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

Infant Rooms
Just a reminder to everyone that our Infant Rooms (Rooms 1, 2, and 3) are SHOE FREE zones. Please do not enter the rooms with your shoes on. This is especially important during the winter months as we do not want dirt, slush, and salt on the floor where babies are crawling. Thank you for your understanding and helping us keep our babies safe and clean. 

Spanish Class: Winter Session
The winter session of Spanish begins on January 8th. If you are interested in signing your child up for this session, you can find a registration form on the parent bulletin board in the lobby. Spanish is open to any child over the age of 4 years.

Prep Freeze Cook Fundraiser 
We will continue our Prep Freeze Cook fundraiser in January. Make your evening easier and have someone else prepare dinner for you! Pick up your order form in the lobby. So far, we have raised $330.94 for new preschool tricycles (83% of our goal). Thank you for your continued support!

Pearson Filming and Photography Opportunity

Pearson is a publishing company that focuses on helping the world learn. They publish many text books and videos used by universities around the world. For many years they have worked with Laura E Berk in connection with her Early Childhood & Adolescent Development text books. Her books often focus on appropriate skill development as well as the connection between environments, heredity, and learning. We have the great honor to be a part of her next book:  Infants, Children, and Adolescents, 9th edition. 

During the month of January, Laura Berk will visit our center with a film crew from Pearson. They will be taking photographs and filming segments of our day and of our children at work to be used for Laura's new book. The focus will primarily be on children under the age of three and the various developmental skills they exhibit in the areas of social-emotional skills, language skills, motor skills, and new born reflexes.

It is completely up to you if you would like your child to participate in this event. Only children that have a signed talent release form will be filmed and photographed. That being said, we would like to have as many children signed up as we can to offer the best chance of capturing the developmental milestones that Pearson is looking for. Pearson has decided to offer  gift cards to families  who participate. They will also be  donating money to our school.

Filming will begin on  Friday, January 11th . Depending on what they are able to capture on that day, they may extend filming into the next week.

If you did not receive the talent release form in your child's cubby there are extras at the front desk. You can also access it 
here. 
Please turn them in by  January 4th.
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To find out more about Laura E Berk click on the links below

 
 
Upcoming Dates

January 1st: Closed for New Years Day
January 2nd - 7th: School Age Days
January 4th:  Talent Release Forms Due
January 8th: Second Session of Spanish Begins
January 11th: Pearson Filming Begins
January 12th: SNL @ K1 5:00 - 10:00 pm
January 21st: School Age Day

February 18th: Closed for Professional Development Day



C losure Dates for 2019

Please click   here  to view the Katie's Kids Center Closure list for 2019.    
            
Saturday Night Live

Saturday, January 10th
5:00 -10:00 p.m.
@ the Links (K1)

Enjoy a night out on your own! We will watch your kids. 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. 

Health Corner


Nebulizer Use

Around this time of year, you may notice children throughout the center using a breathing machine called a nebulizer. We often get questions about these special machines so here some facts for you to know.
  1. A nebulizer is a machine that helps deliver medications into the lungs of young children who are not yet able to use an inhaler. 
  2. Often, children who use nebulizers will eventually be diagnosed with reactive airway disease and/or asthma, though it may become dormant as the child grows and he/she may not need the use of the nebulizer and/or inhalers for the rest of their lives. 
  3. The need for a nebulizer is not contagious, however for a child who needs to use nebulizers, contagious illnesses almost always means use of the nebulizer. For example, most children recover from a common cough and cold on their own without the need of medication. For a child who has reduced airway function, a common cold will almost always lead to the need for a nebulizer and specific medication to help their airways open.
  4. Once the child begins using the nebulizer during an episode of illness, they will typically use it multiple times a day for about 2 weeks. 
  5. Nebulizer use tends to pick up during the fall and winter in association with the cold and flu season and changing weather patterns.
Click below for more information.

            
Community Connections



















Our community has great things to offer families! We are adding this new section to the newsletter to help you connect to the variety of community events occurring  in the Bloomington/Normal area. Enjoy!

Bloomington Center for the Performing Arts
Click here to view the 2018 - 2019 Season of Events


Children's Discovery Museum
Click here for the Winter 2018/2019 schedule of events 

Ideas for Home
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Here is an idea for a winter themed sensory experience that you can create at home. Winter Slime!

Click  here for the instructions!
 
Loose Parts Donations -   

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!


Our Focus this Month: 
  • Ribbons & Bows
  • Wrapping Paper Scraps
  • Wrapping Paper Tubes
Meals to Go

Did you know? In order to make our foot print a little less on this Earth, we use reusable food containers for our Meals to Go! We kindly ask that you rinse your containers and return them to the front desk at your earliest convenience . We will wash and sanitize these containers to be used for our next meals. 

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January 10th

Chicken Ceaser Salad
Breadstick
Red Velvet Cupcakes
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January 17th

Tilapia W/Balsamic Reduction
Wild Rice
Lemon Bars
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January 24th 

Meatloaf
Cornbread
White Chocolate Macadamia Nut Cookies
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January 31st

Honey Glazed Pork Tenderloin
Garlic Cheddar Biscuits
Chocolate Silk Custard
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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: 
 
Yogurt Honey Muffins

Ingredients:
  • 1 and ¾ Cups (8 Ounces) White Whole Wheat Flour
  • 2 and ½ Teaspoons Baking Powder
  • ⅓ Teaspoon Sea Salt
  • ⅓ Cup + 1 Tablespoon Honey
  • 2 Large Eggs
  • ½ Teaspoon Pure Vanilla Extract
  • ½ Cup (4 Ounces) Unsalted Butter, Melted and Cooled
  • ¾ Cup (6.5 Ounces) Greek Yogurt
  • ¼ Cup Milk
  • ¼ Cup Frozen Wild Blueberries
  • ⅓ Cup Frozen Raspberries

Directions:
  1. Preheat oven to 375 degrees. Line 36 mini muffin cups with liners.
  2. In a bowl whisk together the flour, baking powder and salt.
  3. In a separate bowl mix together the honey and greek yogurt. Stir in the eggs, vanilla and milk, mixing until combined. Add the honey mixture and the melted butter to the flour bowl and stir gently, just until combined.
  4. Divide the batter back in half, and add the blueberries to one half and the raspberries to the other. The berries can be mixed all together to make it easier!
  5. Scoop batter into muffin cups, filling them ¾ of the way to the top. Bake for 15 minutes, or until a toothpick inserted in the middle comes out clean.
  6. Let the muffin cool for 5 minutes in the muffin tin, then remove to a cooling rack
 

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