Introducing the Door of the Month contest!

The teacher of the winning door wins a $20 gift card to Imagination Station to benefit her classroom!

June 2017

The Scoop from Sue

We have a great group of parents who have started to meet and look at ways for Kid Kare to continue with great services which identify and address innovative changes for the children. Our next meeting is Friday, June 23 at 12:00 in Dietary West, which we invite anyone with a few moments to join in. So far this group has assisted with rearranging our playground, fixed an area for a garden and even created current information about Dino-sore. Many of the changes which you see around Kid Kare have resulted from the collaboration of parents and Kid Kare team members. I look forward to seeing you at this meeting!

~ Sue

Past. Present. Future.

Past. May

We got a facelift! Many thanks to the hard workers who made the transformation happen so quickly!

Present. June

June 16: Donuts for Dads! Join us and have a Donut celebrating Father’s Day – Kid Kare lobby. June 22: Patio Party – IEC @ the Brendan House

Future. See next page!

Sue Motes-Conners, Manager Phone Email: Smotes-conners@krmc.org 406-752-0061

June is the month of

Make sure to vote for your favorite door!

Website: https://www.krh.org/krhc/for-employees/child-care/kid-kare

Drum Roll please….. Your summer line up is here!

Week Theme

June 5-9 Kick off to Summer

June 12 – 16 Bikes and Safety

June 19 – 23 Mud, Mud, Glorious Mud

June 26-29 Fish/Fishing

July 3 – 7 Patriotic

July 10 – 14 Music/Art/Dance

July 17 – 21 Friendship

July 24 – 28 Superheroes

July 31-Aug 4 Circus/Carnival

Aug 7-11 Camping

Aug 14-18 Luau/Hawaiian

Aug 21-25 Water/Boats

Aug 29-Sep 1 Western Week

2017-2018 After School Care

It is never too early to plan ahead!

!!! The Kinder Kare Program at the Summit has a few openings for the 2017-2018 school year! This program provides after school care for Kindergarteners ages 5-6. Children participate in organized activities in the area of health, fitness, art, literacy, play and much more. Contact Tyke Town at 751-4113 should you have any questions. This opportunity may go quickly so call soon.

S.P.A.R.K. After School program at the Summit is available for children 6 – 12. Open registration is June 1 at 7 am. Please call MaKenna Gembala if you have any questions 751-4136. (*NOTE: We have heard that it is a good idea to be waiting in line before the Summit opens at 5:00 am)

Kid Kare Phone Numbers

Main Office/Scheduler – Ms. Krista 756-9539 Curriculum Specialist – Ms. Denice 758-4925 Infant Center 758-1446 – Ms. Lydia 758-1448 – Ms. Gaylynn 758-1449 – Ms. Peggy 758-1450 – Ms. Carla 758-1447 Puddle Jumpers – Ms. Hope 758-2064 Sweet Peas – Ms. Chelsea G 758-2063 Nest – Ms. Sarah T 758-2062 The Den – Ms. Ashley n/a Cuddle Corner – Ms. Deb & Ms. Lisa 758-4924 Flutterbyes – Ms. Stephanie n/a Imagination Station – Ms. Chelsea K & Ms. Kirsten n/a Kinder Kastle – Ms. Kaye n/a Safari – Ms. Michelle & Ms. Joanna 758-2061 Fishbowl – Ms. Mary & Ms. Ellie n/a Trout Creek – Ms. Mavis 756-9551 IECP – Ms. Jamie & Ms. Hailey 758-4923 IEC – Ms. Monica & Ms. Becky 758-2065 IECK – n/a 758-2065 Dino-Sore – Ms. Muffie & Ms. Stevi 758-7488 Check out the updated Dino-Sore page at: https://www.krh.org/krhc/krh-family/dino-sore

American Academy of Pediatrics: Guidelines for juice

• Juice should not be introduced to infants before 1 year unless clinically indicated.

• Daily intake should be limited to 4 ounces in toddlers ages 1-3, 4-6 ounces for those 4-6 years of age, and children 7-18 should limit juice consumption to 8 ounces per day.

• Toddlers should not be given juice in a bottle nor allowed to carry juice around in sippy cups to consume throughout the day.

• Children should be encouraged to eat whole fruit and educated on the benefit of fiber intake.

• Infants will generally consume enough fluids through the breast milk or formula fed to them throughout the day according to AAP recommendations. Toddlers and older children should be drinking skim, 1%, 2% or whole milk and water throughout the day.

• Parents should look for 100% fruit juices rather than fruit drinks.

◄ Reminders ►

1. Sign your child(ren)out when you pick them up outside!

2. When coming in and out of the

door, please be aware of who is walking in. You should not be allowing others to follow you in!

Promotion Ceremony

Our patriotic theme encouraged your kids to learn

the meaning behind the Pledge of Allegiance.

Congratulations to our newest “Graduates”!

Infant Center Update

Many parents are concerned about when to start solid foods during the first 12 months. This is a great conversation to have with your child’s physician at his/her 4 month exam. Your child may be at an age where you think he/she is ready to start with solids, however there are several developmental milestones that prepare him/her to enjoy those first bites:

• Sitting with support • Good head/neck control • Pushing up with straight elbows while

lying on tummy • Show readiness for various textures

by mouthing toys and hands • Leaning forward and opening

his/her mouth when interested in food.

Being developmentally ready for those first foods should enhance this wonderful joy of healthy eating!

Safari Snippets Safari has been a busy place the last few weeks. Michelle returned full time to play and Lisa returned to her littles. We all miss Lisa but she still stops in and sings with us. June is going to be a fun month for us. Our door theme for the month is Eric Carle and we are bringing that theme into the classroom and doing projects with the creative works of Eric in mind. As you saw from the summer program themes, the possibility of getting wet or muddy is high so please make sure there are extra clothes in the classroom to change into if needed. As always, if you have any questions please feel free to call between 1:00-3:00 and the teachers in Safari will be happy to answer them.

Goodbye’s & Hello’s

Ms. Jamie Poukish, our IEC-Part time class teacher will be moving to Bozeman in late June. We will miss her but wish her the very best in her new adventure. Ms. Chelsea Kammerzell will be taking over the IEC-Part time classroom. Her knowledge of early childhood and having a degree in elementary education makes her a perfect choice for this position. Thank you for stepping up and helping guide the development of our young children who attend 1-3 days per week.

Parent Involvement Group Want to give your input and become involved?

There’s lots of dirty work to spread around. Let’s get it done together

Email Katie Neff at kneff@krmc.org for more information.

Puddle Jumpers, Sweet Peas & The Nest We are so excited for spring/summer and this nice weather (for the most part) that we have been having! We wanted to communicate a few little bits of information as we head into this outdoor season.

First, please bring sunscreen for your child. We go out 1-2x a day, for an average of 30-60 minutes each time. We want to make sure we have sun protection for all the kiddos. If your child wears a hat, feel free to send a hat to keep at Kid Kare. It is also a good idea to send a coat with your child. We go outside even when it’s a little chilly, and while we do have a few extra jackets, it is always good to have one here for your child.

Next, sometimes it can be confusing to locate your little one at the end of the day. Typically, with the exception of Puddle Jumpers, we are outside by around 4:15-4:30. Our playground is the little one on the south end of the front side of the building. If you aren’t sure where to go, our staff will be happy to help you find it. When we go outside in the afternoon, we do not bring out the children’s personal items (unless they are wearing their coat). We have lots of little ones and not enough arms to bring everything outside. Your child has a hook or cubby for their items. Anything to go home, except refrigerated items like milk, will be placed here so it is easy to locate.

Lastly, we do go for walks during morning hours as well. If you have an appointment scheduled for your child during the hours of 9 am – 11 am, be sure to notify staff so that we can make sure to have your child at a location where you can pick them up!

Thank you so much. We are looking forward to a fantastic summer!

~Ms. Sarah, Ms. Chelsea & Ms. Hope

Plants for our gardens:

Do you want to help children discover the joy of watching things grow?

We are in need of a few plants for our gardens:

• 3 year olds are focusing on strawberries. • 4-5 year olds are planting a salad: tomato, lettuce, as

well as flowers (full sun) and sunflowers.

Please deliver your donation to your children’s classroom. Thank you for your support.

Development of Writing

The development of fine motor skills that children will need in order to become writers begins early. From the first time an infant grasps your finger, they are developing those critical fine motor skills. Fine motor skills require using the small muscles in the fingers, hands and forearms. As Smartphones and IPads become more commonly used with young children, kindergarten teachers are reporting that children are entering school with less developed fine motor skills than in previous years. It turns out that the repetitive swiping motion used to manipulate touch screens does little to develop the small muscles used in tasks like writing, coloring, cutting with scissors and painting. When children do have pencil or crayon in hand, you can expect them to progress through a predictable series of stages of writing development. (Pencil or crayon are preferable to marker or pen because children have to learn to apply the right amount of pressure to make them work). Here are the stages of writing development and approximate ages at which you can expect to see them, (keep in mind that each child develops at their own individual pace, with some reaching a stage earlier or later than others):

Is your child on track?

Stage One- 15 months- 2 ½ years Random scribbling Stage Two- 2- 3 years Controlled scribbling Stage Three- 2 ½ to 3 ½ years Lines and patterns Stage Four- 3- 5 years Pictures of objects or people Stage Five- 3- 5 years Letter and word practice

For ideas of activities you can do at home with your child to help with fine motor development visit: http://handsonaswegrow.com/fine-motor-skills-activities/ .

Board’n @ Brendan House

♫ Everybody’s gone surfin….Surfin’ USA! ♫ We had so much fun singing Beach Boy’s songs and surfing with the residents of the Brendan House.

Do you have an idea for a newsletter submission? Email Katie at kneff@krmc.org

Water Play Fridays

Beginning June 16th

*weather permitting

Bring: Swimwear

Water shoes Towel

Sunscreen