St. Claire Pediatric Therapy to Offer Free Child Development Classes for Parents and Caregivers

Parents, join St. Claire’s Pediatric Rehabilitation Therapy Team for a series of child development classes designed for parents and caregivers of children ages newborn to 5 years. These FREE classes will cover topics such as developmental milestones, self-care, early literacy skills, appropriate behaviors, and much more.

Hitting the Milestones | March 12
Developmental milestones provide important information about your child’s early development. Find out what you should be looking for and when. Plus, learn appropriate play skills, positioning during play, and ways to get your kids moving. Get answers to questions such as: “At what age should my child walk?”, “When should I be concerned that my child isn’t ‘talking’?”, and “My daughter is four and likes to play alone … should I be concerned?”

Feeding & Self-Care | June 11
Making sure your child is getting the proper nutrition can be difficult, especially if you have a picky eater or problem feeder. Learn ways to help your child create early healthy eating habits as well as the oral motor skills to chew and swallow. We will also talk about other self-care skills like dressing and potty training. Get answers to questions such as: “My child is such a picky eater, how can I get them to try new foods?”, “My child has difficulty chewing/swallowing, is that normal?”, and “My child isn’t potty trained yet, should I be concerned?”

Promoting Early Skills | Sept. 10
How you communicate with your child can influence their early development. Learn ways you can engage with your child to help develop early language and literacy skills. We will also talk about the role of technology in development. Get answers to questions such as: “My child loves technology, how can I use it to be more educational?”, “When should I start reading to my child?”, and “Should I be concerned that my child isn’t communicating?”

Appropriate Behaviors | Dec. 10
Sometimes it’s tough for kids to know how to respond appropriately to situations. Learn to help your child self-regulate emotions and reduce inappropriate behaviors such as outbursts and tantrums to promote safe participation in daily activities. Get answers to questions such as: “How can I help my child calm down and be safe in day-to-day activities?” and “We have tried everything to manage behavior, what else can I do?”

All classes will be held at 6 p.m. at the St. Claire Outpatient Center located at 1028 East Main Street in Morehead, next to Best One Tire. Childcare will not be provided.

For more information on these free classes, contact Beth Reynolds, MS, OTR/L, at 606.783.7780 or elizabeth.reynolds@st-claire.org.