News Bulletin

September 2013 Aurora Early Learning Center A program of One Hope United 525 College Ave., Aurora, IL 60505 630. 256.7700

Monthly

Healthy Lifestyles Curriculum

OVERALL HEALTh EXERCISE NUTRITIon EnVIRonMEnTAL SUSTAInABILITY

Keeping Young Children Safe in the Car
Car accidents are a leading cause of death for young children in the United States. We can prevent many of these deaths and many injuries by following a few simple rules. Never hold a baby or young child in your lap when riding in a car. Always use a National Highway Traffic Safety Administration (NHTSA) rated car seat. Child safety seats reduce the risk of death in car accidents by 71% for infants and by 54% for toddlers ages 1 to 4 years. The best car seat is the one that fits your child properly, is easy to use, and fits in your vehicle correctly. The Illinois 2004 Child Passenger Protection Act specifies the following: Children under age 8, weighing less than 40 lbs, must be secured in an approved child safety seat. The parent or legal guardian of a child under 8 years of age must provide a child safety seat to anyone who transports his or her child. Children with physical disabilities that prevent the use of standard child safety seats are exempt from the provisions of the law if the disability is certified by a physician. The NHTSA recommends that children travel in rear-facing car seats until they reach the top height or weight limit allowed by the car seats manufacturers. Children over this size should use forwardfacing car seats with harnesses. Children taller or heavier than the recommended limits for forwardfacing car seats need booster seats secured with seat belts. Put children in the back seataway from the air bag! An inflating passenger air bag can kill a baby in a rear-facing safety seat if the seat is in the front. NHTSA warns against placing a child seat for infants in the front seat of any car with an air bag. The safest place for children of any age to ride is the rear seat of a vehicle. Give each child a separate seat belt. A child who isnt buckled up could hurt himself or someone else. Buckling two peopleeven two childreninto one seat belt could injure both of them in a crash. Each child safety seat needs its own seat belt, too. Never leave young children alone in a car! In just a few minutes alone in a car, children can be in serious danger from heat and dehydration, even if the windows are partly open. A child can wriggle out of a seat, hit the controls, and cause the car to move. Remember that children dont belong in truck beds. Allowing children to ride in a truck bed is dangerous. They can fall out of the truck bed when the driver swerves, brakes, or hits a bump. Children in a covered truck bed can become overheated. They may breathe in poisonous carbon monoxide gas from exhaust fumes.
(Statistics are taken from the NHTSA 2008 Children Traffic Safety Fact Sheet.) Source: http://www.illinoisearlylearning.org/tipsheets/carsafety.htm

Four Components of the

YOUR TRUSTED PARTNER IN EARLY CARE AND EDUCATION

Introducing Our First Kindergarten Class

Our Kindergarten Program has begun and is off to a great start! Ms. Karen Warren joined the Center in August as our Kindergarten teacher. Karen has a Masters Degree in Elementary Education and an Elementary 03 Illinois Teaching Certificate. She has taught in many different grade levels including preschool. She enjoys reading, cooking and gardening. She is married with two teenage sons and lives in Yorkville. Karen is very excited to help children discover the joy of learning. She wants children to do their best and to have a sense of pride in doing so. Welcome Karen! Our Kindergarten Curriculum will start at 9 a.m. and end at 3:30 p.m. Children are required to be in attendance during those hours in order to complete and achieve the Curriculum goals. We have a busy schedule planned which includes times for math, literacy, handwriting, art social studies and science. Our Curriculum is very hands-on and relates to everyday experiences in order to motivate children to participate while having fun in the process.

Carole Peterson Music Show

Carole Peterson visited the Center to introduce some music and movement for all the age groups. Everyone enjoyed the live instruments and loved moving and singing along with the music.

Our Garden
We are now seeing produce from our garden! Check out the produce in the basket at the Front Desk for some seasonal vegetables to take home. Each classroom has an area in the garden that they can call their own. Children have taken part in planting, weeding and harvesting the produce. Ask your child to show you their garden section!

Recognition for Quality Care

Our Center recently was recognized by the Illinois Quality Counts Program as a high-quality program. In recent months, we have prepared for this review by closely examining our practices and making changes, as needed. Participation in this program is voluntary, and it means our Center has gone the extra mile to make sure your children are receiving an enhanced learning and care experience. Receiving QRS Certifica tion means a provider has achieved specific standards of quality set by the State of Illinois. Thanks to our staff for putting forth the extra effort to ensure we are providing quality care!

Healthy Lifestyles Save the Dates!

Parent Meet and Greet Orientation: Each month, we will have Parent Orientation sessions in both Spanish and English. All parents are required to attend in order to ensure that everyone has the opportunity to share ideas and learn about the policies of the Center. Dates this month are Sept. 18 (Spanish) 45 p.m., Sept. 19 (English) 45 p.m. Refreshments will be provided. If you are unable to make these dates, please see Ann, Erika or Amy to schedule another time. Vision and Hearing Screening for Preschool: Vision and hearing screening for preschool is scheduled for Oct. 15. Curriculum Night: Please join us Oct. 17 at 5:306:30 p.m. for an evening to walk in your childs shoes. All classrooms will be open for you to explore with your child. Your child will have the opportunity to show you the activities that he/she participates in, and staff will be on hand to explain our Curriculum and the developmentally-appropriate activities that are planned each day for your child. Teddy Bear Portraits will be visiting the Center on Oct. 22, 23 and 24 offering professional photos of individual children. More details and information will be coming as the date approaches. In addition to our curriculum to ensure your child progresses, we adhere to a custom healthy lifestyles curriculum which focuses on health, nutrition, exercise and environmental sustainability awareness. As part of this curriculum, dental health is practiced as all children participate in teeth and gum cleaning. Dentists recommend that childrens teeth be cleaned as soon as they emerge. By starting early, your baby gets used to the daily routine. A soft washcloth wrapped around your finger can substitute for a brush when teeth first appear. Ask your dentist when you should switch to a toothbrush. Some dentists suggest waiting until four teeth in a row have come out; others recommend waiting until the child is 2 or 3 years old. Here are some tips for taking care of your childs teeth: Choose a small, child-sized, soft-bristled toothbrush. Soaking the brush in warm water for a few minutes before brushing can soften the bristles even more. Brush your childs teeth twice a day in the morn ing and just before bed. Spend 2 minutes brushing, concentrating a good portion of this time on the back molars. This is an area where cavities often first develop. Replace the toothbrush every 3 or 4 months, or sooner if it shows signs of wear. Never share a toothbrush with others.

Calendar
October 2013
SUNDAY MONDAY TUESDAY WEDNESDAY THURSDAY FRIDAY SATURDAY

Monthly
1

3 4 School Age Program begins at 11:30 a.m. for District 129 10 11

12

13

14 Center closed for Professional Development Day

20

21

15 Vision 16 and Hearing Screening for Preschool age children Full-day School Age District 129 22 23

17 Curriculum Night 5:306:30 p.m.

18

19

24

25

26

October 22, 23, 24: Teddy Bear Portraits 9:3011:30 a.m.

27

28

29

30

31

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