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

December

December 7                       Bloomington Jaycee's Christmas Parade             
December 11,12,13           St. Jude Holiday Cookie Fundraiser
December  14                    Saturday Night Live @ Ireland Grove
December 15                     Sunday Afternoon @ Fort Jesse
December 24 & 25            Katie's Kids Closed for the Holidays


January 1                           Katie's Kids Closed for the Holiday


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St Jude Holiday Cookie Fundraiser 
December 11,12,13

Need a holiday treat for a work party or special event...
Katie's Kids will be selling homemade holiday cookie platters full of yummy treats.  All proceeds will go to St. Jude.  

Cookie Platters can be purchased in the front lobby of Katie's Kids for $15

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School Age Children will be out of school for Winter Break.  Katie's Kids will be having a program full of fun activities.  

School Age Program Dates
December 23,26,27, 30,31                   
January 2,3,6


 
 
Saturday Night Live
December 14   5:00 -10:00 p.m.
KKLC @ Ireland Grove

Sunday Afternoon
Sunday, December 15 12-4 p.m. 
KKLC @ Fort Jesse 
COLD WEATHER TIDBITS
  • Hand washing is the best defense during cold and flu season.  Please remember to wash your child's hands upon entering the classroom at drop off. 
  • Please make sure your child is dressed appropriately (hats, gloves, & boots). It is also helpful to label your child's extra outdoor clothes.
  • Check extra clothes to make sure they are seasonal & the right size
Too Much Screen Time Linked to Lower Brain Development

"Screen time use by infants, toddlers and preschoolers has exploded over the last decade, concerning experts about the impact of television, tablets and smartphones on these critical years of rapid brain development," writes Sandee La Motte on the cnn.com website.
She explains, "Now a new study scanned the brains of children 3 to 5 years old and found those who used screens more than the recommended one hour a day without parental involvement had lower levels of development in the brain's white matter -- an area key to the development of language, literacy and cognitive skills."
In the book Literacy: A Beginnings Workshop Book, Leah Curry-Rood reminds us all of the importance of cultivating children's love of reading from an early age, one way to balance the draw of screen time. She offers a number of tips for early educators and families to help aid children's healthy literacy development. Here are just a few:
  • "Read stories aloud every day, any time, any place...
  • Travel with books... [This one is especially for families, as she recommends keeping a box of books in the car and letting children bring a book to look at while standing in line at grocery stores, banks etc. Early childhood educators could use this tip, also, for those (hopefully) few times when children are waiting a little bit.]
  • Set up a library learning center... [This one is more for early childhood programs... she suggests actually calling it a library.]
  • Encourage children to share favorite books..." [This could be with other children in an early childhood program and/or with other family members.]

Help spread the word of Katie's Kids!
Do you have a friend, neighbor, or colleague looking for care?  For every family you refer to Katie's Kids we will apply a $50 credit to your account after the family has been with us  for 90 days.  
Community Resource

 Normal Public Library's Children Outreach Librarian has been hosting story time at Katie's Kids for the last few months.  She sings and reads to the children during this 30 minute time period.  
The Normal Library is promoting a 100 Book Reading Log before Kindergarten as well as a variety of fun events at the library.  Follow the link below to check out all the fun events going on at the library.