T h e G r o w i n g Y e a r s Bulletin #4627 3 Years, Months 6-8 How your child thinks 1 One of the most interesting things about young children is how they think. How they make sense of the world in which they live is very unique. It’s important to remember how different a preschool-age child’s thoughts are from those of her 9-year-old brother, teenage sister, parent, or caregiver. You may notice that your child cannot separate fantasy from reality. If you have a nightmare, you wake up, shake your head, get a drink of water, and say to yourself, “Boy, I’m glad that was just a nightmare.” Then you go back to sleep. But if your child has a nightmare, she thinks that the dream actually happened. She cannot separate the fantasy from the reality. Another characteristic of your child’s thinking is her belief in “magic.” Adults turn a knob, and water flows from a faucet. A switch is flipped, and lights flood a room. Buttons are pushed, and she hears Grandma’s voice. Since children are not able to understand physics or chemistry, they think that all of these occur because of magic, especially through the magical powers of adults! Children also believe that everything in the world is alive, especially if it moves. For example, you may hear your 3-year-old talking to your car as if it were alive. Or she may become afraid that the curtains fluttering by the open window are going to eat her up. Avoid shaming your child over her beliefs—don’t say something like, “You are so silly; the curtains can’t hurt you.” Simply tell her that the curtains aren’t alive, but it may take some time before she believes you! How do 3 1/2-year- olds act? 2 Preschoolers are using their bodies all the time. They enjoy tumbling, jumping from heights, and twirling in circles until they’re dizzy. Emotionally and socially, they are growing more independent. Your child will play away from you for longer periods now. You may find that 20 minutes has gone by and he has been playing out in his sandbox by himself. Don’t be surprised if he still needs lots of attention, hugging, and comfort, though. Being independent is hard
Transcript
The Growing YearsBulletin #4627
3 Years, Months 6-8How your childthinks1
One of the most interestingthings about young children ishow they think. How they makesense of the world in which theylive is very unique. It’s importantto remember how different apreschool-age child’s thoughtsare from those of her 9-year-oldbrother, teenage sister, parent, orcaregiver.
You may notice that your childcannot separate fantasy fromreality. If you have a nightmare,you wake up, shake your head,get a drink of water, and say toyourself, “Boy, I’m glad that wasjust a nightmare.” Then you goback to sleep. But if your childhas a nightmare, she thinks that
the dream actually happened.She cannot separate the fantasyfrom the reality.
Another characteristic of yourchild’s thinking is her belief in“magic.” Adults turn a knob, andwater flows from a faucet. Aswitch is flipped, and lights flooda room. Buttons are pushed, andshe hears Grandma’s voice. Sincechildren are not able tounderstand physics or chemistry,they think that all of these occurbecause of magic, especiallythrough the magical powers ofadults!
Children also believe thateverything in the world is alive,especially if it moves. For example,you may hear your 3-year-oldtalking to your car as if it were
alive. Or she may become afraidthat the curtains fluttering by theopen window are going to eather up. Avoid shaming your childover her beliefs—don’t saysomething like, “You are so silly;the curtains can’t hurt you.”Simply tell her that the curtainsaren’t alive, but it may take sometime before she believes you!
How do 3 1/2-year-olds act?2
Preschoolers are using their bodiesall the time. They enjoy tumbling,jumping from heights, and twirlingin circles until they’re dizzy.
Emotionally and socially, they aregrowing more independent. Yourchild will play away from you forlonger periods now. You may findthat 20 minutes has gone by andhe has been playing out in hissandbox by himself. Don’t besurprised if he still needs lots ofattention, hugging, and comfort,though. Being independent is hard
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work, and your child will need toknow that he is doing a good job.
At 3 1/2, children can expressthoughts and ideas, and do manythings on their own. They arealso beginning to understandother people’s feelings. When youget hurt, your child will give youa kiss and say, “It will be allright.” You can encourage thisconcern for others by saying whatyou feel. Let your child know thateveryone has needs, not just him.When he says, “I want somemore juice,” say, “Please wait aminute while I finish my cereal.”Treat your child with patience andrespect. He will learn to treatothers the same way.
Your child may have times when heturns rebellious and becomes verystrong-willed. A strong inner driveis helping him have a sense ofcontrol over who he is and whathe can do. It is appropriate thathe have a chance to make somedecisions for himself. But he maychallenge your patience andunderstanding as you help himunderstand why family routinesand rules are needed.
A 3 1/2-year-old . . . 3
N knows how old he is, and willshow you the number offingers before telling you.
N can stack blocks or objects inorder, by size, or by color—but not all at once!
N asks “how” or “why”questions.
N repeats three numbers inorder, like 1-2-3 or 9-1-1.
N can identify a circle, square,and triangle.
N begins to understand sentencesinvolving time concepts likepast and present.
N follows a two-step direction.
N understands when told, “Let’spretend.”
Nmakes long speeches tohimself.
N can relate two connectedevents, like how putting onshoes means that it’s time togo outside.
Reading partners:parents and children“Read it to me just one moretime!” Is that a familiar statementin your household? We know thatchildhood is a fleeting moment. Itwon’t be long before that cutepreschooler who says wordsfunny and spills milk on the floorbecomes a young adult.
Books provide a way tostrengthen the relationshipbetween you and your child. Mostchildren love the feeling ofwarmth and security that comesfrom snuggling up to Mom or Dadwhile listening to a story. Thatfeeling combined with the familiarsound of the parent’s voice andthe lure of a delightful plot makesa story special. It may wellbecome one of the most lovedmemories he recalls long after hebecomes an adult.
You are teaching your child whenyou read to him. Besides the
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My child tells a lot of wildstories that I know aren’ttrue. I know an activeimagination is important,but she tells a lot of talltales. Is this normal for a3 1/2-year-old?2
Don’t be upset if your childtells you a tall tale about howshe saw a robot eat a tree.Fantasy is fun for 3 1/2-year-olds. Some children eveninclude themselves in theirstories. This imagination isvery real to children. This iswhat makes them afraid ofmonsters and the dark.Sometimes, it is hard to tellwhat is real and what is not.If she becomes afraid of themonster in her own story,remind her that monsters aremade up and can’t hurt her.Be patient in explaining thedifference to your child.
What is a normal amountfor 3 1/2-year-olds totalk? My child isn’t talkingyet; should I be concerned?
Most children have growingvocabularies by the age of 3.Page three has a checklist totry for children between theages of 3 and 4. Talk to yourchild’s doctor about anythingthat is checked “no” or anyconcerns that you have.
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pleasure that you both experienceas you cozy up with a favoritebook, reading aloud serves a usefulpurpose. Researchers have foundthat it is easier for children tolearn to read when parentsread books to them.4
A child whose day includeslistening to the rhythmic soundsof you reading and lively stories ismore likely to grow up lovingbooks, and a child who loves bookswill want to learn to read them.
You can encourage your child to
read and to love languagewithout spending a lot of time ormoney. Here are a few tips to getyou started:
What
NRead anything. Books aregood, but don’t forget signs,menus, mail, billboards, cerealboxes, recipes, calendars,newspapers, magazines,labels, and dozens of othereveryday items.
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Language development checklist
My 3- to 4-year-old . . . Yes No
Groups objects into categories, such as by saying, “These are
things I eat,” about foods.
Identifies colors.
Uses most speech sounds, but may distort some of the more
difficult sounds such as l, r, s, sh, ch, y, v, z, and th. She may
not fully master these sounds until age 7 or 8.
Uses consonants in the beginning, middle, and ends of all her
words. Some of the more difficult consonants may be distorted,
but she attempts to say them.
Speaks well enough that strangers are able to understand much
of what she says.
Is able to describe the uses of objects such as “fork,” “car,” etc.
Has fun with language. She enjoys playing with words, such as
rhyming, and recognizes language absurdities such as, “Is that
an elephant on your head?”
Expresses ideas and feelings rather than just talking about the
world around her.
Uses verbs that end in “-ing,” such as “walking” and “talking.”
Answers simple questions such as, “What do you do when you
are hungry?”
Repeats sentences.
Adapted from: National Institute on Deafness and Other Communication Disorders, 2009. Milestones in
Your Child’s Speech and Language Development. Bethesda, MD: National Institutes of Health.
http://www.nidcd.nih.gov/health/voice/thebasics_speechandlanguage.asp (accessed August 11, 2009).
NUse poems. Mother Gooserhymes and other traditionalrhymes and songs areespecially good for readingaloud because they containthe basic rhythms used inlanguage.
NPlay word games (likerhyming words, describingthings you see, words withthe same beginning andending sounds, opposites,words that mean about thesame thing). You can playwhile in the car, whilecleaning, and while eating.
NWrite things to read. Leavenotes (“I love you!” “I like itwhen you . . . ” “See youwhen I get home!”), lists(jobs to do, shopping needs),and letters (thank you notes,invitations). You can leavenotes for him to find later inlunch boxes, on pillows, onthe mirror, and in pockets.
NHave a family readingtime, and tape-record favoritestories or rhymes for playback.Hearing their own voicesplayed back gives youngchildren confidence andencourages them to speak.
When
NModel reading. Let yourchild see that you enjoyreading, too.
NRead every day! Read oneor two (or more) books eachday as part of your dailyroutine. Take time to look atthe pictures together and talkabout what you see.
NContinue reading aloudeven after your childlearns to read. Youngreaders enjoy listening tomany books that they can’tyet master on their own. Butif they are frustrated ratherthan challenged, put thestories aside for another day.
How
NBe familiar with a bookbefore you read it aloud. Itmakes it easier for you toread to your child, andanswer questions he mayhave.
NMake sure that thechildren sit where theycan see the book clearly,especially if it’s a picturebook. Of course, somechildren just don’t like to sitstill and listen—they mayprefer to draw or play quietlywhile you read.
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3 Years, Months 6-8
NTake your time. Hurryingthrough a story can lead yourchild to view reading as aduty, not a gift. Prepareyourself mentally by thinkingof story time as a time toslow down, learn, and formbonds with your child.
NRead slowly and withexpression. Don’t be afraidto give characters differentvoices or to make soundeffects.
NEncourage your childrento get into the act. Invitethem to describe pictures,read bits of text, or guesswhat will happen next. Actout the roles in the story withthem, but not with suchdrama that you become thefocus of the child’s attention,not the book. Take your cuesfrom the author throughdescriptive words andpunctuation.
NHave a puppet “readaloud” from a book. Thepuppet can also turn the pages.
NExpect a lot of questions,especially from young children.Take time to answer these asyou go along. If you must askquestions, ask open-ended,imaginative ones that sparkcuriosity. Questions such as “Iwonder . . . ?” or “What mighthappen if . . . ?” are likely totrigger a lively discussion.Reading aloud is not aperformance or a lesson—it’s away for people to spend timetogether enjoying a goodbook.
NEncourage your childrento value their books.Provide a shelf, shoebox,basket, or carton with theirnames on it for safekeeping.Make homemade book platesfor inside the books toidentify their proud owners:on small, square pieces ofpaper, have them decorateand print a few words as bestthey can, such as, “This bookbelongs to ______.”
NEnlarge the audience withyour child’s favorite dollsand stuffed animals. Thesepolite listeners enjoy storiestold by preschoolers, too.
N Listen to your child readto you. Even very smallchildren enjoy making upstories to go with pictures ina book.
NGo to the public library.Get into a routine where youcheck out books from thelibrary. It’s a wonderful way totry new books without anycost. The librarians can showyou books that are new, orclassics that you might try.5
Years from now, your childrenmay not remember one holidayor birthday present from another.What they will remember is yourshared time together.
Take your time. Hurryingthrough a story can lead yourchild to view reading as aduty, not a gift.
Discipline: teachinggood behaviorDiscipline is guidance. It ishelping a child learn to get alongwith adults and other children. Italso means teaching her to dowhat is right and to do so whenadults aren’t around. It takespatience, love, and concern toteach good behavior.
Listed below are ways toeffectively guide children’sbehavior. They will help you andyour children live with less stress.
Encouraging good behavior
One way you can avoidmisbehavior is to structure thesetting for good behavior. Also,try to “catch your child beinggood” and let her know when yousee her doing good things.
Arrange the environment. Thehome environment allows childrento behave in certain ways. Forinstance, add a booster seat tothe dining room chair to helpyour child reach her glass of milkwithout spilling it.
You can add to the environmentby providing play materials, suchas crayons, dress-up clothes, toycars, or modeling dough. You canalso take away from theenvironment by removing fragileitems.
Child-proof your home. Keepspecial items, breakables, anddangerous objects out of yourchild’s reach to prevent accidents.Keep medicine and householdcleaning products in a high,locked cupboard.
Provide choices. You canreplace one activity or materialwith another. Your child mightwant to play with the doughwhile you are making a pie. Makeextra so that she can have herown. Or let her play withmodeling dough, a toy rolling pin,and a metal pie plate.
It’s also important to givechildren limited positive choices.Try providing two choices, suchas, “You can either ride yourtricycle outside or stay inside andpaint. What do you want to do?”
Keep things predictable.Whenever possible, keep routinesconsistent. Children gain a senseof security and trust by knowingthe sequence of daily events.They can get upset when theirdaily routine suddenly changes.
Give children notice. Let childrenknow what to expect whenchanges will take place. If youcancel a trip to Grandma’s house,explain why. Ask them to suggestother days for the trip, and letthem call Grandma to set up anew date.
Make statements simple andgive one instruction at a time.Children can complete a simple,small task more easily than alarge task. Help your child cleanher room by stating one requestat a time:
1 Put the three books back onthe shelf.
2 Put the green toys in thisbucket.
3 Put the trucks in this bucket.
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3 Years, Months 6-8
4 Put your clothes on these twohooks.
Set realistic rules of behavior.This involves setting rules thatmatch your child’s physical skills(bladder control, ability to putaway toys), mental skills(attention span, memory), andsocial skills (ability to help andshare). The expectations andrules you set for toddlers willdiffer from those you set for olderchildren.
Focus on dos, not don’ts.Children who are only told “don’t”(“Don’t throw your clothes on thebedroom floor.”) have a hard timelearning what they should bedoing. The result may be thatone misbehavior is replaced byanother (like throwing theirclothes on the bed). A moreeffective approach is to askchildren clearly what to do:“Please hang up your clothes onthe hooks in your closet.”
Understanding misbehavior6
Before deciding that your childhas misbehaved, ask yourselfthese questions.
N Is the child aware of therule? For example, does sheknow that she should eatfood only at the table? Is sheaware that a rule has beenbroken?
NDid she hear you? Maybeshe is so involved in aninteresting activity, such asreading a book or playingwith a friend, that she didn’thear your request.
NHas she forgotten therule? Sometimes a gentlereminder (“Remember, sit atthe table when you eat.”) isenough.
N Is she having a bad day?
N Is your child matureenough to follow the rule?
NWhy is the childmisbehaving? Childrenmisbehave for a variety ofreasons. She may do so togain attention or to expressanger when she’s sick orunder emotional stress. Or,she may be testing theboundaries and exploring herability to have control.
Sometimes misbehavior is herway of telling you that she needssomething. You can help meetyour child’s needs. Ask your childwhat help she needs. Increasethe number of hugs and positivestatements you give to her.Spend extra time with your childand tell her you love her.
Responding to misbehavior6
Most children will misbehave atsome point. It’s a normal part ofgrowing up! When misbehaviorhappens, it’s helpful to rememberto do the following:
Redirect the child’s attention.Young children can’t understandmore than a few basic rules.Talking to them about theirbehavior often doesn’t help. Forthis reason, it’s easier to redirectthe young child’s attention tosomething that it’s okay for her to do.
Childrenneed babyteethBy now, you are probablytaking your child to the dentistregularly. If not, make anappointment today. Manygeneral dentists will seechildren, and there are somedentists in Maine who seechildren only. You may havenoticed that your 3 1/2-year-old has spaces between herteeth—this is normal. If shehas all of her baby teeth, youshould be able to count 20teeth in her mouth.
According to the AmericanAcademy of Pediatric Dentistry,baby teeth are important formany reasons: they help yourchild to chew correctly, theyhelp in speech development,and they help adult teeth growin by saving space for them.Your child may be very proudof her teeth. A healthy smilehelps children feel good aboutthemselves.11
Even at this age, manychildren have dental caries,also called tooth decay. To helpprevent tooth decay, youshould help your child brushher teeth, using a pea-sizedamount of toothpaste and achild-sized toothbrush. Avoidsugary drinks including sodaand juice, and make sure tobrush after meals and snacks.
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Ignore misbehavior when youcan. Children will sometimesmisbehave or use profanity as ameans of getting attention or toshock you. Ignoring the behavioris a good response.
Teach your children how tohandle their anger. An angryoutburst can offer a time to teachappropriate social skills. You mayrespond to name calling bycalmly saying, “He likes his name,which is Billy.” If two children arefighting over a toy, separatethem. Ask them to think of waysto share the toy, or redirect themto another activity.
Remove children who are outof control. If your child’s angeris out of control, you must takeimmediate safety steps. Lovinglybut firmly holding your child issometimes effective. You mayneed to remove the child fromthe room. Save time-outs forthese times.
Respond to the misbehavior,not the child. When verballyresponding to misbehavior, try tocriticize the misbehavior. Say, “I’mangry that the food is all over thefloor,” rather than, “I’m angry atyou for spilling food on the floor.”
Use a means of guidance thatrelates to the misbehavior. Ifshe breaks a special toy as aresult of rough play, you canexplain why it won’t be replaced.
Examine the need for a rule.Rules exist for three reasons: toprotect children, adults, andanimals from harm; to protectbelongings; and to help childrenlearn positive ways to get alongwith others. If a rule doesn’t fitone of these, you might not needthe rule.
Involve children in settinglimits. Younger and olderchildren are more likely toremember and obey rules if theyhelp develop them. Talk with yourchildren about the results of theirbehavior. Ask them for suggestions.Encourage your children to comeup with a rule that both you andthey can live with.
Consistently enforce rules.Children test parents when theparent doesn’t consistentlyenforce rules of behavior.
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Autism awareness9
Autism is common enough that you’ve probably heard of it, anddoctors are seeing it more often these days. About one out of every250 babies born will develop some form of autism during childhood.Autism is a brain disorder that causes children to become withdrawn,have difficulty speaking, and have problems interacting with others.The cause of autism is not known, but it is thought to be related togenetics, and interactions between the environment and the genes.10
Many parents notice early signs that “something is different” with theirchildren, but may not feel comfortable asking their doctors for help.Autism has no cure, but treatment can help with symptoms. The earlierautism is discovered, the better, so that children have the greatestchance to develop.
Some signs of autism show up at an early age. A common sign iswhen child does not interact in social situations. The child may notrespond when spoken to, or he may focus so hard on one item that heignores everything going on around him. He may avoid eye contact,and can’t tell what other people feel by looking at them. Many childrenwith autism will rock back and forth, bang their heads against things,or spin themselves or objects. These actions may be soothing orstimulating to the child.
If you are unsure whether your child is developing normally, it is betterto ask a professional than to ignore it or “wait and see.” Ask yourdoctor. A doctor can do a screening test or refer you to the Maine ChildDevelopment Services (CDS) in your area or a private professional,who will help determine whether your child has autism.
3 Years, Months 6-8
Model appropriate behavior.Children are quick to imitate oract like adults. It’s important forparents to model positive socialskills, such as sharing, helping,and cooperating. Children willcopy these behaviors. Likewise,parents who respond tofrustration with angry outburstsand cursing are likely to see thesebehaviors in their children.
Hitting children6
We believe that parents don’t liketo hit their children. When ithappens, parents often feel likefailures. If you have hit yourchild, it is important tounderstand why you usedphysical punishment to expressyour own anger and frustrationswith your child’s behavior.
Spanking may stop a young childfor the moment, but it won’t stopthe child from doing the samething later on. Hitting does notteach the child what she should do.
When children are hit, they areoverwhelmed by feelings of hurt,anger, and humiliation. Theymight not remember why they’rebeing punished.
Researchers have found thatphysical punishment leads tomore aggressive behavior in thechild. Adults who received a highamount of physical punishment aschildren, for example, being hiton a regular basis, can have moreproblems than adults who weren’thit. These problems includeaggression, depression, substanceuse, and anxiety.7
Most parents don’t want theirchildren to learn the lessons ofhitting. Hitting tells children thatpeople who love you are likely tohit you, and that it’s okay to hitpeople smaller than you.
Most parents who spank theirchildren don’t go to the extreme ofphysically abusing them. Research,however, shows that most physicalabuse of children begins asordinary physical punishment.8
Parents lose control and childrenare badly hurt.
All parents feel the samefrustrations sometimes. If you feelas if your anger gets out ofcontrol, you may want to talk withsomeone about it. You can call theBoys Town National Hotline, whichis staffed by counselors trained tohelp parents and families, 24 hoursa day at (800) 448-3000. It’s tollfree, and you don’t have to giveyour name.
Remember to use effective methodsof guidance to raise responsible,confident, and happy children.
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Your child and TVMost homes have a television.Many homes have more than oneTV. Sometimes TV is nice becauseit can entertain. Adults andchildren both can learn fromwatching TV, and the bestlearning happens when adultstalk with children about whatthey are seeing on TV.
However, there is such a thing astoo much TV, especially for youngchildren. When your 3-year-oldwatches TV, it shouldn’t replaceother activities, like playing outsideor being active. When he watchestoo much TV, it can have long-term effects. It can keep him fromwanting to read, which will put himbehind in school.12 Some programson TV (even cartoons) exposeyoung children to violence, whichcan lead to aggressive behaior orhaving nightmares.13
Limit TV watching
In 2009, children ages 2-5watched an average of 32 hours ofmedia (TV, DVR, DVD, VCR, andvideogames) each week.14 That’salmost 5 hours per day. The AAPrecommends that your 3-year-oldwatch no more than one hour ofTV per day, and that this time beeducational TV.15 To help your childgrow the best he can, whichrequires spending lots of timelearning, playing, and being withfamily, set limits for TV.
Be consistent about TV time. Itcould be after bath time, or beforedinner—whatever time works bestfor you and your child. When it isnot time to watch TV, make surethat it is turned off.
During meal times, it is especiallyimportant to turn off the TV. Mealsare one of the few times that afamily can be together and talk.When TV and eating happen at thesame time, adults and childrentend to eat more than they dowhen sitting at the table. Even ifyou are not eating in front of theTV, turn the TV off. Backgroundnoise from the television candistract the family fromconversation.
When your child is watching TV,you should be aware of what he iswatching. For this reason, thereshould not be a TV in your child’sroom. Most of the time whenchildren are watching TV, theirparents are doing somethingelse.15 Watching TV with your childand talking about what you seehelps it become more of a learningtool for him.
Set an example
Children model themselves aftertheir parents. You are the biggestinfluence in your toddler’s life.These years have a lot of impacton his habits. It is hard for him tounderstand that grown-ups followdifferent rules. All he sees is thatother family members are gettingto watch more TV than he is.
When you turn off the TV in yourhouse, you can feel good aboutincreasing the time you spendinteracting with your family. Then,if you still want to watch, do itwhen he is asleep, so that he won’tfeel left out or become distracted.If you like to have backgroundnoise during the day, turn on theradio for some music, or playchildren’s albums and have sing-alongs.
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When you turn off the TV inyour house, you can feel goodabout increasing the time youspend interacting with yourfamily.
Years 3–5 of The Growing Years areupdated from The Growing Years, 1sted., prepared by Extension AssociatePamela LaHaye, which was adapted andreprinted from two Extensionpublications: Parenting the First Year, aNorth Central Regional ExtensionPublication, number 321, produced byUW-Extension, Cooperative Extension,and Parent Express: A Month-by-Month
Newsletter for You and Your Baby,produced by the University of CaliforniaCooperative Extension.
In addition, parts are reproduced andadapted with permission from: DelCampo, Diana, 2009. Months 36–54.Preprint. Just in Time Parenting series.
Las Cruces, NM: New Mexico StateCooperative Extension. eXtension.http://www.parentinginfo.org/extension.php (accessed July 5, 2009).
Prepared by Noelle Keyser,AmeriCorps VISTA member forUniversity of Maine CooperativeExtension; supervision by ExtensionChild and Family DevelopmentSpecialist Leslie Forstadt.
Reviewed by Assistant ProfessorJulie Dellamattera, University ofMaine College of Education andHuman Development; ExtensionParent Educator Pamela LaHaye;Extension Educator Kristy MeisnerOuellette; and Assistant ExtensionProfessor Kate Yerxa.
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Child and Family Development
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University of Maine
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Return Service Requested
4627
Months 1 through 36 of The Growing Years are reproduced and adapted with permissionfrom the Parenting the First Year series published by University of Wisconsin-MadisonExtension. All rights reserved.
Adapted by Leslie Forstadt, child and family development specialist. Administrativeassistance provided by Nannette Marcinkowski; design by Cindy Eves-Thomas and Tracey Nelson; editing by Laura Latinski and Kyle McCaskill.
To contact us about The Growing Years, e-mail [email protected] or call(207) 581-3739.
Call 800-287-0274 or TDD 800-287-8957 (in Maine), or 207-581-3188, for informationon publications and program offerings from University of Maine Cooperative Extension,or visit www.extension.umaine.edu.
Published and distributed in furtherance of Cooperative Extension work, Acts of Congress of May 8 and June 30,1914, by the University of Maine and the U.S. Department of Agriculture cooperating. Cooperative Extension andother agencies of the USDA provide equal opportunities in programs and employment. 8/12
In complying with the letter and spirit of applicable laws and pursuing its own goals of diversity, theUniversity of Maine shall not discriminate on the grounds of race, color, religion, sex, sexualorientation, including transgender status or gender expression, national origin, citizenship status, age,disability, genetic information or veteran’s status in employment, education, and all other areas of theUniversity of Maine. The University provides reasonable accommodations to qualified individuals withdisabilities upon request.Questions and complaints about discrimination in any area of the Universityshould be directed to Karen Kemble, Esq., Director of Equal Opportunity, ADA Coordinator, Title IXCoordinator, Rehabilitation Act Section 504 Coordinator, The University of Maine, 5754 North StevensHall, Room 101, Orono, ME 04469-5754, telephone (207) 581-1226, TTY (207) 581-9484.
Further resourcesUniversity of Maine CooperativeExtension(800) 287-0271;www.extension.umaine.edu
2-1-1 MaineDial 2-1-1; www.211maine.org
Child Care ResourceDevelopment Centers(888) 917-1100
Poison Control(800) 222-1222
Maine Statewide DomesticViolence Hotline(866) 834-HELP (4357);www.mcedv.org
He or she, him or her?This series gives equal time to both sexes. That’s why we take turns referring tochildren as “he” or “she.” Keep in mind that we are talking about all children whenwe use “he” or “she.”
