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Helping good parents raise better kids(TM)
Wishes by Wyndham and Clark County READS Enhance Library at Robert O. Gibson Middle School
The Las Vegas Cultural Corridor to feature health and nutrition programming in March
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By Dr. Jay Fisher
The human body has an amazing ability to respond to day to day challenges. Children, who are in the process of incredible growth and development, are remarkable in this regard. Because they are new to this world, they must learn to fight off many germs (viruses and bacteria), that their body has never seen before. When a child has an infection, one of the ways the body responds to ‘fight it off’ is by increasing their body’s temperature, causing a fever. A rectal temperature greater than 100 degrees F is considered a fever by most experts.
Careful clinical research has proven that fever is not necessarily harmful to children. In fact, it plays an important role in winning the ‘infection battle’. We now know that the increase in the body’s temperature is controlled by proteins released by the body’s immune system. These proteins, in addition to changing the body’s temperature, are sending out signals to other parts of the body’s immune system.
Think of a fever as a signal to your child’s immune system – as well as a signal to you. The fever is not harmful, but occasionally the infection can be. This is particularly true with infants less than 3 months of age. If you suspect that your child has an infection that may be dangerous, a trip to your private doctor, clinic, or emergency department is recommended. Signs of a dangerous infection can include rapid breathing, a bright red or purple rash, loss of alertness, and pain or fatigue that does not allow your child to walk or drink. Many children with infections that are not dangerous have these signs as well, which is what makes the treatment of children with fever difficult at times.
Even though fever is not necessarily harmful, it makes a child feel uncomfortable, contributes to the loss of fluids in the body (dehydration), and often reduces their desire to eat and drink. For these reasons, we recommend treating a child’s fever with either acetaminophen (in children over 3 months of age) or ibuprofen (in children over 6 months). This provides temporary relief of your child’s discomfort, while still allowing them to fight the infection. Since many infections take 4 to 5 days to fight off, the fever will likely come and go for several days. Fevers lasting longer than 3 to 4 days, even without other concerning symptoms should be evaluated by a doctor.
Dr. Jay Fisher is the Medical Director of the Pediatric Emergency Department at Children’s Hospital of Nevada. Dr. Fisher has taken care of children in southern Nevada for nearly 20 years and has two teenage daughters. Find out more about Children’s Hospital of Nevada online at childrenshospitalofnevada.org and on Facebook.
The Public Education Foundation’s literacy program, Clark County READS, is providing more than 1,100 new nonfiction books to the Robert O. Gibson Middle School library thanks to a generous donation made by Wyndham Vacation Ownership and the company’s Wishes by Wyndham philanthropic program.
Last summer, associates from Wyndham Consumer Finance team participated in a “Casual Dress Down” program, which offered them the option to wear blue jeans to work from July through September in exchange for a donation to The Public Education Foundation. Donations made by associates were matched by funds from Wishes by Wyndham, garnering nearly $16,000 for this worthy organization and for the children who attend Gibson Middle School.
“Our team is really excited to be a part of this program and to be able to make such a difference in the lives of these students,” said Mark Johnson, president, Wyndham Consumer Finance. “It’s extremely important for us to remain actively involved in giving back to the communities where we do business through our Wishes by Wyndham program, and this is a great way to give back to Las Vegas.”
The donation was used to enhance Gibson’s library through Clark County READS Library Enhancement Program. Prior to ordering books for a library, Clark County READS and the Foundation perform an analysis of the library’s collection to determine which new nonfiction books will have the greatest impact on the library and its students and which outdated nonfiction books will be removed.
The Clark County READS Library Enhancement Program utilizes donations from various businesses and organizations to update resources for students in Clark County School District (CCSD) libraries.
“We are proud to work with Wyndham to promote the importance of literacy in our community while also providing much needed resources to Gibson students,” said Curtis Jones, director of Clark County READS. “Their support of our Library Enhancement Program is a great example of how businesses can get involved with our schools and make a measurable difference for our children.”
Since Clark County READS was established in 2001, almost $1.3 million worth of new nonfiction books have been placed in 96 CCSD libraries. This translates into more than 80,000 new nonfiction books, benefiting more than 85,000 students. Clark County READS manages seven literacy programs, all providing quality literacy programs to children and families in Clark County.
The Cultural Corridor in downtown Las Vegas will be celebrating March as National Nutrition Month with a variety of health-themed programs at several institutions on Las Vegas Boulevard North.
Lied Discovery Children’s Museum will host the Junior League of Las Vegas program “Kids in the Kitchen” on Saturday, March 5, from 10 a.m. to 4 p.m. This special day of fun and engaging activities and demonstrations on food and nutrition is available to all kids and families with regular museum admission. For more information, visit LDCM.org or call 382-KIDS.
Las Vegas Natural History Museum will present “Bone Health and the Importance of Calcium” with special guests from Anderson Dairy on Saturday, March 5. The museum will explore some of the amazing features of the human body with fun, quick tasks all month long. “Weekend Science” activities are set for 11:15 a.m. and 1:15 p.m. Saturdays and at 1:15 p.m. Sundays. For more information, visit LVNHM.org or call 384-3466.
The Las Vegas Library is hosting a six-week program, “An Ounce of Prevention/Mas Vale Prevenir,” to help reduce the risk of diabetes, starting with an information meeting on Monday, March 28, presented in Spanish at 5 p.m. and English at 6 p.m. Workshops will be held every Monday from April 4 through May 9. The program is free and open to the public. For more information, call 507-3514.
The Cultural Corridor, located on Las Vegas Boulevard between Bonanza Road and Washington Avenue, is a nonprofit coalition consisting of seven institutions: Cashman Center, Las Vegas Natural History Museum, Las Vegas Library, Lied Discovery Children’s Museum, The Neon Museum, Old Las Vegas Mormon Fort State Historic Park and Reed Whipple Cultural Center.
For more information, visit CulturalCorridorVegas.org.
By Lexy Capp
As a proud parent of three boys ages 23, 21, and 12, and the owner of a nanny and household staffing employment agency in Las Vegas, I understand that there are various obstacles one must face in order to succeed and consistently have a sound mind in this life. The key to this success for a parent is understanding that one must keep a strong balance with life at home and work. One way to keep this balance is by establishing excellent time management skills, which will allow a working parent to raise your children well and work more effectively. There are many parents that I talk to on a daily basis who are so overwhelmed with stress from raising kids and working that they don’t have any time for themselves. By keeping an organized and outlined schedule with certain time allotted for various activities, and work related matters, it will create peace of mind and help a parent to always stay on top of their “A” game.
The most important way to keep this balance between work and family life is by loving each other all the time. It is crucial for a parent to remind their children that they are always here for them regardless of any situation. Even if you are working long hours every day, we as parents must always remind our children that we love them no matter what the scenario may be. Furthermore, it is pivotal to create a powerful bond with your children, especially younger ones so that they can always depend on you for anything and look up to you even the darkest of times. By creating this trust and paying attention to your children, you are giving them quality attention, which is one of the most important aspects of raising a well-rounded and respectful child.
One way of reminding your children that you are here for them and always love them is by keeping an open communication,
Ultimately, being a parent is one of the most difficult yet rewarding jobs in the world. I am constantly reminding myself that at the end of every day it is important to be grateful for your children and job. Parents should always ask themselves to think about how you can make the most of your time. With proper planning, you and your child will both benefit and create more time to spend with one another.
Lexy Capp is the Owner and Founder of Nannies & Housekeepers USA. She is very involved with Children’s Miracle Network and St. Rose Dominican Hospitals. Lexy’s column appears quarterly in ParentsGuide of Las Vegas.