THE GIFT OF ANXIETY Chris McCurry, Ph.D. March 29 ’cause parenting is a trip! SEE PAGE 6 the MONEY issue • The crisis of high-cost child care • Saving for college 101 • Moonjar helps kids save, spend and share into the urban wild A mudlode of spring fun 21 Super TO REDSHIRT OR HOW TO TAME BEING STUCK summer NOT TO REDSHIRT? MATH ANXIETY IN THE MIDDLE MARCH 2016 ahead! What experts say about It hits as early as first grade; When both your parents and kindergarten readiness 40 here are your strategies 43 your kids need your care 11 guide inside Recover ______________________________________Strength. Eating disorders become the number one priority. When you su er from an eating disorder, it takes over your life. You can become isolated and emotionally detached, losing interest in friends, and activities you used to enjoy. If you think you or someone you love may have an eating disorder, get help at Eating Recovery Center of Washington. And take back your life. #RecoverLife Locations: Bellevue, WA Programs: Residential, Partial Hospitalization and Intensive Outpatient levels of care Focus: Eating disorders as well as co-occuring and related conditions including: EatingRecoveryCenterWA.com BELLEVUE, WA Anxiety disorders, Trauma, Substance Abuse, Exercise Compulsion, Diabetes, Medical/Psychiatric (425) 608-9828 Complications Populations: Adults and adolescents, male and female inside MARCH 2016 43 14 21 XX Parenting Feature Regulars 12 WELLNESS Sandwiched in the 14 CHILD-CARE CRUNCH 4 PARENTMAP.COM Egg hunts to dye middle What to do when your parents Child care in Washington state is some for; Lettuce learn science; Dine and save; and your children need your care of the least affordable in the country Get lucky for St. Paddy’s day 46 SOMEONE YOU SHOULD KNOW 6 DEAR READER Tatum Kerr, Mary Karges, Deep breathing required Lalie Scanduzzi The women the 9 PARENT FUEL behind Moonjar Family news, snack-sized Out + About MONEY 21 NATURE Into the urban wild issue Savor spring with indoor and outdoor activities at local nature centers summer 24 MARCH CALENDAR GUIDE s INSIDE Ages + Stages 37 0–12 College savings 101 Hey, parents! Class is in session! 40 3–5 Redshirting: Should you or Advertising Sections shouldn’t you? When it comes to 12–15 Montessori schools kindergarten, many families wonder 16–19 Schools + preschools whether to play up or down 20–23 Birthdays 43 6–12 When 2(x–2) = 10 30–35 Camps + activities strikes fear in your heart 45 Math enrichment Math anxiety and today’s math 37 COVER IMAGES: iSTOCK; IMAGE COMPILATION: EMILY JOHNSON parentmap.com • March 2016 • 3 ParentMap March 2016, Vol. 14, No. 3 navigate great stuff daily! PUBLISHER/EDITOR Alayne Sulkin EDITORIAL EXECUTIVE EDITOR Natalie Singer-Velush OUT + ABOUT EDITOR Elisa Murray CALENDAR EDITOR Nancy Chaney PROOFREADER Sunny Parsons OUT + ABOUT ASSISTANT Ashly Moore Sheldon CONTRIBUTORS Lettuce learn science Nancy Schatz Alton, Bryony Angell, Will Austin, Rebecca A. Hill, Malia Jacobson, If you have gardening ambitions this Jennifer Johnson, Anoo Padte, Kristen Russell spring, take note: Gardening is a great PARENTMAP.COM CHIEF TECHNOLOGY OFFICER Julian Haight way to not only dig in the mud, but also to learn a SOCIAL MEDIA + DIGITAL PRODUCTS MANAGER little science, too. Our new roundup at parentmap. Rory Graves PUBLISHING ASSISTANT Nicole Persun com/gardenscience shares the dirt on cool plant ADVERTISING SALES + PARTNERSHIPS experiments with your kids — from growing beans in CD cases Ida Wicklund Dani Carbary Get lucky (which allows kids to learn all the parts of a plant) to coloring What’s better than a pot of AD OPERATIONS MANAGER Elisa Taylor celery and making grass baskets. And we also share tips for SALES + MARKETING SUPPORT MANAGER gold? Priceless memories and Jessica Collet creating a fanciful fairy garden tots love at parentmap.com/ SALES ASSISTANT Jen Baird traditions! From leprechaun fairygardens. MARKETING/EVENTS traps to Irish soda bread, we’ve EVENT OPERATIONS Tara Buchan EVENT + MARKETING COORDINATOR rounded up a pile of St. Paddy’s Egg hunts Mallory Dehbod Day ideas for celebrating the luck EVENTS ASSISTANT Zoe Bloom to dye for COMMUNICATIONS ASSISTANT Christina Boyer of the Irish! Visit parentmap.com/ ART + PRODUCTION StPaddy. What kind of egg hunt does DESIGN + PRODUCTION, PRINT Emily Johnson your family like? On a farm? DESIGN + PRODUCTION, PRINT + DIGITAL Dine and save By flashlight? At the zoo? Amy Chinn ADMINISTRATION A Ballard oyster bar where you In a garden? Puget Sound BUSINESS MANAGER Sonja Hanson can down $1 raw oysters while offers all these Easter OPERATIONS MANAGER Carolyn Brendel ADMINISTRATIVE ASSISTANT + DISTRIBUTION the kids crunch into $6 fish and events and much more. Angela Goodwin chips; a hot new Columbia City Find dozens of favorite local ACCOUNTING ASSISTANT Lorraine Otani More ADMINISTRATIVE SUPPORT Taracina Ullevig spot from Marination offering egg hunts at parentmap. PARENTMAP , EDITORIAL ADVISORY BOARD happy-hour deals on Hawaiian com/egghuntsgalore Benjamin Danielson, M.D. quesadillas and short ribs; a and an even more egg- ODESSA BROWN CHILDREN’S CLINIC Joan Duffell COMMITTEE FOR CHILDREN new country-and-western-style cellent list of Easter events John Gottman, Ph.D. burger joint in Frelard dishing up on ParentMap’s online THE GOTTMAN INSTITUTE PROFESSOR EMERITUS, UNIVERSITY retooled versions of childhood calendar (parentmap.com/ OF WASHINGTON Laura Kastner, Ph.D. favorites such as sloppy joes, and calendar). Plus, find super- PSYCHIATRY + BEHAVIORAL SCIENCES, sautéed greens and local beer for creative ideas for Easter UNIVERSITY OF WASHINGTON Bea Kelleigh the grown-ups. Find more happy- crafts, egg-decorating, and VICE PRESIDENT AT DOVETAILING, LLC hour deals and tasty cheap eats treats at parentmap.com/ Yaffa Maritz, M.A. LISTENING MOTHERS + for families at parentmap.com/ crafts. COMMUNITY OF MINDFUL PARENTS Ron Rabin THE KIRLIN FOUNDATION newcheapeats. Daniel J. Siegel, M.D. Golden Teddy 2016! Mmmmm, pie! EXECUTIVE DIRECTOR, MINDSIGHT INSTITUTE ParentMap asks you every year for your What’s the most rational ADVERTISING INFORMATION 206-709-9026 or [email protected] most favorite resources, camps, classes, way to celebrate the Fax 206-709-9031 shops, grub, groups and professionals famed irrational CALENDAR SUBMISSIONS [email protected] (because every parent knows there’s number Pi? EDITORIAL SUBMISSIONS nothing better than a hairdresser who With a nice [email protected] DISTRIBUTION [email protected] can tame your toddler, or a just-right slice of pie SUBSCRIPTIONS [email protected] burger on a busy weeknight!). Show on Pi Day ParentMap is published monthly 7683 S.E. 27th St., PMB#190 the love for your favorite businesses and (3-14) of course! Mercer Island, WA 98040 resources and be entered to win fabulous It all adds up in ADMINISTRATION 206-709-9026, parentmap.com SUBSCRIPTION RATES 1 year: $24; 2 years: $40 prizes at parentmap.com/goldenteddy. our recipe roundup at All rights reserved; reproduction in whole or part without permission prohibited Golden Teddy voting starts March 15! parentmap.com/Pi. ©ParentMap 2016 • Printed in Oregon facebook.com/ParentMap @ParentMap pinterest.com/ParentMap 4 • March 2016 • parentmap.com POTATO GNOCCHI WITH SAUSAGE RAGÙ PCC Chef Jackie Freeman takes the TasteMobile to visit Lisa Nakamura at Gnocchi Bar, the source for our tasty frozen gnocchi. These potato dumplings are a terrific base for all kinds of sauces, from pesto to your favorite prepared marinara: and we’ve watch the video scan the QR code below pulled together a fast ragù with canned tomatoes and mild Italian sausage. Find the video and recipe at pccnaturalmarkets.com/ healthykids. PCC Mild Italian Sausage Gnocchi Bar Potato Gnocchi SCAN THE QR CODE TO WATCH THE VIDEO TEN NEIGHBORHOOD LOCATIONS & DELIVERY: PCCNATURALMARKETS.COM parentmap.com • March 2016 • 5 Parenting an anxious dear reader child can be stressful Deep breathing required Welcome to ParentMap’s money issue! I am not going to lie; that adorable cover baby is not the only one feeling stressed at the moment. I’m admittedly a little anxious after reading this issue, and you probably will be, too. There is not a family WIN in our midst that does not have issues around finances. Ironically, money worries often hit parents hardest right when they bring that new, beautiful bundle of baby love home. 500 Most prospective parents are wage earners before baby makes three. The fact that our state is ranked as the sixth least-affordable state for child care for infants is sobering. (“Child-care crunch,” p. 14). We see some improvements in our ratings as the 10th least affordable state in the nation for preschool. But still, ouch! The high costs require that parents make numerous calculations to evaluate less-than-perfect, sometimes painful solutions. For instance, does it really pay for both parents to go back to work and leave the infant with strangers, even if they are devoted The Gift of Anxiety and caring child-care providers? Should one parent off-ramp given the Turn your child’s worry into growth high costs of care, even when this means diminishing their future earning potential? Are there ways to economize and share nanny care with a Chris McCurry, Ph.D. neighbor? These scenarios are all confusing. Many parents tough it out in the workforce, which brings its own juggles and challenges. Other times, Tuesday, March 29 VILLAGE THEATRE, ISSAQUAH it simply does not add up for both parents to go back to work, even if they love what they’re doing. As a former math-averse child, my brain went into instant shutdown Keep Calm and mode when confronted with a dreaded story problem; “if you take 25 KEEP Parent On: percent of the cost of the . and then divide that by . and multiply CALM times 8, you get?” Eyes instantly glaze over! AND Raising safe, self-reliant kids PARENT Lenore Skenazy Math, for so many of us, brings on feelings of tension, apprehension ON or fear.