PlayLearnParent has turned 1 (DOB: 1/9/2011)! Amazingly, just one year after the launch of this website, research has come out to back up the importance of a space like PlayLearnParent where parents can get child development information! Zero To Three, a wonderful organization that is dedicated to improving the lives of infants and toddlers by informing policy makers, professionals, and parents, just reported in their Journal of Zero to Three about a survey they conducted to understand the complicated world of parents today.
The findings from this survey indicate that parents have a better understanding about the importance of reading, singing, and communicating with their children than they did 10 years ago, but parents still struggle to grasp the importance of babies earliest experiences. Additionally, parents still struggle with common challenging situations like: temper tantrums, controlling emotions, and sleeping and eating issues (Hart Research Associates, 2010).
Other findings from the survey indicate the value and role that technology has on parenting today. Parents frequently turn to parenting websites, especially when their children are very young. About 25% of parents use parenting blogs, chat rooms, and other social networking sites to find information on a regular basis.
In response to these findings, Zero To Three has created a new podcast series Little Kids, Big Questions to provide parents with more information on important topics. And of course PlayLearnParent is here to help translate some of this complicated research and information for parents too!
Hart Research Associates. (2010). Parenting infants and toddlers today: A survey among parents of children birth to three years old in the U.s.s. for the period June 4-11, 2009, Washington, DC: ZERO TO THREE.
ZERO TO THREE website: http://www.zerotothree.org/
University of Minnesota: Parenting Education http://www.extension.umn.edu/FamilyRelations/