APRIL 2021
Greetings!

MONTH OF THE YOUNG CHILD
Each April the National Association for the Education (NAEYC) dedicates a week to celebrate young children through Week of the Young Child. This year we will celebrate young children, their families and staff all month long! Throughout the month we will have special activities planned.
APRIL HAPPENINGS
SPECIAL DAYS IN APRIL
Thursday, April 1 – Silly Dress Up Day
 
Monday, April 5 – Bring a picture of your child and their pet! If your child does not have a pet, a picture of their favorite stuffed animal is also great!
 
Tuesday, April 13 – Staff Appreciation Luncheon. Sign up to bring in a special dish to share with your child’s teacher.
 
Monday, April 26 – Bring in a picture of your child and their family!
CELEBRATING EARTH DAY
Please bring in a white t-shirt by Friday, April 16. We will be painting these shirts throughout the following week to celebrate Earth Day. As part of our celebration we will be talking with the children about the difference between recycling, composting and trash. We will learn how each affects our Earth. 

On Thursday, April 22 we will wear our shirts and the preschool and toddler children will have a picnic on our playground.
BIKE DAYS
The preschoolers will begin to have bike days again! Watch the calendar for the bike days and each child with a bike also needs to bring a helmet. Bikes can be dropped off out back at the playground.
PARENT RESOURCES
WHAT WE CAN LEARN FROM FROEBEL’S KINDERGARTENS
Community Playthings recently posted an article on its blog about Friedrich Froebel, the founder of Kindergarten, and his philosophies about its purpose. We found the article to be a good reminder of the foundations for early learning. Here are some highlights:
 
“A good way to begin to understand Froebel’s philosophy is to define the word, Kindergarten. Kindergarten literally means Children’s Garden, which covers Froebel’s concept of ‘a place for children’ as well as his beliefs about child growth, development, and learning (Elkind, 2015). He believed that the best place for young children is a place where the child’s nature can be developed and nurtured…”
 
Some of Froebel’s critical concepts are:
 
  • Use of the Outdoors
  • Importance of Hands-on Learning
  • Use of multiple intelligences
  • View of early childhood as a unique learning period separate from formal educational
  • Nurturing individual growth and development
  • Importance of the family
  • The value of play
  • The importance of creativity
  • An understanding of children who struggle in school
  • The need to challenge educational orthodoxy
 
You can read more about each of these concepts here:
ESPECIALLY FOR PARENTS
LOOKING AHEAD: SUMMER AT EFC
The end of the school year brings so many special traditions to our schools. In a now-familiar refrain, while things still look at bit different as we move through (and closer to the end!) of the pandemic, we hope you and your children will enjoy the activities we have planned – Week of the Young Child, parent/teacher conferences, and end of the year classroom celebrations, and, finally, after a very long winter, some wonderful time outdoors!
 
For the past several years, we have made our outdoor gardens a central aspect of our summer, and that will continue in 2021. Children will have the opportunity to plant and harvest a variety of foods. They will learn about the life cycle of plants and how to take care of them. And best of all, how good fresh, homegrown fruits and veggies taste!
In addition to gardening, children will learn and grow through fun and engaging programming developed by their teacher(s). This summer you will notice your child’s teacher highlighting activities and themes that call to mind the best elements of summer and adapt them to the particular interests of children in their classroom. As always, the core elements of our curriculum will remain woven into each day as we continue teaching literacy, science and math skills and supporting children’s social and emotional learning through play, stories, and interactions. Some special classes will return to the centers as well.
 
We will bring back summer t-shirts this year that reflect the joy and freedom of summer. Please look for ordering information in late spring.
 
Finally, if you have any vacations or time off planned for the summer, please fill out our form here: https://especiallyforchildren.com/summer-form/
 
We are so excited to celebrate and enjoy summer with your children. It will be a well-deserved reward for us all!
Especially for Children
2 H South Pine Dr. 
Circle Pines MN 55014 
(763) 786-9410 

Center Director:
Linda Burck
Center Assistant Director:
Kris Steffens
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