•Family style' meals in Early Childhood Hall

Gone are the days of Mom staying at home, preparing a home-cooked meal and everyone sitting down to enjoy it together.  With Mom now in the workforce, we often opt for fast food on the run.  This means some very important, fundamental learning and socialization has gotten lost in the shuffle. 

We at A Children's Place are attempting to get back to how things once were by starting –family style” meal service on our Early Childhood Hall.  –Family style” is when everyone sits at the dining table for the meal, and the food is passed from one person to the next and each person serves himself.

We will still follow the Child Nutrition Program guidelines, with the children choosing from the five components offered:  fluid milk, meat/protein, two vegetable and/or fruit servings and bread.  A child will be allowed to refuse a food item, but will be encouraged to give themselves –a little taste” of that item.

–Family style” will give the children the opportunity to socialize and interact, using good manners and teamwork.  Before the meal begins, the children will be involved in proper table setting, using knives, forks, spoons, napkins, plates and glasses.  This teaches responsibility and memory recall.  Passing the food and portioning it onto their plate will help the children develop better eye-hand coordination.  Serving themselves also helps them learn good decision-making skills.  Good nutritional choices will be encouraged.

At this early developmental stage, control is very important to a child.  They are developing their own personalities and want to control many aspects of their lives.  –Family style” offers the child options such as portion sizes and likes versus dislikes.  By letting the child decide –how much”, they are more likely to try new foods.  Often, if a child sees another child try something new, they are encouraged to try the food as well.

Other practical elements of –family style” service is that children will learn the names of food items that they may not have been introduced to before.  For example, most younger children do not know the difference between an apricot and a peach, or a biscuit from a dinner roll.  Our –family style” meals also will help children develop proper table manners and learn appropriate –dinner” conversation. 

From the Front Office

Spring is in the air at A Children's Place!  As the flowers and trees begin to bloom, we are also seeing a blossom of activity within the front office.  Many new children have started attending our center since January.  At this time, we have openings and are enrolling for all classrooms within the center.  If you or someone you know needs childcare, please contact Jennifer or Janella in the front office at (859)236-7176. 

We will be happy to schedule a tour of our center or answer any questions you may have about our services.

Return your survey

 Please fill out and return the customer satisfaction survey you have received.  We'd like to receive completed surveys by March 12.  Your opinions are important to us as they help us to improve the services we provide.

Get outside and fly a kite!

When the warm winds of March start rolling in, grab a kite and see how much fun you can have.  Please remember these safety tips:

à  Always select an open spot where there are no obstacles.

à  Do not fly your kite near electric lines.

à  Do not fly your kite near trees.

à  Do not fly your kite near houses, as it could damage the windows, sidings or roof.

à  Do not fly your kite near a highway, as it could distract drivers.

Health NotesÄ

During the spring months, it's not uncommon to see individuals sneezing, rubbing their eyes and blowing their noses.  These people suffer from allergies, which often affect individuals in the spring months and other times during the year.

The most common allergy is allergic rhinitis, or –hay fever”.  It affects an estimated 35 million people in the United States.  This type of seasonal allergy is triggered by a substance À such as pollen, mold, trees or grass À that inflames the inside of a person's nose.

Individuals may also suffer from perennial allergies, which cause symptoms year round.  Usually, the allergies are caused by substances found indoors, such as dust mites, pets, secondhand smoke and molds.

Allergies tend to occur in individuals with a family history of allergies.  They also are more common among children who are exposed to secondhand smoke, air pollution and pets.

While allergies are common, treatment is important.  Children whose allergies are not controlled are at risk for developing sinus infections and ear infections and, if they have asthma, it can become worse.

The best treatment for allergies is avoiding the substance that triggers the symptoms.  This may mean staying indoors, or limiting your outdoor activities, when pollen and mold counts are high.  Individuals who are allergic to substances found indoors can take specific steps to get rid of excess dust and other allergy inducers inside their homes.

Medications À such as decongestants, antihistamines and steroids À may also help treat the symptoms of allergies.  If your child has seasonal allergies, he should start taking these medicines just before the allergy season begins and continue taking them every day through the season.  Children who have perennial allergies may need to take medications year round.

Sheila VanHook, LPN

Family Fridays

March 19 & April 16

Watch for times and information to be posted.

Infant and Toddler Unit

As spring approaches in the Infant Toddler Unit, it seems that all of our little •seedlings' are growing more and more each day.  The teachers in Nursery I and II notice great changes in our infants, whether it be first teeth breaking through or a baby learning to sit up or taking over feeding time by holding his/her own bottle.  The Crawler and Toddler classrooms face many rewarding times as the children learn to crawl, pull up and eventually walk.  The Toddler Two's and Two's classrooms notice great changes as the children become more verbal and express their creativity by coloring, painting and participating in a large variety of fine and gross motor skill activities.

Please help us in noting and charting your child's development and progress. With good parent/teacher relationships and by caring, nurturing and working together, we can make each child's growth a special and rewarding process!

Late pick-up fees have increased

Please avoid additional charges by picking up your child by 6 p.m.  A late pick-up fee of $25 will be added for the first 15 minutes and $10 for each additional 15 minutes that your child is at the center past 6 p.m.

School Age Child Care Unit

Now that kindergarten has moved into our unit, we have changed the age ranges for our classrooms, which are now divided as follows:

Saturn À 5 & 6 years old

Jupiter À 7 & 8 years old

Mercury À 9 to 12 years old

When you are in our classrooms, don't forget to say hello to our new classroom pets. We have two beautiful white doves in the Jupiter classroom named Jewels and Daisy. The children love the addition, and are invited to bring in pictures of their own family pets to share with the class. We hope to soon add an ant farm to our pet collection!

Also new for our parents is a Parent Information Board, located outside the Jupiter classroom doors. You will find information about upcoming classroom events and activities throughout the SACC program. Please be sure to check what is happening in your child's classroom.

Our theme for March is –Fairy Tales”.  Look for a trip down memory lane as you hear and see scenes from your favorite childhood fairy tales!  Our theme for April will be –Gardening.”  The children are looking forward to getting their hands dirty as we dig in the dirt to plant and tend to seedlings that will bloom into beautiful flowers!

Reminder 

Parents, please remind your child to leave personal items such as games and toys at home so they don't get lost or broken  while here.

Happy Birthday  

March 1

Annette Hamilton

Jennifer Stinnett

March 17

Lakeisha Smith

March 22

Jessica Gaddis

March 27

Mary Spalding

April 8

Melissa Walker

April 11

June Devrick

Welcome New Associates  

Early Childhood Unit

March and April will be busy in the Early Childhood Unit.  Our activities include celebrating the holidays during these months.  Three of our classrooms have personalized their classes by introducing new names to reflect their uniqueness and individuality.

The new older Two's room - –The Caterpillars” - is engaged in many exciting learning opportunities.  In January, they learned about the number –1” and the letter –A”.  In March and April, they will focus on the letters –B” and –C” and the numbers –2” and –3”.

The younger Three's classroom - –The Cocoons” - have many interactive activities planned in the next two months, ranging from letting the children help in meal preparations to learning about the weather.

The older Three's - –The Explorers” - want to learn, explore and investigate everything!  They are learning about seeds, different types of plants and flowers and proper attire for the different seasons.

The Four-year-old classroom will celebrate St. Patrick's Day in March by wearing green during that week, and they will eat green eggs and ham in honor of Dr. Seuss' birthday.

On April 9, our entire unit will participate in an Easter Egg Hunt.  All parents are invited to come and join in the fun!

Enjoy the great outdoors with your child  

As the weather starts warming up, children will want to spend more of their time outdoors.  Don't just send them outside and hope they will find something to do.  Join them for the fun of it.  You'll also be creating memories that you and your child will treasure for years to come.  Consider these fun, but inexpensive, ideas:

à Grab a blanket and a basket of books and find a shaded spot where you and your child can read and rest from your usual activities.

à Buy some sidewalk chalk and see what you and your child can create.  Clean-up is easy with a water hose, or you can leave your artwork until the next rainfall.

 à Use boxes and milk cartons to create an obstacle course for your child to enjoy while riding his wheeled toys.  Your child also may enjoy riding through a tunnel and hanging crepe paper.

 à Encourage your child to learn more about nature and the birds, squirrels, insects and other animals you may see in your neighborhood.  Invest in a pair of binoculars and a guide to insects or birds to use as you and your child explore your environment.

 à There's nothing more fun to a child than a ball.  Your preschooler will enjoy rolling a ball or tossing it into a basket or hoop.  Your older child will like bouncing or dribbling a ball or using a racket to hit a ball into the air or towards a wall.

Whatever activity you choose to enjoy with your child, remember to use sunscreen on both yourself and your child whenever you are outdoors.  That will help to prevent health problems in the future.

Easy Peanut Butter Cookies

 1 C peanut butter 

1 egg

1 C sugar 

1 tsp. vanilla

 There is no flour in this recipe.  Mix all ingredients and shape into 1-inch balls.  Place on an ungreased, non-stick sheet pan and press down with a fork, making a criss-cross design.  Bake at 350 degrees for 8 minutes only.  Let cookies cool on the sheet pan before eating.