Friday, August 31, 2012

News From Armenia

Guess who is getting a baby sister from Armenia?!?!?  Wasn't it just yesterday that your family came to bring you home?  It seems like it and now you are returning to Armenia as 'BIG brother' to bring your sister home!  Hopscotch is celebrating your family's newest addition.

Thursday, August 30, 2012

An opportunity to learn with SPOON: Upcoming Classes

Nutrition and Institutionalized Children

Event Date: Thursday, September 6, 2012 - 12:00pm - 1:00pm

While foster and adopted children may appear healthy on the outside, they may very well be deficient in key nutrients that could impact future growth and brain development. These deficiencies develop because many vulnerable children do not receive proper nutrition in their early years. The most common culprits include insufficient prenatal nutrition, malnutrition in infancy and post-adoption growth spurts.

 The goal of this presentation is to help parents learn to provide optimal nutrition once their children are home in order to boost their children’s development and overall health. Participants will become knowledgeable about:
  • common nutrient deficiencies
  • contributing factors to nutrient deficiencies in institutionalized children
  • nutrition information specific to different countries
  • how nutrient deficiencies can be identified upon adoption

Learn More & Register...


 

Feeding the First Year Home

Feeding the First Year Home: How to transition adopted children to the next stages of feeding while transitioning them to the diet of a new culture - Live Webinar   

Event Date: Thursday, October 4, 2012 | Noon - 1:00 p.m. (Central Time)   

Intended Audience: Prospective Adoptive Parents, Adoptive Parents, Child Welfare Professionals   

Fee: $15 per participant; separate registration required for each participant.

Feeding children healthy snacks and meals on a daily basis is a challenge for any parent, but transitioning an undernourished child from their traditional diet to yours can seem like a huge undertaking. Parents often feel pressured to get their child nourished ASAP, and attempting to do so only adds stress to an already delicate situation. There are no hard and fast rules to do this right. Feeding guidelines and expert advice on child nutrition is largely based on research and experience with families who have biological children that share a similar culture. You may get lots of advice from well-meaning family, friends, and even health care professionals, but understand there’s little to no research to validate this advice. If possible, develop a relationship with an international adoption health care expert, a sympathetic pediatrician, or a registered dietitian specializing in child nutrition to assist you and your child through this difficult time.

The goal of this presentation is to help parents understand what feeding and nutrition challenges they may experience when their child first enters their home and ways they may be able to address the challenges. Participants will become knowledgeable about:
  • transitioning stages (formula, complementary foods, solids) and how they might be different for adopted children
  • tips for transitioning to culturally new foods
  • implications of post-adoption growth spurt

Learn More & Register...


 

Nourish, Nurture, Attach: The feeding relationship and adoption

Nourish, Nurture, Attach: The feeding relationship and adoption - Live Webinar   
Event Date: Thursday, November 8, 2012 | Noon - 1:00 p.m. (Central Time) 

Intended Audience: Prospective Adoptive Parents, Adoptive Parents, Child Welfare Professionals   

Fee: $15 per participant; separate registration required for each participant.

Even parents with thriving biological children get frazzled when their kids refuse to eat or limit their diet to a few select foods. This frustration is compounded for adoptive parents who have the additional pressure of getting their children nutritionally “caught up.” Unfortunately it is not uncommon for children who are entering a new family through adoption or foster care to have difficulty eating, develop rigid eating patterns, or refuse food all together (a.k.a. food aversion). On the other end of the spectrum, it is also not uncommon for post-adopted children to hoard food in the initial period home.

The goal of this presentation is to provide parents with practical, research-based information on ending the power struggles and restoring a positive feeding relationship that promotes attachment, trust, good nutrition and healthy weight.

Learn More & Register...


 

Feeding and Nutrition Considerations for Children with Special Needs: An overview

Feeding and Nutrition Considerations for Children with Special Needs: An overview - Live Webinar   

Event Date: Thursday, December 6, 2012 | Noon - 1:00 p.m. (Central Time) 

Intended Audience: Prospective Adoptive Parents, Adoptive Parents, Child Welfare Professionals   

Fee: $15 per participant; separate registration required for each participant.

When adopting a child who has been identified as having a special need, there is more to consider than just the medical or behavioral diagnosis. One of the basic, foundational issues that must be addressed immediately is the child's feeding and nutrition, which will almost certainly be more of a challange than for a child without an identified need.

The goal of this presentation is to offer parents an overview of the aspects of feeding and nutrition that are unique to children with special needs including those with Sensory Processing Disorder, low muscle tone, cerebral palsy, and cleft lip and palate.

 Learn More & Register...

Announcement of Conscious Discipline Session in Greensboro, NC all day on Saturday, October 13, 2012 -- Conscious Discipline Infant & Toddler Workshop: Baby Doll Circle Time FREE with Paid Tuition!

Thursday, August 23, 2012

Wednesday, August 22, 2012

Hopscotch Summer 2012 Newsletter

Today we are releasing our "Summer 2012" newsletter.  We hope you enjoy it as much as we enjoyed interacting with several of our families, to bring great stories and resources to your family.  Thanks for all of your support in helping us serve more children and a special thank you to our amazing Hopscotch client families! Our very best to you!

Download Newsletter (PDF)

Sunday, August 12, 2012

Armenian Street Festive Guide


Sayat Nova Annual Picnic (MA)
Date: Sunday, August 19
Time: 12pm-5pm
Location: Camp Haiastan
Address: 722 Summer St, Franklin, MA, 02038

New Britain Armenian Church Annual Picnic (CT)
Date: Sunday, August 19
Time: 12pm-5pm
Location: Armenian Church of the Holy Resurrection
Address: 1910 Stanley St, New Britain, CT, 06053

Taste of Armenia (IL) 
Date: Sunday August 26, 2012
Time: Noon - 6:30PM
Location: St. James Armenian Church
Address: 816 Clark Street, Evanston, IL, 60201

Monday, August 6, 2012

For Immediate Release: Authentication/Apostille of Federal Documents No Longer Permitted

The Secretary of State offices for each state are no longer permitted to authenticate/apostille federal documents, which include FBI clearances, Certificate of Naturalization, etc.

If you have already received an FBI clearance or other federal document for your dossier or dossier document update, you must send it to the US Secretary of State for authentication/apostille.  For information, please follow this link to the US Secretary of State Authentication webpage: http://www.state.gov/m/a/auth/index.htm

Sunday, August 5, 2012

Armenian Street Festive Guide



St Stephen's Annual Picnic (MA)Date: Sunday August 12
Time: 12pm-5pm
Location: Camp Haiastan
Address: 722 Summer St, Franklin, MA, 02038

Sayat Nova Annual Picnic (MA)
Date: Sunday, August 19
Time: 12pm-5pm
Location: Camp Haiastan
Address: 722 Summer St, Franklin, MA, 02038

New Britain Armenian Church Annual Picnic (CT)
Date: Sunday, August 19
Time: 12pm-5pm
Location: Armenian Church of the Holy Resurrection
Address: 1910 Stanley St, New Britain, CT, 06053

Taste of Armenia (IL) 
Date: Sunday August 26, 2012
Time: Noon - 6:30PM
Location: St. James Armenian Church
Address: 816 Clark Street, Evanston, IL, 60201