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Dear (Contact First Name),

UPCOMING HOLIDAYS
We welcome families to share special traditions or holidays with your child's class. Please feel free to talk to your child's teacher or one of the directors to arrange a time.

LOOKING AHEAD
EFC will be closed Monday, December 25, in observance of Christmas. We will also be closed Monday, January 1, 2018 in observance of New Year's. We hope you enjoy the holidays with family and friends.

PROGRAM HIGHLIGHTS
FUN DAY FRIDAY THEMES
December 2 -  Wear your favorite sweater!
December 8 -  Wear  Blue !
December 15 -  Pajama Day
December 22 - Red or Green !


PAJAMA DRIVE EVENT - ST. JOSEPH'S HOME FOR CHILDREN        
Bring the gift of a smile to kids and their families. We are asking that each family donate a new pair of pajamas from birth to five years old (preferably the same size as your own child) between December 11 and December 15 ! Keep a lookout for the present boxes that will be around the center!
 
In celebration of the pajama drive, all students and staff are asked to wear pajamas on December 15 During our pajama day event Santa Claus and Mrs. Claus will be making a surprise visit! If you would like your child to take a picture with Santa, please keep a look out for a specific time for Santa's arrival!

PARENT REMINDERS
KINDERGARTEN INFO NIGHT
Kindergarten registration at all District 197 elementary schools will begin on February 1, 2018. Please note that a free development screening is required before entering kindergarten in a public school.
December 7, 2017  4:30-6 p.m.  Early Learning and Family Resource Center

HOLIDAY ATTENDANCE
We understand many families travel during the holiday weeks. We will be posting sign-up sheets on your child's classroom door. Please let us know your child's attendance by signing the sheets on the classroom doors by December 8. This will help us staff classrooms correctly, and be able to give our teachers some well-deserved time off. Thank you!

PARENT RESOURCES

TIPS FOR SUCCESSFUL GIFT GIVING WITH ONLY 5 GIFTS
  1. The gift of hugs and love: Give a doll or a stuffed animal to cuddle and care for and take to bed at night.
     
  2. The gift of knowledge: Give a book to read together and then set aside time to read together daily.
     
  3. The gift of fun: Give one toy or game to enhance your child's current capability and encourage further development. 
     
  4. The gift of active play: Give a gift that encourages physical activity, either as a family or individually.
     
  5. The gift of artistic expression: Give a gift such as crayon, paint or markers that encourages creative expression.
All 5 gifts encourage the family to play together and connect as a family unit.   Pat Gardner - "Tender Years"
 
Have a very safe and happy holiday season from everyone at Especially for Children!

ESPECIALLY FOR PARENTS
"A GOOD TOY IS REALLY ONLY 10% TOY AND 90% CHILD."
I read this quote recently and it inspired me to think more about the kinds of toys available to young children. So many toys are one-faceted and leave little to a child's imagination. Or, they are "learning-oriented" and have right and wrong answers associated with them. So much now is made of plastic and feels cold and hard. It's challenging to know what to consider when selecting toys today.
 
And just at the time when many of us are looking for holiday gifts, the great outdoors is not providing as many nuts, twigs, pinecones, and stones to play with as children have had for the last several months. At least some of each day during spring, summer, and fall, children were connecting with nature's loose parts and thinking of their own ways to play with them.
 
So, this year as I am making lists of toys that I can give to our grandchildren, I am trying to keep in mind the above quote by Joan Almon, former director of the Alliance for Childhood.
 
And, in doing so, I am also inspired to look at the toys as multi-dimensional, even if the inventor of the toy had something else in mind.
 
An example of that is LEGOs - the small ones that come with directions on how to build a really cool vehicle. Our grandson got several small sets for his 5th birthday. For a few months I helped him keep them separated in plastic baggies with the pictures and instructions in each bag. Together we assembled several of them, although it was tedious and so much work that he didn't want anyone to touch them once we had put them together. Then one day my grandson dumped all the LEGOs out on a tray. At first, I was horrified. How was he ever going to figure out how to make the vehicles "right" now?
 
But, as you might imagine, it doesn't matter that those vehicles may never be put together. Instead, Alejandro is making his own LEGO creations - and is so proud!
 
So now I am looking for toys that have varied properties and can be moved and manipulated in many ways. I get excited about toys that allow children to invent, create, explore and, when possible, rearrange loose parts. I am happy if a toy has no specific directions. If children can use their imaginations and try their own ideas, they can discover their own answers and create new possibilities. So, join me in the search for those creative and interesting toys!
 
TWIN CITIES
FAMILY EVENTS
Now-12/23  Holidazzle, Minneapolis
Now-12/28  Disney's Beauty and the Beast Jr., Stages Theatre, Hopkins
Now-1/1  Holiday Lights in the Park, St. Paul
Now-1/5  Tinkertoy, Build Your Imagination, Children's Museum, Saint Paul
Now-1/7  How the Grinch Stole Christmas, Children's Theatre, Minneapolis
Now-1/7 Gingerbread Wonderland, Houses of Norway, Minneapolis
Now-2/11   Wells Fargo Winter Skate, St. Paul
12/2   Reindeer Day, Linden Hills, Mpls
12/2, 12/9 & 12/16   Santa Saturdays, MN Zoo, Apple Valley
12/9   Reindeer Run, Lake Harriet, Mpls
12/25  Joyful 5k, Maple Grove

It has been a wonderful year at Especially for Children, and we want to thank you again for choosing our program. 
 
We've gathered some of the special moments of learning and fun from across EFC centers in a photo slide show. Check it out, and thanks again for a great year!! 

Especially for Children
3370 Coachman Rd.
Eagan, MN 55121
(651) 452-0043

Center Directors:
Leea Reid
Pam Tuft
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