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HAPPY NEW YEAR!!!
The entire staff at EFC wishes you good health and happiness for 2018! Thank you for your continued support and allowing us to be a part of your child's life!
We also want to thank everyone who thought of us this holiday season. The holiday cards, gift cards and presents were very much appreciated. We hope you had a wonderful holiday with your family!!
THANK YOU FOR BEING A PART OF OUR EFC FAMILY!
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FROSTY THE SNOWMAN'S BIRTHDAY PARTY
You are invited to "Frosty the Snowman's Birthday Party" magic show by Robert and Lynn Halbrook, on Wednesday January 10 at 10am. Parents are welcome to join their child(ren) for this fun celebration!
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CRAZY DAYS AT EFC
During the
week of January 15, things will be getting a little "CRAZY" around here! Each day we will have a different theme along with many fun activities planned throughout the "crazy" week. The themes are as follows:
Monday, January 15: Beach Day
Tuesday, January 16: Crazy Hair Day
Wednesday, January 17: Pajama Day
Thursday, January 18: Favorite Color Day
Friday, January 19: Sports Day
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SNOW EMERGENCIES
If Especially for Children cannot open due to inclement weather or other emergency conditions, the center's closing will be announced on WCCO radio in the morning. If conditions during the day (weather or emergency) make it necessary to close before our regularly scheduled time, we will need to reach each of you at your work places. If at any time you are aware of changes that should be made on your child's emergency card, please request a new set of cards. This also includes changes with your emergency contacts and authorized to pick up persons.
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Your new tuition rates are in effect January 1. Make sure to save your January 15 statement as it will have your 2017 tax information.
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STAR WELLNESS
As we start out the New Year, many of us make resolutions to diet, eat healthier, exercise more, etc. We thought this would be the perfect time to talk about how to help your child like new foods.
As a parent, you play an important part in the development of your child's eating habits. Your child needs to eat a variety of foods every day to meet his or her needs for growth and development.
Here are some things you can do to help your child learn to eat a variety of foods:
- Have a positive attitude. Serve foods to your child and expect that she will eventually learn to like them.
- Don't force your child to eat. Children sometimes don't like to eat food they have never seen before. Keep serving it until it becomes familiar.
- Let your child help prepare the food. This will help your child become familiar with the new food.
- Serve new foods when your child is hungry. Let the new food be the first thing your child eats.
- Serve one new food at a time. Don't overwhelm your child by serving her a plate full of new foods.
- Be a good role model. Eat a new food in front of your child and let him see how much you are enjoying it. He may try because he wants to be like you.
- Respect your child's food preferences. There may be some foods that your child doesn't like no matter what you try. That's okay. Just be sure to offer your child other foods from the same food group at other meals and snacks.
Keep in mind that a child will need many opportunities with a new food and to be successful - keep trying and don't give up.
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THE "E" IN STEAM -
THE VALUE OF TINKERING
The U.S. has become a nation of "non-tinkerers" and it has harmed the way we live and work. In a poll of 1,000 U.S. adults, nearly 6 in 10 said they had never made or built a toy. The majority said they avoid doing household repairs themselves. The problem is that tinkering is the process that leads to discovery and innovation - brainstorming with your hands. We want to encourage tinkering in our children!
A further concern is that girls are encouraged to tinker even less often than are boys; and when it comes to higher education, women are vastly underrepresented in many STEM fields. Though male and female students perform equally well in mathematics and science on standardized tests in high school, by the time they reach college, disparities begin to emerge. Women receive only 17.9% of computer science degrees, 19.3% of engineering degrees, 39% of physical science degrees, and 43.1% of mathematics degrees. (National Science Board, Science and Engineering Indicators, 2016.)
For the past decade, there has been a concerted effort to change this. Many of you have heard of STEM curriculum, which has been changed to STEAM.
Science
Technology
Engineering
Art
Math
Schools across the nation are creating STEAM curriculums. Early Childhood Education has long been focused on hands-on learning. On a daily basis, children are given opportunities to experiment in science, art, and math. In recent years at Especially for Children, we are consciously working to give children more experiences in tinkering, which develops skills needed for both engineering and technology. We want our students to be prepared for the challenges of the future.
We let children touch things, make things, and solve problems on their own. We know that by allowing children time to tinker and struggle with answering questions, we are showing them that we have high expectations for them. We pose age-appropriate challenges and then send the message, "I know you can get it if I give you the chance."
At home, you can help your child understand the value of hands-on skills. Let them see you handle a necessary household repair or tackle a hobby for pleasure. Show them your pride when you fix or create something.
Let them help you when you are tinkering. Have a set of tools your child can "use" when you are repairing a faucet or tightening a loose screw. Even a set of plastic tools will help your son or daughter understand the concept of taking things apart and putting them back together again.
Over the New Year's weekend, we will be with all of our grandchildren. I think I will throw in my suitcase some items that encourage tinkering. I hope your 2018 is wonderful - tinkering times with your child may provide some special joy!
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TWIN CITIES
FAMILY EVENTS
1/23-3/18 The Wiz, Children's Theatre Company, Mpls
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After the busyness of the holiday season, it can be a transition for both parents and children to get back to the regular routine. As parents, we may need to re-establish certain boundaries and expectations that were eased over the last month. But this can be challenging work, and according to child development expert Dr. David Walsh, many of us fall into some common pitfalls when it comes to limits and consequences.
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