by Mollie Ipsen
Child Care Coordinator
In Little Learners Child Development Center, we
have two amazing partnerships using TIPS (Teaching
Parenting Skills ) for Great Kids and Project PLAY
(Positive Learning for Arkansas’s Youngest).
TIPS helps parents of children ages birth to five years
deal with a number of day-to-day issues, from toilet
training to bullying. The goal is for parents and staff
to work together to ensure happy, healthy children
who are ready for school.
Project PLAY is a program to facilitate collaboration
between Community Mental Health Centers and
early child care programs. Project PLAY matches early
childhood and mental health consultants. Their free
service offers innovative techniques proven to impact
positively the social and emotional development of
Arkansas’s preschool children.
With these partnerships, our staff and parents have
strengthened relationships. When one of our toddlers
started biting, I gave the parents the TIPS card on
biting. The card helped the mom realize it was a
phase most toddlers go through. It made her feel
better. When the biting returned, our Project PLAY
consultant met with the mom and created a behavior
plan. With the help from TIPS and Project PLAY, the
toddler has stopped biting and has started using
words when frustrated.