Bananas Blog
Part 3: Doubling Up & Couch Surfing: The Hidden Homeless
Couch-surfing is often referred to as a “hidden” form of homelessness. A common form of housing among low-income families in the Bay Area, couch surfers temporarily stay with friends or family on a couch, or any extra space in the home where they can spend the night....
Speech and Language: Tips and Tricks!
The following is a guest post from our newest trainer, Pediatric Speech and Language Pathologist, Carol Lettko. Here are a few go-to creative ideas to help keep your little ones engaged while reinforcing their language skills during play!Remember to keep your child's...
What parents should know about getting kids ready for transitional kindergarten
by Karen D'Souza who covers early education at EdSource Going back to school is always a bit of a sticky transition, but this year there’s more to worry about, from teacher shortages to mask rules, than the usual concerns. On top of all that, there are many more...
2022 FFN “Bridging the Gap” Conference Summations
Hello, again community! Thank you for participating in our conference, it was a labor of love and teamwork. We appreciate everyone who shared their insights and experiences. I hope that you all were able to connect with each other. We wanted to share everyone’s...
2022 Family, Friends, and Neighbor Conference Takeaway
What We Learned from “Bridging the Gap” Last summer, BANANAS was asked by The David and Lucile Packard Foundation to create a virtual conference for the Family, Friend, and Neighbor (FFN) caregiver community. It was important to BANANAS to create an event for the FFNs...
BANANAS 2022 Mother’s Day Campaign
Give a Gift That Says "Thank You for Everything!"Why is Mother’s Day So Special? Our mothers and mother-figures have shined the past couple of years. In addition to their daily responsibilities, mothers were tasked with defining what a ‘new normal’ looks like for...
Male Early Child Care Professionals Matter!
Written by Sharon Shi We need more men to break the stereotype of the female-dominated child care industry in today’s gender equity world. From the Hechinger Report, males total only 3% of early childhood educators (1). In our society and history, we have these very...
Part 2: From Domestic Violence to Homelessness: Motherhood Survival
Sandra left in the middle of the night because she knew it was what she had to do. Again. Her husband was very intoxicated this time, having attended a holiday party, now snoring heavily and would not wake easily. She gathered the children swiftly - her 4-year-old son...
Attitudes of Gratitude
Do you remember reading the back of cereal boxes, playing with empty boxes, and banging on pots and pans? Whatever happened to the enjoyment of the little things? The holidays are vastly approaching and we have the opportunity to be intentional about defining what we...
Tell me early educators, what is your math story?
Think back to when you were nine years old. You are sitting in your 4th-grade class and your teacher announces it is time for a timed multiplication test. What is your reaction? Do you get a rush of excitement over the thrill of a timed brain rush, or do your palms...
Love it!! great idea.
Hi Eric: this is a voice from your far past. I am finally trying to clean out closets and have…
this is CZ family child care ,we just received your letter regarding the kids parent name is Lihong Luo ,…
Hi Michelle, we currently don't offer any classes on that but please check out course catalog for any upcoming class…
Are there any free virtual classes for batterers I'm not a physically violent person but I got arrested for arguing…