Nurturing Pathways® for Babies
Parent/Child Creative Movement Classes
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Instructor:
Erin Stanley
713-870-8077
erinestanley@gmail.com
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As an ARTreach Project serving youth at risk we are focusing on new mothers identified through a partnership with Pregnancy Help Center of Katy. The program enriching a baby’s cognitive and physical development using baby exercises, musical instruments and sensory rich creative play products. New parents will experience the joy of dancing while strengthening their bond with their baby.
4 PHC clients have been identified to benefit.
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Classes are 45 minutes long and are scheduled to run Saturdays 12:00 –1:00 pm November 14-Dec 5th
Benefits of Program:
Why Movement Matters for Babies
Movement, play and touch activate an infant’s central nervous system and develop its neural networks made up of neurons, dendrites and axons (Hannaford 1995). These networks interconnect rapidly from birth to four years of age. The brain doubles in size during the first twelve months of life and achieves 95% of its adult brain weight by the age of four. During these years, the foundation is laid for eyesight, language, gross and fine motor skills and emotional and intellectual capabilities (Wolf 2002). Movement, play and touch are the master builders and genes are the architect.
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Participants of Nurturing Pathways® for Babies will:
1.) Learn about the benefits of movement for baby
2.) Tthe importance of Tummy Time and how to encourage it
3.) Learn the 4 Movement Patterns for the brain
4.) Bond with child
5.) Learn exercises and rhymes for baby to do at home
6.) Learn baby massage
7.) Waltz and Folk Dance
8.) Play instruments
9.) Socialize
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Erin Stanley is donating her time to support the pilot. ARTreach will be evaluating the impact of this program on this targeted population and will post an assessment at the conclusion of the pilot. Participation will be documented. Testimony will be collected from all students completing the 4 week course. The program will be considered successful if students register for an offered course. Continued funding will be contingent on partnering agency and private contributions to ARTreach or PHC based on the impact we can demonstrate this program has on a crisis pregnancy population.
