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The holidays are in full swing here at Pernet, and our team of busy little elves had a visit from Santa himself and took the time to have a holly jolly celebration for themselves... and each went home with a great Pernet travel mug! Happy Holidays to all, and to all a good night!
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The power of play
By Matthew Ferreira mferreira328@gmail.com Play is fun for children, but it’s serious business when it comes to their health and development. From peek-a-boo as a toddler to jigsaw puzzles, dolls and toy trains as an older child, play enriches not only their lives at the moment, but their brain development and a whole host of other things, too. But, what is play, exactly? According to an American Academy of Pediatrics report, “The Power of Play: A Pediatric Role in Enhancing Development in Young Children,” play is an activity that involves active engagement and results in joyful discovery. It is fun and spontaneous, and involves creating an imaginative reality that contains elements of make-believe. It’s not about passively watching the television or computer screen, and it’s not about the latest and greatest technical bells and whistles on a smartphone. It’s about simplicity, imagination and the unstructured time to create. “Simplicity has always been at the forefront of classic toy development with the focus on undisturbed, open-ended play,” said Filip Francke, CEO of Ravensburger North America, whose BRIO line has been creating happy childhood memories for more than 130 years. Here are just a few benefits of open-ended, unstructured playtime: • Amplifies creative role play and inspired storytelling. • Models “cause and effect.” • Develops critical thinking skills. • Improves children’s abilities to plan. • Helps with language and math development. • Encourages and deepens relationships with siblings, friends and adults, creating the foundation for more healthy relationships in the future. • Fosters curiosity. • Encourages problem solving, collaboration and creativity. • Helps children manage stress. The AAP is so adamant about the benefits of play that it encourages pediatricians to write out prescriptions for play at well child visits to remind parents, in this increasingly structured world, to give their children plenty of time to play. That’s because more and more, parents are focused on achievement, after-school programs and increased homework demands, even for elementary students. Inspiring play is as simple as providing the unstructured time and space. So, whether it’s brightly colored toys for an infant, showing a mirror to an older child to explore her own expressions, reading to children of all ages, giving your child simple toys like blocks, wooden toys, puzzles or a train set — providing your child the opportunity for a daily dose of play is the right prescription for his or her development. Brandpoint The American Academy of Pediatrics is so adamant about the benefits of play that it encourages pediatricians to write out prescriptions for play.
Watch to see our Executive Director, Sheilah Dooley, comment on having the team make Pernet's neighborhood their new home.
8/7/2018 Green Island Gardens: Summer 2018 Overview Three more days left until we complete the 2018 Green Island Gardens 6-Week Summer YouthWorks Program! Overview of Program: Mission: Green Island Gardens’ (GIG) mission is to beautify the retail district and residential area. In the Green Island and Canal District neighborhoods, GIG shows beauty and pride in the neighborhood and engages the community in gardening. The Community Garden The Garden is the heart of this program. It beautifies and provides fresh, local produce to the neighborhood. The Green Island Community Garden is all organic and all the material is used from local stores or businesses. In our garden, you will also find Native Plants and Perennial Flowers that help promote biodiversity, and shelter and food for wildlife! Planter Initiative The main objective of the planter initiative is to make the Green Island and Canal District Neighborhood more inviting and attractive. We partner with local businesses to maintain planters and clean up store fronts. Neighborhood Clean-Ups Neighborhood Clean-ups are another way that the Green Island Gardens Program helps to beautify and keep our neighborhood and waterways clean. We dispose of trash throughout the neighborhood, including community green spaces such as Crompton Park. Here are some pictures from this summer from our AIDS Project Worcester Community Garden fieldtrip, Central Mass Youth Jobs Coalition site visit, Nutrition Class with UMASS Extention Nutrition Education Program, and daily work around the neighborhood! Hope you enjoy! Pernet's Summer Outings program provides an opportunity for families to create positive memories together while doing a fun summer activity. This summer, so far, families have joined us at joined us at the Southwick's Zoo and Douglas Lake. A BIG THANK YOU to the volunteers from St. Matthew's in Southborough for collecting donating 33 hours of your time to help Pernet in our community youth garden and sorting and organizing formula! We appreciate your time and energy!
Thank you for your generosity in supporting our Emergency Assistance Program, Fallon Health! We couldn't serve over 10,000 individuals in our emergency food pantry without your support! Photo on the left, in the middle, Sheilah Dooley, Executive Director (left), Melissa Galindez, Emergency Assistance Coordinator (right).  Patricia, the new Early Intervention Director for Pernet Family Health Service, comes to Pernet as a seasoned professional with over twenty years experience in, Program Management, Education, Non Profit/ Human Service, and Community Outreach. Major strengths in human relations, leadership, Early Childhood Education, supervision and her twenty plus years in both public and private nonprofit has enabled Pattie to significantly impact the families of the North Central MA area from which she hails. Over the years Pattie has been frequently called upon to develop initial staffing and programs for start-up operations and continued planning and development of program goals.
Most recently Pattie served as the Executive Director of The Roudenbush Community Center in Westford, MA. As Executive Director she oversaw the strategic development of the Community Center and overall operations, staff management and marketing to ensure that the Center exceled in its mission to enrich the lives of Westford residents through programs and services in the areas of education, entertainment, health, and the arts. Pattie supervised the center’s staff and a large group of volunteers as well as managed the relationship between the Center and the Town of Westford for mutual benefit. Prior to Roudenbush, Pattie was the Director of both Fitchburg Community Connections and the Family Resource Center @ Fitchburg Community Connections. The Family Resource Center was created in July 2012 with Pattie’s guidance and her expertise in the area of Family Issues. The Center serviced and impacted more than 1500 family members, in the first two years, under Pattie’s leadership. Prior to this position Pattie serviced as Supervisor of the Healthy Families Program with the Massachusetts Society for the Prevention of Cruelty to Children. While in this role Pattie received the “Face of Prevention” Award on the Steps of the Statehouse in Boston. She received her Bachelor’s Degree in Elementary Education with a Minor in Early Childhood from Fitchburg State College. Pattie also has numerous trainings from The Children’s Trust Fund of MA and other Agencies that support the area of Children and Families. Ms.Pichette serves on numerous boards of community organizations and is active on state committees for policies affecting children’s issues, and systems of care. She has conducted numerous trainings, workshops and in-services on early childhood, parenting, job skills and positive behavior supports. Pattie is an active participant in Community Theater both as a Singer and Actress and has taught drama at Mt Wachusett Community College’s Children’s Drama Camp Program. We're so glad you're here with us, Pattie! |
AuthorPernet Family Health Service, Inc. Archives
August 2019
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