Parent Voice Autumn 09 blue.pmd - City of Darebin

AUTUMN2009Receive the Parent Voiceby email. Contactyhiggins@darebin.vicebin.vic.g.gov.au.auto register.In this issue we are focussing onDiversityersity. We e aim to acknowledgeand celebrate the richness of ourown community – its variety andits vibrancy.There are 128,000 people who reside inDarebin, making up one of the mostdiverse communities in Melbourne.40% of the population can speak alanguage other than English. Languagesspoken include: Italian, Greek, Arabic,Vietnamese, Chinese, Tamil, Singhalese (from Sri Lanka and Southern India) andTagalog (from the Phillipines).Our local schools reflect this diversity. One school reported that 45% of theirstudents speak a language other than English with 8% speaking Arabic and theothers spread amongst 17 other languages. Another school close by has 40%of students using English as a second language. The main nationalities in thisschool are Australian, Chinese, Greek, Italian and Sudanese.Families can also be diverse in many ways, including culture, age, disability,religious and/or political beliefs, socio-economic status and gender. And ofcourse there is a great deal of diversity in the way families choose to organisetheir time and divide their roles. In fact, it would be impossible to stereotype aDarebin family!We hope you enjoy the parent stories, recipes and ideas on how to provideyourselves and your children with opportunities to explore and celebratediversity, included in this issue.The ParentVoiceWinter issue will be produced in April/May 2009.The topic is ‘Play’,and your contributions are welcome! (See p.8)THIS ISSUEDarebinLibrariesBest StartupdateFather’s FocusMum 2 mumTips fordiverse playParent voicesRecipesPlaygroupnewsWhat’s onResources1

Did you know?The Darebin Libraries offer services forCulturally and Linguistically Diverseresidents.A range of products are available in otherlanguages, both in the adult and juniorsections. Northcote Library holds items inGreek and Italian, Preston Library holdsChinese and Vietnamese items andReservoir Library holds Italian and Arabicitems, with some books in Somali availablein the junior area. Some of the junioritems are bi-lingual, so can also be read inEnglish.People of various backgrounds who areinterested in joining and using the library,but are perhaps a little unsure can bereassured that library information isavailable in these languages, and staff arealways happy to help wherever they can!Some of the libraries books dealingwith diversity & multiculturalism:Maya Angelou, My painted house, myfriendly chicken, and meEileen Browne, Handa’s SurpriseIsabelle Chatellard,City mouse and country mouseBobbie Combs, 123: a family counting bookNikki Daly, Pretty SalmaTomie de Paola,Nana upstairs and Nana downstairsSelina Li Duke & Stanley Wong,In the year of the tigerJennifer Elder, Autistic planet. Global babiesJing Jing Guo, Grandpa’s maskCatherine House & Olwyn Whelan,Little elephant. Little zebraCheryl Willis Hudson, Hands canLaurie Krebs, We all went on safari: acounting journey through TanzaniaGina Wilson, IgnisLorraine Wilson, I speak two languages(Junior non-fiction)Jonny Zucker, Lanterns and firecrackers: aChinese New Year Story(see Page 8 for more titles)Best Start updateOral language program in Kindergartens- increasing the capacity of early years services in early identificationof issues related to oral language.Best Start has a project underway to increase the capacity of EarlyChildhood services to indentify and react to language developmentissues in children attending early childhood education services. It is ledby the speech pathologists and occupational therapists at DarebinCommunity Health and has consulted with staff from the City ofDarebin Early Childhood Services. They have worked in partnershipwith four kindergartens to trial the materials and intend to roll outthe training to others.The project is developing practical resources to be used in EarlyChildhood Education Services to stimulate language development viathemed play activities, and is accompanied by a resource folder forstaff which will include language skill ideas for parents to implement inevery day routines at home. Training will be provided on theresources and their uses will be promoted by a workshop andfollowed up with a series of service visits where the activities can bemodelled and observed.Publisher in Residence –increasing the awareness ofthe importance of storytellingand parents/caregivers readingwith children.There are 9 new books in theReservoir Library Collection.These books are the productof children and parentsworking together to makebooks using their own lives and experiences, as part of the Publisherin Residence program. The project promoted the importance ofreading to children and encourages parents regardless of their ownliteracy to share stories and retell these with their children. In eachresidency parents from diverse communities have participated andsome have taken the opportunity to use their first language in bookmaking.The books were officially launched on March 10 and a publicworkshop was run at the library. Victoria Ryle of Kids Own Publishingand Melbourne Graduate School of Education at The University ofMelbourne has led the project, while Emma Bruty from the Darebinlibraries has assisted by providing duplication and evaluation supportactivities.So far children, parents and staff from Kookaburra kindergarten,Merrilands Child care Service, Gellibrand Crescent Kindergarten andReservoir PS, St Gabriel’s PS, St Joseph’s the worker, Ruthven PS andMerrilands P-12 have been involved. Kookaburra parents involvedlast year plan to lead workshops themselves this year to transferthese skills to the next group of parents.2

Finding the right set-upWhen I gave up work my job involved long hours andtrips away. Kerryn had been at home for two and a halfyears with the kids and was itching to get back to work. She’dhad fairly dynamic roles at work where she was always on thego, and was missing that challenge. So I was happy to swap roles whenAustin was six and Georgia was two.Kerryn and I decided we wanted to have a parent at home for the kids,as it had been when we were children. As mature-aged parents weknow we were very fortunate to be able to do this financially andsurvive on one income. I’d hate to be under the financial pressures thatsome young families are under now. We feel very lucky.So for the past six years I’ve had the role of primary carer, whichincludes all general house stuff – cleaning, washing, cooking, and gettingkids off to crèche, kinder or school. This ensures that our evenings andweekends are great family time – there aren’t mountains of washing, orshopping to be done.When our daughter was younger she attended crèche one day perweek while I did casual work. Now they are both at school and I’m athome full-time, involved in renovating the house (a slow process!),supporting my sister in caring for our mother, and helping out mymother-in-law by mowing lawns and doing maintenance when needed.I’ve been available to help out and take a really active part in kinder andschool, even acting on committees and councils. On a day-to-day basis Iget involved in school reading, hot food days and special events – and amalways in demand for excursions!Sometimes in this role I find my social networking can be a bit limited,and that groups of women tend to have their own topics to talk aboutover coffee. But I’m aware of this, and also appreciate that some socialgroups make a real effort to be inclusive.Of course there have been times, especially when Georgia was a baby,that I would have loved to jump in the car and head off to work, butoverall this has been a great set-up for our family. It’s given the kids agreat connection with me, and really suits our family.Tererry, local father of 2.Support for DadsRob Heller is currently working atAnglicare. He is the editor of theParentzone newsletter.He has a detailed list of resourcesfor dads. Please phone him on8470 9999 to request a copy of thiscomprehensive list.Some of the resourcesinclude:• Mensline Australia is a dedicatedservice for men with relationshipand family concernswww.menslineaus.org.au• Dads On The AirA community radio show based inSydneywww.dadsontheair.netand some other resourceswe found:• www.raisingchildren.net.authis website has a number ofresources for fathers, searchFathers or Stay at home dads.• www.gaydadsaustralia.com• Northern Dads PlaygroupPh Clint 0430 411 4951800 mum 2 mumis Australia’s first 24 hour toll-free helpline for breastfeedingmothers, delivering breastfeeding advice, mum to mum.News brief1800 mum 2 mum (1800 686 2 686) is run by the Australian BreastfeedingAssociation (ABA) and utilises the real-life experiences of over 200 trainedvolunteer counsellors each week who help other mums with issues including theearly days with a new baby, expressing and storing milk, weaning, supply and whatto do when baby simply says no.3

Tips for settingup diverse playspaces:Don’t forget to reflectdiversity in gender roles...The dress-up box:• collect a range of play andwork clothes including:suits, ties, uniforms, pants,dresses, hard hats, scarves,kimonos, saris (or largepieces of fabric, high heels,sandals, bootsAlternatives to thepretend kitchen:• try setting up a workbench, an office, shop,hospital for humans oranimals, or a building site.Music:• include musicalinstruments from aroundthe world:eg. castanets, woodenflutes, bongo drums,gourds, coconut shells• play a range of music CDsfrom different countriesThe sandpit:• include a range of cookingutensils, eg. a wok, asaucepan, chop sticks,pizza tray, biscuit cutters(in a range of shapes), teapots or a bamboo steamer.Parent voices...Local parents share theirIhave a six year old daughter in grade one and I calculated I will turn 49 twoweeks before my son starts school. I recently caught up with an old schoolfriend who has 2 children – her son is in his third year at University in Londonand her daughter started University this year in Southampton.My first experience of pregnancy and pending motherhood was a meetingwith an obstetrician who called me a geriatric progravita (I changed doctors).I was recommended a number of tests that wouldn’t be recommended had Ibeen 5 years younger. I did them and all was ok. I loved being pregnant Iworked up until 36 weeks with both babies. I had high blood pressuretowards the end of both pregnancies and diabetes in the second pregnancy.Due to the high blood pressure I had an emergency caesarean at the firstbirth and I opted for one at the second birth as my blood pressure increased.Mum and babies were fine both times.My school friend who was 25 at the time of her first pregnancy, hadproblems falling pregnant, once pregnant she was heavily monitored and hadto take life slowly, thankfully all went well. Her second pregnancy was abreeze, no complications and she was full of energy. I remember beingastounded seeing her at home 2 days after giving birth like nothing hadhappened.My friend has now been happily married for more than 25 years; she and herhusband have the opportunity to travel, party, do dinner and love life. 20 yearsago they didn’t go out for dinner, spent weekends at the side of footy fieldand washed dirty clothes after guide camp.25 years ago I was working in London, planning trips overseas, theatres,parties and crazy clothes. Now my husband and I juggle swimming and dancinglessons, school and childcare drop offs and pick ups. A night out togetherrequires careful planning of baby sitters, now often opting for nights out withfriends whilst the other stays home to look after the kids.When my friend and I meet we laugh about how our lives have takenopposite directions, if we lived in the same country her children would be mybabysitters.Both of us have done what suited us as people at the time, neither is right orwrong. When we meet we have lots to talk about even though the thingshave happened at different times in our lives.A Reservoir mumCycling unites people of all sorts of persuasions– left-wing, right-wing, young, old,professional and unemployed. Added to this aredifferences in cycling and there is a whole worldof difference there. I imagine the same applies toNew Parent Groups and sporting groups.Kathy (mother of 2)4

thoughts on diversityOur family is growing (as they do!) and we’re considering theoption of moving out of the local area to a larger home.So lately I’ve been giving some thought to the aspects of Darebinthat are most special to me.If we do move to a rural area, I’d really miss the vibrant PrestonMarket... what a colourful community hub. Fancy goat for anAfrican curry, some Asian greens, Mediterranean cheese, organicspuds, local wine, or just a yarn with a friendly trader? I love topark my trolley and sit alongside the ladies from Trieste (who’vemet regularly for years), to enjoy a chai while I watch the worldgo by. Dreadlocks, burquas and turbans; vibrant African fabricsand bold Japanese flouros; ugg boots, workboots and teeteringplatforms. Harried office workers wait for sushi beside suburbanmums with kids on their hips and time on their hands. And it alltakes place in such a low key, unpretentious and friendlyenvironment. Diverse?... you bet! I reckon it’s a local treasure.ElizabethEvery Friday about 15 children arrive ready to play with friendsand be part of our unique playgroup called Godstart.Godstart is a playgroup like many others where children play, sing,dance and interact with each other. What is different about ourplaygroup is that it has a religious focus. Godstart is part of StMary’s Parish and school in Thornbury. Members are from allover Darebin and not all are Catholic. We respect everyone’sbeliefs within our group and children and parents participate inthe religious component as they feel comfortable.Our playgroup is quite structured. We commence with play, thenwe have storytime which is a children’s version of a Bible story.Before we read the story we begin with the sign of the cross anda prayer. Storytime is followed by a craft activity which is linkedto the story. Children then share morning tea and continueplaying, singing and dancing. We conclude our time together witha prayer in which we thank God for each child in our group.Godstart aims to teach children about the Catholic faith. Weshare stories about our faith and we begin to teach childrenabout rituals and to name important times in our Churchcalendar such as Lent.Earlier this term we attended morning mass and Fr Gerry Mediciwelcomed and blessed the children.The religious element is a small but very important part of ourplaygroup.Tania (see page 6 for contact details)TabboulehThis tasty versatile salad is handy to taketo functions as it keeps well and can bemade some hours in advance. You mayeven have some of the ingredientsgrowing in the backyard.Ingredients:1 cup burghul (cracked wheat)2 large tomatoes (chopped)3 tablespoons shallots (finely chopped)salt and freshly ground black pepper1 ½ cups fresh parsley (chopped)½ cup fresh mint (chopped)lemon juiceMethod:Soak burghul in cold water to cover forabout 2 hours. Drain, squeeze out asmuch water as possible (use your handsto do this) and spread on a clean tea-towel to dry.Put burhgul in bowl. Add tomatoes andshallots. Season with salt and pepper.Add parsley, mint, oil and lemon juiceand mix well... it should taste fresh andlemony.Wicked wheatywonder drink- an easy to swallow recipeIngredients:1 breakfast wheat biscuit1 banana, chopped1 cup low-fat milk1/4 cup low-fat yoghurtMethod:Blend ingredients until smooth.NB: Full fat milk products are recommendedfor children up to 5 years. Children from 2years can drink reduced fat milk. Low fat milkshould only be taken by children under theguidance of a medical practitioner ordietician.Information gathered from these websites:www.goforyourlife.vic.gov.auwww.rch.org.au5

Playgroups seeking new members:• Pakistani Playgrygroup:meets at Penders Grove PrimarySchool, Victoria St, Thornbury on Tuesday 11.30am -1.30pm. Gold coin donation. Ph Nusra on 0402 566 473.• Intergenerational playgrygroup:meets at Eden TerraceAged Care Facility in Glasgow St, Reservoir on Monday11-1pm. Gold coin donation. Ph Kelly on 9402 0548.• Indigenous playgrygroup:meets at Maya Living FreeHealing Centre, 7-11 Rossmoyne St, Thornbury,Wednesdays 10-2pm. This is a supported playgroup.Ph Shirley on 9480 1111.• Alphington MyTime Playgrygroup(formerly AlphingtonPlaytime Playgroup) meet at Alphington CommunityCentre, 2 Kelvin Rd, on Tuesday 1-3pm.Ph Sue on 0411 499 324. This supported playgroup is foranyone caring for a child under school age with adisability or chronic medical condition.• St Mary’y’s s Playgrygrouphas a religious focus.Meets at St. Mary’s School Hall, Mansfield St, Thornbury.Ph Tania on 0408 527 883 (see page 5 for more details).• Mandarin Language Learning Playgrygroupisconducted in Mandarin. Meets at Clyde St CommunityCentre, 64 Clyde St Thornbury. Mandarin teacherfacilitates playgroup as children learn Mandarin throughplay. Cost: Playgroup term fee of $23.00 plus $16.00 perchild per session. Ph Shelley on 9495 1530.Here e are some more of the range of playgrygroups inDarebin.• Japanese playgrygroupoup: meets at Jika Jika CommunityCentre, Cnr Plant and Union Sts, Northcote on Monday10.30 - 1pm. Ph Maiko on 9435 18 63.• Natural Parenting Playgrygroupsrun from both Jika JikaCommunity Centre (ph 9482 5100) and PrestonNeighbourhood House (ph 9484 5806).• Multiple births: Nimba Playgrygroupoup meets at Clyde StCommunity Centre, 64 Clyde St, Thornbury every 2ndFriday 10-12noon. Ph Antoinette on 9370 0375• Dads Playgroup: Northern thern Dads meet at various homeson Friday 11am-1pm. Ph Clint on 0430 411 495• Post Natal Depression Playgroup: Ponder Playgrygroupmeets at Batman Park Hall, Elm St, Northcote on Monday9.30 -11.30am. Ph Sarah on 0431 039 302• Playgroup for same-sex parented families: RainbowConnections playgrygroupoup, Clyde St Community Centre,64 Clyde St, Thornbury every Wednesday 10am-12.Email Louise on willis_l@bigpond.net.au• Playgroup with a religious focus: St. Gabriel’s s ChurchPlaygrygroupoup, Spring St, Reservoir is a facilitated playgroupwhich meets on Wednesdays 9-11am.Playgroup newsPlaygroups can provide a wonderful opportunityto build lasting friendships. Some playgroupscontinue to meet even though the children havefinished school. Adult children request the regular‘get together’.When you become part of the group, the supportthat is offered can be extremely valuable. With afeeling of acceptance you can discuss parentingissues, raise concerns, get ideas and maybe evenoffer suggestions to others.How do we ensure e that everery playgrygroupmember feels welcomed regardless ofgender, age, culture, religion or background?• Welcome the new family with a smile• Introduce the new family to the other families• Supply name tags for everyone at playgroup forthe the first few weeks. On the parent’s nametags list their child/ren’s names so family units canbe identified• Get to know the family by talking with them. Youmay find out what they hope to gain from theirplaygroup experience and also about their likesand dislikes.• Explain and include the new family into theplaygroup routine.• Make sure the new family is not standing orplaying alone.• Tell them about your playgroup (typical activities,any social outings, fees and what they are usedfor, the way in which all the jobs are shared by allthe families) and if appropriate give them anywritten information you have about theplaygroup.• Involve the family in planning playgroup activities.Make your playgroup environment ‘inclusive’. Youcould display a poster listing ‘welcome’ in severallanguages and learn to say ‘hello’ in different ways.Plan a day where families can bring food from home(be aware of food allergies in both children andadults) or wear their national costumes. Wherepossible include play props (dress-ups, cookingutensils), songs or stories from all cultures intoplaygroup routine.Arriving at their first session of playgroup can bedaunting for any family. With a bit of thought andplanning new families can be made to feel verywelcome.Ideas from PlaygrygroupVictoria literature.Susan Stanecki – Darebin Playgrygroup Liaison &Resource ce Officericer, phone 8470 8115.6

What’s onPARENT EDUCATION: Darebin Group of the Australian BreastfeastfeedingeedingAssociation - providing support for your breastfeedingand parenting journey.All mothers are welcome, on any part of theirbreastfeeding journey, even if it has ended. You can comealong to 2 meetings before we ask that you become amember to enjoy the full benefits of our Association.www.breastfeeding.asn.auBreastfeeding helpline:1800 MUM 2 MUM (1800 686 2 686)Please ph Michelle on 9478 7974 if you would like moredetails re the meetings listed below:• The reflux baby, March 24, 1pm – 3pmEver experienced or experiencing a reflux baby? Comealong to hear tips for management or to share yourstory of what did or didn’t work for you and your baby.• Support for your parenting journeyApril 9, 10am – 12pm. What support is out there for us?Come along to discuss each other’s support networksand how we found them.• Lunch, play y and chat in the parkApril 20, 11am – 1pm.Come to Bundoora Park (first small playground on theleft) for a bit of sun and a friendly chat.• Breastfeeding and the environmentMay 19, 10am – 12pm. Come along to discuss how wehelp the environment by breastfeeding. The HappinessTrarap seminar – How Acceptance andCommitment Therapy Can Help You Reduce Stress, EnrichLife and Enhance Vitality May 23, 9am – 1pmThis seminar is suitable for health professionals, parentsand carers of kids with disabilities.To register ph: 9466 9600 Shake, rattle and rhymeyme! The Darebin Libraries areoffering this program to introduce parents and childrento the world of rhymes, action songs, fingerplays andboard books, and encourage them to spend timetogether. It aims to develop parents’ confidence in singingto their children, introduce their children to the libraryand foster a love of reading. Sessions will be heldfortnightly at 10:30 am on Mondays, at Preston Library.The program begins April 27 ending September 7.For further information ph: 1300 655 355 May 8, Everery Mind Everery Body - Early Years &Children’en’s s Services Confererenceence,Parents & Playgroupers DayActive Play at Playgroup, 10am - 12noonFamily Food: Family Feud, 1.30 - 2.30pmto book ph: Darebin Early Years & Services 8470 8100SCHOOL HOLIDAYPROGRAMS & ACTIVITIES: City of Darebin Primary School HolidayProgramPh: 8470 8100. To download theregistration form, go to www.darebin.vic.gov.au Go to www.dar.darebin-libraries.vicebin-libraries.vic.g.gov.au.auto find out about school holiday activities forchildren aged 5 – 12yrs. Preston ReservoirAdult CommunityEducation (PRACE) School Holiday Program,6 – 12 years, April 7 & 9. To book ph: 9462 6077Email: office@prace.vic.gov.au DarebinArts Centre e Children’en’s TheatrePolygot Puppet Theatre presents: Check Out!April 15, 2.30pm. To book ph: 8470 8280www.darebinartscentre.com.au FREE Nappy Education classes,March 28, 29, May 2, 3, 30m 31.To book ph: 9481 6044 oremail dialanappy@netspace.net.au Free Sustainable Homes Programs:April 28, Create a Water Efficient Home & GardenMay 19, Buying Green & Avoiding Waste6.45 – 9pm. To register ph: 8470 8373www.sustainablehomes.vic.gov.au May 27 – June 3 National Reconciliation WeekNational Reconciliation Week offers people acrossAustralia the opportunity to focus onreconciliation, to learn about the culture andhistory of Australia’s Indigenous people. NationalReconciliation Week is a time for us to renew ourcommitment to reconciliation and to think abouthow we can help turn around the continuingdisadvantage experienced by Aboriginal and TorresStrait Islander Australians. Single ParentsActive KidsGo to www.singleparentsactivekids.orgor ph Moush: 0430 504 119to find out about upcoming events. The Premier’emier’s s Reading Challenge (PRC)The Darebin Libraries have put special labels on thespine to make the books easier to find. You canalso search the catalogue for books on the PRC listby entering Premier’s Reading Challenge along withthe year level you are looking for (eg. PremiersReading Challenge prep). Hard copies of the listare also available at the Customer Service Desks ateach library. Multicultural Little Kids Gym (for children 2 –5 years). A low cost program for families fromculturally diverse communities held at PRACE.For further information ph: 9462 60777

Other useful resourcesDownload previous issues ofthe Parentent Voiceoice atwww.dar.darebin.vicebin.vic.g.gov.au.au ParentlinePh: 13 22 89 www.parentline.vic.gov.auA Statewide phone counseling, information & referralservice for parents & carers of children 0 – 18 years. Adult Migrant Education Services (AMES) –Adult Migrant English program, free childcare whileyou attend an English language coursewww.ames.vic.edu.au Anglicare Ph: 8470 9999 to find out about generalparenting groups Children’en’s s Protection Societywww.cps.org.au Ph: 9450 0900 Disability Onlinewww.disability.vic.gov.au PlaygrygroupVictoria www.playgroup.org.au Darebin Playgrygroup Liaison & ResourceOfficericer, Susan Stanecki, ph 8470 8115email: susan.staneki@darebin.vic.gov.au Rainbow Families Council(a community organization working for same sexfamilies in Victoria) www.rainbowfamilies.org.au Spectrum Migrant Resource Centrewww.mrcne.org.au Ph: 9496 0200 Stepfamilies Australia www.stepfamily.org.au www.m.mytimeytime.net.aufind out about local supportfor carers of young children under school age with adisability or chronic medical condition. www.raisingchildr.raisingchildren.net.au www.dar.darebin-libraries.vicebin-libraries.vic.g.gov.au.au(The following Darebin Libraries booklist is continuedfrom Page 2.)Alison Lester, Ernie dances to the didgeridooArone Meeks, Enora and the Black CraneMique Moriuchi,My village: rhymes from around the worldRobert Munsch, The paper bag princessTodd Parr, The peace bookPatricia Polacco, Chicken SundayDebra Shirley, Best friend on wheelsRosemary Sullivan & Dee Huxley, Tom TomIris Teichmann,A multicultural world (Junior non-fiction)Rosemary Wells, YokoMargaret Wild, Sam’s Sunday DadJeanne Willis, Daft batThe Parent Voice is a seasonalnewsletter for Darebin parents, to improve links in thecommunity and promote health and wellbeing.Contact us:Editor, Yvette Higgins,Darebin Best Start Project Officer, Ph: 8470 8385Email yhiggins@darebin.vic.gov.auMultilingual Telephone Line 8470 8470The Parent Voice is supported by the City of Darebin& Darebin Best Start. The volunteer editorial committeeconsists of parents who live or work within Darebin.Thankyou to the committee and the parents who providedthe inspiration & contributions to this issue, includingTerry, Penny, Kathy, Elizabeth & Tania.Layout & illustrations by Liz McGrath: mcgrath.liz@optusnet.com.au8