Supporting young children’s development means providing limits as well as opportunities.  Carolyn Pirak from Talaris Institute explains why discipline is important and how it can be used in ways that support the healthy social and emotional growth of toddlers and preschoolers.   

 http://www.king5.com/on-tv/Learning-for-Life-How-to-best-discipline-your-young-children-90099932.html

http://www.king5.com/news/learning-for-life/Learning-for-Life-That-Talaris-Institute-80946497.html

Boeing continues to be a leader in supporting early childhood education by providing child care on site and offering parenting education classes from Talaris Institute.  Employees appreciate the emphasis on family agree that it promotes a positive and productive work environment.  

http://www.king5.com/news/learning-for-life/Learning-for-Life-Boeing–80946357.html

Katie Simons, Executive Director of Talaris Institute, explores the role of the private sector in influencing early education and how organizations like Talaris Institute can best support parents and caregivers.

http://www.king5.com/news/learning-for-life/Learning-for-Life-Interview-with-executive-director-of-Talaris-Institute-80946692.html

Emotions Matter, an exhibit created by the Children’s Museum of Tacoma and Talaris Institute, is designed to help parents and children in military families learn more about feelings and emotions and how to handle them.  The exhibit has traveled throughout Pierce County (Washington) Library branches before moving to the Ft. Lewis Library system. 

http://www.ireport.com/docs/DOC-378741

Parenting Counts is pleased to announce one of the newest additions to its product line designed for parents and caregivers:  Big Feelings: A book filled with emotions.  Big Feelings is a beautifully illustrated picture book filled with ten lovable animals in emotional situations just like the ones toddlers and preschoolers might face each day. With the help of animals like Ellie the Elephant and Mikey the Monkey, parents can talk with their children about how they feel and act when they experience a particular emotion. Whether frustrated, proud, lonely or excited, this delightful story will help children name and share their experiences.

Big Feelings Product Update

Time, love and patience are perhaps the three most important gifts parents can share with their children.  Carolyn Pirak from Talaris Institute explains how these pillars of positive parenting help to create a strong and secure foundation for a child’s healthy growth and development.

http://www.king5.com/on-tv/Learning-for-Life-Give-your-time-love-and-Patience-79240512.html

The baby-parent bond serves as the foundation for a child’s social and emotional development and continues to develop as the child grows and gets older. Carolyn Pirak from Talaris Institute explains how parents serve as role models for their infants and toddlers and how they help their children develop socially and emotionally.

http://www.king5.com/archive/64597227.html

Playing is learning, but parents definitely tackle it from different angles. Carolyn Pirak from Talaris Institute addresses the different but important benefits that mothers and fathers offer as their children’s playmates. Fathers tend to be a bit louder, rowdier and rougher when they play with their children, while mothers are more cautious and intentional.

http://www.king5.com/news/local/60834377.html

Parenting Counts is pleased to introduce a recently updated product line designed for parents and caregivers: the Life with Baby, Toddler and Preschooler series. The Life with series offers three kits designed for use with the following age groups: Baby (birth–12 months), Toddler (12–36 months) and Preschooler (3–5 years). Each kit contains age-appropriate, research-based information and practical parenting tips as well as products such as puppets, blocks and toys designed to enhance interaction between children and adults.

Life with Product Update

Parenting Counts is pleased to announce one of the newest additions to its product line designed for early childhood professionals: the Emotion Coaching Kit. The Emotion Coaching Kit is intended to serve as the basis for a parenting workshop or professional training on teaching young children how to identify and express their emotions. The kit contains a number of different teaching tools, including a video, discussion questions and other visual aids, all designed to engage and educate workshop participants about healthy emotional development.

ECK product update

University of Chicago professor James Heckman is one of the nation’s leading proponents of early childhood education. Heckman basis his advocacy on the belief that investing in children from birth through five years of age is essential and pays enormous dividends. The educator explains his theory and how he thinks schools can help children build a healthy foundation for life.

http://www.npr.org/templates/story/story.php?storyId=111572288&sc=emaf

Becoming a parent can be a dramatic, and even traumatic, experience for many people. Roles shift. Sleep becomes a distant memory. And then there’s the new reality that there’s no “time off” from parenting. Carolyn Pirak from Talaris Institute explores the transition to parenthood and some of the most important ways to prepare emotionally.

http://www.king5.com/archive/60424507.html

Words are good. Conversation is better. That’s the message of a study released today in the journal Pediatrics that links young children’s language skills to the amount of time that adults engage them in back-and-forth exchanges. Past research has shown that cognitive abilities are strongest among children whose parents use many words in speaking to them. Today’s study builds on those findings, showing what many child development experts have stressed for years—that some of the strongest learning moments happen in interactions between caregivers and young children.

http://www.newamerica.net/blog/early-ed-watch/2009/ucla-study-give-young-children-chance-converse-12838

Children need play. Before the age of five, experts agree, playing is learning. It’s how children explore the world around them and grow physically and mentally. Carolyn Pirak from Talaris Institute discusses the importance of play and how it differs for infants, toddlers and preschoolers.

http://www.king5.com/archive/60068777.html

“Today’s parents want the best for their children and are seeking parenting information and products they can trust. At Talaris, we are experiencing a great deal of interest in our research‑based parenting materials. To help meet this demand, we are growing our organization. We are thrilled to be welcoming five highly talented new members of our team,”

says Katie Simons, Executive Director, of Talaris Institute.

http://www.prnewswire.com/news-releases/talaris-fills-five-key-positions-to-meet-demand-62128322.html

A recent study confirms that increased televison time in a household leads to decreased verbal interaction between parent and child.  Since interaction is one of the most important ways to stimulate a baby’s brain growth, less interaction can only lead to less productive brain growth.  The study also explored the impact of television on young children’s verbal development.

http://www.msnbc.msn.com/id/31051013

It’s no question that decisions about early education are made not only by parents and elected officials but also by those in the philanthropic world. Some of the biggest nonprofits have chosen early learning as a priority. KCTS 9 host Enrique Cerna talks with representatives from Thrive by Five, the Bill & Melinda Gates Foundation and Talaris Institute.

http://www.kcts9.org/video/role-non-profits-and-philanthropy-early-education

Katie Simons, former Director of Brewed Coffee at Starbucks and a Project Leader for Boston Consulting Group, has joined local nonprofit organization Talaris Institute as their new General Manager. Simons will be responsible for all aspects of general operations, planning, research, product development, distribution and evaluation. As the mother of a toddler, Katie understands the value of the Parenting Counts products. With her experience in the retail marketplace, she is uniquely qualified to take Talaris from its “proof of concept” stage to a new platform of large-scale distribution and effectiveness.

KatieSimonspressrelease

Seeds of Compassion, an initiative to bring world attention to the importance of nurturing kindness and compassion beginning with children and extending to all who touch their lives, today announced the unprecedented support of four organizations committed to creating more compassionate communities. Casey Family Programs, KING 5 Television, Talaris Institute and the Kirlin Charitable Foundation have together donated more than $2.75 million in cash and in-kind support to the Seeds of Compassion program.

http://www.seedsofcompassion.org/media/pressDocs/Seeds%20Title%20Sponsors.pdf