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Newsletter - March 2021
SPARK is the hub of a valuable wheel. An education initiative of Fox Valley United Way, SPARK (Strong, Prepared and Ready for Kindergarten) connects underserved Aurora, Illinois, families with early education and childcare opportunities that prepare their young children for success in school and life.
Follow us on your preferred social media platform to hear about upcoming events, new resources and more.
You are invited to be part of an important conversation. Join us as we unveil our Strong Start = Bright Future report and sit down with the authors and a group of panelists to discuss opportunities to support strong and thriving communities across Kane and Kendall Counties.
A comprehensive data report discussing the current state of early childhood in the Fox Valley Area. Strong Start = Bright Future will be a valuable resource for educators, policy makers, collaboration leaders, funders, philanthropies and more to support their mission of improving the early childhood landscape in our area. 
Our panelist will share their reaction to the Strong Start = Bright Future report, their perspectives and insights about the state of early childhood in our local communities and in the State. Followed by a Q&A from the audience.
Data – not just numbers, but a story which deepens our understanding of the circumstances that affect our community and our lives. Through this discussion, we will unpack birth to five data for several communities in Kane and Kendall counties served by Fox Valley United Way.

The snapshot of the communities will begin with qualitative factors, drilling down on needs and services, in order to support you in understanding how to interpret data and use it to guide your investments and strategic decision-making.
SPARK Calendar
Our SPARK monthly calendar has been created to share ideas for activities for young children, including easy things you can do at home as well as new places to explore in the community. In April we celebrate Week of the Young, a national celebration of children birth to five! The calendar provides a link to several activities during the week of April 10-16 that focus on five different themes. For more ideas for activities to do with your children please follow us on social media (@foxvalleyunitedway), each day will have featured videos and tips for families.
 
Nuestro calendario de SPARK ha sido creado para compartir ideas de actividades para niños pequeños, incluyendo cosas faciles que pueden hacer en la casa y tambien lugares diferentes que pueden explorar en su comunidad. En abril celebramos la Semana del Niño Pequeño, una celebracion nacional de niños de cero a cinco años! El calendario tiene un enlace conectado con muchas actividades con temas diarios durante la semana de abril 10 a 16. Para mas ideas sobre actividades para hacer con sus hijos por favor seguinos en las redes sociales, cada dia vamos a tener consejos y videos para las familias
Partner Spotlight: Kindergarten Registration
Visit our kindergarten registration landing page to find the information for your child's school district.
Partner Spotlight: Fox Valley Park District
Virtual Play. Learn. Connect.
For this month's Play. Learn. Connect. activity we have a virtual story time from our partners at Community Foundation of the Fox River Valley Youth Engagement in Philanthropy (YEP). 

For more virtual story time videos check out their website: https://www.cffrv.org/yep-virtual-story-time/
Did you miss our previous Play. Learn. Connect. activities? Not to worry you can check them all out on our website just click the green button below. And be sure to like our Facebook page to see all of our future virtual Play. Learn. Connect. activities. 
Gateway to Early Childhood: Virtual support now available for our families
The goal of SPARK is to connect families with children birth to 5 to quality early childhood supports and services. If you are looking for a program for you child, please watch this short video for more information on how to connect with our staff.
Family Activity
English:
As your little one grows, you may notice that she has many questions about the differences and similarities between people. By encouraging these questions, you will show your child that it’s good to
talk and think about diversity and acceptance. For more tips on diversity from our partners Too Small To Fail, click here: https://bit.ly/2AP67nq
Español
A medida que su pequeño crece, puede notar que tiene muchas preguntas sobre las diferencias y similitudes entre las personas. Al fomentar y permitir estas preguntas, le demostrará a su hijo que es bueno hablar y pensar sobre la diversidad de la gente. Para obtener más consejos sobre diversidad de nuestros socios Too Small To Fail, haga clic aquí: https://bit.ly/2AP67nq #Hablaresenseñar
Spotlight on Children's Books that Promote Diversity
When it comes to explaining physical, cultural and religious differences to children, it can be difficult to know where to begin. What Makes Us Unique? provides an accessible introduction to the concept of diversity, teaching children how to respect and celebrate people's differences and that ultimately, we are all much more alike than we are different. Additional questions at the back of the book allow for further discussion.

Recommended: 3-5 years
Virtual Activities
We have added a running list of virtual activities you can do with your children while you are home. We will continue to add this page as we find more activities. You can find virtual zoo tours, tours of national parks, hear a bedtime story from outer space, activities you can do with your children focusing on all different topics from math to literacy and everything in between. We are all in this together let's Live United and SPARK a love of learning while we are all staying home.
Resources