GRMC Beginning Years Program

07/31/2025

📱 Screen Time Tips for Ages 0–5!
Little minds grow best with real-world play, not screens. 💡
✨ Set healthy habits early:
👶 0–2 yrs: Avoid screen time (except video chats)
🧒 2–5 yrs: Limit to 1 hour of high-quality content daily — co-watch when possible!

🎨 Try these screen-free ideas instead:
• Read together 📚
• Play outside and explore nature 🌿
• Dance to music or sing songs 🎶
• Build with blocks or sensory play 🧩

Let’s raise curious, creative kids, one unplugged moment at a time. 💛
GRMC Beginning Years

07/30/2025

🌟 Messy Play Day Magic! 🌟
Today’s Messy Play Day at Virginia Street Park was an absolute success! From finger painting to foam fun, laughter filled the air as families came together to play, explore, and connect.

A huge thank you to all the incredible families who showed up and made the day so joyful and meaningful. Your energy, smiles, and messy hands made it unforgettable!

We also want to express our heartfelt gratitude to the Silver City Police Department for stopping by and showing their support. It means so much to see our community coming together to uplift and celebrate our children in safe, fun ways.

This month’s group was another beautiful reminder of what community looks like, and GRMC Beginning Years is so grateful to be part of it. 💛

Here’s to more messy moments, happy hearts, and growing together, see you at the next one!

07/29/2025

🧠✨ 18 Months = Big Feelings, Busy Brain! ✨🧠
Your little one is halfway to two , and their brain is buzzing! At 18 months, toddlers are learning through play, connection, and BIG emotions.

Here are 5 simple ways to support your 18-month-old’s development right now:

👣 1. Narrate Everything
Talk to them like a friend.
🗣️ “We’re washing your hands. Now we’re drying them. All done!”
This boosts language, memory, and emotional connection.

🧩 2. Let Them Lead
Follow their curiosity!
If they’re stacking blocks, join them and say, “You’re building high!”
It teaches focus, confidence, and problem solving.

👐 3. Create Routines
Repetition = safety.
Simple songs before bed, snack after outside time, the same goodbye words every day, this helps toddlers feel secure and reduces meltdowns.

🎵 4. Sing, Dance & Point
Sing finger songs (Itsy Bitsy Spider is gold!) and label body parts or animals.
This helps with speech and coordination, and it’s FUN.

❤️ 5. Model Big Feelings
They don’t have words yet,, but YOU do.
Say things like:
“You’re upset. It’s okay to feel sad. I’m here.”
That’s the start of emotional intelligence

🍼💬 18 months is a wild, wonderful age, full of wonder, wobbles, and words just waiting to burst out.
Be patient. Stay close. Celebrate the small stuff. 💛

07/28/2025

Tummy Time Turnaround!

Check out sweet Morgan Stailey, rockin’ tummy time like a pro! 💪💛
Mom Bethany and Dad Trenton Stailey sent us this adorable pic with a fun backstory: Morgan used to hate tummy time… until we introduced her to one of our favorite tools during a visit. Mom texted later to say, “She loved it!”

Tummy time isn’t just cute, it’s crucial for your baby’s development. It helps build neck, shoulder, and core strength, supports motor skills, and prevents flat spots on the head. Our program offers hands-on guidance, simple strategies, and helpful tools to make tummy time enjoyable for both baby and caregiver.

At Beginning Years, we turn challenges into milestones, and we’re here every step of the way.
Thank you to the Stailey family for this sweet picture💛👏

07/18/2025

06/30/2025

💛 Home Visiting: Supporting the Whole Family, One Moment at a Time 💛

During today’s visit with Maria, we brought out some foam play dough and it was a hit with everyone at the table! From the youngest to the oldest, every child dove into the fun, exploring textures, igniting creativity, and most importantly connecting with each other.

Home visiting is about more than school readiness. It’s about building relationships, nurturing development, and strengthening the family bond. When siblings, parents, and caregivers join in, the learning multiplies. 🎨🧠💬

Moments like these remind us that support doesn’t stop with one child it extends to the whole family. Every shared laugh, curious question, and helping hand makes a difference.

06/30/2025

Starting July 1, WIC families and seniors enrolled in the New Mexico Farmers’ Market Nutrition Program will be able to begin using their benefits for the season! 🥕🍎

The program allows enrolled participants to purchase locally grown fruit, vegetables and herbs from participating farmers’ markets and roadside stands statewide by using a shopper card or smartphone app.

WIC families💜: you must be actively enrolled in the Special Supplemental Nutrition Program for WIC to participate. Contact your local WIC clinic to check for eligibility and access benefits.

Seniors (aged 60+) and Native American elders (aged 55+) 🧡: Eligibility is determined by household size and income. Those who’ve applied in the past must reapply to verify eligibility. Benefits are limited and distributed on a first-come, first-served basis. An online application is available at nmwic.org/fmnp. Paper applications are also available at NMDOH public health WIC offices, senior centers, and the Area Agency on Aging and the American Association of Retired Persons (AARP).

For more information, visit https://www.nmwic.org/fmnp/

06/30/2025

Advancements include increased wages for early educators and higher reimbursement rates for providers accepting child care subsidies.

06/30/2025

🎆 Celebrating Independence Day with Creativity & Connection! 🇺🇸

Miles and his mom had a blast making “fireworks” art during their home visit this week! 🎨✨ Using paint, textures, and imagination, they created colorful bursts of celebration, all while building fine motor skills, practicing color recognition, and bonding through creative play.

Art activities like this one spark more than just smiles they support early development in fun, meaningful ways. 💪🧠❤️

Way to go, Miles! Your artwork lights up the room just like real fireworks. 🎇

06/23/2025

Sounds like fun!!

Come join us on June 24 at 2pm to make kalliroscopes --glitter sensory bottles! See how rheoscopic fluid works to reveal the motion of water.

06/23/2025

📚 The Magic of Literacy Begins Early ✨

Did you know that the years between ages 3 and 5 are some of the most powerful for building a child’s foundation for reading and learning? 📖 These early years are when young minds soak up language, stories, and imagination like little sponges.

Reading with your child—just 15 minutes a day—helps them:
🌟 Build vocabulary
🌟 Develop listening and comprehension skills
🌟 Strengthen emotional connection and confidence
🌟 Ignite curiosity and creativity

Storytime isn’t just about books. It’s about bonding, growing, and planting seeds that bloom into lifelong learning. 💛 Whether it’s rhyming games, picture books, or silly voices during bedtime stories, every moment counts.

Let’s raise readers, dreamers, and future thinkers—one story at a time. 📚✨
GrantCounty’sHomeVisiting Program

06/23/2025

Thank you to our funders for always supporting our families. 💕