ttt guest post: new evolution in teacher led playgroups

Hayden and I are flying off to Colorado to take care of some business, so I have a wonderful guest blog for today. 

J.C. Conklin is co-founder of Gorgeous Millie, a soon-to-open teacher led playgroup for mom's and kids 0-3 in the Austin Area. This is such a cool concept, especially since at playgroups I am dealing with two kids and leave stressed out. If someone knows of one of these in the Twin Cities area please let me know about iit.

Check out the Gorgeous Millie site and follow them on Twitter.

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By J.C. Conklin, co-founder of Gorgeous Millie

I am terrified of leaving my children with nannies, mother’s day out programs, daycare or preschools. My fear has been confirmed again and again. We fired a nanny after she passed out at lunch with my children. Luckily I was downstairs working. The sound of chaos brought me to the kitchen. She blamed cold medicine. I thought the rum I smelled on her breath contributed.

My oldest son, (he’s four) is in the best preschool program in Austin, Texas. There’s a wait-list for two years to get in. Most people sign up when they find out they’re pregnant. His teacher told me that at other preschools she saw teachers force children’s heads down on mats during nap time because if they slept the teachers got to take a break. His preschool has no nap and has one way mirrors so the parents can watch anytime. Now I realize how lucky I am. 

I have been hesitant to put it mildly to place my children in anything I’m not there for until they can talk. I can’t risk it. But I want them to see other children on a regular basis. I want them to learn. And I desperately need a few minutes to breath while they are distracted. 

When a friend of mine in Washington DC told me about a teacher led playgroup she belonged to I was happy for her and envious. Mothers became members and they limited membership so the group was never crowded. The teacher led the children, ages 0 to 3, through music and art classes and supervised free play for three hours three days a week. She suggested fixes when mothers struggled with how to deal with different behaviors. The moms could talk some and have a cup of coffee. The kids socialized. The moms learned about early childhood development.

The teacher led (and fee based) playgroup is the newest evolution in early childhood education. Most cost $300 a month, some cost more. It sounded steep to me, especially since the parent is there the whole time but you are paying for 9 hours a week or 36 hours a month of instruction. I paid $75 a month for 45 minutes a week or three hours a month of instruction from Gymboree.

Washington DC has four groups with wait lists. Blue Igloo was started by the owner of the Washington Post’s grand-daughter because she couldn’t get into the other groups. Portland, Maine has the poshest one I’ve seen. They all have long waitlists.  Two different groups in New York City are planning on opening next year. I am stepping outside my comfort zone and starting one with my friend, Laura Jacks. Gorgeous Millie will open in Austin in January. Its website is www.gorgeousmillie.com 

The groups come with a bit of controversy. Some mothers say, “Why should I pay for a playgroup?” Others are more pointed, “It’s sad when you have to pay for something that you should organize in your neighborhood.” 

I say every playgroup that is mother-led I’ve heard of has broken up after a few meetings because of unresolved disputes (there’s no objective third party like a teacher who can step in), no neutral territory and irregular hours. Personally, I want to learn more about early childhood development from a professional while my baby sits next to another baby and pushes cars around. I would love to talk to other moms a few mornings a week . I crave some structure to my day besides nap, bath time and meals. But every mom is different and that’s one of the joys of life. 

PLAYGROUPS ACROSS THE COUNTRY

PORTLAND, MAINE

Toddler Program, Breakwater School

WASHINGTON DC

Blue Igloo

In Town

Little Graces (there are two in DC)

ALBUQUERQUE

Rosalie Playgroup

LOS ANGELES

The Beverlyglen Playgroup

guest post: baby sign language

We did some sign language with Hadley when she was little.  Milk. More. Cereal. Baby. Bubbles. Eat. Drink. Just to name a few. And I wanted to teach her more, but she started talking pretty well, so we moved on from the sign language.  But while she was using it, it was certainly beneficial. Now Hayden is here and while she is little, I've started using these basic signs with her.


So when Chief Editor at Baby Sign Language, Misty Weaver reached out to me to run a guest post on my blog, I happily accepted it. Without really having to think about it. I think signing is that great.  Enjoy and good luck!
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Is My Baby Too Young To Learn Baby Signing?

Baby signing is a great early activity for mom and baby to do together. As Mom needs to learn the signs first – and then repeat them lots and lots to baby – it doesn’t really matter too much if baby is a little young when you first start signing. 

When To Start
The sooner you start signing to your baby, the sooner he will begin to communicate her needs back to you. You can start at any time, even from birth. If you have an older baby, you can still start to sign with her at any time. Even when your child has started to say a few simple words you may find that learning to sign helps her with her communication. 

How To Start
The key is to pick a few simple signs, such as Mommy, Daddy, and Milk, and concentrate on using these signs over and over. Repetition is really important, as is choosing signs which are interesting to your baby. Use the sign and say the word clearly. With older babies you can use flash cards to help if the object of the sign is not present.

When Will My Baby Start Signing
Be patient and don’t expect your baby to start signing immediately. You should encourage all her efforts at signing, even if you don’t recognize the sign your baby is trying to make. Any effort is great – she is trying to communicate with you. Most babies over the age of six months will need about two months of exposure and repetition of a sign before they begin to use it. So if you start signing with your baby when she is seven months old, she will most likely be using one of your favorite signs by the age of nine months. 

How To Develop Their Signing Vocabulary
When your baby has mastered their first few signs you can begin to introduce new ones. It’s a good idea to stick to groups of similar ideas or objects when introducing something new, for example food signs, or colors, or emotions. Remember, make it fun and repeat, repeat, repeat. Encourage your baby’s efforts at making the signs. Only introduce a few new signs at a time, and continue with these for around two months.

Do I Need To Go To A Class?
This all depends on your personal preference and where you live. If you have a class near to you, and you enjoy it, then classes are a great way to learn. Good baby signing classes will follow the advice given above – making it fun, repeating signs and building a base of simple signs before moving on to new ones, and encouraging the efforts of the babies and the moms! If you can’t find a class don’t worry – there are loads of resources online for you to use at home. Have fun, repeat and encourage – these are your steps to success no matter how young your baby. 

This guest post is brought to you by Baby Sign Language. We are site dedicated to helping parents use signing as a way to communicate with their baby. Visit the site for all the FREE resources.

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