Hello Spring! With the weather finally getting warmer, it's time for some warm weather programs!

Summer SACK Program

Danville Kindergarten Transition

DCDC Happenings

• April 30-May 6 Teacher Appreciation Week
• May 26 Bloom Road Preschool Graduation
• May 29 Memorial Day DCDC Closed, DASD Closed

DCDC Menu

The DCDC menu has been updated for the months of May 2023- August 2023. Please make sure you get your copy from the lobby entrance!

Warm Weather Reminders

• As the weather gets warmer, please make sure your child(ren) have weather appropriate changes of clothing in their cubbies.

• DCDC provides Rocky Mountain Sunscreen to all students. However, please apply sunscreen to your child before arriving at the center and dress them in hats/visors and tightly woven clothing to help prevent sunburn during outdoor play. DCDC staff can reapply sunscreen in the afternoon before going outside if we have you approval to do so on file. If you prefer your child, use a different sunscreen in the afternoon, please provide it in its original container labeled with their full name. We cannot accept sunscreen that is expired.

DCDC Parent Volunteer List

Are you interested in volunteering in your child's classroom and school? Do you enjoy helping children experience the world around them? Are you looking to help your community?

DCDC is starting a parent volunteer list. Volunteers may be called upon for special classroom activities, classroom fieldtrips, center fundraisers and events.

Volunteers are required to obtain a PA Criminal clearance, PA Child Abuse clearance, FBI fingerprints, and NSOR verification.

If you are interested in completing the clearances and becoming a DCDC parent volunteer, please email the education director at sbittner@danvillecdc.org.

Building Social and Emotional Skills at home

School classrooms are busy places where young children learn all sorts of things, including social and emotional skills such as how to express feelings and how to work together with friends on a project. Here are some suggestions for helping your child develop social and emotional skills at home.

Puppets. Teachers sometimes talk with children about conflicts and help them think about solutions while using puppets and families can try this technique at home. Puppets are a great way to introduce children to feeling words like happy, sad, angry, and children will sometimes talk to puppets about their feelings. Puppets can also help in discussions about challenging topics, like getting to bed on time.

Think out loud. When your child hears your thinking process, it helps her understand how to cope with frustration and solve problems: “Whoops. My favorite shopping bag has a hole in it. I’d better take another one with me to the grocery store.”

Read bedtime stories. There is something magical about this end-of-the-day routine that makes it the ideal time for talking about feelings. Discuss the characters and events in the story. Invite your child to share her thoughts and feelings by asking questions: “What do you think he should do? How do you think she feels? What would you do if you were this character?”

Do a job together. Instead of asking your child to do a chore alone, do it with her. The two of you might fold laundry, set the table, rake leaves, or paint a wall. Help your child join in by shortening the handle of a broom to make it child-size or providing a small paintbrush or roller.

Play games. Card and board games and outdoor games such as tag or hop-scotch offer built-in opportunities for helping children learn to take turns, cooperate, handle frustration, and more. While playing games together, focus on fun instead of winning or losing.

Prevent potential problems. Before a friend comes to play, help your child put away toys he does not want to share. Before taking a bus to the zoo, provide a step-by-step explanation of what you will do: “We will wait at the bus stop for 5 minutes, then get on the bus and sit together and watch the sights go by for about 30 minutes [explain this as the length of one episode of a favorite TV show]. Then we will walk three blocks to the zoo and tour the lion house before anything else!” During the trip, remind your preschooler of what will happen next.

For the safety of our families, students, staff, and visitors please be mindful of our parking lot safety guidelines:

• Do not leave your car running when picking up and dropping off your child.

• Stay with your child at all times when in the parking lot.

• Adhere to the entrance and exit signs to our parking lot.

• Stay vigilant while driving through the parking lot.

• Drive slowly and leave space between yourself and the car in front of you.

• Do not leave a child in the car alone while picking up and dropping off.

Teacher Corner

Meet the Yogi Bears

Hello, my name is Danelle Stoker. I have worked at DCDC since 1996. I graduated from Cincinnati Christian University with a Bachelor in Biblical Studies, I majored in Christian Education with an emphasis in Early Childhood Education. After College I couldn't wait to get out of the city and move back to the "quiet" life of Pennsylvania. I was born and raised in Bloomsburg and am the second oldest of five children. I enjoy spending my free time with my family. I have great memories of the time I had spent in Preschool as a child, and it is my goal that each child that comes into my classroom will not only learn but also have the opportunity to create great memories for themselves.

Hello DCDC Families! My name is Raneasha Duffy and I am originally from Altoona, PA. My husband and I moved to Danville, PA in February 2017. I graduated from Juniata College in 2012 with a B.S. in Human Development and Education. During the summers of college, I was a camp counselor at Camp Eder in Fairfield, PA. I worked with children from the age of five through high school and adult campers with special needs. It was amazing to see the children learn, grow and discover in just one week! Being at camp that first summer reminded me why I had always wanted to work with children. After graduation, I worked one final summer as a counselor and then accepted my first full-time job in childcare.

My husband, Ryan, and I got married December 1st, 2018 and have loved every minute of it! We recently got a puppy named Rudy whom we love to spoil. When not at work, I love to be outdoors! I enjoy camping, fishing, going to the beach, taking random adventures, and exploring! We are huge Pittsburgh Penguins fans and love to get to Pittsburgh any time we can.

I have two younger sisters (Kevalynn and Katrina), three nieces (Mariah, MaKaliyah, and MaKenlynn) and two nephews (Maurice and MaKhi) whom I love to spoil and always look forward to seeing when we go home. We enjoy taking them on special adventures and watching them learn and grow.

I have been a preschool teacher at DCDC since January 2017. I look forward to continuing to watching our friends learn, grow, and discover while still having fun!!