Presents
Building Blocks
A quarterly informational newsletter for parents, grandparents, and caregivers of Head
Start children.
WINTER 2015
Carol Berray, Newsletter Editor
Jennifer Colton, Assistant Editor
A message from the Director ..….
I am beginning this letter with a big THANK YOU to all parents in the program! As a
parent you are your child’s first and most important Teacher, and you are also our partner in
carrying out the program. Parents in this program year have done all of the following :
 Made a difference in your own child’s learning by working with them at home
 Made a difference in the education of your own and other children by volunteering in the
classrooms, and group socializations
 Made a difference to your family by setting goals and working towards them
 Made a difference to the program by: working to improve the sites, making a float and being
part of the Medina parade (congratulations on receiving one of the awards), volunteering to
talk with children about your jobs and other areas related to the curriculum, volunteering to
be a Parent Group Officer or a Policy Council representative
We can’t succeed in this program without you!
There’s still time for you to make a difference….there will be many activities, field trips, events
coming up between now and June. Don’t miss the opportunity to take part in “Eat Well Play
Hard” a child/parent nutrition education program, Parent Group meetings, individual classroom
and center special events and other programs sponsored by Head Start. Watch for more
information about these!
SIGN-UP NOW FOR NEXT YEAR
It’s Time to enroll for the 2015-16 Head Start Program Year
Talk with your Family Advocate or Primary Caregiver. Tell your friends, neighbors, family
members to sign up! Parents are our best recruiters!!
As a reminder, in Head Start we provide all the educational skills that are required by New
York State Early Learning Guidelines (the same as UPK’s in the schools but for all of our
children, birth -5) AND comprehensive services for your child and your family: health
screenings and education, healthy nutritious meals, safe and reliable transportation for many,
community referrals for children and families, opportunities for parent education and program
participation!!!!
Be well and remember that you are our valued partners,
Bonnie Malakie
1 Food Safety at Home
from Jackie DeMarco, Nutrition Specialist
If food is not handled correctly during meal preparation, your family could become sick. The Food and Drug
Administration's Office of Women's Health provides tips on practicing food safety in the home. This tip sheet is useful for
parents and staff working in child care facilities.
Eating spoiled food can make you sick. Food can be spoiled even if it looks and smells all right. Germs cause food to go
bad. You can’t see, smell, or feel germs. It takes one to three days to get sick from eating spoiled food. If you get sick, get
help. Call your doctor or your local health department.
There are four easy ways to keep food from going bad:
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Clean
Keep apart
Cook
Chill
Clean: Wash hands and counters often
Germs can spread in the kitchen. They can get onto cutting boards, counters, sponges, forks,
spoons, and knives. Here’s how to fight germs:
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Wash your hands with hot, soapy water. Do this before touching food. Do it after using the bathroom, changing
diapers, or touching pets.
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Wash your cutting boards, counters, dishes, forks, spoons, and knives. Use hot, soapy water. Do this after
working with each food item.
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Use paper towels to clean up kitchen counters and tables. If you use cloth towels, wash them often in the hot
cycle of the washing machine or in hot soapy water.
Keep Apart: Keep raw foods to themselves
Germs can spread from one food product to another.
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Keep raw meat, poultry, seafood and their juices away from other foods.
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Keep these foods away from each other in your shopping cart and in your fridge.
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Use a special cutting board for raw meat only.
 Wash your hands after touching raw meat, poultry, or seafood. Wash cutting boards,
dishes, forks, spoons, and knives that touch these foods. Use hot, soapy water.
 When you use a plate for raw meat, poultry, or seafood, don’t put any other food on it until
you wash it.
Cook: Make sure food is very hot
Foods need to get hot and stay hot when you cook them. Heat kills germs.
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Use a clean cooking thermometer. This handy tool tells you how hot a food gets
inside. It helps you to know when foods are cooked all the way. Use it for meat,
poultry, and other foods.
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Cook roasts and steaks to at least 145 degrees F. Whole poultry should reach 180
degrees F.
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Cook ground beef to at least 160 degrees F.
2 
Cook eggs until the yolks and whites are firm. Don’t use recipes in which eggs remain raw or are partly cooked.
Cooked fish should flake easily with a fork.
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Be careful if you use a microwave oven. Make sure that the food has no cold spots. Cold spots let germs live.
Cover the food and stir it for even cooking. Rotate the dish once or twice while cooking.
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Bring sauces, soups and gravies to a boil when you reheat them. Heat other leftovers well, too. Leftovers should
reach 165 degrees F.
Chill: Put food in the fridge right away
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Set your fridge to 40 degrees F or colder. The cold helps slow the growth of germs in
food. The freezer unit should read 0 degrees F. Check the readings once a month
with a fridge thermometer.
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Put all cooked food and leftover food in the fridge or freezer within two hours.
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Never thaw food by simply taking it out of the fridge! There are three safe ways to thaw food:
o
in the fridge
o
under cold running water
o
in the microwave
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Marinate foods in the fridge.
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Divide large amounts of leftovers. Put them into small, shallow dishes with covers. That way, they can cool quickly
in the fridge.
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Don't pack the fridge too full. The cool air must flow freely to keep food safe.
Updated: November 13, 2014
Food Safety at Home. HHS/FDA/OWH. 2007. English.
3 Snow Days, Play Days
Submitted by: Pam Wadhams, ECED Manager
(Source: http://www.scholastic.com/parents/resources/article/seasonal-activities/snow-days-play-days
Try these shiny new suggestions for kids tired of snowmen
and snowball fights!
Snow Van Gogh
Fill squirt and spray bottles with water dyed with food coloring. Mark off a smooth snowy surface, and let your
child go to work. When he's finished, "frame" his creation with branches or pine needles.
Flake Catcher
Store a few sheets of black construction paper in the freezer. When snow is falling, give your child a sheet and
send her outside to catch some flakes. After she's filled the paper, bring it inside and study the snowflakes with
a magnifying glass. Discuss the different patterns.
Snow Sundae
If you're comfortable with the cleanliness of your snow (the cleanest stuff is found just below the top layer),
dish up a frosty snack. Mix two tablespoons of milk, 1/4 cup of sugar, and one teaspoon of vanilla with three
cups of clean, fresh snow. Top this "ice cream" with whipped cream, syrup, and shredded coconut for the
ultimate sundae.
Weather Gauge
When the forecast says snow, tape a ruler to the inside of an empty coffee can or plastic container and set it
outside in an open space. Measure the level in the can after each snowfall, and empty it when the snow melts.
Create a chart with your child to track total snowfall throughout the season.
Winter Angels
To make a good angel, use two people — one to create the shape by moving her arms on the ground and one
to hoist her up without disturbing the design. Customize your angel by filling in the outline with natural
materials, such as twigs, leaves, shells, gravel, or pine cones.
Snow Detective
Scout out the tracks in snow outside. Can your child figure out who — or what — made the marks? Who in
your family has the biggest feet? The most interesting soles? What kinds of animals live in your backyard?
Arctic Architect
If you've got an abundance of snow, go beyond making a simple snowman. How about a fort or castle? A
sculpture? Snow furniture? The key to is to use slightly wet snow and pack it into dense shapes. Be sure to
create thick bases to support higher levels and to use a shovel to pack shapes or snowballs firmly. Create icy
blocks with assorted plastic containers, and use sand toys and kitchen implements as snow-design tools.
4 Helping to Guide Children at Home with Healthy
Routines and Practices
Laura Harvey‐Health and Nutrition Manager 
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As children grow older and become more independent at school, we can help
them apply these practices at home, too! Here are some simple guidelines for
the home setting:
Provide individual storage areas, such as cubbies and low hooks, so children can
store their clothing and personal items. This is very helpful to keep organized at
avoid the “lost” mitten or hat!
Place tissues, soap, paper towels, and other personal hygiene items within
children's reach so they can care for their own needs without adult assistance.
Please remember safety is of the utmost importance so be careful what you leave
out and consider the ages of other children who may be able to reach these items
as well.
Provide a child with just enough help, rather than stepping in and taking over. For
example, hold the bowl while a child uses a large spoon to serve himself; untie a
child's laces so she can remove her shoes on her own.
Involve children in setting basic health and safety rules. Talk about why a rule is
needed, what might happen if children forget to follow the rule, and how the rule
will keep them safe and healthy. Use visual and verbal reminders to help children
remember the rule.
Model health and safety practices and give step-by-step explanations of what and
why the practices are necessary and effective.
Infuse the discussion of healthy foods and good nutrition into daily routines as well
as music and movement activities. Help children distinguish between good for you
anytime food, food that should only be eaten sometime and the reasons for each.
Provide play materials related to health and safety. For example, include safety
road signs for block play; books about healthy foods, and walking safely in traffic;
empty containers of healthy foods such as oatmeal, fruits, and vegetables; items
for washing dolls and doll clothes and other housekeeping items; props that
encourage them to move their bodies in different ways.
From ECLKC Head Start Website 5 Preparing for
Emergencies at Home
What would you do if...
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Your child got into your purse and ate your
medications?
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A frying pan caught fire on the stove?
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Your child fell out of the window and was
unconscious?
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Your child started choking on a piece of meat?
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Severe weather left you stranded in your home?
Prepare your family for emergencies with:
Here is a suggestion for an
inexpensive and waterproof kit you
can make by using a coffee can with
a plastic lid.
The contents can be purchased for a
small amount; you may even have
the items around the house. In a
serious emergency, dial 911 for
help.
SUGGESTED CONTENTS:
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Adults trained in first aid and CPR
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First aid kit
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Triangular Bandages (3)
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Emergency numbers posted near
telephone
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1” Band Aids (25)
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2” x 2” Gauze Pads (5)
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(police, fire, ambulance, poison control,
parent stress hotline)
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4” x 4” Gauze Pads (5)
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Smoke detectors—test monthly
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1” Roller Bandage
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Fire extinguisher—know how to work it
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2” Roller Bandage
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Fire escape plan from every room
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1/2” Adhesive Tape Roll
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Evacuation plan—know where to go
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Q-Tips (10)
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Three-day supply of canned food, manual
can opener, baby formula, diapers, bottled
water
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Small Bar Soap
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Small Hand Towel
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Large Safety Pins (4)
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Small Scissors
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Tweezers
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Warm clothes, sturdy shoes, extra blankets
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Extra medications and eyeglasses
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Flashlight and extra batteries
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Portable radio and extra batteries
Laura Harvey‐ Health and Nutrition Manager Taken from Head Start Safety First: Preventing and Managing Childhood Injuries 6 PARENTS;
You can help Head Start and your child
By Carol Berray, Human Resources/Administrative Services Manager
As I explained at Parent Orientation, the Federal Government requires that our
Head Start/Early Head Start program raise 20% of our operating budget in
donated goods and/or services.
When a parent donates his/her time to do something that a paid
employee does, it is considered his/her gift in-kind, and counts toward
that 20% Non-Federal share.
There are many ways you can donate your gifts in-kind, including helping out in the classroom, going along on
a field trip, serving on Policy Council or an advisory board, or working at home with your child to enhance what
is being done in the classroom.
Classroom Teachers and Home Visitors will soon be giving you a new in-kind form, along with materials and
instructions for you to work with your child at home each week on a topic being investigated in that week’s
lesson plans.
Completing these assignments at home and returning the completed form means everyone wins: You will be a
part of what your child is learning and share the fun of discovery with him/her and, by recording the time you
spend together on the new form, you will be helping Head Start meet its Non-Federal share goals.
Just a few minutes each evening will add up quickly to help the program and, even better, provide you with the
knowledge of what your child is doing in school and the joy of seeing him/her learn.
Please watch for these materials, enjoy them with your child, complete the form, and return it weekly. If you
have questions, your child’s Teacher or Home Visitor can clarify instructions. We are counting on your help to
make this plan successful for all of us. You really are your child’s first and most important Teacher!
7 Parents as Educators! Hello Parents can you believe 2015 is already here? I hope it is happy, safe and joyful year for you
all. I know you have all heard the saying that, “parents are their child’s first and best teacher” this is
a true recognition of Head Start. Where does learning begin? In the home from the onset of
pregnancy onward, it is in this area that I would like to take a few moments just to share some
activities that you can do in the home or your community with your family as each environment is a
classroom of learning.
The following are super things that you can do at home or any place: Adjust activities depending on
Child’s age.
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Talk often with your child from the womb on.
Hug them, hold them and respond to their needs and interest.
Listen carefully as your children communicate with you.
Read aloud to your children every day, even when they are babies. Play, sing and dance with
them often. Play music from all genres/types and enjoy.
Say, “yes” and “I love you” as much as you say “no” and “don’t”.
Ensure a safe, orderly, and predictable environment, where ever they are.
Set limits on their behavior and discipline them calmly, not harshly as it should be a teachable
moment.
Do cooking activities stir, pour, taste, count and name colors and foods you are eating.
Take a nature walk around the neighborhood point out different things that you saw like birds,
bugs, trees and so much more and read books on animals together and reflect back on your
day.
For your older children help them with homework and understanding transitions on decisions
they make. Listen to their Dreams for the future and share yours.
Parents:
Please keep in mind the role that you play in your child’s life as you both provide great care for your
children. You are involved in both their home and educational experience to help them grow into
wonderful, loving adults, all by the involvement and care you give at home… you are your child
greatest resource!!! Again have a wonderful year and thanks for allowing us to be a part of it.
Pat McCall-Small/ FCP Manager
8 Article published by: The Well Centered Child Freddie K. Stewart, Training & Development Manager IT’S YOUR RESEARCH THAT MATTERS MOST
Odd isn’t it? There’s so much advice in the news lately on how to raise brighter children…It can make parenting sound like a job for scientist rather than rank amateurs. Maybe it’s time to remember that a parent and child working together make the most reliable research team of all. After all, what do typical researchers do? They observe what’s happening? They predict what might happen. They try out their predictions to see if they’re right (and then maybe change their theory a little as a result.) Parents and babies do this automatically every day. And they make it look easy, too. Say, your baby wakes up hungry. She has observed (in her role as research) that when she’s cries, she can count on seeing your face pretty soon. Further, she predicts that if she cries loud enough you’ll no doubt feed her. She tries her theory out. Meanwhile, you’ve been doing your research, too, of course. You’re observed that when you pick her up and hold her against your shoulder you can usually count on her to calm down as you get ready to feed her. You try your theory out. In others words, your own research, tells you details about each other that no scientist ever could. Of course, parent‐child research doesn’t end with infancy. The whole time your child’s growing up, you continue to observe and learn about each other. As a preschooler, for example, he might notice that bringing you a book causes you to sit down with him. You, in turn, see that he likes to turn the pages, so you predict that letting him turn the pages will keep him interested longer. You both try your predictions out, adjusting and revising your theories as you go along. Parents and children have done this kind of research together since time began. Does old‐fashioned watching, loving and responding make any difference when it comes to developing those widely touted axons and dendrites in your child’s neural circuitry? Yes. And that’s much of what the excitement is about. Science has finally proven it: Caring parents have been doing a good job all along. Enjoy your research! 9