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Greetings!
WELCOME TO 2020!!!
We had an exciting and very busy December. The enthusiasm of the staff, children, and parents made the month fly by. 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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JANUARY CRAZY DAYS
During the
week of January 21, things will be getting a little “CRAZY” around here! Each day we will have a different theme along with many fun activities planned throughout the “crazy” week. The themes are as follows:
Monday, January 20: Hat Day
Tuesday, January 21: Pajama Day
Wednesday, January 22: Stripes/Polka Dot Day
Thursday, January 23: Wear Your Favorite Color Day
Friday, January 24: Beach Day
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WEATHER EMERGENCIES
If Especially for Children cannot open due to inclement weather, the center’s closing will be announced on WCCO (830 AM radio, Channel 4 television, and WCCO.com.) If conditions during the day (weather or emergency) make it necessary to close before our regularly scheduled time, we will reach out to you by email or Baby Connect.
If at any time you are aware of changes that should be made on your child’s emergency card, please request a new card. This also includes changes with emergency contacts and authorized to pick up persons.
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OUTDOOR WINTER FUN
During the winter, we all tend to hunker down and hibernate. Here is a list of fun activities to get you and your children out to enjoy some winter fun:
- Build a snowman!
- Build a snow fort!
- Have a snowball fight!
- Go ice skating
- Go sledding
- Go on a nature hike (Woodlake or Richardson Nature Center)
Also, Bloomington winter fete activities will take place throughout the city from
Saturday,
January 20-January 28
. Activities include Fat Tire Bike races, winter kite flying, ice fishing, and more!
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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 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
5133 W. 98th St.
Bloomington, MN 55437
(952) 831-1435
Center Director:
Kathy Hane
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