I don’t know if I’m the only one who has noticed that the world has become a more dangerous place for our children to live in. This is the last thing a parent wants to hear, believe me, I know.  No one wants to add any more anxiety to the already long list of worries a parent has while rearing their children. However, I must say this because I care. I wish I could say that the world is becoming a much safer place for our children to live in, but I can’t, because just the opposite is happening.

So, the information I’m about to share is intended to make us aware of the dangers raising up out there, so that as parents we can all make informed decisions when it comes to keeping our children safe—completely out of harm’s way. Well, maybe not completely out of harm’s way—that might not be humanly possible, but at least, to do all that we can possibly do to keep them out of harm’s way. So, here we go:

Parents Beware Alert

The LGBT (lesbian, gay, bisexual and ‘transgender’) movement wants our children, and President Obama is backing them up every step of the way. They want access to our children to twist their minds and to persuade them into thinking that maybe, just maybe they might be gay, and thus persuade them into trying the homosexual lifestyle. They want to convince every man, woman and child that deep down they’re all homosexuals–they just don’t know it yet because they haven’t tried it.

In the fall, Obama told the Washington Blade what gay activists could expect under an Obama presidency. “I will continue to do what I’ve done throughout my career and in this campaign,” he said, “speak out on behalf of the cause for … for LGBT (lesbian, gay, bisexual and ‘transgender’) Americans.”

In April 2008, Obama told a gay-activist magazine: “I for a very long time have been interested in repeal of DOMA” (the Defense of Marriage Act, which is the only thing preventing same-sex “marriage” from spreading across the U.S.). http://www.citizenlink.org

Ever since elected, this group’s ambitious agenda seems to be in the president’s highest-of-priorities-list, and it is taking priority over our children safety. How?

SB 200: The Bathroom Bill… sexual predators could take advantage of the confusion caused by this law — and endanger women and children in public bathrooms.

Colorado recently enacted SB 200, a law that opens “public accommodations” — including public restrooms — to members of the opposite sex. In other words, men who consider themselves to be women, may go in the “women” labeled restrooms and vise versa. In the name of protecting transgendered individuals from discrimination, Colorado has paved the way for sexual predators to take advantage of the confusion caused by this law — and endanger women and children.

H.R. 1913: Hate-Crimes Legislation (“hate-crimes” laws S.909) Could offer protection to pedophiles????

By a 249-175 vote, the liberal leadership delivered on its promise to create special protections for people based on their sexual behavior, gender identity, or disabilities. In addition to whom the bill would protect, it also adjusts where the victims are eligible for protection. In its current form, H.R. 1913 would overturn a prior rule that the victim of a hate crime had to be attacked while they were “engaged in a federally protected activity.” Under the new language, Washington can intervene in just about any local or state crime. Because the bill doesn’t define the term “sexual orientation,” some fear that pedophiles and practitioners of other bizarre sexual fetishes would try to claim protection under it.

S.B. 572: The California State Senate is poised to vote on a bill making an official “homosexual day” in every public school.

It would be called “Harvey Milk Day” in honor of the openly homosexual San Francisco Board of Supervisors member who was shot and killed in 1978 along with the city’s mayor, George Moscone. S.B. 572, which was approved 7-to-2 out of committee last week, says observances conducted on May 22 should recognize Milk’s “accomplishments as well as the contributions he made to this state” — and that “all public schools and educational institutions are encouraged to observe…and…conduct suitable commemorative exercises.”

Randy Thomasson of SaveCalifornia.com says the legislation designates just another day to indoctrinate children in the tenets of homosexuality.

According to Thomasson, parental permission for children to participate in any related activities would not be required under S.B. 572, effectively trampling on parents’ rights. He also contends the measure would “encourage public schools to positively portray to children any and all facets of homosexuality, bisexuality, and trans-sexuality — and anything else that’s ‘in the closet.’“ By Charlie Butts and Jody Brown - OneNewsNow - http://www.onenewsnow.com

How Does Gay ‘Marriage’ Affect Education?
by Jennifer Mesko, editor, http://www.citizenlink.org

‘The Supreme Court has made it clear that once a state orders gay…

Marriage advocates in California are rolling out a second television ad showing how same-sex “marriage” would change what’s taught in the classroom.

Gay activists, in their effort to defeat California’s marriage amendment (Prop. 8), are claiming homosexual “marriage” has no effect on education.

Yet, in the only other state that has legalized gay “marriage” — Massachusetts — schoolchildren are seeing some of the most egregious effects following the 2003 court decision.

In 2006, a Massachusetts teacher read the gay-friendly book “King and King” to her first-grade class, which included Joey Wirthlin. His parents, Robert and Robin Wirthlin, met with the school principal to request they be given advance notice before such material was taught to their son.

Two courts decided schools are not required to inform parents in advance of teaching about same-sex relationships. On Monday, the U.S. Supreme Court refused to hear the appeal.

“The Supreme Court has made it clear that once a state orders gay ‘marriage,’ public schools are going to be teaching about gay ‘marriage,’ ” said Maggie Gallagher, president of the National Organization for Marriage “There is no parental opt-out.”

Same-Sex ‘Marriage’ Spreads through Northeast
by Jennifer Mesko, editor, http://www.citizenlink.org

‘This is a divisive and polarizing effort driven by the need to play to the Democrats’ donor base.’

The New York State Assembly voted Tuesday to legalize same-sex “marriage.” Thankfully, the legislation faces an uphill battle in the state Senate.

In New Hampshire, the Legislature has sent a similar bill to Gov. John Lynch, despite a recent state survey that found 64 percent of respondents agreed that “marriage between one man and one woman should be the only legal definition of marriage.”

Brian Brown, executive director for the National Organization for Marriage, said it’s clear the people of New Hampshire are not clamoring for same-sex “marriage.”

“This is a divisive and polarizing effort driven by the need to play to the Democrats’ donor base, not the will of the people,” he said. “How much of a role did out-of-state money, and national pressure, play in getting New Hampshire politicians to ignore the voters? It’s a legitimate question.”

Last week, Maine Gov. John Baldacci signed legislation making the state the fifth to allow same-sex “marriage.”

A “people’s veto” is in the works in Maine; it allows voters to place an issue on the ballot.

Connecticut, Massachusetts, Vermont and Iowa also allow homosexual “marriage.” The California Supreme Court is expected to rule soon on that state’s marriage-protection amendment, which was approved by voters in November.

Jenny Tyree, marriage analyst at Focus on the Family Action, said too many lawmakers are ignoring the needs of the current and future citizens of their states.

“The purpose of marriage — attaching men and women to each other and to children — may sound old-fashioned to modern ears, but societies cannot thrive by undermining the best family structure for raising the next generation.

“The definition of marriage is most secure in the hands of the voters.”

Gay Activist Tim Gill and Friends Claim Victory in 106 Races
by Jennifer Mesko, editor

For years, homosexual multi-millionaire Tim Gill and his like-minded friends have shrewdly targeted key legislative races to defeat candidates who support traditional marriage and family values.

In 2004, Gill and his friends poured millions into Gill’s home state of Colorado and gave control of the Legislature to those favoring the homosexual agenda. In 2006, they expanded, targeting 70 key races in Colorado and other states and winning an astonishing 50.This year was no different.

In addition to investing millions to — unsuccessfully — fight marriage amendments in Arizona, California and Florida, Gill and like-minded contributors supported candidates in at least 147 state races and won 106 of them. Having personally poured more than $150 million into homosexual advocacy, Gill has said his mission is to “punish the wicked” — those who stand in the way of his gay agenda.

Protecting Marriage to Protect Children
by David Blankenhorn

Marriage as a human institution is constantly evolving. But in all societies, marriage shapes the rights and obligations of parenthood.

Marriage as a human institution is constantly evolving, and many of its features vary across groups and cultures. But there is one constant. In all societies, marriage shapes the rights and obligations of parenthood. Among us humans, the scholars report, marriage is not primarily a license to have sex. Nor is it primarily a license to receive benefits or social recognition. It is primarily a license to have children.

In this sense, marriage is a gift that society bestows on its next generation. Marriage (and only marriage) unites the three core dimensions of parenthood — biological, social and legal — into one pro-child form: the married couple. Marriage says to a child: The man and the woman whose sexual union made you will also be there to love and raise you. Marriage says to society as a whole: For every child born, there is a recognized mother and a father, accountable to the child and to each other.

These days, because of the gay marriage debate, one can be sent to bed without supper for saying such things. But until very recently, almost no one denied this core fact about marriage. Summing up the cross-cultural evidence, the anthropologist Helen Fisher in 1992 put it simply: “People wed primarily to reproduce.” The philosopher and Nobel laureate Bertrand Russell, certainly no friend of conventional sexual morality, was only repeating the obvious a few decades earlier when he concluded that “it is through children alone that sexual relations become important to society, and worthy to be taken cognizance of by a legal institution.”

Marriage is society’s most pro-child institution. In 2002 — just moments before it became highly unfashionable to say so — a team of researchers from Child Trends, a nonpartisan research center, reported that “family structure clearly matters for children, and the family structure that helps children the most is a family headed by two biological parents in a low-conflict marriage.”

All our scholarly instruments seem to agree: For healthy development, what a child needs more than anything else is the mother and father who together made the child, who love the child and love each other.

For these reasons, children have the right, insofar as society can make it possible, to know and to be cared for by the two parents who brought them into this world. The foundational human rights document in the world today regarding children, the 1989 U.N. Convention on the Rights of the Child, specifically guarantees children this right. The last time I checked, liberals like me were supposed to be in favor of internationally recognized human rights, particularly concerning children, who are typically society’s most voiceless and vulnerable group. Or have I now said something I shouldn’t?

Every child being raised by gay or lesbian couples will be denied his birthright to both parents who made him. Every single one. Moreover, losing that right will not be a consequence of something that at least most of us view as tragic, such as a marriage that didn’t last, or an unexpected pregnancy where the father-to-be has no intention of sticking around. On the contrary, in the case of same-sex marriage and the children of those unions, it will be explained to everyone, including the children, that something wonderful has happened!

For me, what we are encouraged or permitted to say, or not say, to one another about what our society owes its children is crucially important in the debate over initiatives like California’s Proposition 8, which would reinstate marriage’s customary man-woman form. Do you think that every child deserves his mother and father, with adoption available for those children whose natural parents cannot care for them? Do you suspect that fathers and mothers are different from one another? Do you imagine that biological ties matter to children? How many parents per child is best? Do you think that “two” is a better answer than one, three, four or whatever? If you do, be careful. In making the case for same-sex marriage, more than a few grown-ups will be quite willing to question your integrity and goodwill. Children, of course, are rarely consulted.

The liberal philosopher Isaiah Berlin famously argued that, in many cases, the real conflict we face is not good versus bad but good versus good. Reducing homophobia is good. Protecting the birthright of the child is good. How should we reason together as a society when these two good things conflict?

Here is my reasoning. I reject homophobia and believe in the equal dignity of gay and lesbian love. Because I also believe with all my heart in the right of the child to the mother and father who made her, I believe that we as a society should seek to maintain and to strengthen the only human institution — marriage — that is specifically intended to safeguard that right and make it real for our children.

Legalized same-sex marriage almost certainly benefits those same-sex couples who choose to marry, as well as the children being raised in those homes. But changing the meaning of marriage to accommodate homosexual orientation further and perhaps definitively undermines for all of us the very thing — the gift, the birthright — that is marriage’s most distinctive contribution to human society. That’s a change that, in the final analysis, I cannot support. David Blankenhorn is president of the New York-based Institute for American Values and the author of The Future of Marriage.

Parents, the LGBT (lesbian, gay, bisexual and ‘transgender’) movement is out to recruit our children. They are out to brain wash the vulnerable minds of our young people and convincing them into experimenting, and trying “to see if you like it” kind of a thing, in a very subtle, but manipulative and calculated way. The government is backing them up and the media is supporting them a 100%.

The media is bombarding our kids with homosexual vibes. America’s major broadcast networks are upping their promotion of the homosexual movement, doubling the number of lesbian, gay, bisexual or transsexual scripted characters for the 2008-2009 broadcast schedule since last year. There are numerous shows on MTV, VH1 & other Cable TV channels with lots and lots of homosexual & bisexual content aimed at our young people. I would suggest keeping a close watch at what our kids are looking at on TV these days. And I would personally prohibit any shows with this type of content from being watched in my house. Let’s bring their ratings down, and make them go off the air.

The media is trying to create this positive outlook on homosexuality–trying to shove their sexual orientation down our throats–to convince us to accept their sexual orientation as normal and allow them all kinds of privileges and access to our children. We have all these gay Hollywood personalities in California, with lots of money, funding all kinds of efforts to support the gay agenda, and all the gays in government doing all they can to push legislations that would allow them more and more power to influence our children. We need to take a stand. And let these people know that we are not letting them have our children. We do not want our children involved in their homosexual lifestyle.

I don’t know about you, but I don’t want a daughter of mine singing “I kissed a girl and I liked it”. And can you believe that this song, “I Kissed a Girl” was the No. 1 best-selling pop track on iTunes (& the #2 best-selling track overall on iTunes) and the #1 most-downloaded iTunes Ringtone. And was also the No. 1 most-requested song at multiple Top 40 stations nationwide? This experimenting thing with homosexuality is really getting to our young people, wouldn’t you say?

And I don’t know about you, but I carried my children in the womb for 9 long months each. I have nurtured them, cared for them, fed them, clothed them, and protected them, from the moment they were born to now–they are mine! And no one, no government, no school system, no group of people, no individual has the right to indoctrinate them on sexual orientation, period.

Plus National Petition to stop FOCA attached

On a hot summer morning in 2003, I found myself in the hospital not knowing what was wrong with me.  At three-months-pregnant, the last thing on my mind was that I was loosing my baby.  As I waited for the doctor to come in the room, nothing could have prepared me for what I was about to hear.  After his examination, the doctor concluded, “You are having a miscarriage”.  A miscarriage is the unintentional loss of a desired pregnancy– a pregnancy that ends spontaneously.  I could not believe what I was hearing—my world was falling apart.  I began to weep immediately.  My baby was leaving me, and I didn’t get the chance to see him or hold him in my arms and kiss him, and let him know that everything was going to be alright.  My heart was broken, my spirit crushed, my loss was immense and the emotional pain was severe.

This is the closest one will ever get to experiencing what it must be like to have an abortion without actually having one.  The same feeling of loss, anguish, despair and pain, but without the guilt that an actual abortion will inflict.  The feeling of loss is tremendous!

A year later, I had another miscarriage.  I’ve lost two babies, not doubt about that.  My body knew it.  My spirit knew it.  I knew it.  I mourned inconsolably the deaths of my babies each time.  The second time was not any better than the first.  As my hope for having a baby got dimmer, the pain became greater.  I had to fight through the depression, the pain, and a deep, deep feeling of loss to embrace myself to try again.  This is the kind of pain one will never know about until one actually goes through it.  The kind of pain one would not wish upon anybody, “not even your worst enemy.”  Now, add to this pain the guilt that comes along with knowing that you’ve made this choice to terminate the life of your baby, that you brought this upon yourself when you really didn’t have to.  This is what abortion does to a woman!  This is what President Obama is facilitating for women to experience through the Freedom of Choice Act.

The truth is that Obama’s Freedom of Choice Act doesn’t help women at all, it doesn’t help families, and it doesn’t help anyone, but the pockets of those performing the abortions.  Instead of helping, FOCA will act as a license for women to engage in irresponsible sexual behaviors with the false sense that it will be without any consequences.  That will only cause promiscuous behavior and sexually transmitted diseases to sky rocket.  But most importantly, the worst thing in all of these is the end result of abortion–ending the life of a child, and the guilt and emotional pain that it will inflict on those women that will have them.  Sure, there is healing and forgiveness for women after an abortion, but much better it is not to have to go through that at all.  Now that I have two children, I know more than ever that the two babies I miscarriage could have been just like them, would their development process had not been stopped.  I lost two babies no doubt about that, and even dough it has helped me appreciate my children even more, I would of much rather not to have that happened to me at all.  The memories will always be there.  The truth is that FOCA will only take women down a path of depression, tremendous sense of loss, emotional pain, guilt, despair and regrets.

We live in an America whose core people are conscious, caring and compassionate.  We have all of slogans to prove it, such as: “Save the Whales”, “Save the Manatees”, “Save the Wild Life”… Now then, on behalf of all the unborn children in America, I would like to say: Let’s SAVE THE BABIES!!!

To cast your vote against The Freedom of Choice Act (FOCA), click here: The National Petition to Stop FOCA

What is the Freedom of Choice Act (FOCA)?

Simply said, the Freedom of Choice Act (FOCA) is a bill which “declares that it is the policy of the United States that every woman has the fundamental right to choose to terminate a pregnancy when necessary…”

The lawmakers proposing the legislation, and groups endorsing it, repeatedly emphasized that the bill would, among other things, completely nullify the national ban on partial-birth abortion that the Supreme Court upheld on April 18 in Gonzales v. Carhart.

In addition, PPFA explained, “Parental consent or notification statutes have been used as a tool to deny access to abortion services for minors. When such laws deny or interfere with the ability of minors to access abortion services, they would violate FOCA.” http://www.nrlc.org/FOCA/LawmakersProposeFOCA.html(NATIONAL RIGHT TO LIFE).

(About half of the states have parental notification or consent laws in effect, which the Supreme Court has said are permitted under Roe v. Wade as long as they meet certain requirements, including availability of judges to authorize abortions without parental notification or consent.)

In a press release issued when she introduced the FOCA in 2004, Senator Boxer gave a number of examples of current laws that would be invalidated by the bill, including the following:

– Laws restricting government funding of abortion.  (The Hyde Amendment prohibits federal funding of most abortions, and many states have similar laws.  The U.S. Supreme Court ruled in 1980 that these laws do not violate Roe v. Wade.)

– Laws prohibiting abortions in public hospitals.  (The Supreme Court ruled in 1977 that such policies do not violate Roe v. Wade.)

– Laws requiring that girls and women seeking abortion receive certain information on matters such as fetal development and alternatives to abortion, and then wait a specified period before the abortion is actually performed, usually 24 or 48 hours.  In her press release, Boxer referred to these as “antichoice propaganda lectures.” (The Supreme Court said in its 1992 Casey ruling that such regulations are constitutional as long as they do not impose an “undue burden” on obtaining an abortion.)

– All laws allowing doctors, nurses, or other state-licensed professionals, and hospitals or other health-care providers, to decline to provide or pay for abortions. (Such “conscience rights” with respect to abortion are generally protected by certain federal laws, and by the laws in many states.  Supporters of the laws usually call them “conscience laws,” but pro-abortion groups refer to them as “refusal clauses.”)

– All laws prohibiting medical personnel other than licensed physicians from performing abortions would be invalid because they may “interfere with” access to abortion.  (All but a handful of states currently enforce such “doctor-only” laws, which are specifically authorized in Roe v. Wade itself.)

– The provision of the FOCA that prohibits any government agency or official from taking any action that would “discriminate against the exercise of” the FOCA-created legal rights, with respect to any “benefits, facilities, services, or information,” would leave government officials open to lawsuits for anything that anybody thought “discriminate(s)” against abortion.  Johnson observed, “This sweeping mandate could cover everything from rural health clinics, to health education programs in public schools – and even to pro-life speeches by public officials.” http://www.nrlc.org/FOCA/LawmakersProposeFOCA.html (NATIONAL RIGHT TO LIFE).

History of the FOCA

An earlier version of the FOCA was pushed by pro-abortion forces beginning in the late 1980s, when they feared that the Supreme Court was preparing to overturn Roe v. Wade.  When President Clinton, a FOCA supporter, took office in January 1993, Planned Parenthood predicted that the FOCA would be law within six months.  But the bill died after an education and lobbying campaign, led by NRLC, persuaded many pro-Roe lawmakers that the bill went beyond Roe and would strike down many state laws that had broad support.

Johnson noted that during the debates over the FOCA in the early 1990s, many proponents of the bill often tried to deny some of its more radical effects – effects that they have already admitted with respect to the new bill, such as the invalidation of all restrictions on government funding of abortion.

The original FOCA faded from view after Republicans took control of the House of Representatives in the 1994 election. http://www.nrlc.org/FOCA/LawmakersProposeFOCA.html (NATIONAL RIGHT TO LIFE).

To cast your vote against The Freedom of Choice Act (FOCA), click here: The National Petition to Stop FOCA

The National Center for Missing and Exploited children put together this child safety list. It contains very valuable information on what to do to keep our kids safe, worth sharing with everyone.

Once kids are able to talk, you can begin teaching them some basic safety essentials.

At Home

1. Teach your children their full names, address, and home telephone number. Make sure they know your full name.
2. Make sure your children know how to reach you at work or on your cell phone.
3. Teach your children how and when to use 911 and make sure your children have a trusted adult to call if they’re scared or have an emergency.
4. Instruct children to keep the door locked and not to open the door to talk to anyone when they are home alone. Set rules with your children about having visitors over when you’re not home and how to answer the telephone.
5. Choose babysitters with care. Obtain references from family, friends, and neighbors. Once you have chosen the caregiver, drop in unexpectedly to see how your children are doing. Ask children how the experience with the caregiver was and listen carefully to their responses.

On the Net

1. Learn about the Internet. The more you know about how the Web works, the better prepared you are to teach your children about potential risks. Visit www.NetSmartz.org for more information about Internet safety.
2. Place the family computer in a common area, rather than a child’s bedroom. Also, monitor their time spent online and the websites they’ve visited and establish rules for Internet use.
3. Know what other access your child may have to the Internet at school, libraries, or friends’ homes.
4. Use privacy settings on social networking sites to limit contact with unknown users and make sure screen names don’t reveal too much about your children.
5. Encourage your children to tell you if anything they encounter online makes them feel sad, scared, or confused.
6. Caution children not to post revealing information or inappropriate photos of themselves or their friends online.

At School

1. Walk the route to and from school with your children, pointing out landmarks and safe places to go if they’re being followed or need help. If your children ride a bus, visit the bus stop with them to make sure they know which bus to take.
2. Remind kids to take a friend whenever they walk or bike to school. Remind them to stay with a group if they’re waiting at the bus stop.
3. Caution children never to accept a ride from anyone unless you have told them it is OK to do so in each instance.

Out and About

1. Take your children on a walking tour of the neighborhood and tell them whose homes they may visit without you.
2. Remind your children it’s OK to say NO to anything that makes them feel scared, uncomfortable, or confused and teach your children to tell you if anything or anyone makes them feel this way.
3. Teach your children to ask permission before leaving home.
4. Remind your children not to walk or play alone outside.
5. Teach your children to never approach a vehicle, occupied or not, unless they know the owner and are accompanied by a parent, guardian, or other trusted adult.
6. Practice “what if” situations and ask your children how they would respond. “What if you fell off your bike and you needed help? Who would you ask?”
7. Teach your children to check in with you if there is a change of plans.
8. During family outings, establish a central, easy-to-locate spot to meet for check-ins or should you get separated.
9. Teach your children how to locate help at theme parks, sports stadiums, shopping malls, and other public places. Also, identify those people who they can ask for help, such as uniformed law enforcement, security guards and store clerks with nametags.
10. Help your children learn to recognize and avoid potential risks, so that they can deal with them if they happen.
11. Teach your children that if anyone tries to grab them, they should make a scene and make every effort to get away by kicking, screaming, and resisting.

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Your child is going to school for the first time. What an emotional time this is! There is so much on your mind. How he or she will adapt? How he or she will be treated? Will he or she eat or drink enough? All these questions can be summed up in one: How do I find the right preschool or child care for my child?

What kind of child care is there available?

Home-based care:

Listed family homes: People who must list with the division are those who are compensated to provide regular child care (at least four hours per day, three or more days a week, for more than nine consecutive weeks) in their own homes for 1-3 unrelated children.

Registered Child Care Homes: Registered Child Care Homes provide care in the caregiver’s home for up to six children under age 14; they may also take in up to six more school-age children. The number of children allowed in a home is determined by the ages of the children. No more than 12 children can be in care at any time, including children of the caregiver.

Licensed Child Care Homes: Provide care for less than 24 hours per day for 7-12 children under 14 years old. All types of licensed facilities have published standards they are required to follow and are routinely monitored and inspected.

Center-based care:

Licensed Child Care Centers & preschools: are any operation that cares for 13 or more children under 14 years old for less than 24 hours.

Do not make the mistake to choose a facility based on proximity or cost alone. The closest school to your home might not necessarily be the right choice for your child. Also, keep in mind that the highest cost doesn’t always guarantee the best teacher and facility. Likewise, the least expensive rates do not necessarily mean poor teachers and facilities.

Since I’m a former preschool teacher, I thought I knew exactly what to look for when I had to make this decision, and even for me it was a little tricky. I visited a few preschools that were the closest to my home with the hopes of finding the right one for my son among those. I decided to try one that presented itself very attractive, even though I was a little uneasy about this one school: It was so close to home and it look so good as far as appearance goes, that I decided to give it a chance. To make a long story short, I was right about “my gut feeling” I had about this school. My son only lasted there two weeks, and he was miserably unhappy for the whole time.

And that is why I think “your gut feeling” is so important, and the first thing I would recommend when looking for the right school for your child is to pay attention to your instincts.

1. Pay attention to your instincts

You know your child best. Pay attention to any feelings of uneasiness you may have experienced during site visits or interviews. Could you picture your child in this setting? Were the toys and activities you observed the kinds your child would enjoy?

2. Look and listen

You can tell a great deal by observing and listening to what is going on in the classroom. Did the children seem happy and were they enjoying activities? Did the teachers seem to be loving, nurturing and responsive to all children in their care? Were problems handled promptly and appropriately? Did the teacher seem like the kind of people you can trust with the health, happiness and well being of your child? Is this a place where you would feel good about your child spending many hours each day?

3. Professional Qualifications

What is the lead teacher’s level of education? Research shows that children whose teachers have more education have better outcomes. Increased education and specialized training in early childhood education produces higher quality programs and positive child outcomes. Formal education plus annual in-service training equals higher quality levels.

Every state has mandatory hours of training required for childcare givers to attend, for teachers and helpers as well. For instance, in Florida, there is a 30-hour-childcare training that is mandatory for all childcare workers, teachers and helpers to attend, and then a 10-hour-Age appropriate-training thereafter. You may inquire whether your child’s teacher and/or helper have completed this mandatory training. The number of hours varies from state to state. To find out more about this you may visit your state’s DEPARTMENT OF FAMILY & PROCTETIVE SERVICES or CHILDREN’S SERVICES Website.

 

4. Curriculum & Daily Routines

Do they use a curriculum? What curriculum do they use?

A curriculum based on developmentally appropriate practices should be utilized and teaching staff should have been trained in implementing this curriculum. This is extremely important if you are interested in your child being educated and not just being watched. Implementation of a developmentally appropriate curriculum is a strong predictor of children’s success in school.

Not only that, you don’t want your child in an environment where there is nothing planned to do. He or she is going to be bored out of his or her mind after he or she is done playing with toys, and most likely will engage in misbehavior and disorderly conduct due to lack of organized and planned activities. This is when children begin to hit and push each other and become aggressive to one another due to lack of planned activities. The day has many hours. We can not expect children just to play for 8 hours. And I’m a teacher, I know all about children learning by playing, but even play needs to be planned and guided by the teacher.

The following is what Broward County in the State of Florida requires on this aspect:

DAILY ROUTINES and PROGRAMS

1) Infants:
Infants shall have planned activity periods of play suitable to stimulate their interest, opportunities for talking and cuddling with staff members and ample opportunities for exercise outside their cribs on mats or on a clean floor surface. All infants should have a daily outdoor period, weather permitting.

2) Other Age Groups:
The facility shall have a daily schedule of activities posted in a place accessible to the parents. The activities shall be appropriate to the developmental age of the child. The daily schedule shall include, but is not limited to, the following:
• Broad blocks of time for activities in art, language development, music, block building, creative and dramatic play, science, manipulative play, active play, indoor and outdoor play periods
• Time period for providing meals and snacks
• Quiet time or nap period
Activities for both indoors and outdoors shall be provided by a flexible daily schedule of regular routines in order to give the children the sense of security they need to help them become self directing and independent, and to develop a positive self image. There shall be a sufficient amount of play equipment and materials available for the licensed capacity of the facility.

3) Each child three years of age or under shall have a daily rest period of at least one hour on a cot, mat, crib, bed or playpen.

5. Ratio and Group Size – research strongly suggests that smaller group sizes and more staff with children lead to better outcomes for children. Lower ratios and smaller group sizes allow teachers to give children more individual attention, a key to success.

I think this is the same for all the states, but again, you should check your state’s Children Services Website to be sure. Bellow is Broward County’s, Florida, student/teacher ratio rules. And I using Florida as an example because I completed my Early Childhood Education/Child Development studies there and I’m must familiar with the rules and regulations of this particular state pertaining to this subject.

RATIOS OF PERSONNEL TO CHILDREN

Age of Children	Ratio
Under 1 year of age	1 staff member for 4 children
1 year of age	1 staff member for 6 children
2 years of age	1 staff member for 11 children
3 years of age	1 staff member for 15 children
4 years of age	1 staff member for 20 children
5 years of age and older	1 staff member for 25 children

6. Family Engagement: The program recognizes that children’s chances for success increase when families get involved in their child’s early care and education program. The program promotes ongoing family participation in a variety of ways.

7. Program Administration: A strong set of management practices including record-keeping, financial management, staff hiring and retention practices, and emergency planning are key to a successful program.

Signs to look for:

What to look for:

Do the children look happy, involved in activities and well-cared for?

Do teachers get on the child’s level to listen, talk and play with children?

Do teachers give individual attention to each child?

Are teachers warm, kind, calm and patient?

What is your child’s reaction when he first sees his teacher in the morning?

Are there sufficient materials such as blocks, books, puzzles, art supplies and toys for all the children and are they available throughout the day?

Are well planned activities such as music, painting and dress-up play provided for children?

Does the facility seem cheerful, clean and safe with equipment in good repair?

Is hand washing and diaper changing done frequently?

Is there adequate indoor space for play, naps, meals, belongings?

Is the outdoor play are fenced, safe, well-equipped and supervised at all times?

Questions to ask

(You will probably receive an information packet that will answer some of these questions for you, but if you don’t, here are some important questions to ask)

Is the program licensed? Accredited?

Private accrediting agencies perform an important quality assurance function by accrediting or certifying early care and education programs that meet their standards. Accredited child care programs have a strong interest in quality and have met a set of standards higher than licensing standards set forth by the particular Early Childhood Agency or Association they have cared to join. Some of the well known National Early Childhood Associations are: NAEYC, ACEI and NAFCC, and there are many others.

Are references and background checks conducted on staff?

How many of the teaching staff has been employed in this facility or home for more than one year?

Does the person who will be teaching your child have training in early childhood education, First Aid and CPR?

How many children are there for each adult? (adult to child ratio)

How many children are in your child’s group? (smaller group size is a quality indicator)

Are there written policies/information regarding: philosophy of education for young children; discipline; on-going staff education/training; illness and injuries, napping; and toileting habits?

AND ALL OTHER QUESTIONS YOU FEEL THE NEED TO ASK. DON’T HESITATE…

Once you have made a choice. It doesn’t all end there. You will want to talk to your new teacher often and make occasional visits to ensure that your child is safe and happy– that your decision was the right one.

I sincerely hope this information was helpful to you and that you find the right Preschool or Child Care setting for your bundle of joy like I finally did for mine. When one’s child is excited and looking forward to going to school every time, one realizes that making the right choice makes a whole world of difference, and it will show…

If you would like to add your own thoughts or comments to this post, please feel free to do so bellow.

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Okay, when you think you’ve heard it all. A bill to approve a “Gay Day” celebration in Public Schools? What? are the gay people heroes now? I believe in equal treatment for all, but this is going well beyond equal treatment. This is forcing the world to pay recognition to a group of people that have done nothing remarkable to earn it. And force it upon our children in the Public schools? The first thing that comes to mind is who in the world is proposing this kind of nonsense? And don’t they have anything better to do in the Senate than to come up with these ridiculous ideas? Well, I did a little research as follows:

Lead Author of AB 2567 : Assemblymember Mark Leno. Bio:

Elected to the Assembly in 2002, Assemblyman Mark Leno represents the 13th District, which encompasses the eastern portion of San Francisco. He is one of the first openly gay men ever elected to the Assembly.

He currently chairs the Assembly Appropriations Committee, which oversees all bills with a fiscal impact on the state. He also serves on the Election & Redistricting and Labor Committees, as well as the Public Safety Committee, which he chaired through 2006. Prior to his election to the Assembly, Leno served on the San Francisco Board of Supervisors from April 1998 to November 2002.

In 2007, Leno is continuing his pioneering battle for equal rights for LGBT couples and their families by introducing AB 43, the Religious Freedom and Civil Marriage Protection Act. This historic civil rights legislation would allow same sex couples to marry in California. In 2005, Leno’s nearly identical AB 849 was the first marriage equality bill in United States history to be approved by both houses of a state legislature.

Sponsor: Equality California (EQCA)

Co-Authors: Senators Kehoe, Kuehl and Migden; Assemblymember Laird and Speaker Núñez

This legislation only proves one thing; that the LGBT (lesbian, gay, bisexual and transgender) movement is not seeking equal treatment as they claim. They are seeking superior treatment, a special kind of treatment. There is no “Straight Day” celebration in the schools. Why there should be a “Gay Day” celebration?

Do you think our children should be celebrating a “Gay Day” at school? And how would you like to have to explain this “Gay Day” celebration to a Kindergartener? Well, if you live in the state of California and Governor Schwarzenegger does not veto this legislation, you just might have to. And look out everyone, legislations often voted for in California tend to spread out throughout the nation.

CALL TO ACTION: You can let Governor Arnold Schwarzenegger know how you feel about this issue:
Contact the Governor

Governor’s Office

Governor Arnold Schwarzenegger
State Capitol Building
Sacramento, CA 95814
Phone: 916-445-2841
Fax: 916-445-4633

To send an Electronic Mail please visit:
http://www.govmail.ca.gov

Obama Voted against banning partial birth abortion

In 1997, Obama voted against SB 230, which would have turned doctors into felons by banning so-called partial-birth abortion, & against a 2000 bill banning state funding. Although these bills included an exception to save the life of the mother, they didn’t include anything about abortions necessary to protect the health of the mother. The legislation defined a fetus as a person, & could have criminalized virtually all abortion. Source: The Improbable Quest, by John K. Wilson, p.147-148 Oct 30, 2007
www.ontheissues.org/2008/Barack_Obama_Abortion.htm#1

Obama Trusts women to make own decisions on partial-birth abortion

Q: What us your view on the decision on partial-birth abortion and your reaction to most of the public agreeing with the court’s holding?

A: I think that most Americans recognize that this is a profoundly difficult issue for the women and families who make these decisions. They don’t make them casually. And I trust women to make these decisions in conjunction with their doctors and their families and their clergy. And I think that’s where most Americans are. Now, when you describe a specific procedure that accounts for less than 1% of the abortions that take place, then naturally, people get concerned, and I think legitimately so. But the broader issue here is: Do women have the right to make these profoundly difficult decisions? And I trust them to do it. There is a broader issue: Can we move past some of the debates around which we disagree and can we start talking about the things we do agree on? Reducing teen pregnancy; making it less likely for women to find themselves in these circumstances.

Source: 2007 South Carolina Democratic primary debate, on MSNBC Apr 26, 2007
www.ontheissues.org/2008/Barack_Obama_Abortion.htm#1

Obama Undecided on whether life begins at conception

Q: Do you personally believe that life begins at conception?
A: This is something that I have not come to a firm resolution on. I think it’s very hard to know what that means, when life begins. Is it when a cell separates? Is it when the soul stirs? So I don’t presume to know the answer to that question. What I know is that there is something extraordinarily powerful about potential life and that that has a moral weight to it that we take into consideration when we’re having these debates.

Source: 2008 Democratic Compassion Forum at Messiah College Apr 13, 2008
www.ontheissues.org/2008/Barack_Obama_Abortion.htm#1

It doesn’t take a rocket scientist to know that anything that has the ability to grow is living; it’s alive, not dead or non existent. With that in mine, wouldn’t it be accurate to say that the unborn baby no matter how many weeks old he might be in the mother’s womb, he or she is alive and growing, and if we don’t interrupt the process it will continue to grow until it riches necessary maturity, and then it will be born, and it will continue to grow, and become a toddler, a child, a teen, an adult, a mother , or a father, a doctor, or a lawyer, a dentist,………. a member of society.

I was given that opportunity. You were given that opportunity. Had my mother decided to terminate her pregnancy when she was carrying me, I wouldn’t be here today, in which case I would have been murdered; because I was a person inside of my mother’s womb, in the most fragile and vulnerable stage of my life, but none the less, I was a person. The stage of life we are in does not change the fact that we are alive and have the right to continue to live.

When a pregnant woman decides to terminate her pregnancy, at whatever stage, that woman is terminating a life. I don’t care if it is only one week pregnant, two weeks, three, or four… Or whether one wants to call it a fetus to emotionally detach herself from it or be politically correct ……. The truth is that a living thing, a baby, another human being is growing inside that womb and it’s alive. And if it was alive and then is dead, and it didn’t happen due to natural causes, then it would be safe to say that someone killed it.

An unborn baby is a person in its most fragile and vulnerable stage, defenseless and at the mercy of those who conceived them. Anyone who performs, approves or supports the termination of the unborn child is nothing but a coward. Why don’t they try to mess with someone their own size? The atrocities being committed against the unborn babies, such as, the partial birth Abortion, all in the name of giving women choices, is inexcusable.

Women have plenty of choices. Let me tell you all the choices women have out there to prevent an unwanted pregnancy: there are condoms, plenty of contraceptive pills to choose from and contraceptive devices, and how about abstinence. It is not a secret that when one has sexual intercourse there is like a 99.9 percent chance of getting pregnant. So if a woman doesn’t want to get pregnant, why doesn’t she try one of the above mentioned choices? Is it such a big of an inconvenience to go to a store or pharmacy to purchase contraceptives? Women and teenage girls spend tons of money buying cosmetics, clothes, shoes, music cd’s, etc. If they know that they are going be having reckless sexual intercourse but don’t want to get pregnant, why don’t they behave more responsibly and invest in one of the preventive methods mentioned above, instead of foolishly getting pregnant and then wanting to terminate the pregnancy?

Some people may say what about the women who get pregnant due to rape? And what about the women who did used contraceptives but they failed and they don’t want a baby? Well, for that, there is a beautiful choice call adoption. And besides, let’s look at the statistics and see who are the people performing abortions. Of all the abortions being performed only 2% were due to rape, incest, physical life of mother, health of mother or fetal health. The other 98% of abortions were performed due to”personal choice”:
–too young/immature/not ready for responsibility
–economic
–to avoid adjusting life
–mother single or in poor relationship
–enough children already

REASONS FOR ABORTIONS IN THE US: COMPILED ESTIMATES Click bellow to see complete story http://www.johnstonsarchive.net/policy/abortion/abreasons.html

As you can see on the table above, 98% of abortions could have been prevented by responsibly using a contraceptive method. Instead these individuals recklessly enjoyed the pleasures of having sex and then don’t want to pay for the consequences of their irresponsible actions. That’s why abortions needs to banned altogether and Specially the Partial Birth Abortion.

Partial Birth Abortion

http://www.nrlc.org/ABORTION/pba/diagram.html

To see detailed images of partial-birth abortion, and documentation from medical experts on the accuracy of these images, click here.

Guided by ultrasound, the abortionist grabs the baby’s leg with forceps.

The baby’s leg is pulled out into the birth canal.

The abortionist delivers the baby’s entire body, except for the head.

The abortionist jams scissors into the baby’s skull. The scissors are then opened to enlarge the hole.

The scissors are removed and a suction catheter is inserted. The child’s brains are sucked out, causing the skull to collapse. The dead baby is then removed.

To see detailed images of partial-birth abortion, and documentation from medical experts on the accuracy of these images, click here.

This friends is nothing but a slaughter and it should be stopped immediately and punished to the maximum extend of the law. And anyone who performs, approves or supports these massacres is nothing but a cold-blooded murderer.  And this is why I’m not looking forward to Obama’s presidential inaguration.

I was reading that a couple of months ago the U.S. Supreme Court overturned the child-rape death penalty in Louisiana. The case that overturned the law was that of Patrick Kennedy. The 43-year-old was sentenced to death for the rape of his 8-year-old stepdaughter. He is one of two people in the U.S., both in Louisiana, condemned to death for a rape not accompanied by a killing.

The Louisiana Foundation Against Sexual Assault, a victim-advocacy group, shared the concern voiced by the court that the death penalty in such cases could endanger rather than protect children. They uphold that “making the punishment for child rape and murder equivalent, a state that punishes child rape by death may remove a strong incentive for the rapist not to kill the victim.”

The court said Louisiana law allowing the death penalty to be imposed in such cases violates the Constitution’s ban on cruel and unusual punishment, and that “The death penalty is not a proportional punishment for the rape of a child.”

Forty-five states ban the death penalty for any kind of rape, and the other five states allow it for child rapists. Montana, Oklahoma, South Carolina and Texas allow executions in such cases if the defendant had previously been convicted of raping a child.

I am 100% pro-life, and an opponent of the death penalty, but I always thought that having enforced the death penalty for child rape would discourage individuals from committing this type of crimes. That knowing the consequence of their actions would be death row would scare them away from even trying to commit these hideous crimes against children. So hearing the court’s opinion that imposing the death penalty on a child rapist will actually encourage them to kill the victim was something I never pondered.

Maybe the U.S. Supreme Court is right or maybe they are not. Which is best to help keep our children safe from sexual predators? To allow the death penalty for child rapists or not to allow it? and what punishment is proportional to the rape of a child? Just let the parents of the victim answer that one.

God forbids, this happens to your family, what kind of punishment would you like be enforced on the perpetrator?

Want to know how many registered sex offenders live near you? In your neighborhood, Children schools, Parks, and within a 20 to 30 miles ratios? On this Website, go to Helpful Resources on the far right, and click on SEXUAL PREDATOR SEARCH.

I came across the following article on a new technology being developed aimed to aid parents remember a child left in a car, although written in 2004, I find this report very interesting and relevant today since the hyperthermia-deaths-of-children-in-hot-vehicles continue to happen.

However, we are already nearing the end of 2008, four years after this report was written, and I have not heard of anything of this nature already in place. Does anyone know anything about this new technology out there? If you do, would you be so kind to share with us by placing a comment on this post?

I was reading an article this week published by a self-defense educator, and I learned some things I never thought could make me and/or my children an easy target to a predator.

We have all seen those eye catching signs/stickers on the back of vehicles that read: “My child is a Gymnast,” “Baby on Board,” My child is an Honor Student at ____________,” and even signs placed in yards, home windows and mailboxes espousing: “Home of a Cheerleader,” “Home of a Dancing Doll,” “Jr. High Softball Star,” “Pa Paw and Me Maw’s Place,” etc. According to a self-defense educator and this makes a lot of sense, if you are a proud owner of any of these signs, they could attract predators and you and/or your family can become an easy target.

“A predator can drive through a neighborhood and know from these signs exactly where the prettiest, spunkiest cheerleader lives. Predators can read “Pa Paw and Me Maws Place,” and know that house has a frail and elderly couple living inside that would most likely be very easy to rob. Predators can see a car with “Baby on Board” and know that will be the easiest victim yet, for what mother would not give or do anything to try to keep her baby out of harm’s way? These signs make it so easy for perpetrators to find their next victim.

“And even more disturbing are the cheer and sports signs that clearly spell out the child’s name in plain view. How easy is that for a would-be perpetrator? Children should never walk around with names printed on shirts and backpacks. In a child’s mind, a person who knows their name is no longer a stranger.”

“The danger lies not just with our children however, but also with adults. Did you know that perpetrators go to the mall and carouse the parking lot looking for cars with stuffed animals in the back window and beads hanging from the rear view mirror? They look for cars that obviously belong to young females and then they wait for them to return to their cars so they can attack or abduct them.” Predators see these as helpful and direct clues leading them to their next victim.”

Don’t increase your chances of being a predator’s next victim. Remove all signs, sticker, and unnecessary items from your vehicles and properties. If this helps keep a predator away from you and your family, it’s well worth the sacrifice.

Want to know how many registered sex offenders live near you? In your neighborhood, Children school, Parks, and within a 20 to 30 miles ratios? On this Website, go to Helpful Resources on the far right, and click on SEXUAL PREDATOR SEARCH.