Director’s News

JUNE 2014

FCCC NEWSLETTER

Inside this issue:

Care Bear News 2

Bear Cub News 2

Cuddle Cub News 3

Puddle Jumper News 3

Triangle News 4

Quad News 4

What did you learn

In Preschool Today?

5

Camp News 5

Board News 6

Announcements &

Reminders

6

Upcoming Events 6

School Closings Dates 6

Director’s News

(continued)

7

Allergy Info & Health

Policy

8

Website Information 8

Meet our Staff 8

Fundraising 9

PNO 9

Bake Sale 9

Healthful Tips 10

Contact Info 12

Play to Learn, Learn to Love

Dear Families,

FCCC’s Garden Pro-

ject Update

Thanks to all of the

hard work from our

volunteer ground

prep workers, the

children were able to

plant heirloom beans

& corn along with

cherry tomato plants

in late May. Much to

our surprise sprout-

ing is already taking

place and the vitality

of everyone’s efforts

can be observed in

the center court-

yard. The children

will help to water,

weed and harvest as

needed. The garden’s

progress will be photo-

graphed and displayed

in one of the common

areas of our child care.

(TBD), what an awe-

some learning experi-

ence as we hope this

project will broaden

the children’s under-

standing of science and

nature and the roles we

play in caring for the

outdoor environment in

order for it to produce

delicious things to eat!

Did you know that many

vegetables and fruits

can be grown in large

pots? (Great solution

for Philly row home

owners like myself!).

Know of a reputable

contractor or handyper-

son who might address

minor renovations or im-

provements at FCCC?

Please email me your

contact information.

Thanks!

Happy Father’s Day to

all the great Dads at

FCCC! Enjoy your special

day!

Raechel

Summer has arrived!! Well

almost. We have been having

some great weather and want

to spend as much time as we

can out doors. Please remem-

ber to dress your child in

weather appropriate clothing.

If you could also remember

to apply sunblock in the morn-

ing before arrival and bring

some in so that we can reap-

ply for the afternoon.

We would like to say farewell

and best wishes to our Care

Bears who just became Bear

things we need to focus on.

Again welcome!!

We would like to once again

say thank you to our family's

who moved up for the beauti-

ful gifts.

Happy Birthday Abigail on

6/29.

Page 2 FCCC NEWSLETTER

Care Bear News

Cubs. It has been a wonderful

year, and we are truly going

to miss you all so much. On a

happier note, we would like to

welcome all of our new fami-

lies to the Care Bears.. We

are excited for you to join

our family. This next month

we will be focusing on getting

to know everyone as a whole

and individually. Not every

child grows and develops the

same, so we will get to know

the strengths of each child

and family and see what other

Bear Cub News

happy to have you with us.

We will be spending a lot

of time helping the chil-

dren adjust to their new envi-

ronment, getting to know each

other, introducing routines,

nurturing and helping the chil-

dren feel safe, comfortable

and happy. Our theme for the

month is Bugs, Beetles, and

other creepy crawling things

(Insects). Our activities con-

sist of reading lots of books,

sing songs, finger play, puppet

play and music movement. We

First, we would like to give

warm wishes to Evelyn, Ma-

son, Jude, Elija, Hazel and

Riley, who will be all going in-

to their new classroom June

2nd as Cuddle Cubs. We will

miss them, but wish them the

best.

We would like to give a warm

welcome to our new Bear

Cubs and their families, Ma-

bel, June, Grace and Jack,

who are coming from the

Care Bear class, and Leo, a

new FCCC family. We are

also will introduce art activi-

ties to the new Bear Cubs,

such as painting, gluing, mark-

ers, crayons etc. Aside from

this, we will be working on a

special project for Father's

Day.

Wish List: Balls, Books, Dress-

ups.

will be spending lots of time out-

side. We will be setting up wading

pools and sprinklers in the court-

yard so our little one's can get

some sun and splash around with

their friends. We will be coloring

with chalk, blowing bubbles and

taking lots of walks to various

parks around the city as well as

visiting the Free Library.

Since we are all getting to know

each other, we encourage parents

to bring in family photos so that

we can display collages in our

room.

Please remember to bring in swim

diapers, bathing suits, towels, ex-

tra clothing and sunscreen for

your child. We would also appreci-

It's the official start of the

summer at FCCC. As we say good-

bye to our old gang we are excit-

ed to welcome a new brood of

Cuddle Cubs.

We would like to welcome Jude,

Adam, Hugh, Sarayah, Alexandra,

Mason, Riley, Elija, Evelyn, Hazel

and their families.

During the next couple of weeks,

we will be getting to know our new

students and helping them get

acclimated to their new environ-

ment. It is a new room, new rou-

tines and a new season!

Our theme for the month of June

will be Backyard Fun. June is off

to a warm start, which means we

Cuddle Cub News

JUNE 2014 Page 3

ate it if you lathered them up

with sunscreen before drop off.

We will of course reapply sun-

screen when necessary through-

out the day.

This month we will be celebrating

Evelyn’s birthday on June

25. Happy Birthday to Evelyn!

A huge thank you to the parents

of our graduating class for all of

the gifts, cards and well wishes.

We appreciate your thoughtful-

ness and we will miss you all.

Let the summer fun begin. Have a

great month everyone!

Puddle Jumper News

Puddle Jumper News

The Puddle Jumpers’ theme is Transportation. Throughout the month, we will be taking weekly walks. We will walk to 1234 Market Street, Reading Terminal Market, Logan Foun-tain, Vine Street Library, Sub-urban Station, LOVE Park, and the Municipal Service Building. We will also take a bus ride to Penn’s Landing to watch the boats and eat a pic-nic lunch. Art activities will include drawing, painting and making collages of different modes of transportation. Language activities will in-clude singing songs about dif-ferent modes of transporta-

tion, talking about how some people, animals and insects get from one place to another. We will also take pretend trips where the children will discuss what to pack based on the weather. Math activities will include counting the number of steps it takes to get from here to there, building inclines to race cars and trucks, court yard races ( run-ning, walking and riding tricy-cles), counting and sorting cars, trucks and buses etc. and find-ing shapes on different vehicles. Cooking activities will include baking a car shaped cake, making fruit salad, yogurt smoothies, transportation shaped Jell-O jig-

glers, grilled cheese sandwiches and pancakes shaped like differ-ent modes of transportation, vegetables and fruit snacks made to look like cars, buses, bikes etc. and shucking corn Science activities will include observing things that sink or float. We congratulate all of the Pud-dle Jumpers who have made the transition from toddler to pre-schooler. We wish you all the best. We would like to extend a warm welcome to our new Puddle Jumpers and their families.

Page 4 Newsletter Title

The Triangles’ theme for the

month of June is “Safety at

School and at Home.” We will be

crafting a list of Safety Rules to

post around the classroom as a

reminder. Our goal is to learn

these rules and how to put them

into practice. In addition, we’ll

discuss how to be safe at home,

too. We’ll talk about smoke de-

tectors and other safety

measures to use when needed at

home. As we enjoy visiting nu-

Quad News

Triangle News merous sites in their community,

Triangles will learn how to apply

good safety practices during

their travels.

We’ll also continue to have fun

while being safe during Instruc-

tional Swim, and look forward to

a month of exciting and secure

activities.

Happy Birthday to Lily Friedman

who will turn three-years-old on

June 23rd!

A few reminders – please make

sure that all Triangles have

weather appropriate spare

clothes in their cubbies, along

with underwear and socks. A

tube of sunscreen should also be

kept in the classroom. Parents

should apply sunscreen to their

Triangle before arriving at

school in the morning. Sunscreen

will be reapplied during the day

as needed. Finally, a reminder

that the B Space is “Nut Free.”

Quads, and we are looking for-

ward to a great summer!

Goals for this month include:

-Identifying and learning the

names of different types of dino-

saurs

-Making a chart of our favorite

dinosaur

-Practice sorting and counting di-

nosaur manipulatives

-Introducing the word "Fossils."

What are they?

-Learn about dinosaur habitats

-Practice fine motor skills by cre-

ating a dinosaur

-Learning new words in relation to

dinosaurs

-Categorizing dinosaurs that are

on land and dinosaurs that fly

*Reminders: Swimming will take

place on Tuesdays and Thurs-

days. Please make sure your child

arrives by 9:00am wearing his/

her swimsuit. Please make sure

Summer has arrived and the Quad

staff would like to welcome our

new friends and their families to

the class! Our theme for the

month will revolve around

"Dinosaurs." We will learn about

the various types of dinosaurs,

their habitat, and what they enjoy

eating. The children will take part

in creating a dinosaur using a vari-

ety of art materials, making a

chart of their favorite one, and

even taking part in a dinosaur hunt

outside! In addition, the Quads

will take part in an "archeological"

dig, looking for "fossils." The pre-

schoolers will read numerous sto-

ries about dinosaurs to gain addi-

tional information about

them. Feel free to bring in dino-

saur stories to read throughout

the day! Also, we will practice

sorting, counting, and categorizing

dinosaurs. We will practice learn-

ing how to spell words relating to

dinosaurs, such as plant, tree, and

bones. Again, welcome to the

your child has a small backpack

with underwear and a towel.

*Please make sure your child has

weather appropriate clothing in

his/her cubby box (shorts, shirt,

socks, underwear).

*Now that the weather is getting

warmer, please make sure to apply

sunscreen to your child before ar-

riving to school. Please leave a bot-

tle of sunscreen with your child's

name on it, so it can be reapplied

later in the day.

Happy Birthday to Ariana on 6/29!

JUNE 2014 Page 5

What did I learn in Preschool Today?

The Quads each brought in a potato. We added water to a clear cup. Then, we stuck several toothpicks into the

potato to prevent it from falling all the way under. Over the next several days, we watched how each potato sprout-

ed. This was really cool!

Camp News

The Campers will start the

Month of June with getting fa-

miliarized with their room, new

friends and new routines.

We will start the first week

with learning and writing word

families, sight words ‘at,’ ‘an,’

‘ot,’ ‘the,’ ‘a,’ etc. We will then

go on to learn about Dr. Seuss

and his wonderful characters.

In the Third Week, we will learn

about how to be safe when

camping. We will have an indoor

camping day.

Finally, the Campers will end the

month with writing and perform-

ing their very own play and per-

form it for the other class-

rooms.

Here are some of our June Ac-

tivities:

Make a Word Rainbow

Make a Pretend Campground

Write and Perform a Play

Make Our Own Costumes

School Closings:

Friday, 7/4/14 for

Independence Day.

In-service Day,

Friday, August

29th.

Upcoming Events

Announcements & Reminders Every Wednes-

day is pizza

day.

˚Check chil-

dren’s mail slots

every day.

˚Friends Child Care Center is on

Facebook. Check us out for upcom-

ing Fundraising Events.

http://www.facebook.com/pages/

Friends-Child-Care-

Center/197767671575

˚Resource Library: CHECK IT

OUT

Parents and teachers are welcome

to borrow books from our resource

library in the B space alcove.

Please complete the borrower’s

form and drop it in the right side

slot. Please return borrowed materi-

als in a timely fashion, so that others

have an opportunity to borrow as well.

Visit www.librarything.com,

Username: fccc, Password: 1501cher-

ry for a list of books in our library.

˚Remember to show ID cards upon

entering the Friends Center Lobby or

stop and sign in if you don’t have your

card. This is an important security

measure for the safety of our chil-

dren. Additional ID Cards are availa-

ble in the FCCC Office.

˚Additional Parking Placards are

available in the FCCC Office, 2nd

Floor of the C space.

Just a reminder: There is no parking

on Cherry Street. Please do not use

it for drop-off and pick up.

BOARD NEWS

FCCC Board meetings are open to all

parents and community members to at-

tend, and we welcome you to do so.

If you have an interest in contributing

to FCCC by joining the Board, please

contact Karla Zarate-Ramirez

(kkramirez1@comcast.net), John Craw-

ford (jcraw01@gmail.com) or any other

Board member for more information.

Upcoming Board Meetings:

Monday, June 16, 2014

4:30pm in Mott Room

JUNE INSTRUCTIONAL

SWIM BEGINS

on 6/3

PRESCHOOL OPEN

HOUSE on 6/12 at

5:00pm in the Jones Room

PNO: PLANES,

TRAINS & AUTOMO-

BILES on Friday,

6/20/14

BAKE SALE: 6/23-6/27

Director’s News (Continued)

Meet Our Staff

Camp: Bjay, Cat, Corey Floater: Jaimie Washington Subs: Gail Centola, Administration: Raechel, Susan, Eileen

Classroom Allergy Alerts:

NUT FREE CLASSROOMS:

PUDDLE JUMPERS, TRIANGLES,

QUADS, AND CAMP.

»Please be sure to check the ex-

piration dates on your child’s epi-

pens (and all other medications).

All medications should move with

a child into their new classroom

when they transition.

»Please be sure to wash both you

and your child’s hands immediately

upon arrival into your child’s

classroom.

Illness Policy:

It is in the best interest of the

children and staff that everyone

participates in reducing the spread

of illness and maintaining a healthy

environment. FCCC bases its health

and wellness policies in accordance

with DPW Regulations and the

American Academy of Pediatrics

Caring for Our Children Performing

Standards. Please call to inform us

whenever your child will be absent

due to illness. Your child may not

be brought in for child care unless

she/he is able to participate fully in

all activities including outdoor play.

You will need a back-up

plan you can use when your

child is sick.

Please be alert for pre-illness symp-

toms such as lethargy, glassy eyes,

diarrhea, fever, etc., and keep your

child home if she/he seems to be

coming down with something.

When a child has been diagnosed

with an infectious (contagious) ill-

ness, FCCC issues an Infectious Dis-

ease alert via email to the affected

classroom. If multiple cases occur

throughout the Center, a center-

wide notification will go out via

email. The identity of the child will

not be given and personal infor-

mation will be kept confidential.

Allergy Information & Health Policy

FCCC Website Information

Be sure to visit our website at www.friendschildcare.org to download forms, check out

calendar events, and visit the classroom portal to see what is happening in your child’s

classroom. Parent Password is ‘letmein.’

Thank you for helping to make FCCC the best it can be.

Zakiyah, April Preschool Teachers: Teresa, Susan, Missy, Kiyana, Laura, Erika

Care Bears Teachers: Markita, Toni, Erica, Kyra, Nathalie, Robin Bear Cub Teachers: Michelle, Linda, Carla Cuddle Cub Teachers: Shannon, Barbara, Lea, Vickie, Laura Puddle Jumper Teachers: Cordella, Jeanette,

Page 8 Newsletter Title

Page 9 FCCC NEWSLETTER

Bake Sales

Fundraising at FCCC Throughout the year, parents

will be asked to support fund-

raising through volunteerism

and participation. There are

many ways in which you can be

supportive.

Provide baked goods for bake

sales.

Actively seek donations and

company sponsorship for annual

auction event.

Volunteer to be a fundraising

cheerleader for your child’s

classroom.

Seek to meet minimum family

participation levels for small

fundraisers held throughout the

year.

Fundraising Events:

PNO; Bake Sales;

Annual Fund Ap-

peal, etc.

If you have any

suggestions on

Parents Night Out (PNO)

FCCC holds a semi-monthly PNO

(Parents Night Out) for Parents to

have a night for romance, fun or just

a little time to get things done.

We provide the baby sitting service

in a familiar and comfortable envi-

ronment with staff that the children

know, and you get to have worry-

free fun with your significant other

or a fun time with friends.

Each bi-month has a theme and special

activities planned for the children,

along with a nutritional dinner.

This is a fundraiser for FCCC. All pro-

ceeds go to support our Child Care Cen-

ter and its programs.

Upcoming PNOs:

June 20—’Planes, Trains & Automo-

biles’

FCCC runs semi-annual bake sale

fundraisers throughout the year to

help offset programming costs. We

look to our families to volunteer to

help with these events.

Upcoming 2013-2014 Bakes Sale

Schedule: weeks of

June 23-27

Families are asked to sign up to bake

goods to be sold in the Friends Center

Lobby to building tenants and visitors.

Bakes sales run from 8:00am-3:00pm

daily. Please provide a list of ingredi-

ents in order to maintain safe options

for all those with food allergies.

Parents are also needed to help table-

sit during these bake sales.

We appreciate your support.

Fundraising ideas, please don’t

hesitate to let us know. Also, if

you are interested in volunteer-

ing on the Fundraising Commit-

tee, please notify the office.

We would love your help!

T-shirts are now available in the

FCCC Office for $12.00/each.

Healthful Tips

Page 11 Newsletter Title

Page 12 FCCC NEWSLETTER

1501 Cherry Street

Philadelphia, PA 19102

(215)241-7011 (tel)

(215)864-6973 (fax)

www.friendschildcare.org

Office (215) 241-7011 fcccoffice@friendschildcare.org

Director (215) 241-7108 fcccdirector@friendschildcare.org

Finance (215) 241-7011 fcccfinance@friendschildcare.org

Care Bears (215) 241-7013 carebears@friendschildcare.org

Bear Cubs (215) 241-7012 bearcubs@friendschildcare.org

Cuddle Cubs (215) 241-7027 cuddlecubs@friendschildcare.org

Puddle Jumpers (215) 241-7007 puddlejumpers@friendschildcare.org

Triangles (215) 241-7012 triangles@friendschildcare.org

Quads (215) 241-7012 quads@friendschildcare.org

Camp (215) 241-7000 camp@friendschildcare.org

FRIENDS CHILD CARE CENTER