Katie's Kids 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. 
Upcoming Events

April 2        School Age No School Day Program
April 5 & 6   PICTURE DAYS
The schedule will be as follows:
          April 5 - Infants and ALL SIBLINGS (any age children with siblings)
    • Any combination of siblings will have pictures
    • Pictures will be taken separately and together w/sibling unless otherwise stated.
April 6 - Tod/2's and Preschoolers

April 11        Preschool Vision and Hearing testing
April 14        Saturday Night Live at Katie's Kids in Normal

Preschool Parent Teacher Conferences
April 20 - Room 5
April 27  - Room 6
May 7 - Room 7


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MAY 7 - MAY 11


Help in saying "THANK YOU" to our teaching staff  
Let's celebrate the teachers of Katie's Kids.  Please click on the Teacher Appreciation Week link to learn how you can participate.  

April 14
Saturday Night Live
Katie's Kids @ The Links
5:00 -10:00 p.m.


Need a night off? Can't find a babysitter? Check out Saturday Night Live @ Katie's Kids! Saturday Night Live is a Saturday evening full of fun for children while families go out. Children can enjoy playing, having dinner with friends, and snuggling in for a movie.  
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  Meals to Go   
Tuesday Night

April News Blast...

Food Concerns:  We would like to bring to your attention the food concerns we hold here at Katie's Kids Learning Center. Throughout the center, we have children who hold severe allergies to various food products. Due to these allergies, we have food restrictions regarding what is safe to be brought into our classrooms.
  • "According to DCFS regulations, parents may not bring in outside food or drinks into the center unless your child's snack/lunch needs to be supplemented due to medical reasons." 
  • We would appreciate if children would finish eating food from home before entering the classroom and wash their hands as they enter the classroom in order to avoid any potential allergic reactions.   
Late Pick Up:   Katie's Kids closes at 6:00 p.m. For late pickup, a ll parents will be charged fairly and equally, regardless of the reason for being late. Calling ahead is an appreciated courtesy, but will not eliminate or reduce a late pickup fee.   If a child is not picked up prior to 6:00 p.m., late fees will apply. 



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Highlighting the 
Katie's Kids Support Staff



Lindsay Harrison Room 3

I am a student at ISU, majoring in Elementary Education at the moment.  I have been working at Katie's Kids since late November.  I have enjoyed every second of it and have learned a lot of new ideas and concepts.  I love the kids and the staff that I get to spend every single day with.  In my free time I like to spend time with my friends and family, which involves going home to the suburbs to visit quite frequently.  I also enjoy shopping as well, after a stressful week of school and work, it is nice to spend some money on yourself.  I am so happy to be working at this center and I can not thank the faculty and kids enough for making my job exciting every single day.       
Benefits of Early Childhood Education

1. Socialization:
Socialization with people other than the child's family in a safe environment is an essential foundational element to the below areas...
2. Concept of Cooperation:
Learning how to share, cooperate, take turns and persevere within a safe learning environment, guided by professionals who have the children's best interests at heart...
3. Encouraging Holistic Development:
The approach taken to build a strong foundation for a child's emotional, social, physical and mental development...
4. Enthusiasm for Lifelong Learning:
We need to inspire a thirst for learning with eagerness and enthusiasm...
5. Convey the Value of Education Through Experience:
While parents will always be the most important influence on a child's early life, introducing [children] to a preschool environment provides them with a new perspective on the importance of education that will remain with them throughout their schooling journey...
6. Respect:
There is no better place to learn this virtue than in a hectic preschool environment, where everything is shared and civility and manners are both taught and learned organically.
7. Teamwork:
Demonstrating and instilling the importance of teamwork that can teach respect for the opinions of others, listening, cooperation and equality...
8. Resilience:
It's important that early childhood educators and parents work together to develop resilience in children as early as possible...
9. Concentration:
During preschool years, children explore at every opportunity to discover new experiences, new friends and new environments...
10. Patience:
Children need opportunities to be involved in an abundance of social experiences, where they can explore and practice the social skill of patience...
12. Confidence and Self-Esteem:
A strong sense of wellbeing provides children with confidence, optimism and self-esteem which will encourage children to explore their talents, skills and interests...
13. Exposure to Diversity:
Valuing difference and diversity are crucial to a child's early development..."

by Vicki Palmer, The Huffington Post, August 6, 2015
Lemon Raspberry Muffins

These delicious raspberry muffins are moist and fluffy. They're healthier than most, since they are made from whole wheat flour and naturally sweetened with honey. Recipe yields 1 dozen muffins.



INGREDIENTS

1¾ cups white whole wheat flour or regular whole wheat flour

1 teaspoon baking powder

½ teaspoon baking soda

½ teaspoon fine-grain sea salt

⅓ cup melted coconut oil or extra-virgin olive oil

½ cup honey or maple syrup

2 eggs, preferably at room temperature

1 cup plain Greek yogurt*

2 teaspoons vanilla extract

Zest of 1 medium lemon (about ½ teaspoon)

1½ cups Frozen Raspberries (from one 10-ounce bag)

1 tablespoon turbinado sugar (also called raw sugar), for sprinkling on top


INSTRUCTIONS
  1. Preheat the oven to 350 degrees Fahrenheit. If necessary, grease all 12 cups on your muffin tin with butter, coconut oil or cooking spray (my pan is non-stick and doesn't require any grease).
  2. In a large mixing bowl, combine the flour, baking powder, baking soda and salt. Blend well with a whisk.
  3. In a medium mixing bowl, combine the oil and honey or maple syrup and beat together with a whisk. Add the eggs and beat well, then add the yogurt, vanilla and lemon zest. Mix well. (If the coconut oil solidifies in contact with cold ingredients, gently warm the mixture in the microwave in 30 second bursts.)
  4. Pour the wet ingredients into the dry and mix with a big spoon, just until combined (a few lumps are ok). Gently fold the raspberries into the batter. The mixture will be thick, but don't worry.
  5. Divide the batter evenly between the 12 muffin cups (I used an ice cream scoop with a wire level, which worked perfectly). Sprinkle the tops of the muffins with turbinado sugar. Bake the muffins for 22 to 24 minutes, or until the muffins are golden on top and a toothpick inserted into a muffin comes out clean.
  6. Place the muffin tin on a cooling rack to cool. You might need to run a butter knife along the outer edge of the muffins to loosen them from the pan. If you have leftover muffins, store them, covered, at room temperature for 2 days, or in the refrigerator for up to 5 days. Freeze leftover muffins for up to 3 months.
NOTES
MAKE IT VEGAN: You can replace the eggs with flax "eggs." Replace the yogurt with a smaller amount of vegan buttermilk-just mix ⅔ cup non-dairy milk with 2 teaspoons vinegar. Let it rest for 5 minutes before adding it to the other liquid ingredients. Or, use 1 cup vegan yogurt.
MAKE IT DAIRY FREE: See buttermilk option above.
MAKE IT EGG FREE: Substitute flax eggs for the regular eggs.
MAKE IT GLUTEN FREE: Substitute an all-purpose gluten-free flour blend for the whole wheat flour. Bob's Red Mill makes a GF blend that works well.

Author: Cookie and Kate
Prep Time: 10 mins
Cook Time: 22 mins
Total Time: 32 minutes
Yield: 12 muffins