Greetings!
HAPPY NEW YEAR!
The entire staff at EFC wishes you good health and happiness for 2023! Thank you for your continued support and for allowing us to be a part of your child’s life!
We also want to thank everyone who thought of us this holiday season. The holiday cards, gift cards, meals and presents were very much appreciated. We hope you had a wonderful holiday with your family!!
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THANK YOU!
We’d like to extend a huge thank you for helping us collect so many hats & mittens for our drive! It was such a wonderful experience for the children to embrace the importance of giving and helping our community!
This was part of the message we received after delivering the donations to Hats & Mittens:
“Thank you again so much for hosting a drive. We are up to 15,000+ sets requested this year so far, so every hat and mitten counts towards keeping our community warm. Thank you again!”
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CRAZY DAYS
During the week of January 9th, things will be getting a little “CRAZY” around here. Each day we will feature a different dress up day and some fun activities. Please join the fun!
Monday, January 9: Hat Day
Tuesday, January 10: Stripes/Polka Dots Day
Wednesday, January 11: Pajama & Stuffed Animal Day
Thursday, January 12: Wear Your Favorite Color Day
Friday, January 13: Beach Day
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JANUARY TUITION & TAX INFO
In December, each family received a letter stating their new tuition rates for 2023. Please make sure to save the January 15th statement you receive that reflects the previous year’s payments for your 2023 taxes. It also has our tax identification number on it for tax purposes. Please watch your e-mail for these statements. If you need to update your e-mail address, please let Michelle or Susan know.
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STAR WELLNESS
At Especially for Children, we love introducing new foods to children—especially new fruits and veggies. Here’s a link to a tasty-looking recipe that your family might try in the new year!
CAULIFLOWER, KALE AND PEPITA SOUP
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KINDNESS, WITH A SIDE OF BUTTER |
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Today I sat down at our 10-year-old daughter’s (Abby) desk and noticed a note that her 7-year-old sister (Cora) had left her: |
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It made me smile to think not only about “a great deal of butter,” but about the care that these girls have for each other…most of the time! And it got me thinking again about how important it is to instill values of kindness and empathy in our children.
A few months ago, I wrote about re-making community connections after the pandemic. In addition to lost meaningful connections with those outside of my smaller circle, it feels that a consequence of pandemic stress was a hit to the basic sense of kindness in our societal interactions. These days, I am becoming more aware of a desire to intentionally smile at strangers, or to be extra patient while waiting in line (you have likely seen the signs at retail establishments: The world is short-staffed; be kind to those who showed up).
In spite of it sometimes taking effort when I am frazzled or in a hurry, it feels better to be kind, and it certainly feels good to receive kindness and grace from others.
Modeling kindness is, of course, one way to help children learn it. Our children are always watching what we do and how we interact with others. As we respond to our own children, we can try to understand and validate their feelings. We can substitute phrases like, “you’re okay” with “I’m sorry you are sad because ….That must be really hard. Can I give you a hug?” And we can help them deal with big feelings in a constructive way.
As they get older, we can talk through situations to help them find an empathetic response. Last night Cora was upset and crying because Abby is moving beyond some of the activities they used to do together; she felt sad that she’s often playing alone. It’s a hard time for a younger sister. While it’s completely natural for Abby to leave those things behind, it’s important that she listens to her sister’s feelings and, through empathy, shows that she values Cora by making an effort to connect with her in a way that works for both girls.
As another example, our family was talking about an amazing project featured in a local magazine through which children with life-limiting illness are able to experience healing using art (https://edinamag.com/ziggys-art-bus-brings-art-all) . When discussing the possibility of engaging with this project, Abby expressed uncertainty about knowing how to interact with the children. We had a meaningful discussion around how important these encounters could be for everyone involved, and we talked about how we would hope to experience the world should our own physical circumstances change.
Several years ago, we wrote a parent article, Cultivating Empathy in Your Child. It provides additional thoughts on empathy and kindness. A resource we shared in that article has been updated to address some of the changes our society has gone through over the last few years:
The topic of empathy in children has also come up in the media recently, if you would like to read more:
As we begin the new year, we wish you and your family good health, happiness, and much kindness!
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TWIN CITIES
FAMILY EVENTS
Now-2/23 (Saturdays) Night Trains, TC Model Railroad Museum, St Paul
1/13-2/12 Maybe, Stages Theatre, Hopkins
Find more local family events
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Especially for Children
5015 W. 70 Street
Edina MN 55439
(952) 946-9971
Center Directors:
Susan Wilson and Michelle Botz
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