This document summarizes a meeting between parents and facilitators from the School City of Hobart Parents as Teachers program. The goals of the meeting were to learn from each other, discuss new research on parenting, and identify nurturing parenting behaviors that positively impact children's development. Attendees observed video examples of parent-child interactions and discussed how a nurturing relationship is linked to improved memory, stress response and brain development in children. Parents collaborated to identify their top nurturing parenting behaviors to focus on, such as responding warmly to a child's cues, in order to create healthier families and community.

1. Created with lots of love by the
Building stronger Brickies…
One family at a time
School City of Hobart
Parents as Teachers

2. So why did we invite you here?
 LEARN something new today
 TALK things over with some old friends
and some new ones
 REFLECT on how new research fits into the
way you parent your children
 CREATE a tool for yourself and others to
use based on your knowledge and
experience
Okay, and maybe a little bit to drink your coffee in peace!

3. • TEACH you something which
I hope you will find valuable
as a parent
• LISTEN to your ideas and
feedback
• UNDERSTAND that we all
have different backgrounds
and experiences that form
our beliefs and make us the
way we are
• VALUE what each of you has
to contribute to our time
together and to our
And, yes, a small part of me wanted to show off my sweet community
little guy, Andrew!

4. What is What is NOT
attachment? attachment?
 The relationship that  The fact that your child
develops between a child cries/falls-to-the floor/melts-
and his or her main down/you-name-it when you
caregivers leave
 Window of opportunity is  The way your child talks
from birth to age 2 to his or her
pacifier/blanket/Elmo-doll/toy-
dinosaur/whatever-it-is-at-your-
 Affects social, emotional, house like a long lost friend
and intellectual and can’t possibly live life
development later in life without it

5. What kind of relationship do you have most of the time?
 When a parent  Parent does not learn
understands their to read the child’s cues
child’s cues and  Parent does not
responds warmly comfort baby
 A baby trusts that a affectionately or in a
parent will care for timely manner
and comfort it  Baby has not learned to
 Parent interacts with trust his parents to
the child during daily meet his needs
activities  Child’s needs are met
 Parent and child focus inconsistently or
on the same activity ignored

6. Use the reflection sheet provided for you to identify
behaviors you see as they interact. Also consider…
• How they communicate with each other verbally?
• What kind of body language and gestures do they
make to each other?
• What are each of them paying attention to?
• Has been a time when you’ve felt or acted similarly?

7.  Developing new
relationships
 Gainingcuriosity
and confidence to
explore
 BRAIN SIZE!

8. “New research by neuroscientists and child
psychiatrists show that children whose
mothers nurtured them early in life have
brains with a larger hippocampus. This is the
first research of its kind to show the link
between a mother’s nurturing and changes in
the hippocampus, which is a key brain
structure important to learning, memory and
stress response.”
Source: Jim Dryden, Washington University School of Medicine
Source: http://scitechdaily.com/mothers-nurturing-results-in-larger-
hippocampus-in-children/

9. • Part of the limbic
system
• Regulates emotions
• Plays a major role
in memory
formation
• Controls response
to stress

10. Use the reflection sheet provided for you to identify
behaviors you see as they interact. Also consider…
• How they communicate differently than the first
pair we observed?
• What kind of body language and gestures do they
make to each other?
• What are each of them paying attention to?
• Has there been a time when you’ve felt like your
relationship with you child was at its very best?

11.  Children who are nurtured in their
early years have a brain that is
physiologically different than children
who are not nurtured (Luby, 2011)
 A larger hippocampus is linked to
 Improved memory
 Improved ability to cope with stress
 Improved overall school performance
“This study validates something that seems to be intuitive, which is just how important
nurturing parents are to creating adaptive human beings.”
-Joan L. Luby, MD,
Professor of Child Psychiatry, Washington University

13.  Your Parenting Behaviors play a major role in the
PHYSICAL growth of your child’s brain.
 You can help your child achieve his or her greatest
potential for memory, coping skills, adaptability,
and more by creating a healthy, nurturing
relationship between you.
 You can make our community better by emulating
positive Parenting Behaviors you see in others, as
well as modeling those same behaviors for others.

14. Nurturing
Parenting
Behaviors • Collaborate with those at your table to identify
you TOP 3 NURTURING PARENTING
BEHAVIORS that would create positive
outcomes for kids and families. WRITE THESE
ON YOUR CHART PAPER
Larger • Take a look at everyone’s ideas. As a whole
Hippocampus group, let’s choose TOP 5 NURTURING
PARENTING BEHAVIORS. By taking an active
role and purposefully living out these behaviors
we are creating healthier families and a
healthier community.
• Choose ONE of these behaviors that you want to
Positive focus on personally for the next month or so.
Outcomes for
Kids

15. Thank you so much for coming to our first Parent Café and
making it a success. Please turn your pink paper into the
basket by the door as you are leaving.
Hope you enjoyed our time together!