Kidskare Child Development Center
March 2014
From the Director
All Families,
Many of you received an email featuring the
new Family Information Center which is a
secure space for you to manage and view
information about your child, family, and the
center. When you sign up, you may print
statements, receipts for Flex Spending accounts
and view account balances. You are also able
to view and edit contact information and
emergency contacts to keep this information
current. Get started at this link:
www.brighthorizons.com/familyinfocenter
In an effort to increase the safety and security
of tuition payments, Bright Horizons
at Kidskare Child Development Center will no
longer be accepting cash payments. This notice
will take effect on March 3rd, 2014. After this
time weekly, bi-weekly and monthly tuition
payments should be submitted by personal
check, money order, or through automatic
payments sent to the center through your
primary bank carrier. Should you have any
questions regarding this notice, please contact
the center.
Thank you!
Michele
HappyFeet Soccer
HappyFeet is a professionally developed child
fitness soccer program based on 25 years of
youth coaching experience. HappyFeet
coaches use stories, songs, nursery rhymes,
and games designed to captivate and entertain,
teach creative soccer technique, enhance
motor development, and develop social skills
and self-esteem. HappyFeet is currently
implemented once a week at Kidskare for
children ages 2 and older on our outdoor
playground as part of our Movement
Matters program. If you are interested in
enrolling on a month to month basis, please
grab a brochure at the front desk.
Did You Know?
We have an open-door policy,
meaning that families are more than
welcome to call or visit your child at
any time during the day.
Feel free to speak with your child’s
teacher about volunteering in the
classroom if you are interested.
Connect with Bright Horizons
2050 Kidskare Point | P: 719-365-2345 | [email protected] | Mon-Fri, 6:00 a.m.– 6:30 p.m.
Classroom Highlights
Infants
In March, for Language Works the infants will read The Very Hungry Caterpillar by Eric Carle and a variety of books
about bugs. The first steps of early literacy begin when an infant learns to enjoy story time by listening to books read
throughout the day. The infants will also develop their sign language by signing the words “caterpillar” and “frog.” In
Math Counts, the infants will become familiar with the mathematical concept of counting large bugs. As the weather
gets warmer, the infants will go outside for buggy rides to develop their Science Rocks sense of sight by learning to
observe the trees, birds, squirrels and see the change of the seasons from winter to spring. The children will also be
engaging in their sense of touch by exploring ice cubes melt in a bucket of cold water and a bucket of warm water.
The infants will create visual art by water coloring a picture using colored ice cubes in Art Smart. By using the ice
cubes to water color, the infants learn to use simple tools and also develop and strengthen their small muscles as they
hold the ice cubes in their hands.
February Highlight
The infants explored their creative sides by sponge painting an Art Smart masterpiece. The infants learned to use
simple tools such as a sponge as they painted. They also strengthened their small muscles, and learned to use their
senses to explore varied textures and colors.
2050 Kidskare Point | P: 719-365-2345 | [email protected] | Mon-Fri, 6:00 a.m.– 6:30 p.m.
Classroom Highlights
Young Toddlers
For the month of March, the young toddlers will learn about different colors, matching the colors, and making
rainbows. The children will create a rainbow in Art Smart which will help with the development of fine motor skills
as well as hand-eye coordination. To create this rainbow, the children will glue strips of colored streamers to a paper
plate that has been cut in half. The children will also develop an understanding for numerical understanding in Math
Counts by counting (in English and Spanish) each ribbon on their rainbows. The toddlers will also count the plates,
spoons and cups while setting the table. The young toddlers will also learn about spatial relations by using the terms
“up” and “down” as they jump outside. The toddlers will touch their toes, log roll, and jump like frogs in Movement
Matters which will strengthen and refine their large muscles. For Science Rocks, the children will learn active
exploration as they watercolor paint with different colored ice cubes and learn to explore the different objects,
materials and colors that will be used. In Language Works, the children will continue to work on “please,” “thank
you,” and “help” in sign language.
February Highlight
In February, the toddlers developed their Science Rocks skills as they used a magnet to pick up pipe cleaners. The
children actively explored how an object such as a magnet can pick up the pipe cleaners to complete a task.
2050 Kidskare Point | P: 719-365-2345 | [email protected] | Mon-Fri, 6:00 a.m.– 6:30 p.m.
Classroom Highlights
Older Toddlers
For the month of March, the older toddlers will be learning more about colors and shapes. In Art Smart, the children
will create coffee filter flowers as they color with markers and then spray the filters with water. As the toddlers make
the coffee filter flowers, they will learn to investigate the world through their senses by expressing creativity in their
own way. The children will also learn to listen as they follow one-step directions. The older toddlers will continue to
learn the names of the colors and shapes as we discuss these during circle time. The children will also gain numerical
understanding as they count from 1-10 during Math Counts.
February Highlight
In Science Rocks, the toddlers learned to question when exploring a fizzing volcano by describing and discussing their
observations when they mixed baking soda (blue) with vinegar (yellow) to make a secondary color (green). The
children also learned to formulate “why, what, and how?” questions by experimenting with the two materials/colors to
create a fizzing volcano and new colors.
2050 Kidskare Point | P: 719-365-2345 | [email protected] | Mon-Fri, 6:00 a.m.– 6:30 p.m.
Classroom Highlights
Preschool
In March, the preschool children will celebrate Dr. Seuss’s birthday as they learn to appreciate and enjoy high-quality
books that are read to them daily during Language Works. The preschoolers begin to develop pre-reading skills as
they listen and understand that printed words and symbols have meaning. To continue the learning of Dr. Seuss, the
preschool class will conduct a green egg Science Rocks experiment. To begin, the preschool children will have a
variety of primary food colors (red, yellow, blue). They will test the primary colors by mixing two and creating a
secondary color. Once they find the two colors that make green, they will place the eggs into the green food
coloring and dye the eggs. The preschool children will learn to develop hypotheses of which two colors will create
green by asking themselves open-ended questions.
February Highlight
During the month of February, the preschool children had opportunities throughout the day to choose from a variety
of books to read. As each week passed, the children became familiar with the books available to them and they began
to share the books with their friends by reading to them. Through these Language Works pre-reading activities, the
preschoolers learned to appreciate and enjoy high-quality children’s books, recall and retell simple stories, and use
pictures and visual cues to read a story.
2050 Kidskare Point | P: 719-365-2345 | [email protected] | Mon-Fri, 6:00 a.m.– 6:30 p.m.
Classroom Highlights
Kindergarten Prep
In the month of March, Kindergarten Prep will celebrate Dr. Seuss’s birthday by developing their Language Works
pre-reading skills as they read and listen to books that are written by Dr. Seuss. The children will also develop their
writing skills by writing –at words, for example, cat, hat, bat, mat, and rat. In Math Counts, the Kindergarten Prep
class will learn to explore different units of measurement by measuring ingredients to make a variety of recipes. As
spring is approaching, the class will learn to understand Science Rocks life cycles of butterflies and frogs by charting
the stages and documenting in their journals.
February Highlight
In February, the Kindergarten Prep class discovered new things about Our World as they researched information
using 21st Century Technology and watched President Obama deliver a speech to elementary aged children
regarding education. The children also mapped where events such as the Olympics were held, where the president
lives, and other countries/cities around the world in comparison to the United States. They will be continuing this
during the month of March.
2050 Kidskare Point | P: 719-365-2345 | [email protected] | Mon-Fri, 6:00 a.m.– 6:30 p.m.
READY for SCHOOL News
READY for SCHOOL Parent News: Creating an Environment for Learning in Your Home
As adults, we typically find it is easier to sit down and pay bills, write a letter, or send an email when our work
space is attractive and easily accessible. The same is true for children. The environment matters. One step in
helping your child get ready for formal schooling can be creating an environment for learning in your home.
Subtle environmental additions communicate that you think learning and learning materials are important. This
could be as simple as setting aside a space in your child’s room or a corner of the kitchen table for “school
activities.”
READY to WRITE: Provide a small basket or cardboard “school box” with crayons, pencils, post-its, and small
pads of paper. An attractive container of colored pencils and washable markers is also likely to attract your
child’s attention. You could add ABC stencils, a ruler, an eraser, and lined paper for older children, if you’d like.
(If you have younger children in your home, keep these out of reach when your preschool or kindergarten child is
not using them). This can be the place your child can go to do his/her “school work.” Keep it fun and avoid
pressuring your child to use these materials. Save them for a relaxed activity where your child can practice as
he/she chooses while you are busy cooking dinner or cleaning up.
READY to READ: Another helpful addition to the environment is having reading materials readily available.
We know that reading aloud to children is a key factor in later embracing reading in their own lives. In addition,
children who see their parents reading and enjoying it are more apt to want to read themselves. As you read the
newspaper, for example, your child can select from a basket of books or children’s magazines to look through. It
is important to have books at children’s levels that they can access on their own. Even toddlers will enjoy a
basket of sturdy board books or plastic books at their level. When children look through the pictures in a
favorite book that has been read aloud to them again and again, they often retell the story to themselves, either
silently or out loud. Being able to recall and re-tell a story is an important pre-reading skill.
READY for MATH: The kitchen is a logical place to add materials for your child to learn math skills such as
measuring. Have some plastic measuring cups and spoons for your child’s use that are kept in a low, open cabinet
or drawer accessible for his/her use. At appropriate times, when you are not too rushed, your child could help
you count and measure as you, for example, pour cups of lukewarm water into a pot for cooking pasta. When
you have less time to interact, stacking nested measuring cups (ones that fit inside each other), spoons, or small
bowls is a good ordering activity for your child to work on independently.
You probably already have many learning opportunities available in your home. Consider presenting them in new
and different ways to attract renewed interest from your child. Have fun setting up these learning spaces!
2050 Kidskare Point | P: 719-365-2345 | [email protected] | Mon-Fri, 6:00 a.m.– 6:30 p.m.
Bright Horizons News
Help a Friend Discover Bright Horizons during our Spring Open House Week!
Each year, Bright Horizons welcomes new families to our community. And, year after year,
we’ve found that the best way to meet these families is through you!
This April, we are hosting an Open House week to welcome new families to learn more
about our center. If you have a friend or family member that might be interested in joining
the Bright Horizons family, we would be happy to provide information for you to share
with them!
Please see Center Director for details.
Join us for the next installment in our Family Matters Webinar Series on March 26!
Organization Tips for Busy Families
Wednesday, March 26, 2014
3:00 p.m. – 4:00 p.m. ET
Being a working parent takes an incredible amount of organization, preparation, juggling and a little bit of daily
magic! If you’re a busy parent in search for some tips to help organize your family’s busy schedule, this webinar is
for you! In this webinar we’ll provide you with tips and tricks on getting your family organized, including:
how to make transitions from home to school/child care easier
tips and resources for meal planning, calendar sharing and overall family communication
how to manage ‘hiccups’ in your daily routine, such as school holidays or breakdowns in child care
arrangements
homework management, chore organization and overall tips for keeping your home and family
running smoothly
To register, visit www.brighthorizons.com/organizationtipswebinar.*
* The first 100 registrants will win a free 3-month subscription to The Six O’ Clock Scramble—an online family dinner
planning service for busy parents that takes the Scramble out of 6:00 with a weekly dinner plan and grocery list delivered right to their
email inbox or phone. Visit webinar registration page for additional details.
2050 Kidskare Point | P: 719-365-2345 | [email protected] | Mon-Fri, 6:00 a.m.– 6:30 p.m.