Infants And Toddlers

Eleven nonprofit agencies in Carroll County have been awarded almost $15,000 in United Way grants for literacy, hunger, health care and multicultural programs.The United Way of Central Maryland provided the funding to the United Way Community Partnership of Carroll County. Agencies receiving grants are:Carroll County Child Care Centers, $1,800 for cooking equipment to prepare hot meals for infants and toddlers.Shepherd's Staff, $1,200 to initiate a free clothing program for mothers and young children.

The central library, 10375 Little Patuxent Parkway, will offer "Incredible Insects," a program for children ages 4 to 8 led by a naturalist from Patuxent Research Refuge, at 2 p.m. Aug. 9. Registration is to begin Tuesday. Children's programs at the central library include "Play Partners," for infants and toddlers to 23 months, offered at 10 a.m. and 11 a.m. Wednesdays, this week through Aug. 17. "Super Saturdays," a program of stories and songs for small groups and families of preschool through early elementary-age children, is offered at 10 a.m. Saturdays through Aug. 20. Registration is not required.

Bill would require lead poisoning tests for infants, toddlers All Maryland children would be screened for lead poisoning when they are 12 months and 24 months old under a bill heard yesterday in the state House of Delegates. The bill, sought by Baltimore city officials, would call for testing for traces of lead in the blood of children living in housing built before 1978, when the federal government banned the use of lead-based paint inside homes. City lawmakers had originally proposed requiring all children be tested as a requirement for entering public school.

When he was just 28 and a pediatrician-in-training, Dr. Joshua Sharfstein made headlines by helping write a report linking poor housing conditions to children's health. More recently, he made news with another fight on behalf of children's health when he led a group of pediatricians opposed to giving common cold medicines to infants and toddlers. Sharfstein, 38, a pediatrician who grew up in Montgomery County and spent summers in Baltimore with his grandparents, has been the city's health commissioner for two years.

As the mother of three children, an obstetric nurse and an exercise physiologist, Yvonne Mitchell knows the importance of fitness and pregnancy.Ms. Mitchell, who has conducted Carroll County General Hospital's prenatal and postpartum exercise classes for four years, has developed classes with exercise routines to help pregnant women get in shape for delivery.The program is called "Aerobics for Moms." It is replacing the "Mama, Take Shape" prenatal-postpartum exercise program that has been offered at the hospital since 1989.

MARY CONCETTA MAFFEZZOLI died of pancreatic cancer on October 26, 2007 at Gilchrist Center for Hospice Care. Mary was 64 and was born in Trenton, New Jersey. She was a long-time resident of Towson, Maryland. Mary dedicated her life to the betterment of children. She received her undergraduate degree from the College of Notre Dame and her Masters of Social Work from the University of Maryland and was employed by Catholic Charities for over 25 years. Mary held many positions in her career including Administrative Director of St. Vincent's Center for Abused and Neglected Children.

WASHINGTON - Parents who invest $20 to $80 in a car booster seat for a child can cut the child's risk of injury in a crash by more than half, a national study published today concludes. The study in the Journal of the American Medical Association provides the first scientific evidence that the new safety products are effective in protecting children ages 4 through 7 from the effects of a crash and from serious injuries caused by ill-fitting adult belts. Parents have become diligent about putting infants and toddlers into safety seats, but auto safety experts call older youngsters "forgotten children" because of the lack of suitable protection for them.

The Hecht Co.'s former flagship department store at Howard and Lexington streets quietly changed hands earlier this year and is now owned by Petrie Dierman and Partners, a development firm based in McLean, Va.James Abrams, a spokesman for the May Co., Hecht's parent, confirmed that the 300,000-square-foot Hecht's building was sold to Petrie Dierman but would not disclose the price. He referred questions about the property to developer Walt Petrie, who could not be reached for comment.Hecht's opened the eight-level building in 1925 and closed it in January 1989, joining the exodus of downtown department stores that over the past 15 years also has included branches of Hochschild Kohn & Co., Stewart's and Hutzler's.

CURRENT volunteers' news and needs:Carrie Murray Outdoor Education Campus wants volunteers 18 and older to work with injured birds of prey and assist with nature classes and workshops between 8:30 a.m. and 4:30 p.m. daily. Training will be offered. Call 396-0808.Saint Vincent's Center for child and family care needs volunteers at its Chara House in Baltimore. It is a group home for infants and toddlers with AIDS. Call Janet Weisman, 252-4000.Howard County Department of Citizen Services wants volunteers to teach or help in ceramic classes, in the Rumsey Road office, wellness tests, senior information and assistance at the Florence Bain Center and Homebound Support program.

Eating cookies is a normal activity for most toddlers, but it's not quite that simple for 3-year-old Ian Dvornicky. When snack time at Ilchester Regional Early Childhood Center is over, Ian has only touched some of an Oreo's cream filling to his lips. But even this is a victory. "We've made amazing progress," said Ian's mother, Laura Dvornicky, explaining that Ian has difficulty swallowing and a sensory disorder that makes eating all but impossible. But he has come a long way with the help of the center's staff.