Mission Statement
  
To elevate child development to a new level by leading the social and emotional growth and education of young children by providing a safe, welcoming, home-like environment with a caring, educated and professional staff that promotes partnerships between parents, children, and other early childhood professionals. 
January Notes of Interest
Dear Parents and Families!
 
Katie's Kids Learning Center is very excited to introduce you to Teaching Strategies GOLD ® online, where you will have access to rich information about your child's development and learning. Being online makes it easy for us to share observation notes, pictures, and other meaningful information with you. Whenever you access Teaching Strategies GOLD ® online, you create an opportunity to be right there with us in the classroom!
 
Each month you can expect to receive portfolio pages, photos, and videos of your child.  The classroom teacher will decide which documentation submission, photos, and videos that you will be able to view.
 
Your child's teacher will soon be adding your email address into the Gold's system, so please watch for an email invitation from Teaching Strategies GOLD. We hope you take some time to explore and learn about all the exciting features of the system.

For directions on how to set up your account once your email arrives, click here.


 
 
Upcoming Dates
 
January 2nd - 5th: School Age Days
January 6th: SNL @ K1 5pm-10pm
January 8th: School Age Day
January 9th: Second Session of Spanish Begins  
                            (for 4 & 5 year olds)
January 15th: School Age Day

February 19th: Closed for Staff Development Day
 
Closure Dates for 2018 
 
Please click here   to view the Katie's Kids Center Closure list for 2018.
   
  
        

Th e Christmas Parade was a hit this year. Katie's Kids Learning Center won a prize for having a great crowd! Thank you to all who volunteered to walk in the parade and to those who donated candy. We brought some great cheer to the town of Bloomington/Normal.



School Age Winter Break
 
We will be hosting school age days over winter break: December 22nd - January 5th. We will also be hosting a school age day on the January 8th and 15th. 
Please let us know if your child will need care on those days. 
Saturday Night Live

Saturday, January 6th
5:00 -10:00 p.m.
@ the Links

Enjoy a night out on January 6th. Children ages 3+ have the opportunity to watch a movie and use their artistic abilities to create a masterpiece of their choice! Free play activities will be set up for children under the age of 3 years. If you have any questions please ask the KKLC Leadership Team. 

Preschool Spanish Class
 
Rocio Morales will be offering Spanish classes on Thursday afternoons starting in the January 2018.  This class is for 4 & 5 year interested in learning basic vocabulary skills. 
 
The class will be January 11th through March 5th and the cost is $80.  If you have any additional questions, please contact Rocio at [email protected]
 
Katie's Kids originally met Rocio when her daughter attended Katie's Kids several years ago.  Rocio is from Guatemala and received her education at the Universidad Francisco Marroquin and then went on for her masters at Illinois State.  She is currently teaching ESL in Champaign.  

 
Loose Parts Donations -   
Our Focus this Month: 

Keep track of all of those extra parts. We can use them here!
        • Ribbon
        • Inner rings of tape dispensers
        • Wrapping paper scraps
  
We, at Katie's Kids, would like to keep utilizing loose parts in our classrooms throughout the year.  Therefore, we are inviting parents and families that are interested to keep the supplies coming!  If you choose to donate you can drop the materials off at the front desk at any time!
  
Be sure to look through our center for how the loose parts are being used within the curriculum! 
  
Thank you in advance for your donations, we look forward to seeing the creativity that stems from all of the materials!
Reggio Reads...
--------------------------------------------
Need an idea to keep the kids engaged during the cold winter month? See the link below for a fun way to keep your kids busy and creative.
 
 
Weaving Craft
January Meals to Go


January 4th
BBQ Pulled Pork Sliders
Coleslaw
Cheesecake bites
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January 11th
Chicken Bacon Ranch Pasta
Garlic Bread
Apple & Pear Crumble
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January 18th
BLT on White Bread
French Fries
Butterscotch Chocolate Cake Cookies
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January 25th
Open Faced turkey
w/Mashed Potato & Gravy
Corn
Banana Cream Pie
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Getting Healthier...
At Katie's Kids Learning Center, we are committed to providing the best possible nutrition to you and your family.  We hope you enjoy the following recipe: 
 
Title : Baked Mac & Cheese 

Ingredients:
  • 3 tablespoons plain dry breadcrumbs, (see Tip)
  • 1 teaspoon extra-virgin olive oil
  • ¼ teaspoon paprika
  • 1 16-ounce or 10-ounce package frozen spinach, thawed
  • 1¾ cups low-fat milk, divided
  • 3 tablespoons all-purpose flour
  • 2 cups shredded extra-sharp Cheddar cheese
  • 1 cup low-fat cottage cheese
  • ⅛ teaspoon ground nutmeg
  • ¼ teaspoon salt
  • Freshly ground pepper, to taste
  • 8 ounces (2 cups) whole-wheat elbow macaroni, or penne
  
Directions:
  • Put a large pot of water on to boil. Preheat oven to 450°F. Coat an 8-inch-square (2-quart) baking dish with cooking spray.
  • Mix breadcrumbs, oil and paprika in a small bowl. Place spinach in a fine-mesh strainer and press out excess moisture.
  • Heat 1½ cups milk in a large heavy saucepan over medium-high heat until steaming. Whisk remaining ¼ cup milk and flour in a small bowl until smooth; add to the hot milk and cook, whisking constantly, until the sauce simmers and thickens, 2 to 3 minutes. Remove from heat and stir in Cheddar until melted. Stir in cottage cheese, nutmeg, salt and pepper.
  • Cook pasta for 4 minutes, or until not quite tender. (It will continue to cook during baking.) Drain and add to the cheese sauce; mix well. Spread half the pasta mixture in the prepared baking dish. Spoon the spinach on top. Top with the remaining pasta; sprinkle with the breadcrumb mixture.
  • Bake the casserole until bubbly and golden, 25 to 30 minutes.

 


Katie's Kids Learning | @ the Links | 309.663.5800 |  [email protected] | www.katieskids.net
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