YWCA is on a Mission

YWCA: Advocacy Update (YWCA National) 

Calendar of Events

Meet our YWCA Contra Costa / Sacramento Board of Directors and Staff Members

Childcare Events 

YWCA Childcare Curriculum

In the month of January, we learned about diversity. We talked about what makes us the same and what makes us different.

In the month of February, we learned about different community helpers.

In the month of March, we learned all Women's empowerment and famous women in history.

YWCA Family Resource Fair was held March 8th, 2025 at our Bay Point site.

Curriculum

Each month has a new theme that will be explored with the children. You can find the weekly lesson plans on the parent board in your child's classroom.

Mental Health

Parenting:

3 Ways to Begin to Develop Preschoolers’ Literacy Skills

By Jacquelyn Bobien-Blanton

The first step to focus on in preschool literacy is the understanding of how written language works. Print awareness enables us to recognize letters, words, and sentences in our environment. It also involves the concept that print tells us something, and it provides us knowledge about books and the directionality of reading. We build print awareness by exploring print in our environment (on signs, labels, and logos in everyday life) and in books. We read aloud daily and discuss the parts of the book, the illustrator, the author, and the title page.

The second important part of literacy to consider for preschool students is phonological awareness (PA). This is the ability to recognize and manipulate the sounds in spoken words. Activities to support PA can include games related to sound manipulation, as well as listening to, rhyming, singing, and reciting nursery rhymes. The focus is to build auditory processing skills, because PA is about sounds.

Identifying rhyming words is a key part of PA. You can explain to your preschool students that rhyming words have the same sound at the end. To help students build this skill, I’ve read them nursery rhymes and asked them to put their thumbs up or make a movement (like jump, clap, stomp, tap, etc.) when they hear the rhyming words. Pause before you get to the rhyming word, and ask the children to say it. Or, have your students provide a new rhyming word (a real or nonsense word).

At the preschool level, phonics is simply about helping children recognize sound-symbol relationships by matching the letter names (graphemes) to corresponding letter sounds (phonemes). My teachers and I engage children in games where they match letters either upper to upper, lower to lower, or uppercase to lowercase. Make letter cutouts using different types of materials, like sandpaper, felt, or construction paper, and let children explore the letters as you point out the different types of lines that form the letters (i.e., straight, horizontal, vertical, diagonal, curved).

*Resource - “3 Ways to Begin to Develop Preschoolers’ Literacy Skills” by Jacquelyn Bobien-Blanton www.edutopia.org – Edutopia, George Lucas Learning Foundation.

Mental Health Counseling

Understanding and Managing Emotions: Coping skills help children understand and manage their emotions, including sadness, anger, fear, and embarrassment, which can improve their overall outlook on life. 

Reducing Stress and Anxiety: When children learn to cope with difficult situations, they can better manage stress and anxiety, reducing the likelihood of developing unhealthy coping mechanisms like substance abuse or avoidance.

Promoting Emotional Self-Regulation: Learning to regulate emotions is a skill that children need to practice, and it's like a muscle that grows over time.

Developing Resilience: Children who have good coping skills are more resilient and better able to bounce back from challenges and setbacks. 

Better Relationships: Children with strong coping skills often get along better with others and are more likely to form and maintain healthy friendships. 

Improved Academic Performance: When children can manage their emotions and stress, they are better able to focus in school and learn.

Increased Confidence: Developing coping skills can boost a child's confidence in their ability to handle challenges, leading to greater self-esteem. 

Lower Risk of Mental Health Problems: Children who have good coping skills are less likely to develop mental health problems like anxiety or depression. 

Reduced Risk of Unhealthy Coping Mechanisms: Learning healthy coping strategies can help children avoid developing unhealthy coping mechanisms like substance abuse or self-harm. 

Improved Physical Health: Chronic stress can negatively impact physical health. Developing healthy coping mechanisms can help to reduce the risk of physical health problems due to an altered immune response.