Evie's Desk: "A Place of Our Own" Message BoardsFebruary 18, 2008 |
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 Community is an essential part of raising a child. When my daughters were young, I traded information with other mothers about child care, diaper rash, and other issues that I either struggled with personally or knew something about. Most of these conversations took place at day care, birthday parties, or PTA meetings. I believe that those connections helped me be a better parent and, in turn, helped my children grow up to be stronger and healthier.Today many of us spend more time in front of the computer than doing anything else. It seems like more information is e-mailed between friends and family members than is discussed at the dinner table. The PBS television show, A Place of Our Own, or the Spanish version Los Niños En Su Casa, has tapped into this reality and created message boards to bring the type of information exchange I used to have with other mom's face-to-face to a Web-based forum. The award-winning show, initially funded by First 5 LA, has created an online space where Spanish and English speaking moms share ideas and ask for help. Although you should consider the source whenever you read anything online, KCET, the show's producer, is careful to be sure that the message board content remains on topic and that what is posted is true and correct. Child development experts monitor both the English and Spanish message boards, and respond when appropriate. I'd like to applaud KCET for their innovation and ability to further community building through this online resource, and enhance the quality by adding specialists to monitor and comment on the online discussions. I encourage our readers to check out the message boards along with the rest of the A Place of our Own Web site or the Los Niños En Su Casa Web site to learn more about what parents are interested in and learning about. To link to the English message board click here; to link to the Spanish message board click here.
Evelyn V. Martinez
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