APRIL 2025 MDNP NEWSLETTER

2025 Mountainview Daycare Nutrition Program

April Showers? It isn’t Spring without them!

Spring brings Daylight Savings Time and is the beginning of many outdoor activity opportunities.

Gardening is a great Spring activity start. By planning, planting and including the children in growing flowers, vegetables, herbs you create a teaching opportunity that will last through Summer! Need more incentive? Check out this article from ChildCare Aware https://ks.childcareaware.org/gardening-in-earlyhood/ Then try these ideas to get started: https://littlesproutslearning.co/easiest-plants-kids-grow/

USDA & Team Nutrition have excellent recipes available for child cares of all sizes. You’ll find resources including Multicultural Child Care Recipes; Recipes for Healthy Kid: Cook book for Child Care Centers and Cookbook for Home Child Cares. Check out some of the offerings at https://www.fns.usda.gov/tn/standardized-recipes-cacfp.

APRIL header holidays :: 1st April Fool’s Day; 3rd Find a Rainbow Day; 10th Siblings Day; 14th Dolphin Day;

16th Mushroom Day; 20th Easter; 23rd Picnic Day; 30th Int’l Jazz Day

Marketing Strategies to Attract Parents To Your Child Care

Attracting more parents to your child care center can be challenging, but there are several strategies you can use to increase your visibility and reputation. It’s important to understand the business model you are operating within. Thankfully, the child care market requires very specific outcomes and considerations. Before you launch into marketing campaigns & spending a lot of money, make sure you understand the child care business model you wish to implement for growth.

Marketing can help you stand out from your competitors and tell the parents exactly why they should choose you. While daycare apps can help keep your child care live in search options, the best of the marketing strategies can keep it running. That being said, here are some winning marketing strategies that will help attract parents to your daycare center.

10th SIBLINGS DAY

14th DOLPHIN DAY

20th EASTER

SPRING CHECK IN: 5 WAYS TO PREPARE FOR A NEW SEASON

Teachers everywhere know the drill:

Spring Break marks the beginning of the school year’s end but there is so much to do before school’s out for the summer.

Early childhood development settings often continue throughout the year, with child care, day camp and seasonal offerings in full swing, which makes preparation even more critical.

Plan for parent communication, new activities and outdoor fun this month and beyond. Include these areas: Classroom changes; Sensory bin updates; New songs for lessons; Spring cleaning routines; Redo outdoor spaces.

Need some fun ideas for

little hands?

http://www.craftymorning.com/

PAPER PLATE RAINBOWS

PAPER BOWL

MUSHROOMS

Click titles or photos for links

EASY BURRITO

CHICKEN & BROCCOLI CASSEROLE

Click titles or photos for links to the recipes

In accordance with federal civil rights law and U.S. Department of Agriculture (USDA) civil rights regulations and policies,

this institution is prohibited from discriminating on the basis of race, color, national origin, sex (including gender identity

and sexual orientation), disability, age, or reprisal or retaliation for prior civil rights activity.

Persons with disabilities who require alternative means of communication for program information (e.g. Braille, large print, audiotape, American Sign Language, etc.), should contact the Agency (State or local) where they applied for benefits. Individuals who are deaf, hard of hearing or have speech disabilities may contact USDA through the Federal Relay Service at (800) 877-8339. Additionally, program information may be made available in languages other than English.

To file a program complaint of discrimination, complete the USDA Program Discrimination Complaint Form, (AD-3027) found online at http://www.ascr.usda.gov/complaint_filing_cust.html, and at any USDA office, or write a letter addressed to USDA and provide in the letter all of the information requested in the form. To request a copy of the complaint form, call (866) 632-9992. Submit your completed form or letter to USDA by: mail: U.S. Department of Agriculture, Office of the Assistant Secretary for Civil Rights, 1400 Independence Avenue, SW, Washington, D.C. 20250-9410; fax: (202) 690-7442; or email: program.intake@usda.gov.

This institution is an equal opportunity provider. Contact MDNP at: 360-653-7273 / 800-631-1118 / www.mdnp.org