Shapai Masma?
If you are a parent or the guardian of a child on the Gila River Indian Reservation, there is a lot you can do to help them. No matter their age! This site features help and resources for you including articles, videos, and scientific studies. We have ideas and activities for you to do and try with your children.
Just click around.

This site is divided into sections corresponding to
to different stages of early development.

In utero is a Latin phrase meaning "in the womb". The last trimester or the last three months before birth, is the time when the part of your child's brain that understands language starts developing. Talk and read to your baby as much as you can during this period. The sound patterns that your sentences make will imprint on the brain of your child. Doing this will make it easier for your child to learn how to speak later on, because the framework of your language is already built into their brain. Your influence is not just limited to language, but other things you do at this time have a big impact. Like what kind of food you eat and how stressed or calm your life is.

Reading to unborn baby
Scientific study about reading to fetus
Some food preferences are determined in the womb
Mothers' stress during pregancy affect children later in life

Birth to three is a critical time in the development of your child's brain. You need to be teaching your child about the world by conversing with them. This interaction is called "serve and return". This process is the thing that develops and grows your child's brain. If you hardly ever have conversations with your child, their brain will be smaller because of the lack of development. Not only do you need to use language and read to them, but you do different kinds of counting or math activities with them as well. You may also be interested in the App that was funded by the world's richest man. It has lots of daily activites on it that will help you teach your kids.

Infant and toddler speech milestones
Serve & Return steps and video
How to do Serve & Return, video
Baby and infant math!
Scientific video about Baby learning
Poverty and a smaller brain
App funded by the Bezos Family Foundation
Vroom site
Childhood obesity linked to mothers stress

The ages from 3 to 5 are another critical time of devolopment, especially socially. Kids will primarily be socialized by other kids at this age. They learn through play. Rough and tumble play is important. Especially for boys. Through aggresive play with each other, they will learn what the limits of their behavior should be with each other. Other children need to learn how to say "No, I don't like that" when the situation warrants it. If your child isn't properly socialized by age 4 there will be dire future consequences. Other kids will not invite them to play, this will limit continued oppurtunities for possitive socialization. This is likely to lead to increased aggresive behavior, especially in boys. Boys who miss these experienes are much more likely to end up delinquent or to find themselves in jail by their late teens.

Socializing your child, video
Learning through play, video
Aggressiveness stays, video
Small Brain Poverty

There is no way to sugar coat it, chronic trauma, toxic stress and neglect are child abuse. Your child may be experiencing serious trauma if they have experienced more than four of the following: parent or guarding swearing at them, hitting, slapping or pushing them, sexual abuse, parents too drunk or high to take care of them, parents divorced or separated, mother or stepmother abused, household member was a problem drinker or drug abuser, household member was depressed or attempted suicide or went to prison. An "ACE Score" is determined by the number of instances of childhood tramua that your child has experienced. Things start getting serious if you've had four of these. Having an ACE Score above 5 means you will have an increased likelihood of things like: alcoholism, liver disease, depression, take antidepressants, causing domestic violence, smoking, COPD, being raped, attempting suicide, teen pregancy, serious financial proplems and serious job performance issues. 38% of GIRC parents have been incarcerated for domestic violence, which according to the ACE Score means they were likly to have had an ACE Score of above 5 when they were young.

Calculate your ACE Score
Even momentary neglect has negative effects
How trauma affect school and learning
Livelong effects of childhood trauma
Get assisstance with domestic violence issues

Consider delaying having a family. Waiting to have a baby until your 30's often means having an established job or career, more financial security, a more committed relationship with your spouse, and a stronger sense of emotional readiness for children.

Advantages of being older as a parent
Other advantages for you and your child

The Gila River community doesn't have a crisis in education, it has a crisis in the family. Any and every effort you make to make your family stronger will be beneficial. You just have to make the effort and keep going. Here are some things to do or think about to help make your relationship and family even better.

If you want happines and health, have a good relationship.
Articles about being happy in your marriage.
13 things you and your parter could do to make your relationship even stronger.
Coping with extremly difficult issues.