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Greetings!
WELCOME TO 2020!!!
We had an exciting and very busy December. We hope each of you had a safe and happy holiday season. We wish to express a special thank you to all families here at EFC for making the holiday season so special for us. We all greatly appreciate the holiday cards, gift cards and special treats!
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THANK YOU!
In December, we collected non-perishable foods and donated to VEAP (Volunteers Enlisted to Assist People)—a well-known organization that assists those in need in our community. We are excited to announce that we collected over 575 pounds of food during our food drive! We want to congratulate the Puppy & Penguin classrooms who “won” this year’s challenge and collected the most food. They will be rewarded with a fun smoothie party in early January. Thanks again for helping us serve our community!
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2020 KICK OFF BREAKFAST
We invite you to join us for a
2020 Kick Off Breakfast
on
Friday, January 3, from 7-8:30 AM in the PreK classrooms.
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ADVENTURE PEAK
The toddlers and preschoolers will go to
Adventure Peak & Gym
on
Friday, January 10, from 9-10 am. Please make sure your child has socks that day!
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FROSTY'S MAGIC BIRTHDAY PARTY
Robert the Magician will visit our toddler & preschool program on
Tuesday, January 21
, and celebrate “Frosty’s Magic Birthday Party” show starting at 10 AM.
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LOOKING AHEAD
The center will be closed on
Wednesday, January 1,
for New Year’s Day.
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JANUARY TUITION INFO
Your new tuition rates are in effect
January 1
. We will also e-mail your end of year statements for tax purposes once all 2019 payments are finalized.
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BUILDING COMMUNITY:
WE ARE STRONGER TOGETHER
by Angie Williams
The entrance of a new year is a natural time to reflect on our lives and our hopes for the future—both individually and collectively. One of my desires for my family is that we can look for ways to build community in a world that often feels disjointed and full of conflict. We strive to give our girls, ages 4 and 7, a foundation of security and love. We hope that this foundation not only provides a special sense of belonging at home, but also that it can and should prepare them to engage with, contribute to, and receive from the communities they will encounter in their lives.
As I think about what it means to build community, a few concepts come to mind that I hope to instill in our daughters:
- Being there when people need us most: I can think of several examples in my life when a community surrounded an individual or small group in urgent need. Just recently, as some of you may be aware, an EFC teacher lost her home to a fire. Her community of friends, family, colleagues, and even strangers has offered her incredible support to help her through this time. It is hard to imagine how people move through the most challenging times in life without community.
- Being there when being there is hard or uncomfortable: There are some situations in which being part of a community is not easy. Perhaps we don’t know the right words to provide comfort, we don’t agree on a path forward, or we aren’t ready to open ourselves to new possibilities. Being in community requires empathy and patience, with others and with ourselves. We hope to help our daughters develop the emotional strength and stamina (even as I continue to work on mine!) required to be in authentic community, even when it is hard.
- Identifying our strengths that can help the community: I am still on a Mr. Rogers kick and have started watching some of old episodes of his show with our girls. He often tells his audience, “there is no one else in the whole world just like you.” Our older daughter grasped onto this and repeated it to me after one episode in a tone of wonder and pride. The idea that each of us is unique in the world and has something special to contribute to a community is so important; it builds our own sense of worth and makes the community stronger.
It is easy to get overwhelmed in our fast-moving and demanding society that has no shortage of entrenched problems. But when we are in community with one another, the load is lightened, and we gain greater understanding of each other. That feels like a good thing for our family to strive for in 2020!
And from this EFC community, which we hope will continue to provide support for your family, we wish you a healthy and happy new year!
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Angie Williams
EFC Marketing and Finance Director
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TWIN CITIES
FAMILY EVENTS
Now-1/5
Cinderella
, Children's Theatre, Minneapolis
1/17-2/17
The Dot
, Stages Theatre, Hopkins
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Especially for Children
3300 Edinborough Way
Edina MN 55435
(952) 835-0505
Center Directors:
Anna Wilson
Samantha Baker
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