Q
Winter
2016
 COMMUNITY SERVICES FOR CHILDREN, INC,
1520 HANOVER AVENUE, ALLENTOWN, PA 18109
WWW.CSCINC.ORG
Simply
THE NORTHEAST SCHOOL-AGE CHILD CARE PROJECT
SUPPORTING SUCCESS IN SCHOOL-AGE PROGRAMS
.
The
Northeast School-Age Child Care Project is one of six regional
projects statewide. The Northeast Region SACC Project serves fifteen
counties in Northeastern PA:. Berks, Bradford, Bucks, Carbon,.
Columbia, Lackawanna, Lehigh, Luzerne, Lycoming, Monroe,
Northampton, Pike, Schuylkill, Sullivan, Susquehanna, Tioga, Wayne,
and Wyoming.
SACC
“My
old grandmother
always used to say, summer
friends will melt away like
summer snows, but winter
friends are friends
forever.”
-
George R.R. Martin
Contents:
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TAP ~ Strengthening
Family Partnerships
-
Activities for Kids!
-
Monthly Celebrations and
Special Days
-
Leadership Tips
-
Chalk Up Some Art!
-
Liz Joye is Coming!
Spring School Age
Conference~ Director Day
and Teacher Day!
-
New Free Resources!
-
Free Technical
assistance!
Technical Assistance Papers are publications by the PA Northeast Regional Key to assist programs in the effort to develop and implement high quality services for children and families.
Strategies to Strengthen Family Partnerships…
A strong partnership between families and staff benefits everyone involved. Developing a
partnership may take a lot of work and there may be different views from staff and parents, but
what you almost always have in common is genuine concern for the child’s well-being.
To help you assess how you are meeting your families’ needs along with the child’s needs, here are
some tips:
Strengthening Family Partnership Tips….
 Hold parent-staff conferences to share
information about each child’s progress
and to make plans for the future.
 Use a variety of communication strategies
to inform parents about the program.
 Survey parents’ needs and interests and
providing appropriate workshops and
resources.
 Offer a variety of ways to participate in the
program to accommodate parents’ varied
schedules, skills, and interests.
 Hold regularly scheduled parent meeting
and informal family events at ties that are
convenient for most parents.
 Provide an orientation for new parents so
they can get to know staff and learn what
children do each day.
 Have pictures of the teachers and their
names on the door of the classroom
Family
Conferences
Today!
Join us for coffee and
cookies!
Increase Communication…
 Hold parent-staff conferences
to share information about
each child’s progress and to
make plans for the future.
 Use a variety of communication
strategies to inform parents
about the program (emails,
texts, electronic newsletters).
Welcome Families!
More Family Involvement Ideas…..
 Survey parents’ needs and interests
and providing appropriate workshops
and resources.
 Offer a variety of ways to participate in
the program to accommodate parents’
varied schedules, skills, and interests.
.
Parents as Partners Tips…..
 Ask parents to share information
about their child’s interests and using
this information to individualize the
program.
 Respond to parents’ questions and
concerns.
 Give parents information about a
younger child’s routines – for
example, that the child didn’t eat
snack.
 Involve parents in making decisions
about their child’s activities at the
program.
 Maintain confidentiality about all
children and families.
 Work with parents to help them
develop their own strategies for
handling a difficult behavior.
 Make an effort to get to know all the
parents in the program.
 Hold regularly scheduled parent
meeting and informal family events at
times that are convenient for most
parents.
 Provide an orientation for new parents
so they can get to know staff and learn
what children do each day.
 Provide information on child
development to help parents
understand what behaviors are typical
of school-age children.
 Learn the names of all parents and
something about them to build trust.
 Share information about yourself with
parents to help them get to know you.
 Share interesting, positive information
about children’s activities at the
program.
 Encourage parents to visit the
program at any time.
 Let parents know their contributions
are appreciated.
 Suggest ways to coordinate the child’s
program and home experiences.
Taken from Caring for Children in
School-Age Programs by Koralek,
Newman, and Colker.)
Activities FOR KIDS!
Balloon Volleyball
Alphabet Walk!
Take an alphabet walk
indoors or out! Go on a
walk and find something
that begins with an “B”
(Branch, ball, bat, brown
leaf, bucket, bike, etc.)
See how many things they
can name with each
letter!
Create a court by placing a rope on the
floor. Blow up 2-3 balloons of different
colors and have two teams try to hit the
balloons across the rope without walking on
the rope!
Recycled Log Cabin
Tissue Paper
Race
Create two teams… each
child gets a straw and a
piece of tissue paper and
they blow through the straw
and try to keep the small
piece of tissue in the air,
without touching the ground
to the finish line!
Scavenger Hunt
Have the older school agers
create a scavenger hunt with
pictures for the younger
school age children!
Collect paper towel rolls and then paint, glue and
stack them together to create a log cabin! Create
people out of homemade dough! Make miniature
furniture out of small boxes, egg cartons, and
turn scraps of fabric into curtains and rugs!
Monthly Celebrations and Special Days
February
March
Feb 2 ~ Groundhog Day
What do your school agers know
about ground hogs?
Groundhogs have burrows that they
live in from fall to spring. They
hibernate all winter and eat
underground with stored food. They
like almost all vegetables in your
vegetable garden and many herbs,
too. Groundhogs eat all parts of
plants. In addition to vegetables, they
also like fruits, including apples and
pears. Watermelons are a favorite
meal and they will also like to eat
nuts! Where do you see groundhogs?
March 14 ~ Learn about Butterflies
Day
What do your school agers know about
butterflies? Write down on chart paper
everything they know, and then write
down what they would like to know
about butterflies!
Have the children research:
Which butterflies live in PA?
What do they eat?
Where do they go?
Which one is your favorite?
February 15~ Presidents Day
Who is your favorite President?
What facts do you know about this
President?
President's Day is a day set aside to
honor all of the U.S. presidents. How
many Presidents can you name?
National Quilting Day~ 3rd Saturday in
March
How about creating a class quilt? Each
child could create an 8 inch square that
would represent themselves and then
the squares could be sewn together by
the children. This would be a long term
project and the quilt could be hung in
their classroom! Ask families for scraps
of fabric to donate for the quilt!
Feb 20~ Love Your Pet Day!
Do you have a class pet?
What does it eat?
How long does it sleep?
What is it’s favorite food?
What does it weigh?
For more information go to:
www.kids.usa.gov
Leadership Tips
Staff Meetings
Conducting staff meetings is necessary for
your program, how can you make the most
out of this time? Meetings should be
meaningful and well organized.
“How well we communicate is
determined not by how well we say
things, but how well we are
understood.”
Think about…..
 Who should attend?
 Who should create the agenda?
 Who should take the notes?
~ Andrew Grove
What are your objectives for having a
meeting?
 Team building?
 Shared decision making?
 Creating new procedures?
 Brainstorming around a specific
problem or situation?
 Sharing successes?
 Strengthen relationships?
What is a productive meeting?
 The meeting must have a purpose
 Clear, appropriate agenda items
 Engaged participants
 Objectives will be met
 Important to summarize the content
of the meeting and complete any
follow-up tasks
Meeting Elements:
 Is there seating for everyone?
 What are the timeframes?
 What information will be given?
 Will you explore solutions?
 Are you building a sense of
community?
 Learning something new?
 Generating feedback?
 Is there time for reflection?
For more information: Making the Most of MeetingsA Practical Guide- Paula Jorde Bloom
Staff Meeting Conversations
What are your strengths as a teacher?
When have you felt engaged and effective in your
position?
What are the strengths of your classroom? Strengths
of your families? Strengths of the children?
What is one enhancement you would like to see in
your classroom?
What is working well? How can we build on that?
Do you have a special interest that you would like to
share with the children?
ELIZABETH D JOYE, M.A
PROGRAM IMPROVEMENT SPECIALIST
Ms. Joye has been a national trainer and program
improvement specialist for over 25 years. Her most recent
work was with The Department of the Army’s Higher
Headquarters. Elizabeth has also served as a National
Training Associate with NIOST since 1990. She recently
helped the state of Pennsylvania create a team of Master
Save the date
April 8, 9 2016
Trainers. Ms Joye has trained in all 50 states and seven
foreign countries. She is an endorser for The Council on
Accreditation and also serves on their Commission Board.
She has also directed an after school program in
Charlotte, NC that was identified as one of the top ten in
the country by Working Mother Magazine in the 1990’s.
Directors Leading Sensational SAC Program
Targeted for Directors who serve school-age children
What does it mean to lead a school-age program on a daily
basis? Discuss every day leadership characteristics that will
lead you to a sensational school-age Program!
April 8, 2016
9:00 am to 2:00 pm
Training Institute, CSC/NE Key
1520 Hanover Ave., Allentown, PA 18109
Cost: $21.00
Sensational SAC Activities
Targeted for School-Age teachers
How to create a sensational emotional, engaging
environment and fun activities for your school age program!
Just in time for summer planning for school age programs!
April 9, 2016
8:30 am to 2:00 pm
Register on the PD Registry
Training Institute, CSC/NE Key
1520 Hanover Ave., Allentown, PA 18109
www.pakeys.org
Cost: $21.00
at
A Science Experiment and Artsy Fun for School-Agers!
CHALK UP SOME ART
What do you Need?







Hammer
Colored Chalk
Bowl
Spoon
Measuring Cups
Water
White Glue
What Happened?
Suspension
Your experiment was about
suspension. You took the
particles (chalk, glue) and
stirred them up. What did you
get? Paint!
Have you ever been to a paint
store and watched the
salesperson add the paint
colors to the can, then put
the can in the paint mixer
machine? She does that to mix
the colors and create a
suspension.
If you leave paint in a can
for weeks, and then you open
the can it will look watery,
because it needs to mix again
to become a suspension.
What do You Do?
Sort the colors of the chalk.
Use the hammer to smash up 2
pieces of colored chalk (one
color at a time). Put the
powdered chalk into a bowl
(one color at a time). Add 1
tablespoon of white liquid
glue and ¼ cup of water for
every 2 pieces of chalk. Now,
stir the mixture with the
spoon. You made paint! It will
dry glossy. Be careful not to
get on your clothes, it
doesn’t come off too easily!
Use the paint to paint a
picture, enjoy!
Northeast Regional Key School Age Resources Form
To receive any of these FREE resources, check off the box in front of each
resource and send this to form to CSC/NE Key at 1520 Hanover Ave,
Allentown, PA 18109 or to [email protected] with your information below:
Name:
Program Name:
Program MPI #:
Email:
Look what’s new! Check off the school -age resources that can be emailed to you on the
following topics:
Administration:
⏍ Keys to Quality Afterschool: Supervision- so Important!
⏍ Model and Teach Psychological First Aid
⏍Building and Managing Quality SA Program- Guide
Curriculum:
⏍ Engaging Afterschool Children
⏍Surveying My Plate Curriculum
Family Partnerships:
⏍Partnership Frameworks
⏍Strengthening Families- Self Assessment
Health and Safety:
⏍Build a Healthy Meal
⏍Make Better Choices
⏍Be an Active Family
⏍Growing Healthy Kids
⏍Promote Healthy Eating and Physical Activity
⏍Summer Learning- Keep Kids Safe
⏍Choose My Plate- 10 Tips
Social Emotional:
⏍Conflict management
⏍Discipline Strategies
⏍Encourage Positive Behavior
⏍Bullying Conversations
⏍Bullying Guide
⏍Bullying Tips
⏍Mental Wellness in Children- Model and
Recommendations
⏍SA Conflict Resolution
⏍SA Social Emotional Behavior
⏍Social Emotional Changes in SA Children
STEM Activities:
⏍School Age Material Checklist
⏍Protect the Planet
⏍Bird Activities
⏍Block Time
⏍Birding- Lesson Plan for Teachers
⏍Make a Coral Reef
⏍Endangered Species
⏍Make a Narwhal
⏍Watershed- What is IT?
⏍Create a Compass
⏍Create an Ocean Mobile
⏍Create Salt Water
⏍Who trashed the Ocean?
⏍Tornado in a Bottle
⏍Earth’s Structure- Magma!
⏍Polar Bears, Where do they live?
⏍Learn Math
⏍Learn Science
⏍Learn History
Free Technical
Assistance for
School-Age Programs
Experience the
friendly support
of our free onsite technical
assistance at
your program!
Types of Technical Assistance (TA) Available
School Age Resource Request List
Check out our new Free School age Resource List! It will be sent to you electronically ~ see list included with
this newsletter!
Environments and Room Arrangement
Would you like assistance creating a workable floor plan for your school-age program? Are you aware of the
Universal Design for Learning? We have many resources available to help you develop a child-friendly,
welcoming environment that contributes to the children’s growth and learning.
School Age Professional Credential (SAPC)
Are you or your staff interested in enrolling in the School Age Professional Credential (SAPC) coursework?
Do you have questions regarding the SAPC credentialing process? Did you know that your staff may be
eligible for an annual Education and Retention Award through the Keystone STARS after receiving their
credential? Did you know that you could take SAPC coursework for college credit that is funded through the
NE Key and the NE School Age Project? Contact us for details, see contact information below.
Free on-site technical assistance is available as a resource to you. Contact
Diane Milia at [email protected] or call toll free at
1-800-528-SACC, x2329 to schedule a visit or discuss your professional
development needs.
The Northeast Region School-Age Child Care Project
Supporting Success in School-Age Programs