanny will likely charge more money for caring for two or more children instead of just one, but the cost will be less expensive than each family hiring separate nannies.

Bring your baby to work. Parents can save thousands of dollars by taking their babies to work with them — even if just temporarily. This is especially helpful in a baby’s first months of life, because infant care is more expensive than care for a toddler or preschooler. This may not be a common workplace benefit, but the Parenting in the Workplace Institute has recorded more than 200 workplaces that offer it, ranging from small businesses to state government agencies.

2. Save on Expenses, Such as Car Insurance

Because you’ll be spending so much on food and child care, take steps to cut your costs elsewhere — such as your car insurance.

Car insurance companies aren’t one-size-fits-all, so you need to ask: Is your car insurance company the best fit for you, your car and the way you drive?

You can find out at Compare.com. Here, you don’t have to pay or commit to anything to get a true apples-to-apples comparison from many car companies. You get a quote that’s tailor-made for your vehicle.

In about one minute, you’ll get a bunch of quotes that are zeroed in on your particular needs. When you find one you want, Compare.com lets you sign up directly with that company. Easy peasy.

3. Get the Best Deal Possible on Life Insurance

Celebrating a new life isn’t usually the time when you think about end-of-life preparations. But buying life insurance is a smart money move when you have a little one who depends on you.

It’s good to have coverage for at least six to eight times your annual salary, but, even if you’re currently a stay-at-home parent, you should have life insurance.

A company like Policygenius offers you an easy way to compare and buy life insurance. Unlike traditional providers, this online-only platform offers instant quotes from top carriers and provides an easy way to apply all online.

4. Open a Separate Savings Account

Even though you’re spending a lot on everyday expenses, you’re still going to need savings.

We suggest opening an account dedicated to saving and putting your money to work. One of our favorites is Aspiration — you’ll pay no monthly fees, and you’ll earn up to 2.00% APY on your savings.

You’ll get access to an online-only account for spending and for saving. The spending account comes with a debit card that earns 0.5% cash back on all your purchases, plus free ATMs, so you can easily access your money when you need it.

After you open your Aspiration account, use it to split your income:

Automatically deposit a portion of your income into your spending account, and use that to cover basic expenses like rent and bills, plus fun stuff, like eating out, shopping or going on vacation.

Deposit what’s left into your Aspiration savings to keep it out of sight and let it grow. You’ll earn 2.00% APY as long you deposit just $1 a month. We recommend squirreling more when you can, but we like that you won’t lose the perk when you can’t.

5. Stay on Top of Your Credit Card Payments

A lot of us are being crushed by credit card interest rates north of 20%. And when a child enters the picture? Forget it.

If you’re stuck putting more money toward interest than your principal, consolidation and refinancing might be worth a look.

A good resource is Fiona, a search engine for financial services, which can help match you with the right personal loan to meet your needs.

Fiona searches the top online lenders to match you with a personalized loan offer in less than 60 seconds. If your credit score is at least 620, its platform can help you borrow up to $100,000 (no collateral needed) with fixed rates starting at 4.99% and terms from 24 to 84 months.

6. Save Money When Buying Baby Items Online

You’re going to be buying lots of toys and baby items. Make sure you get the best price!

One of our secret weapons is called Paribus — a tool that gets you money back for your online purchases. It’s free to sign up, and once you do, it will scan your email for any receipts. If it discovers you’ve purchased something from one of its monitored retailers, it will track the item’s price and help you get a refund when there’s a price drop.

Plus, if your guaranteed shipment shows up late, Paribus will help you get compensated.

7. Save Money on Groceries

With a little one in the house, you’re going to be spending more time and money at the grocery store. We know it sounds strange, but Ibotta will pay you cash for taking pictures of your supermarket receipts.

Here’s how it works: Before heading to the store, search for items on your shopping list within the Ibotta app. When you get home, snap a photo of your receipt and scan the items’ barcodes.

Bam. Cash back.

Ibotta is free to download. Plus, you’ll get a $10 sign-up bonus after uploading your first receipt.

Some cash-back opportunities we’ve seen include:

25 cents back for any item.

25 cents back on any brand of baby food

$1 back on flushable wipes

$7 back on kids probiotic chewables

$2 back on Huggies Pull-Ups

Notice a lot of those aren’t tied to a brand — just shop for the staples on your list and earn cash back!

8. Get Betty On Your Side for Dinner

Give Betty Crocker your email address, and it’ll send you up to $250 worth of coupons that can help you get deeply discounted or free canned goods, cereal and yogurt.

In addition to coupons, Betty Crocker’s free email delivers the best of Betty’s 15,000 kitchen-tested recipes, how-tos and more — straight to your inbox.

If you’re like us, you probably get bored making the same food week after week, so wouldn’t it be nice to occasionally be surprised with simple recipes you can make on a budget?

9. Order Your Groceries Online (No Messing with Car Seats)

No one warns you about this, but it’s true: Grocery shopping is HARD when you have a baby or toddler.

Here’s a handy parenting hack: Use Walmart’s grocery app to order your groceries online, then have the store bring your groceries out to your car for free.

This is the most convenient thing in the world when you don’t want to take baby out of the car, drag baby around the store, and then put baby back in the car while baby screams the whole time. Not that I’m speaking from experience or anything.

Ordering your groceries online can actually save you a ton of time and money because you’ll be forced to plan out your meals.

Plus, there’s no veering off into the snack aisle.

10. Save By Doing Nothing

When there’s a kid in the picture, the best kind of savings are the kind where you don’t have to do a thing. That’s what makes the Drop app so appealing.

What’s special about Drop is all you have to do is link your credit and debit cards (no coupon clipping or hoarding receipts!). When you make a Drop-qualified purchase, you’ll automatically earn points, whether you’re grocery shopping at Walmart, hailing an Uber or ordering a pizza.

The points will add up, and you can exchange them for gift cards in the app to popular retailers like Amazon and Starbucks.

11. Manage Your Money as a Couple

Saving money is hard. Throw another person into the mix — with very different views of how money should be saved, spent and managed — and it can feel impossible.

That’s why Twine was created.

The app specializes in helping couples save, invest and reach their individual and joint financial goals. It provides financial advice and automated money management, and it makes collaborating on short- and long-term savings goals simple. Saving for a second car? Twine can help. Your dream home? It can help you map those savings out, too.

Bonus: Twine is offering Penny Hoarder readers $5 to open a joint savings account — one with a (pretty sizeable) 1.05% variable interest rate. From there, you can set goals and guideposts, and keep an eye on your contributions and your partner’s.

If you prefer to handle your finances on your own terms, Twine offers individual accounts, too.

Twine can also assess your financial situation and help you start investing. Once you’ve socked away at least $100, you can start with a low-risk starter option (you’ll pay 25 cents per month for every $500 you invest).

Whether you’re saving as a team or investing in your own ideal life, Twine can help you start with what you have and work toward those big goals — and bigger dreams.

Mike Brassfield ([email protected]) is a senior writer at The Penny Hoarder. He and his wife have twin daughters.

This was originally published on The Penny Hoarder, which helps millions of readers worldwide earn and save money by sharing unique job opportunities, personal stories, freebies and more. The Inc. 5000 ranked The Penny Hoarder as the fastest-growing private media company in the U.S. in 2017.

The Penny Hoarder Promise: We provide accurate, reliable information. Here’s why you can trust us and how we make money.

New Parents: 11 Tips to Help You Manage Your Money After Your First Kid published first on https://justinbetreviews.tumblr.com/

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livingwithchallenges · 7 years ago

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Train up a child in the way he should go: and when he is old, he will not depart from it. ‭‭Proverbs‬ ‭22:6‬ ‭KJV‬‬

This morning when my daughter came to pickup Landon after working all night, I started thinking about how much the role of women and men has changed, and how it has affected the children. It’s not all good and not all bad. The bottom line is, we need to raise our children in the way of the Lord, because they are our future.

When I was a little girl, my mom stayed home to take us to wherever we needed to go, keep the house, sew our clothes, and cook dinners. Although our money was limited, as children, my siblings and I benefited greatly from this arrangement. We learned how to work in the summers on my grandma’s farm, where we picked vegetables and fruits, and assisted with preserving food for the winter. We learned how to cook, sew and clean house. We learned how to take care of the yard. We learned how to make gifts. We helped gather firewood. Someone always ensured we weren’t idly sitting around or getting into trouble. My father worked one job, but always worked on my grandmother’s farm. As we grew older, my parents chaperoned events. On the flip side, my mother, who seemed happy, later confessed not having a voice in the marriage. Bringing in a salary changes the terms of the relationship. The amount of salary makes a difference too.

When our children were growing up, I stayed home for the preschool years. Then, I went back to college and worked. Our money was still tight. I sewed and made most of their clothes and preserved food. I was around, but often exhausted. I chaperoned events half asleep. Although I acknowledged and still acknowledge my husband as the head of our household, I felt and still feel we are partners in decisions. I have been a working mom most of my adult life, but my husband has worked two jobs most of our married life together. I always dreamed of and wanted to stay home with our children, but it wasn’t a financially feasible option. We live a modest middle-class life. Our children didn’t learn how to work at home and spent a great deal of time in front of video games, computers and television. We didn’t have anyone to help us. We did the best we could. However, they turned out well. So, maybe they did learn something. Our son is working on his PhD in Computer Science, and our daughter is a married working mom, who is also attending college.

Moving on to the third generation, my daughter and son-in-law work hard. He has a state government job and he’s in the National Guard. She is a full-time LPN, who is pursuing her RN. Our grandson is smart and well-rounded. We help them with gaps in their schedules by keeping our grandson, which enhances our lives and seems to be good for Landon. I often want to stay home with my grandson, but realize that’s probably not a good idea for either of us. My daughter also would like to stay home, and feels the struggles most working moms feel. However, she seems to have a voice in her marriage. Even with all the corruption in the world, I feel like her children will turn out the best with the current setup. Once she gets out of school, she won’t be as tired, and her children will have the benefits of multigenerational influences.

One thing I haven’t mentioned is spiritual life. To my knowledge, my father didn’t believe in God most of my life. I’m pleased to say he does now, and we enjoy wonderful discussions about the Bible every time we see each other. My mother has always believed, but I can count the number of times I’ve seen her in Church. My maternal grandmother, who in her younger days enjoyed going out with her friends drinking and dancing, decided to turn her life around in her mid-forties. She spent many nights screaming at my father trying to convert him. Guess what? It didn’t work. My father wouldn’t allow me to be baptized when I was young, but both of my parents insisted my siblings and I go to church with my maternal grandparents on Sunday morning. I think this was their quiet time together, but regardless of the reason, God blessed us, especially me. My paternal grandparents were Christians. My paternal grandfather had a stroke when I was a young child and my paternal grandmother couldn’t drive, so it was rare for me to see them in church. However, the last month of my grandfather’s life, my parents would sneak me into his hospital room where I would sit and read the Bible to him every day. I was twelve and that certainly impacted the person I have become.

When I was a teenager, I saw some bad things happen in church, so when my children were born, I was very protective. I allowed them to be baptized, but kept them home until they were about eight or ten years old. At first I took them to Church alone, because my husband worked on Sundays. Later we went as a family. We went to early services on Christmas Eve, where thy participated in the Children’s Program. When they became teenagers, we changed our traditions and attended the midnight service on Christmas Eve, where they also participated in the program. We always prayed before meals and at bedtime.

Whenever our children became adults, my son went to church for many years. He’s not attending now, but I pray he returns. Our daughter and son-in-law had a beautiful church wedding. Occasionally, they will attend. Our grandson has attended several times now. Whenever he comes over, we read Bible stories and continue our prayers at meals.

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Proverbs 22:6 holds true through the generations I have watched grow up. Although they may depart from the way we taught them, they will return to it repeatedly because it is what they know. How are you raising your family? Someone once said it is rare when a child goes beyond his parents in any area of life. Are you teaching your children about our sweet Lord? Are you teaching your children how to work and how to give back to others? Are you teaching your children manners and respect? The children are our future. What are we going to do to help them make the world a better place? Paul teaches in Ephesians 6:4 that you should “provoke not your children to wrath: but bring them up in the nurture and admonition of the Lord.” Deuteronomy 11:19 instructs you to “teach them your children, speaking of them when thou sittest in thine house, and when thou walkest by the way, when thou liest down, and when thou risest up.” If you aren’t doing these things, it’s not too late. Start today. There is so much corruption in the world. I recently watched a documentary about young people feeling empty and turning in the wrong direction. They don’t understand the emptiness can only be filled by God. Why not teach your children a better way?

God bless you. ‭

Christian Families Train up a child in the way he should go: and when he is old, he will not depart from it.

#Christian #Faith #Family #inspiration #Prayer

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fesahaawit · 8 years ago

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How We’re Reaching Financial Freedom On One Income – Mom’s Income.

[Hey guys! Liz, the Chief Mom Officer stops by the blog today to share her journey to financial freedom as the sole breadwinner of her family of 5. If you don’t feel empowered after reading this, I’m shutting down the blog!! (Okay, no I won’t, but I will wonder what’s wrong with you… ;)) Enjoy!]

******

Many people think it’s impossible for a family to just live on one income nowadays. In fact, 60% of families are dual income, with both mom and dad working outside the home, while back in 1960, 70% of families had only the dad working outside the home.

My family is different – we’re in the 6% of families where only the mom works outside the house. And we’re not just living on one income. No, we’re on FIRE in a big way, saving and investing more than half my income and working toward financial independence in my early 40’s.

We’re a “traditional” family, but in reverse. I’m the breadwinner who heads to work in corporate IT while my husband stays home caring for the kids, cooking, cleaning, and running errands :) I support my family of five humans – me, my husband, and three boys ages 13, 9, and 2 – the dog, and the cat.

How did we end up like this? How do you pursue FIRE on one mom’s income? Let me show you…

How It Happened

When my husband and I first got married over 15 years ago, we were both blissfully ignorant and naive. I fully expected we would both work forever and earn roughly the same amount. I was 21 years old working full time in a call center, putting myself through full-time college debt free, and my husband worked full time in a factory. We didn’t make a lot – roughly $25k each – but it was enough to get us by.

Our oldest son was born a few years later, and I had gotten a better job paying $35k per year in corporate IT. We originally shopped around for daycares, but had to look at different paths once we realized we couldn’t afford it on our salaries. At first, my husband switched to the third shift at the factory, but that took a huge physical toll on him (working overnight is rough!). I then got a decent raise at work, and we calculated that my husband could leave the factory job and take a well-paying part time night/weekend gig turning apartments into condos. So he did, but after a year and a half the work dried up and he went back to the factory to work the second shift (evenings instead of overnight).

I would work 6 AM until 3 PM, come home, then my husband would immediately go to work from 4 PM – 12:30 AM. We saved and invested for retirement and college, eventually selling our condo and buying a house. Our middle son was then born in 2007, and we were getting by OK. The downside of this schedule, of course, is only seeing each other on the weekends. Life continued on this path for a few years until the Great Recession.

Then things became difficult. My husband’s factory closed down, and factory work where we live was impossible to find. We didn’t know it then, but my husband would never work another full time job again. Although the job loss wasn’t ideal, we were able to figure things out. I was in an MBA program and could go to classes on nights and weekends while working full time, and we still managed to pay our bills while saving and investing. Though it was definitely a struggle, and at times we took on some debt.

Finding a job in the depths of the Great Recession that would (1) allow us to continue having someone at home all the time or (2) pay enough to cover daycare expenses proved impossible.

Then, the unthinkable happened. When my husband was 37, five years ago, he almost died of septic shock.

Overnight, his unemployment evaporated. Working became impossible. It took about four months for him to recover enough drive a car, let alone care for our boys again, so we pulled the youngest out of preschool and enrolled him into daycare full-time. We stopped all savings and investments, and had to get by on less income to free up more money to pay for the extra $1k/month in daycare costs, plus all the new medical expenses now.

That event was our financial turning point. It was then that I realized we could live just fine on my income, and eventually thrive off it. We figured out how to cut all expenses to the bone, eventually getting used to – and enjoying! – our new normal.

Debt, even “good” debt or “small” debt, kills you when things go wrong. I had vowed to get rid of all our debt and achieve financial freedom once and for all. I got extremely aggressive about freeing up cash flow, and within 18 months we terminated the remaining $33k from our car and MBA loans.

That was three and a half years ago now, and ever since we’ve lived on only my income. We use more than half of it to save, invest, and pay down our mortgage. My financial goals now are to be mortgage free by the end of 2019, fully fund my three boys college compact, and achieve financial independence in my early 40’s.

How We Thrive On Mom’s Income

In my real life, I don’t know any other moms that work full time supporting their family while their husband is a stay at home dad. And I don’t know anyone for that matter who’s pursuing FIRE, even on two incomes, and especially not people saving/investing over half their incomes.

Here are five keys on how we’re able to do it:

#1. Artificial Environment of Economic Scarcity

I don’t budget (gasp! Horror!) except when I was aggressively paying down debt. Instead, I automatically save and invest to reach my financial goals, and then I spend the rest on whatever’s needed for the month.

Dr. Thomas Stanley in The Millionaire Next Door refers to it as creating an “artificial environment of economic scarcity.” Since I don’t have money in my checking account, it’s not there to spend. I took out a 15-year mortgage specifically to force myself into higher payments. I automatically save/invest for college, retirement, and mortgage freedom. And then I only spend what’s left over after I’ve put aside what I need for my goals.

#2. Income Inflation, and Lifestyle Deflation

Back in crisis mode, I deflated our lifestyle while increasing our income. As they say in the London Underground, “Mind the Gap” – I take that to be the gap between income and spending.

During our financial turning point, I eliminated tons of expenses that have never returned to our life. We sold things, ended subscriptions, lowered our fixed costs, and have kept them low. I happily pay $4 for my Ooma phone instead of the $50 I was paying before, and then $25 for Netflix and HBO subscriptions instead of whatever ridiculous amount cable costs nowadays. I shop at warehouse clubs for all our groceries and household goods, and shop around for car and home insurance every year. We go on camping vacations and road trips and have a blast – no expensive day trips or vacations. While my coworkers shop for second homes, we go to the park to play.

As for the income inflation side? Well, I finished that MBA about four years ago, and combined with my career strategy, my income has increased by over $40k since. Now over half of every dollar I earn goes straight to buying freedom. I’m no longer willing to work for “stuff” – I work for myself and my family.

#3. Frugal Fun

My co-workers on two incomes have new homes, second homes, new cars, expensive vacations, home remodels, expensive weekend trips, and so on. We live in the house we bought 11 years ago when we only had one kid (we’re now up to three).

We do fun things like spending $11 on day trips (thanks to Groupon, used book stores, and free museums), go to free hot air balloon festivals with homemade muffins, and we even host “Chopped Championships” with food we have around the house. The library is our friend, giving us free books, movies, and even a 3D printer! Free and nearly free activities consume our spare time, and we have inexpensive hobbies. Think kids need to be expensive? They’re only as expensive as you let them be.

#4. Not Caring What Others Think

People may find our lifestyle weird, strange even. A married couple with three kids living on mom’s income while dad stays home? Pretty rare. On top of that, living well below your means results in living very differently than folks used to the lifestyle inflation that two incomes typically bring. I don’t really care what other people think of our family arrangement, though, nor our frugal life or pursuit of FIRE. We’re doing what works for us!

#5. Crystal Clear Priorities

There’s nothing like a near death experience to clarify the priorities in your life. Buying stuff? Going into debt for a car? Using raises and bonuses to go on fancy vacations or second homes?

Hell no.

Using money to buy mortgage freedom, college funding, and financial independence?

Hell yes.

Moms On FIRE

I started my site specifically to cater to other moms like myself – interested in personal finance and investing, financial independence, family breadwinners, and/or high income earners.

I’ve been fortunate to meet other amazing moms, virtually, who are also the breadwinners of their households in all kinds of different ways. Some are the higher income earners of a two-income family, others go to work while their spouse stays at home, women millionaires, moms working to support their family and their own parents at the same time, and women interested in all the fun details of personal finance and investing (and not so much in extreme couponing).

We may still be uncommon, but we’re a growing force in the world.

To other women out there, I say this: whether you’re the breadwinner, earning a high income, a single mom, in debt, a millionaire, or anything else – you too can set yourself on FIRE!

Whatever’s happened in your life, you can overcome it and achieve your wildest dreams. Get clear on your priorities, stop caring what others think, and live your life the way you want!

****** Liz writes over at Chief Mom Officer, a site dedicated to helping other moms with money, work, and frugal family life. Every Wednesday she publishes a new interview with a breadwinning, six figure, and/or millionaire mom. Connect with her over on Twitter or Instagram!

EDITOR’S NOTE: Speaking of FIRE, check out this in-depth article on the originals of the FIRE movement. It spans over 800 years, did you know that??? (For those new to the scene, FIRE = Financial independence, Retire Early)

How We’re Reaching Financial Freedom On One Income – Mom’s Income. posted first on http://ift.tt/2lnwIdQ

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heliosfinance · 8 years ago

Text

How We’re Reaching Financial Freedom On One Income – Mom’s Income.

******

How did we end up like this? How do you pursue FIRE on one mom’s income? Let me show you…

How It Happened

Finding a job in the depths of the Great Recession that would (1) allow us to continue having someone at home all the time or (2) pay enough to cover daycare expenses proved impossible.

Then, the unthinkable happened. When my husband was 37, five years ago, he almost died of septic shock.

How We Thrive On Mom’s Income

Here are five keys on how we’re able to do it:

#1. Artificial Environment of Economic Scarcity

#2. Income Inflation, and Lifestyle Deflation

Back in crisis mode, I deflated our lifestyle while increasing our income. As they say in the London Underground, “Mind the Gap” – I take that to be the gap between income and spending.

#3. Frugal Fun

#4. Not Caring What Others Think

#5. Crystal Clear Priorities

There’s nothing like a near death experience to clarify the priorities in your life. Buying stuff? Going into debt for a car? Using raises and bonuses to go on fancy vacations or second homes?

Hell no.

Using money to buy mortgage freedom, college funding, and financial independence?

Hell yes.

Moms On FIRE

I started my site specifically to cater to other moms like myself – interested in personal finance and investing, financial independence, family breadwinners, and/or high income earners.

We may still be uncommon, but we’re a growing force in the world.

To other women out there, I say this: whether you’re the breadwinner, earning a high income, a single mom, in debt, a millionaire, or anything else – you too can set yourself on FIRE!

Whatever’s happened in your life, you can overcome it and achieve your wildest dreams. Get clear on your priorities, stop caring what others think, and live your life the way you want!

How We’re Reaching Financial Freedom On One Income – Mom’s Income. published first on http://ift.tt/2ljLF4B

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whittemorepages-blog · 8 years ago

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April 2017 at a glance - adult programs

Yoga all levels with certified instructor Paula Lantieri every Monday, 6:15 p.m. - 7:15p.m. in the Meeting Room. Please arrive before 6.Drop in, bring a yoga mat and wear comfortable clothing. $5.00 suggested donation per session.

Ongoing meditation practice for relaxation, focus, personal growth, spiritual development. Periods of meditation with an opportunity for questions and discussion. Every second, fourth, and fifth Tuesday 6:00 p.m.- 6:45 p.m.

Health Insurance Assistance: Have questions about eligibility for AccessHealth CT or HUSKY? Confused about changes that could be coming to the law on medical coverage?Arianne Cacciatore from StayWell Health Center will be coming in every-other-month to answer your questions one-on-one on the first Monday afternoons beginning Monday, April 3, 2017 from 2:00 p.m. – 4:00 p.m. All conversations are free and confidential. No appointment required. Call Whittemore Library for more information- (203) 729-4591.

Veterans Assistance: On Thursday, April 6, 2017 and the 1st Thursday of each month from10:30 a.m. - 12:30 p.m. Brian Naylor- MSgt USAF retired, Veterans Advocate withIndependence Northwest Inc., will meet one-on-one with veterans and family members to discuss any problems or questions you may have about veteran benefits or services such as: VA Medical and Disability programs; Obtaining military documents; Low-income assistance (i.e. MSP, SNAP, fuel assistance); and General guidance on most issues affecting vets. No appointment required. All conversations are free and confidential. Call Whittemore Library for more information- (203) 729-4591.

The Friends of the Whittemore Library will hold their Annual Book Sale beginning on Thursday, April 6, from 3 pm – 6 pm (an admission fee of $5 will be charged Thursday only) Friday from 10 am – 4 pm and Saturday from 10 am - 2 pm.

Third Congressional District Constituent Service: Do you need assistance with a federal agency on topics like Social Security, Medicare, immigration issues, federal student loans or others? Join us on Tuesday, April 11, 2017, Tuesday, April 25, 2017 and the second and fourth Tuesdays of most months from 10:00 a.m. to 5:00 p.m. when Marilyn Cheyne fromU.S. Representative Rosa DeLauro’s office will be on hand to provide one-on-one service and distribute government information and publications. No appointment required. Call Whittemore Library for more information- (203) 729-4591.

Detox Your Home: Tuesday, April 11, 2017 at 6:30 p.m. Want to take your Spring Cleaning to a new level? Find out how to "Detox Your Home" with Marie Bristol. She'll discuss the everyday chemicals that may be in your household and how they can affect your family. Find out more about the dangers of common cleansers and find out some recommendations on natural alternatives. Call Whittemore Library for more information or to register- (203) 729-4591.

e-book Assistance: Tuesday, April 18, 2017 from 3:00 p.m. – 4:00 p.m. Interested in using our FREE e-book and e-audiobook platforms OverDrive and OneClick Digital but don’t know how to get started on your particular device? Have you run into any technical problems downloading titles or accessing them? Our own Derek Schilling can assist you one-on-one with e-book questions. Just bring in your laptop, e-reader, tablet, or mobile phone. Drop by the Reference desk – no reservation necessary. Can’t make this session? Call us or drop by to make an appointment for a later time slot. We also have instructional brochures available at all times. Give your bookshelf a break by stocking up on e-books! Call Whittemore Library for more information - (203) 729-4591.

The HWML Book Club will meet Tuesday, April 18 at 7 p.m. in the Meeting Room to discuss: David Finkel’s Thank You for Your Service “a best-selling account from the front lines of Baghdad...the men of the 2-16 Infantry Battalion...a grueling fifteen month tour that changed them all forever.

”Sea Tea Improv’s Whose Line is it, Anyway? Show: Tuesday, April 18, 2017 at 6:30 p.m.Sea Tea (get it?) is a Connecticut professional comedy team. Its members have trained with famous ensembles such as Second City and Upright Citizens Brigade. Join us for a hilarious evening when they’ll be in town to stage a Whose Line is it, Anyway? - style show. They’ll be looking for your topic ideas and might even bring you into the uproarious action. This totally improvised performance is never the same before (or after!) this show - so don’t miss it! Register to make sure you’ll have a seat. We guarantee “everything is made up and the points don’t matter.” Call Whittemore Library for more information or to register- (203) 729-4591.

Wednesday, April 19 at 6:30 pm: Ladies’ book group, Whittemore Women, will meet in the Reading Rom to discuss the award winning novel “Everything I Never Told You” by Celeste Ng. Books are available from the library, newcomers are welcome.

Microsoft Word Workshop with CTWorks Career Coach: Do you need a “Coach” to help your Typing and Word Processing Skills? Learn how to create professional documents such as resumes, letters, and reports. Join us Thursday, April 20, 2017 from 10 a.m.-12 noon or 1 p.m.-3 p.m. when CT Works Career Coach, a free mobile career center and computer lab serving the citizens of Southwestern Connecticut will be in town. Join us when Career Coach staff will provide guidance on how to use Microsoft Word to compose, edit, format, and print written materials you can use in all business and personal situations. Want to take part? Call or visit Whittemore Library to register for the 10 a.m. or 1 p.m. session. The earlier session is for beginners, and the later one is for intermediate users. Select the one that’s right for you. Don’t delay, space aboard is limited! Participants must have basic computer skills and bring work history information. The Career Coach will park on Division Street at the Town Green diagonally across from the library. Don’t miss this bus! Call Whittemore Library for more information or to register- (203) 729-4591.

Drop-In assistance with New Opportunities: Need help filling out Social Security, Medicare, or energy assistance forms? Searching for help with housing and assistance programs? Want to get additional education or training opportunities? For these and other subjects, Cinthia Ruiz-Alvarez from New Opportunities in Waterbury will be in on the last Monday afternoon of each month beginning Monday, April 24, 2017 from 2:00 p.m. – 4:00 p.m. to assist you on a variety of topics. Cinthia can help you get started or point you in the right direction. All conversations are free and confidential. No appointment required. Call Whittemore Library for more information- (203) 729-4591.April 25 & 26, 2017:

The Whittemore Library is registered with Connecticut Community Foundation’s Give Local campaign. This 36 hour giving event enables donors to offer funding to local nonprofits and benefit from gifts, bonus dollars, and money matching opportunities throughout the campaign. This year, donations may also be made ahead of time for donor convenience. Donations made to the Whittemore Library will be used to expand preschool programming, enabling us to offer new experiences to our youngest patrons beyond the traditional storytime. Please visit www.GiveLocalCCF.org to donate. Thank you for your support of the Whittemore Library.

SNAP Information Outreach: Do you know someone who might be eligible for SNAP (formerly known as Food Stamps) but isn't sure where to begin or if they are eligible? On Wednesday, April 26, 2017 from 10:00 a.m. – 1:00 p.m. we'll have John Potusek fromStayWell Health Center who can answer your questions one-on-one about SNAP and help you complete an application. All consultations are free and confidential. SNAP Assistance is held on the 4th Wednesday of each month. Call Whittemore Library for more information- (203) 729-4591.

Pints & Pages Pub Book Club: Do you like to read or talk about books but can’t find enough friends with the same interests or think book clubs are too stuffy? Join Pints & PagesWednesday, April 26, 2017 at 6:30 p.m. with library staff members Matt Yanarella and Kirk Morrison at The Corner Tavern (178 N. Main St.) - voted the “best craft beer bar in the state” by Todd’s CT Pour Tour. Pints & Pages usually meets on the last Wednesday of each month. We’ll discuss a wide range of classic, cult, and new books with an emphasis on ones that have been filmed for movies or TV. Buy a beverage or a great bite from the menu and get ready for a lively discussion. April’s title is: Sick in the Head by Judd Apatow. Need a copy of the book before we meet? Stop by Whittemore Library to pick one up and register. Call Whittemore Library for more information or to register- (203) 729-4591.

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