Give your child the best start in life
Learn about toxic stress response
Watch our video series to better understand how toxic stress affects kids.
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Don't Cry | First 5 California
We can’t always change the past, but we can help our kids grow into happy and healthy teens and adults. When a child goes through trauma, your support helps stop toxic stress from affecting their health. Watch how one father changed the story to help his son heal and thrive.
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Growing Together: Connecting With Your Foster or Adopted ChildOpening your heart and home to a child through foster care or adoption is a journey of incredible courage and love. Whether you are just beginning to think about foster parenting, or you’ve recently adopted a child under age 5 into your family, you are stepping into an important role: You get the opportunity to provide the safety a child needs to grow.
Building a connection doesn’t always happen fast, and that’s okay. It’s a process of small moments that can lead to a lifelong bond. As you start this journey, remember to give yourself grace. You are learning and growing right along with your child.
From Scraps to Sprouts: Growing a Kitchen Scrap Garden With Your ChildBefore you toss those celery ends or carrot tops into the trash, take a second look. You can turn those scraps into an amazing, hands-on science lesson for your child.
Growing plants from kitchen waste is a simple way for you to help your child understand where food comes from and how nature works. It’s eco-friendly, budget-friendly, and a wonderful way to learn through play at home.
The Dragon Song: Calming KidsLittle kids have big emotions. When they don’t know how to deal with them, they can get frustrated, angry, and upset. The Dragon Song gives them a way to calm down with just a few deep breaths. It can help put them in control of their feelings and regulate their mood, and guide them to better manage future meltdowns. Of course, it also benefits parents and caregivers because when they sing the Dragon Song with their kids, they get to feel calmer too.
What is Toxic Stress?
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