JANUARY 2022
Greetings!

HAPPY NEW YEAR!
The entire EFC staff wishes you good health and happiness throughout 2022. Thank you for your continued support and allowing us to be part of your child’s life. We also want to thank everyone who thought of us this holiday season. The holiday cards, gifts and good wishes were very much appreciated! Also take a minute to view all of the awesome family Christmas cards displayed on the office window. The cards get more creative and unique each year.
FOOD DRIVE
A big thank you to everyone who donated food for our food drive last month. Our box was so overflowing with the many wonderful donations, we had to make a second and then a third box! It was a wonderful experience for the children to learn about the importance of giving!
PARENT REMINDERS
TUITION RATES AND TAX INFO
In December, each family received a letter stating their new tuition rates for 2022. Please make sure to save the January 15th statement you receive that reflects the previous year’s payments for your 2021 taxes. It also has our tax identification number on it for tax purposes.
OUTDOOR FUN!
All preschool children are welcome to bring their sleds to school to play with during outdoor time. Please be sure to have the sled labeled with your child’s first and last name! 
LIBRARY DAYS
The pre-k class will resume going to the library each week. Remember to have your library backpacks here in order to pick out new books!
STAR WELLNESS
star wellness
VEGETARIAN SKILLET STUFFED SHELLS
This one-pan, stovetop-only version turns mushroom- and spinach-stuffed shells into an easy weeknight dinner. The quick but deeply flavorful sauce is made by dressing up jarred marinara sauce with garlic browned in butter and crushed red pepper flakes. Get the recipe here: https://www.epicurious.com/recipes/food/views/vegetarian-skillet-stuffed-shells
ESPECIALLY FOR PARENTS
PLAY WITH LANGUAGE AND PROMOTE PHONOLOGICAL AWARENESS
We published this article in 2015 with tips on promoting phonological awareness in children. Considering the pervasive use of masks over the last 2 years to help control the pandemic, this may be an area that requires extra attention as children develop their language and reading skills. Learn more about how to support phonological awareness below!
 
It sounds like a mouthful, but it’s not hard and it’s very important to your child’s development. Phonological awareness is hearing and understanding the different sounds and patterns of spoken language. It is being sensitive to the different ways oral language can be broken down into individual parts, for instance, separate sounds and syllables.
 
Many parents worry about whether or not their child will be “ready” for kindergarten. A good test is how well they can discern the smallest unit of sound, the phoneme. “Phonemic awareness is the most potent predictor of success in learning to read. It is more highly related to reading than tests of general intelligence, reading readiness, and listening comprehension.” (Stanovich, 1986, 1994).
 
Children begin by listening to sounds in the environment and eventually become aware that language is made up of words that are grouped together. Through playful activities we can teach children to be aware of beginning and ending sounds in words. Songs and stories provide wonderful opportunities for a child to be exposed to rhyming words and alliteration. (Alliteration is repetition of an initial sound in two or more words of a phrase.)
 
Preschool children love to clap the words of a sentence or the syllables in their names. They enjoy playing with words. For example, if you sing, “Dow, dow, dow your boat, gently down the stream,” more than likely your preschool child will say, “No! That’s not right! It’s row.” 
 
On the blog we have posted more information on phonological awareness and some ways you can encourage your child’s curiosity and experimentation with language. After children have a good understanding of the sounds of language, they are ready for phonics, which is connecting printed symbols to their corresponding sounds. Have fun watching your child master these various skills!  
TWIN CITIES
FAMILY EVENTS

Now-1/2 Glow Holiday Festival, MN Fair Grounds
Now-1/2 Christmas in Color, Valley Fair
Now-1/2 Winter Lights, Mn Landscape Arboretum, Chanhassen
Now-1/9 Annie, Children's Theatre, Minneapolis
Now-1/16 Nature Illuminated, MN Zoo
Now-2/26 Night Trains, TC Model Railroad Museum, St Paul
1/2-2/21 Winter Fete Activities, Bloomington
1/14-2/13 The North Star, Stages Theatre, Hopkins
1/15 Pop Ups On the Plaza: Ice Crystals & Colors, 50th & France, Edina                
1/15-2/6 Art Shanty Projects, Lake Harriet, Mpls
1/18-2/13 Circus Abyssinia Tulu, Children’s Theatre Company, Mpls
1/22 Winterfest, Springbrook Nature Center, Fridley
1/28 Frosty Festival, Eagan
1/28-2/6 Winter Carnival, Saint Paul

CONNECT WITH US
Especially for Children
2 H South Pine Dr. 
Circle Pines MN 55014 
(763) 786-9410 

Center Director:
Linda Burck
Center Assistant Director:
Kris Steffens