Greetings!
NAEYC WEEK OF THE YOUNG CHILD 2021 (50th Anniversary): CELEBRATING OUR YOUNGEST LEARNERS
April 10-16 is Week of the Young Child. This is an annual celebration sponsored by the National Association for the Education of Young Children (NAEYC), the nation’s largest organization of early childhood professionals with more than 80,000 members and a network of 300 local, state and regional affiliates.
The purpose of the Week of the Young Child is to focus public attention on the needs of young children and their families and to recognize the early childhood programs/services that meet those needs.
NAEYC first established the Week of the Young Child in 1971, recognizing that the early childhood years (birth through age 8) lay the foundation for children’s success in school and later life.
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THANK YOU!
We are so grateful the outpouring of support for VEAP’s Annual March Foodshare Campaign! Our center brought in over 600 pounds of donations thanks to all the generosity from our families and staff! Here’s a small portion of the donations! Again, thank you all so much!
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FUN DAYS IN APRIL
Because April is such a great month to celebrate children and early childhood professionals, we thought it would be fun to have some special dress up days to start the month. Here they are…
Monday, April 5 – Fun Sock Day
Tuesday, April 6 – Stripes /Polka Dots Day
Wednesday, April 7 – Pajama Day
Thursday, April 8 – MN Twins Day
Friday, April 9 – Hat Day
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EFC MAIL IS COMING BACK…
During the Week of the Young Child (April 12-16), we will have EFC mail once again. This was so enjoyable in past years & the children were very excited when they received their own mail! Cards will be available at the parent reception (outside the office) where you can write your child and your child’s teaching staff a special note. Place your cards in the green mailbox or email us a note instead if that is easier! Michelle and Susan will deliver new mail each day to the children and teaching staff.
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EFC ANNUAL ART FAIR
Instead of our in-person art fair, this year we will be doing something virtually. We hope for family engagement with a little project that will also be incorporated into the Art Fair…more details to come!
While we miss our in-person family events, here are two opportunities to participate in our EFC community. Thank you in advance for your participation!
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WHAT WE CAN LEARN FROM FROEBEL’S KINDERGARTENS
Community Playthings recently posted an article on its blog about Friedrich Froebel, the founder of Kindergarten, and his philosophies about its purpose. We found the article to be a good reminder of the foundations for early learning. Here are some highlights:
“A good way to begin to understand Froebel’s philosophy is to define the word, Kindergarten. Kindergarten literally means Children’s Garden, which covers Froebel’s concept of ‘a place for children’ as well as his beliefs about child growth, development, and learning (Elkind, 2015). He believed that the best place for young children is a place where the child’s nature can be developed and nurtured…”
Some of Froebel’s critical concepts are:
- Use of the Outdoors
- Importance of Hands-on Learning
- Use of multiple intelligences
- View of early childhood as a unique learning period separate from formal educational
- Nurturing individual growth and development
- Importance of the family
- The value of play
- The importance of creativity
- An understanding of children who struggle in school
- The need to challenge educational orthodoxy
You can read more about each of these concepts here:
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LOOKING AHEAD: SUMMER AT EFC |
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The end of the school year brings so many special traditions to our schools. In a now-familiar refrain, while things still look at bit different as we move through (and closer to the end!) of the pandemic, we hope you and your children will enjoy the activities we have planned – Week of the Young Child, parent/teacher conferences, end of the year classroom celebrations, and, finally, after a very long winter, some wonderful time outdoors!
For the past several years, we have made our outdoor gardens a central aspect of our summer, and that will continue in 2021. Children will have the opportunity to plant and harvest a variety of foods. They will learn about the life cycle of plants and how to take care of them. And best of all, how good fresh, homegrown fruits and veggies taste!
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In addition to gardening, children will learn and grow through fun and engaging programming developed by their teacher(s). This summer you will notice your child’s teacher highlighting activities and themes that call to mind the best elements of summer and adapt them to the particular interests of children in their classroom. As always, the core elements of our curriculum will remain woven into each day as we continue teaching literacy, science and math skills and supporting children’s social and emotional learning through play, stories, and interactions. Some special classes will return to the centers as well.
We will bring back summer t-shirts this year that reflect the joy and freedom of summer. Please look for ordering information in late spring.
We are so excited to celebrate and enjoy summer with your children. It will be a well-deserved reward for us all!
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Especially for Children
5015 W. 70 Street
Edina MN 55439
(952) 946-9971
Center Directors:
Susan Wilson and Michelle Botz
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