91ŃÇÉ« educator is available to explain why a bumpy start can be expected

TORONTO, July 2, 2020 – With the doors re-opening at Greater Toronto Area daycares run by the YMCA – Canada’s largest not-for-profit child care provider – starting on Monday, July 6, many parents are gearing up for their children to play with a group of kids for the first time in almost four months.

, an assistant professor of early childhood in 91ŃÇɫ’s Faculty of Education, says patience is key during the transition back to child care centres.

Ontario’s licensed daycare centres have been closed since March in response to the global COVID-19 pandemic. While the Ontario government announced child care centres could open as early as June 12, following strict health protocols, most daycares have been slow to reopen. The YMCA of Greater Toronto is scheduled to start reopening their approximately 300 child care centres beginning on Monday, July 6.

“Parents need to be as flexible as possible during the first days of going back to daycare, especially with infants and toddlers,” says Vintimilla. “It could be the case that children need to again go through a gradual re-entry to daycare, returning for part of the day or just a few days a week, before returning to a full-time daycare schedule.”

For these infants, toddlers and preschoolers, spending a lot of time isolated at home with their parents has become the new normal during the pandemic. Vintimilla is encouraging parents to pay close attention to how their kids are feeling.

“Listen very closely to the emotions and concerns of your children so that they know that you are listening to them and that their emotions and ideas matter,” says Vintimilla, a mother of two elementary-age children.

She also recommends that parents treat daycare teachers as partners in the process.

“Keep the lines of communication open with the educators in your child’s daycare,” Vintimilla explains. “Sometimes we treat daycares too much as if they are only a service but daycares are spaces for children and families to be part of an experience that is generative and joyful. Conversations with your child’s educators will allow them to support families and address any concerns and questions that parents might have.”

Vintimilla can share tips for parents to help their kids transition back to daycare, including:

• Create a plan that gradually helps kids go back on schedule for bed time, nap time and meals to make the transition to daycare easier
• Talk with them about what is happening with COVID-19 and how life will slowly go back to the way it was before the pandemic
• Expand your social circle, if possible, to include another family with a child of similar age to your child
• Find new ways to play with your kids, like getting on the floor to play with their toys or role playing with their dolls, stuffed animals and figurines
• Organize online playdates and video calls with your child’s friends

An educator for the past 15 years, Vintimilla is a pedagogista within the Italian tradition. At 91ŃÇÉ«, she teaches courses to prospective teachers including Educating Young Children, and Pedagogical Documentation in Early Childhood Education.

A former elementary school principal in Ecuador, Vintimilla is co-leading an experimental itinerant school in the gardens of host houses within neighborhoods of Cuenca, Ecuador, where physical distancing measures will be practiced outdoors due to the COVID-19 pandemic. She is also a researcher at the Pedagogist Network of Ontario and is part of the and the .

91ŃÇÉ« champions new ways of thinking that drive teaching and research excellence. Our students receive the education they need to create big ideas that make an impact on the world. Meaningful and sometimes unexpected careers result from cross-disciplinary programming, innovative course design and diverse experiential learning opportunities. 91ŃÇÉ« students and graduates push limits, achieve goals and find solutions to the world’s most pressing social challenges, empowered by a strong community that opens minds. 91ŃÇÉ« U is an internationally recognized research university – our 11 faculties and 25 research centres have partnerships with 200+ leading universities worldwide. Located in Toronto, 91ŃÇÉ« is the third largest university in Canada, with a strong community of 53,000 students, 7,000 faculty and administrative staff, and more than 300,000 alumni.

91ŃÇÉ« U's fully bilingual Glendon Campus is home to Southern Ontario's Centre of Excellence for French Language and Bilingual Postsecondary Education.

Media Contact: Vanessa Thompson, 91ŃÇÉ« Media Relations, 647-654-9452,Ěývthomps@yorku.ca

The post How can parents help transition kids back to daycare after COVID-19 closures? appeared first on News@91ŃÇÉ«.

91ŃÇÉ« educator is available to explain why a bumpy start can be expected

TORONTO, July 2, 2020 – With the doors re-opening at Greater Toronto Area daycares run by the YMCA – Canada’s largest not-for-profit child care provider – starting on Monday, July 6, many parents are gearing up for their children to play with a group of kids for the first time in almost four months.

, an assistant professor of early childhood in 91ŃÇɫ’s Faculty of Education, says patience is key during the transition back to child care centres.

Ontario’s licensed daycare centres have been closed since March in response to the global COVID-19 pandemic. While the Ontario government announced child care centres could open as early as June 12, following strict health protocols, most daycares have been slow to reopen. The YMCA of Greater Toronto is scheduled to start reopening their approximately 300 child care centres beginning on Monday, July 6.

“Parents need to be as flexible as possible during the first days of going back to daycare, especially with infants and toddlers,” says Vintimilla. “It could be the case that children need to again go through a gradual re-entry to daycare, returning for part of the day or just a few days a week, before returning to a full-time daycare schedule.”

For these infants, toddlers and preschoolers, spending a lot of time isolated at home with their parents has become the new normal during the pandemic. Vintimilla is encouraging parents to pay close attention to how their kids are feeling.

“Listen very closely to the emotions and concerns of your children so that they know that you are listening to them and that their emotions and ideas matter,” says Vintimilla, a mother of two elementary-age children.

She also recommends that parents treat daycare teachers as partners in the process.

“Keep the lines of communication open with the educators in your child’s daycare,” Vintimilla explains. “Sometimes we treat daycares too much as if they are only a service but daycares are spaces for children and families to be part of an experience that is generative and joyful. Conversations with your child’s educators will allow them to support families and address any concerns and questions that parents might have.”

Vintimilla can share tips for parents to help their kids transition back to daycare, including:

• Create a plan that gradually helps kids go back on schedule for bed time, nap time and meals to make the transition to daycare easier
• Talk with them about what is happening with COVID-19 and how life will slowly go back to the way it was before the pandemic
• Expand your social circle, if possible, to include another family with a child of similar age to your child
• Find new ways to play with your kids, like getting on the floor to play with their toys or role playing with their dolls, stuffed animals and figurines
• Organize online playdates and video calls with your child’s friends

An educator for the past 15 years, Vintimilla is a pedagogista within the Italian tradition. At 91ŃÇÉ«, she teaches courses to prospective teachers including Educating Young Children, and Pedagogical Documentation in Early Childhood Education.

A former elementary school principal in Ecuador, Vintimilla is co-leading an experimental itinerant school in the gardens of host houses within neighborhoods of Cuenca, Ecuador, where physical distancing measures will be practiced outdoors due to the COVID-19 pandemic. She is also a researcher at the Pedagogist Network of Ontario and is part of the and the .

91ŃÇÉ« champions new ways of thinking that drive teaching and research excellence. Our students receive the education they need to create big ideas that make an impact on the world. Meaningful and sometimes unexpected careers result from cross-disciplinary programming, innovative course design and diverse experiential learning opportunities. 91ŃÇÉ« students and graduates push limits, achieve goals and find solutions to the world’s most pressing social challenges, empowered by a strong community that opens minds. 91ŃÇÉ« U is an internationally recognized research university – our 11 faculties and 25 research centres have partnerships with 200+ leading universities worldwide. Located in Toronto, 91ŃÇÉ« is the third largest university in Canada, with a strong community of 53,000 students, 7,000 faculty and administrative staff, and more than 300,000 alumni.

91ŃÇÉ« U's fully bilingual Glendon Campus is home to Southern Ontario's Centre of Excellence for French Language and Bilingual Postsecondary Education.

Media Contact: Vanessa Thompson, 91ŃÇÉ« Media Relations, 647-654-9452,Ěývthomps@yorku.ca

The post How can parents help transition kids back to daycare after COVID-19 closures? appeared first on News@91ŃÇÉ«.

91ŃÇÉ« expert available to explain how to survive COVID-19 school closures

TORONTO, May 19, 2020 – The fears of some parents may be easing following the Ontario government announcement today that elementary and high schools will continue online learning and won’t reopen this school year, according to , an associate professor in 91ŃÇɫ’s Faculty of Education.

The school closures are a response to the global COVID-19 pandemic that has left Ontario schools closed since March Break.

“The decision to keep schools closed may allow families to live with more certainty, specifically as it relates to their children’s safety,” says Ippolito, who is a father of three elementary school children. “The continuation of teacher-led online learning for the remaining school year will ease a lot of parents’ fears. This announcement shows that the health and safety of our children trumps formal education.”

Ippolito has conducted extensive school-based research involving school transitions and is watching as his eldest son prepares for the transition from middle school to high school this fall. He also develops programs in GTA-based public elementary schools that foster dialogue between families and schools, and within families themselves. At 91ŃÇÉ«, Ippolito teaches all of his classes online, and did so even before the COVID-19 outbreak.

He is available to comment on:

• The best ways to support elementary and high school children in their at-home learning
• How parents can encourage kids to share their questions and observations
• Why parents should meet kids where they are in their learning, instead of where they think they should be
• How online learning is impacting families who are linguistically, culturally and racially diverse
• Why it is important for kids to explore non-school projects and stay in touch with their friends online

91ŃÇÉ« champions new ways of thinking that drive teaching and research excellence. Our students receive the education they need to create big ideas that make an impact on the world. Meaningful and sometimes unexpected careers result from cross-disciplinary programming, innovative course design and diverse experiential learning opportunities. 91ŃÇÉ« students and graduates push limits, achieve goals and find solutions to the world’s most pressing social challenges, empowered by a strong community that opens minds. 91ŃÇÉ« U is an internationally recognized research university – our 11 faculties and 25 research centres have partnerships with 200+ leading universities worldwide. Located in Toronto, 91ŃÇÉ« is the third largest university in Canada, with a strong community of 53,000 students, 7,000 faculty and administrative staff, and more than 300,000 alumni.

91ŃÇÉ« U's fully bilingual Glendon Campus is home to Southern Ontario's Centre of Excellence for French Language and Bilingual Postsecondary Education.

Media Contact: Vanessa Thompson, 91ŃÇÉ« Media Relations, 647-654-9452,Ěývthomps@yorku.ca

The post How will online learning for the rest of the school year impact families? appeared first on News@91ŃÇÉ«.

91ŃÇÉ« expert explains how youths can shift to more engaging online activities

TORONTO, May 5, 2020 – Young people are playing endless video games and binge-watching TV shows during the COVID-19 shutdown, but that doesn’t mean parents should be policing their screen time usage too much, says Faculty of Education Professor .

The global pandemic has left Ontario’s elementary and high schools closed, families at home in quarantine and students getting a double-dose of screen time – leisure time online plus teacher-led online learning, which began one month ago tomorrow.

Tilleczek, an expert on youths’ social development and well-being, says it’s usually recommended that parents set limits on screen time for young people up to 18 years old, but these are not normal times.

“Teens and young people in their 20s are stuck at home feeling like they’ve lost their whole life, while their parents are trying to cope with all the stresses of working from home and taking care of them,” says Tilleczek, who is Canada Research Chair in Young Lives, Education & Global Good. “Parents need to know that their kids’ increased screen time is not solely their responsibility. Young people need to take some responsibility too.”

She is encouraging parents to start conversations with their kids to find out what they’re actually doing online and what online platforms they’re using.

“Parents need to figure out if what they’re doing online is active, creative, educative or is it just digital junk,” says Tilleczek. “Talk to them about whether what they’re seeing online is helping them socially, physically or emotionally. If the answer is no, then support them in Ěýfinding different activities that will do that.”

But the worst thing parents can do is to snatch their phones or walk over to the video game console and shut it off.

“For parents going into this with a mindset that they’re going to control the situation and they know better, it will fall flat,” says Tilleczek, who is founder and director of the and for three decades has been examining the social lives of young people.

A young person who is online 24-7, getting inadequate sleep, missing frequent meals, and not going outside for fresh air or exercise, may have a serious addiction issue, she said.

But even those without a serious addiction will find it difficult to disconnect entirely from devices, which offer endless online entertainment. Instead, Tilleczek suggests that we begin by encouraging them to transition from passive screen time to more active screen time like going from binge-watching movies to playing video games remotely with friends. the benefits of active screen time are more learning, more human engagement, and more creativity.

Tilleczek is available to explain how parents can talk to young people about screen time and can share tips for switching to more active online time, including:

• Create choreographed TikTok videos as a family
• Write an online blog, journal or story about being in quarantine
• Play video games online with friends and family using the talk feature
• Video chat with loved ones and use the filters to make it fun
• Play educational online games, even ones that allow you to play with others

91ŃÇÉ« champions new ways of thinking that drive teaching and research excellence. Our students receive the education they need to create big ideas that make an impact on the world. Meaningful and sometimes unexpected careers result from cross-disciplinary programming, innovative course design and diverse experiential learning opportunities. 91ŃÇÉ« students and graduates push limits, achieve goals and find solutions to the world’s most pressing social challenges, empowered by a strong community that opens minds. 91ŃÇÉ« U is an internationally recognized research university – our 11 faculties and 25 research centres have partnerships with 200+ leading universities worldwide. Located in Toronto, 91ŃÇÉ« is the third largest university in Canada, with a strong community of 53,000 students, 7,000 faculty and administrative staff, and more than 300,000 alumni.

91ŃÇÉ« U's fully bilingual Glendon Campus is home to Southern Ontario's Centre of Excellence for French Language and Bilingual Postsecondary Education.

Media Contact: Vanessa Thompson, 91ŃÇÉ« Media Relations, 647-654-9452,Ěývthomps@yorku.ca

The post Should parents feel guilty about rising screen time during the pandemic? appeared first on News@91ŃÇÉ«.

91ŃÇÉ« expert available to provide back-to-school parenting tips

ĚýTORONTO, August 21, 2019 – Parents of children headed to high school often struggle with the dilemma of how much to let go.

For parents wondering if they should still discuss homework assignments with their high schoolers, still encourage them to exercise good study habits and still show an interest in their development and learning, the answer is yes, according to , an associate professor in the Faculty of Education.

He says research suggests that parental involvement decreases and theĚýlevel of dialogue drops off after elementary school, often to the detriment of both academic achievement and relationships within the family.

Ippolito has conducted extensive school-based research on the transition from elementary school to high school. His finds that the best thing parents can do with their high-school-age children is to keep their lines of communication with each other open. He advises parents to maintain an open dialogue about the experience of highĚýschool, both the opportunitiesĚýand the challenges. Currently, Ippolito develops programs in GTA-based public elementary schools to foster dialogue between families and schools and within families themselves.

He can share back-to-school tips for parents of high school students, including:

• How to be involved in their children’s school to improve their chances of academic success
• The best ways to have meaningful dialogues between families and schools
• How to bring marginalized parents into their kids’ schooling
• Why it is important to consider linguistic, cultural and racial diversity when working on engagement and partnerships between families and schools

91ŃÇÉ« champions new ways of thinking that drive teaching and research excellence. Our students receive the education they need to create big ideas that make an impact on the world. Meaningful and sometimes unexpected careers result from cross-disciplinary programming, innovative course design and diverse experiential learning opportunities. 91ŃÇÉ« students and graduates push limits, achieve goals and find solutions to the world’s most pressing social challenges, empowered by a strong community that opens minds. 91ŃÇÉ« U is an internationally recognized research university – our 11 faculties and 25 research centres have partnerships with 200+ leading universities worldwide. Located in Toronto, 91ŃÇÉ« is the third largest university in Canada, with a strong community of 53,000 students, 7,000 faculty and administrative staff, and more than 300,000 alumni.

91ŃÇÉ« U's fully bilingual Glendon Campus is home to Southern Ontario's Centre of Excellence for French Language and Bilingual Postsecondary Education.

Media Contact: Vanessa Thompson, 91ŃÇÉ« Media Relations, 647-654-9452,Ěývthomps@yorku.ca

The post Are parents smothering their high school students? appeared first on News@91ŃÇÉ«.