Imagine Changing the World One Baby at a Time ~ by Dar Batrowny

Did you know that many children enter school with developmental

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and behavioral delays that could have been found and treated much sooner? When delays are not identified early, more significant delays may occur and opportunities for treatment could be lost. Throughout my career as a child development specialist I have witnessed the heart wrenching stories of children who have shown up at school with multiple serious delays that could have been detected and treated much earlier and the heartwarming stories of early detection and treatment of delays.

Here is what some of the experts have to say about early development.

· The CDC’s website: “In the United States, about 1 in 6 children aged 3 to 17 years have one or more developmental or behavioral disabilities, such as autism, a learning disorder, or attention-deficit/hyperactivity disorder1. In addition, many children have delays in language or other areas that can affect how well they do in school. However, many children with developmental disabilities are not identified until they are in school, by which time significant delays might have occurred and opportunities for treatment might have been missed.” https://www.cdc.gov/ncbddd/childdevelopment/screening.html

*Harvard University Center on the Developing Child’s website: “Healthy development in the early years (particularly birth to three) provides the building blocks for educational achievement, economic productivity, responsible citizenship, lifelong health, strong communities, and successful parenting of the next generation.” https://developingchild.harvard.edu/guide/what-is-early-childhood-development-a-guide-to-the-science/

* The American Academy of Pediatrics’ website: “With as many as 1 in 4 children at risk for developmental delay, universal early childhood screening provides an opportunity to identify delays early and intervene during the most critical period of development.”

https://www.aap.org/en-us/advocacy-and-policy/aap-health-initiatives/Screening/Pages/The-Importance-of-Screening.aspx

Parents and caregivers can change the statistics while providing a solid foundation for children to build later successes. The first years of life are the most important years, and everyone can spread this simple message.

Now that I’ve shared some statistics, please allow me to tell you a

bit about my background and why I created The Art of Early Learning children’s book series, a series which helps parents explore the true beauty of child development and learn how to help their child grow.

I’ve always had many interests throughout my life and often joked that I still didn’t know what I wanted to be when I grew up, but then I realized that was a good thing. To wonder, explore, and be curious is a part of life and everyone should try it! My life path led me right to the challenge of informing EVERY parent about how they can change the world one baby at a time, what I like to call “baby steps to success”.

Thinking about my love for books, I remember getting a special

book from my kindergarten teacher, which I treasured. I recently found it in an old box and it brought back many warm memories.

I continued reading and began writing stories for fun when I was in middle school. I had a notebook that I wrote in at night in my bedroom. That notebook is long gone but I would love to read those stories now!

Fast forward a bit… I graduated with degrees in Nursing and Business Administration. My first professional job was as a nurse in a psychiatric hospital. I worked there for many years and really loved it. I married, had a daughter, then a son. We loved to read Dr. Seuss books together and I continued to write in my free time.

At that point in my life, I decided that I wanted a job that allowed me to be home for the holidays. That is when I became a Nurse Home Visitor, working with pregnant and parenting teens. I would visit the same teens during their pregnancy and continue until their children were two years old. Modeling literacy, providing developmental screenings, and sharing information about children’s growth and development were a part of the visits.

It was amazing to watch young parents soak up the knowledge,

apply it and see their children thrive. I once worked with a struggling mother with a severe mental health diagnosis whose only support was from two professionals she was involved with. She loved to sing, hold and talk to her baby. I noticed that despite her major struggles, her baby was thriving. That was my first clue that the simple information about early development could help every parent regardless of developmental, educational or socioeconomic experiences!

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As part of my job, I became a research interviewer for a widely known longitudinal study on the long-term benefits of nurse home visitation. I was fortunate to interview the mothers, and the “babies”, who were then grown. From there I became the Program Director of several programs including a home visiting program aimed at affecting children’s school readiness through home visits from birth. It was offered to every parent in the county. I continued to notice that every parent could benefit in different ways from crucial information regarding brain development research and identification of developmental milestones.

When I noticed how much the parents and children in the programs

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 loved the children’s books that they received, I had an “aha” moment. That’s when my interest in writing and the challenge of getting developmental information to very busy parents inspired me to create the five book Art of Early Learning Series, which provides a fun and highly engaging way for parents to familiarize themselves with developmental milestones in the time it takes to enjoy a children’s story. The unique format integrates fun children’s stories with parental information about the importance of a child’s first years, developmental milestones and activities to promote development. 

This knowledge can empower parents, prevent further delay, lower overall health care costs, decrease the need for longer and more costly treatment, and help children begin school at their optimal level of readiness. What parent doesn’t want that! I’m happy to share that so far, I have been able to spread the word by sharing my books with families in the U.S., Serbia, Algeria, Panama, Brazil, Columbia, Nicaragua, Canada and the UK.

The added bonus is that parents can have fun, help their child AND change the world, one baby at a time! 

Go to http://www.darbatrowny.com to learn more and spread the word. Information is the key that unlocks the door to your child’s future!

More About the Series
The Art of Early Learning series offers parents and caregivers a fun way to familiarize themselves with age-related developmental milestones in the life of their child. Consisting of a milestone and activity list in the back of each book, this series follows Supertot Smart Art, as he navigates his first three years of life. In the Art of Early Learning series, we bring you an effective way to nurture pre-literacy skills, growth and development and fun!

Meet Supertot Smart Art
Supertot Smart Art is the Art of Early Learning! He’s a cute little guy with extraordinary powers. His powers include his amazing ability to perform skills of a much older child, his incredible kindness and the wonderful ways in which he helps others. There’s just one twist! His ideas and actions often cause a bit of silly mischief.

The Power of Moms With Dreams is a success book that guides busy moms as they create their dream lives, get results and introduce some of the same success tips to their children. It includes worksheets and exercises. Excitement is already building as this book prepares for a spring 2020 release. So, stay tuned and join in the unveiling!


Darlene Batrowny is an author and child development

Dar Batrowny

specialist. She has authored 16 children’s books and two baby journals. She develops and distributes innovative educational materials. She worked with major universities as part of a research team that looked at the long-term effects of new parents and nurse home visiting. Darlene was also the Director of developmental screening, school readiness, nurse home visiting and parent education programs. Darlene’s passion is to uncover developmental challenges early, to create a positive outcome for all children. 

You may contact Darlene at any of the following links:

darbatrowny@buffdon.com 

WEBSITE
AMAZON

TWITTER
SUPERTOT FACEBOOK PAGE