JUNE 2021
Greetings!

NATIONAL POLLINATOR WEEK
National Pollinator Week is an annual event celebrated internationally in support of pollinator health. It is a time to celebrate pollinators and spread the word about what we can do to protect them. Fourteen years ago the U.S. Senate’s unanimous approval and designation of a week in June as “National Pollinator Week” marked a necessary step toward addressing the urgent issue of declining pollinator populations.

Did you know:
  • Pollinators play an important role in the production of more than 150 food crops in the U.S, such as apples, alfalfa, almonds, blueberries, cranberries, kiwis, melons, pears, plums, and squash?
  • Bees are the primary pollinators. However, about 200,000 invertebrate species, (bees, moths, butterflies, beetles, and flies) serve as pollinators, as well as about 1,000 species of vertebrates (birds, mammals and reptiles).
  • With no pollination at all, many of the foods we eat would no longer be available. The plants that many wild creatures rely on for food or shelter would also disappear.

What we can do to protect pollinators:

  1. Be kind to your pollinator friends. Pollinators like bugs and birds are small and fragile. It’s easy for people to hurt them. Be gentle and quiet when they are near!
  2. Look, but don’t touch! When you see a butterfly, bee, beetle, or hummingbird outside, look, but don’t touch! Pollinators won’t hurt you if you leave them alone and are nice to them.
  3. Keep pollinators’ homes safe. And help make habitat for pollinators. Take care of a garden. Plant some flowers. When you find a bug in your house, gently take it outside to its natural habitat.
  4. Support local bees and beekeepers by buying local honey.
 
For additional information on National Pollinator Week visit: www.pollinator.org
PARENT REMINDERS
LOOKING AHEAD
Especially for Children will be closed on Monday, July 5, in observance of Independence Day. Enjoy your long weekend!
SUMMER REMINDERS
Please make sure your child comes to school in closed toed & closed heel shoes for safe outdoor activities. We know that sandals are fun to wear, but we would appreciate appropriate shoes while at school.
 
In addition, please bring in a bottle of non-aerosol sunscreen to keep at EFC. We aren’t allowed to use the aerosol type of sunscreen, and prefer you hand the bottle directly to a teaching staff instead of keeping it with your child’s belongings. Please label the bottle with your child’s first and last name. Feel free to also bring in sun hats or caps for your child to wear outside!!
REVSPORTS SOCCER
We will host soccer with RevSports starting the week of 6/21! Soccer will take place for preschool children (children must be 3-years-old at the time of registration). This is a parent-paid class; the cost is $69 for 8 sessions. Register here: https://www.gomotionapp.com/team/mnrs/page/lesson-registration
PARENT RESOURCES
NATIONAL GUN VIOLENCE AWARENESS DAY
National Gun Violence Awareness Day is on June 4. We are deeply saddened by the escalated gun violence the Twin Cities and our country is experiencing. While this topic is challenging to discuss, it is important that we are all aware of what we can do to keep our children and our communities safe. Tragically, each year children are the victims of both intentional gun violence and unintentional/accidental shootings. The American Academy of Pediatrics offers the following advice to families and caregivers:
 
  • The safest home for a child is one without guns. If you are a gun owner, explore your options for storing your gun in a safe location away from home.
  • If guns are stored in the home, the safest way to store them is locked and unloaded, with ammunition stored and locked separately.
  • Ask about guns when your child goes to a playdate. Just as you might ask about allergies, pets or supervision, make it your routine to ask “Are there any unlocked guns in your home” before your child goes to play.
  • Talk to your child about gun safety. Remind children that if they ever come across a gun, they should stay away from it and tell an adult immediately.
  • Distinguish between movies/TV/play and real life. While children may see guns in the media or play with toys like squirt guns, we should be very clear with children about the difference between pretend guns and real guns, so they understand how dangerous real guns can be.
 
Following these precautions can help keep children and all of us safe.
STAR WELLNESS
star wellness
WATERMELON PIZZA
This watermelon pizza is a fun little treat that everyone can enjoy! It’s healthy, easy to make and when we think of summer, we think of watermelon!
 
Instructions:
  1. Using a sharp knife, cut off a slice of watermelon right down the middle about 2-3 inches thick.
  2.  Using a spatula, spread an even layer of your yogurt around the watermelon, leaving a bit of empty space at the top. (where your “pizza crust” is.)
  3. Layer your fresh fruit on top as you please. You can add as little of as many toppings as you like!
  4. Drizzle with honey or maple syrup for a little extra sweetness if desired.
ESPECIALLY FOR PARENTS
SHARE YOUR PASSION PROJECT
A CELEBRATION OF COMMUNITY AND WHAT KEEPS US LEARNING AND GROWING
Over 45 years, thousands of children, staff, and parents/caregivers have been connected to the Especially for Children community. In honor of EFC’s 45th Anniversary, we want to learn about, celebrate, and share the passions of the wonderful people that make up the EFC family.
 
WHAT’S YOUR PASSION?
What does your child, or what do you, love to do in the world? Is there something you or your child love to create? Art, music, stories, photography, movement, food? Or something you like to experience and explore? Nature, science, culture? A passion can be a talent, but it does not have to be--it is just something you love and that makes you, you!
 
SHARE IT WTH US!
We would love to learn about your child’s and/or your passion and share it in our Gallery! Send us a photo, video, representation, or any method that works for communicating your/your child’s passion with us. We will create both digital and physical Galleries to post on our website and social media as well as display at our centers. We hope to receive submissions from many members of the EFC community--past and present—children, adults, and everyone in between.
 
HOW TO SHARE
Email your submission* to angiew@especiallyforchildren.com with the Subject: Share Your Passion Project, or mail it to Especially for Children c/o Angie Williams, 5223 W 73rd Street, Edina, MN 55439.
 
Feel free to include the EFC center you are or were connected to, your name, and your age. If you have friends who previously attended, we would also appreciate if you could spread the word!
 
 
We are working to develop our online, interactive gallery, but here are some examples we uploaded to our website that will be included in the gallery when it is ready! https://especiallyforchildren.com/share-your-passion-project/
 
*By sharing your submission, you agree that EFC may use it in on EFC's website, on social media, and in our centers.
Especially for Children
5015 W. 70 Street
Edina MN 55439 
(952) 946-9971 

Center Directors:
Susan Wilson and Michelle Botz
CONNECT WITH US