November News from Especially for Children

NOVEMBER 2022

Greetings!

IT'S THAT TIME OF YEAR TO BE THANKFUL!

We are so grateful and thankful for the families we have here at EFC. Thank you for sharing in the joys of teaching and watching the children grow. Not only do we want to give thanks, we would also like to give back this year. We will be having a food drive November 7 – November 18. Please bring in any non-perishable food as wells as diapers, wipes, and personal care items. There will be a bin by the parent sing in and out table. Thank you for your support.

PARENT REMINDERS

HATS, MITTENS AND COATS, OH MY!

With the weather getting colder please make sure your child/children have hats, mittens, and coats to play outside. Label their belongings so items do not go missing.

FALL IS FOR CONFERENCES!

We will be holding fall conferences this month. This is a great time to get to know your child’s teachers and to talk with them about goals for your child. Conferences can be done in person, via google meets, or over the phone. Be on the look-out for sign-up sheets coming soon.

MARK YOUR CALENDARS

Where has the year gone? With the holidays right around the corner here is a reminder of the days EFC will be closed:

Thursday, November 24:Thanksgiving

Friday, November 25: Thanksgiving

Monday, December 26: Christmas

Monday, January 2: New Years

ESPECIALLY FOR PARENTS

COMMUNITY CONNECTIONS

By Angie Williams

Our patterns of life changed dramatically during the last few years. What we once took for granted as normal parts of our individual and family routines—going to the store, attending a place of worship, gathering with friends on the weekend, planning a birthday party—became risk/reward calculations that, even when pursued, often looked different than they had before Covid times.

Now that most areas of life are returning to what feels closer to normal, many of us are re-engaging with the people, places, and experiences we have missed. In our family, our daughters are back on sports teams and playing regularly with neighbors; my husband and I are having dinner with friends. These are the low-hanging fruits of re-building our family’s community. But as time goes on, I think about additional connections I would like to make—connections that sometimes require more effort because they take place outside of our neighborhood or with people we don’t already know, but that enrich us and help shape our values and perspectives.

Prior to the pandemic, our family visited to the Midtown Global Market to experience delicious food, listen to music, and simply be around people who live in different parts of the city. It is a place I would like for us to visit regularly.

And last month, I had the opportunity to join in my daughter’s school field trip at a senior home. We colored fall illustrations and chatted with the residents; it was the first group of youth that had been back to the home since the start of Covid. It was wonderful to witness the warmth and appreciation of the residents as the students shared their energy, and it reminded me of the benefits of engaging our daughters with people at all stages of life.

When life slowed down during Covid, many families re-assessed their own activities and began to appreciate the slower pace of life. I know ours did! As the pace picks up again and we decide where and how to spend our time and energy, I want to ensure that the community we are building includes not only the friends and family we love and with whom it is relatively easy—logistically, emotionally, and socially—to re-connect, but also the wider community of people and places that provide meaningful experiences and a variety of perspectives to help us grow.