(JACKSON OPEN):
African American parents now have an important new resource to help them support
their children in times of stress or crisis. The National Institute of Child
Health and Human Development and the National Black Child Development Institute
have developed an Activity Book for African American Families: Helping Children
Cope with Crisis. Dr. Yvonne Maddox, deputy director of the National Institute
of Child Health and Human Development, describes the book.
(MADDOX):
"It's an interactive book that deals with various subjects. We deal with
how to encourage one's child to look forward to a good and bright future. We
work to encourage our families and parents to listen to the child. We work to
have the family members comfort the child. To help the child feel safe, because
as you know after 911 there was this real feeling of fear. We also wanted to
help the family to think about how does one adjust or respond in emergency situations,
because there are other emergencies that happen that put children at risk and
have them stressful. And then the other area that we wanted to be sure to put
on the table is that the family's faith and the family's traditions and the
family's assessment of religious traditions was important for the child to know."
(JACKSON CLOSE):
The Activity Book for African American Families was developed by the
African American Parent's Project, a collaboration between families, professional
organizations, and leaders of national African American organizations. The book
is free and can be ordered through the NICHD Web site at: http://www.nichd.nih.gov
or by calling the NICHD Information Resource Center at 1-800-370-2943. This
is Calvin Jackson, the National Institutes of Health, Bethesda, Maryland.