April 2023

Our mission is to elevate child development to a new level by leading the social, emotional growth, and education of young children while providing a safe, welcoming, home-like environment with a caring, educated and professional staff that promotes partnerships with parents, children, and other childhood professionals.

What's Happening in April...

3-7th- The Week of the Young Child

10-14th- Scholastic Book Fair

11th- Ms. Alexis' 7 year Anniversary with KK!

14th- Sunscreen forms are due to the front desk

18th- Jill the Library Lady coming to read to preschool and pre-k

18th- Hearing and Vision Screening for preschool & pre-k 10am

22nd - Earth Day

Just a friendly reminder...

Our center is Open at 6:45. Our staff members are not scheduled until 6:45 and no sooner.

Our center also closes at 5:30. Our staff members are scheduled until 5:30 and no later. If you are late you will receive a late fee.

Please be respectful of our staff and admin's time.

Outside Food and Toys...

A reminder to all of the parents when dropping off your child. Please keep any toys and outside food in the car or at home. Individual rooms have put out reminders, we need to keep the outside food outside. This is a requirement from DCFS and NAC, there are many classrooms with allergies and sensitivities to certain foods. Snacks could potentially put another child in danger. So please make sure you are not bringing your child in with outside food.

As far as the outside toys, if it is a show and share day, that is different. We have limited space in the cubbies and it is hard to store toys. On top of the cubbies are not an option. We also have plenty of toys and things for the children to use while they are here. We understand that it might make for an easier morning but we just do not have the space.

If you have any question or concerns please see Aiyana or Missy at the front Desk.

Contacting Teachers...

Parents, if you need to share information with your child's teacher please make sure you are doing this during business hours. We understand there are questions or concerns may come up during the evening. You can message them on band but they may not get back to you until the next day.

Kids and Exercise

How Much Exercise Is Enough?

Parents and caregivers can help ensure that kids are active every day. In its Physical Activity Guidelines for Americans, the U.S. Department of Health and Human Services recommends:

for school-age kids and teens (6 through 17 years): 60 minutes or more of moderate to vigorous physical activity daily. This should include muscle-strengthening and bone-strengthening activities at least 3 days a week.

for preschoolers: active playing throughout the day. A set amount of time hasn't been well defined, but a reasonable target could be 3 hours each day of light, moderate, and vigorous activities. These should include unstructured active free play and planned, adult-led physical activity.

Children under age 3 were not included in these guidelines, but exercise guidelines from Canada, Australia, and the United Kingdom recommend toddlers be active at least 3 hours throughout the day. This should include light activity, active play, and energetic movement, like hopping, running, and jumping.

Young children should not be inactive for long periods of time — no more than 1 hour unless they're sleeping. And school-age kids should not be inactive for periods longer than 2 hours.

Article from: Nemours Kids Health

The Week of the Young Child April 3rd- 7th...

The Week of the Young Child is an annual celebration sponsored by the National Association for the Education of Young Children (NAEYC), the world's largest early childhood education association.

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 and services that meet those needs.

Monday the is Music Monday

Tuesday is Tasty Tuesday

Wednesday is Work Together Wednesday

Thursday is Artsy Thursday

Friday is Family Friday

We have asked the teachers to plan their lessons accordingly, and work each of the themes into their daily plan. Keep a look out for different days that your family can participate in.

Teacher Appreciation Week is coming soon!!!

More info to come!

Recipe of the Month...

Raspberry Bars with Oatmeal Crumble

Ingredients

1/2 C Melted Unsalted Butter

1/2 C Sugar

1/4 C Packed Brown Sugar

1 tsp Vanilla

1C Flour

3/4 C Old Fashioned Whole-Rolled Oats

A Pinch of Salt (optional)

12 oz. Raspberry Preserves

Preheat oven to 350F. Line an 8-inch square pan with aluminum foil and spray with cooking spray; set aside.
To a large, microwave-safe bowl add the butter and heat on high power to melt, about 1 minute.
Add the sugars, vanilla, and whisk to combine.
Add the flour, oats, optional salt, and stir to combine. Mixture will have some larger, well-formed crumble pieces as well as some sandier, dryer bits.
Set 1 heaping cup mixture aside to be sprinkled on later as crumble topping.
Transfer remaining mixture to prepared pan, and using a spatula or your fingers, hard-pack the mixture to create an even, smooth, flat crust.
Evenly spread the raspberry preserves over the crust making sure there’s complete coverage. Preserves should be about 1/8-inch to 1/4-inch thick.
Evenly sprinkle with the reserved heaping 1 cup crumble topping mixture. Before sprinkling, I squeeze the mixture in my palm to encourage bigger crumble pieces to form.
Bake for about 30 to 32 minutes, or until edges are set and center has just set and is lightly golden browned. Place pan on a wire rack and allow bars to cool for at least 2 hours before slicing and serving.

Notes

Bars will keep airtight at room temperature for up to 1 week or in the freezer for up to 6 months.