September News from Especially for Children

SEPTEMBER 2021

Greetings!

This is a perfect time to tell you…

“WE'RE SO GLAD THAT YOU ARE HERE.”

As we kick off this unique school year, we welcome you! We appreciate your decision to choose our center and we take the responsibility you have given us seriously. This is especially true at this time of worldly upheaval. Whether you are new with us this fall, or whether you have been at the center for years, we want to say, “We’re glad that you’re here!”

We will work hard to:

Keep your child safe
Maintain our environments to promote good health and sanitation
Love and nurture your child
Provide challenges that stimulate your child’s development.

WHO IS THAT BABY?

Fun Bulletin Board...Who is That Baby?

Check out the bulletin board near the older Monkey room and see if you can guess the baby in the photo. Which teacher is it? Have fun!!

PROGRAM HIGHLIGHTS

ENRICHMENT CLASSES

We will keep you updated on our class offerings for this upcoming school year. We are committed to providing great programming within the safety guidelines that we are given. Things in the mix for fall are offering Kiddy Keys with Kyle Witherow as well as continuing Spanish. As we are given further updates, we will communicate to you on the status of these classes.

Spanish for Preschoolers

Every Thursday morning, we offer Spanish for our preschoolers will continue to be taught by Kaelyn Swartout, one of our Dolphin teachers. The children enjoy learning the new language and have done very well with the program.

Jean Kretzschmar—“Music with Mrs. Jean”

“Mrs. Jean” is how the children address our music teacher, who teaches classes every other Tuesday morning to the toddlers, 3’s and 4’s. Jean has her degree in music/music therapy from the University of Iowa. The classes combine singing songs, playing instruments, listening, moving, building confidence, and learning about music.

Kyle Witherow—Kiddy Keys!

Kyle is a former public school music teacher who now introduces young children to music concepts. His course is a pre-piano course where children learn about high/low notes, variations in sounds, as well as being introduced to many instruments. His class is Thursday afternoon’s at 2:45 pm beginning with sample classes on Thursday, September 9 and classes officially starting on September 16. This class is for older toddlers (Chipmunks) and all preschoolers and payment is made separately to Kyle.

TEACHERS MAKING A DIFFERENCE

When you put your child into a childcare program, you are, in fact, entering into a new interpersonal relationship with another adult(s). Someone else important and influential is becoming a part of your child’s life.

As staff, we strive to communicate with you and listen to your input. We hope that by talking openly with one another we will team up to develop the best possible plans for your child’s growth and development. When a child senses that his teachers and his parents are comfortable with one another, (s)he will be able to relax, have fun, and get the most out of the experience.

Please feel free to take the time to talk with your child’s teacher, even about fun and exciting things that may be happening at home! We are also available to talk during nap-time between 1:00-2:30 pm if you have a concern you wish to talk to your child’s teacher.

PARENT REMINDERS

UPCOMING HOLIDAY

Especially for Children will be closed for teacher training on Friday, September 3, and for Labor Day on Monday, September 6. We wish you and your family a terrific long weekend!

ESPECIALLY FOR PARENTS

TEACHING STRATEGIES: SIX POSITIVE MESSAGES

By Angie Williams

As we begin the fall program at Especially for Children, we wanted to share with families some of the guiding principles for our classrooms and interactions. The Six Positive Messages below come from Teaching Strategies, author of The Creative Curriculum®, and for the past several months, our team of managers has reflected on them and set goals and strategies for ensuring they are reinforced in our program:

This is a good place to be.

The intent of this message is reassurance for children that they will enjoy being in the classroom and feel safe there. Our goal is to have them look forward to learning new things and spending time together.

You belong here.

This is a message of acceptance. By sending this message, we help children feel accepted for who they are and encourage them to build connections with others. Our messages can help children appreciate different types of people and learn to find similarities that form the foundation of friendships.

This is a place you can trust.

This message is about reliability. Young children crave consistency, routine, and structure. Once children build trust in their environment, teachers, and classmates,

they feel safe to unleash their creativity and big ideas.

There are places you can be by yourself.

The intent of this message is respect for children as individuals. Some children need more alone time than others. We let them know that this is okay and that we respect their needs.

You can do many things on your own here.

This is a message about nurturing independence. During the early childhood years, children are learning that they are unique individuals with their own interests and agency. By sending this message and providing developmentally appropriate

challenges, we are building children’s confidence in their ability to achieve their goals.

This is a safe place to explore.

This is a message of confidence. To do their personal best, children need the freedom to try new things without fear. They should feel that it’s quite acceptable—even expected and encouraged—to make mistakes as they learn.

These positive messages guide our teaching staff and leadership as we arrange classrooms and build relationships with children and families. In addition, we will look to EFC’s core values below as we build community at the start of the “school year”: