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TRANSCRIPT
the gretchen’s house
In This Issue
Bulletin Board ........... 4–5
CPR/First Aid ...............6
Immunization Policy ......7
Important Notes ............2
Neighborhood News ....3
Staff News ...................8
Back to Sleep, Tummy to Play ..............7
NAEYC Accredited
Talking with Children about Politics
If you’re like many people, the title of this article may trigger a strong reaction. Political talk seems to be everywhere, and it doesn’t seem to be diminishing any time soon. Those of us who care for young children are looking at how this climate affects them.
Children are not immune to the conversations around them, so it’s not surprising that we are hearing children talk about politics in our programs. Teachers are seeing children display a range of emotions, including large doses of fear and anger. As parents and teachers, it is important for us to recognize signs of stress and be intentional in our response.
What do we want for children? At our recent Parent Advisory Board meeting, a group of parents, teachers and directors spent time discussing this question. We often use this process as a starting point for staff meetings and trainings. Identifying our shared values and goals helps focus our conversation.
The conversation at the PAG meeting was consistent with our experience with teachers and parents in other settings. We agree that we want children to develop confidence and initiative. We want them to have good problem-solving skills, to think creatively, and to have empathy for others.
In light of those long-term goals, how do we respond to heated political conversations or
images in the media? As with many difficult situations, the answer is “Empathy first.” You’re really worried. I can see that you’re upset. That makes you sad-angry-confused… Once children’s feelings are validated (and it often takes a while), we can begin reassuring children that they are safe here. Adults are taking care of those problems, and our job right now is to take care of them.
During the election, we published an adaptation of an article about media overload which was originally produced by NAEYC, as a response to Hurricane Katrina. The following ideas apply to our current climate as well.
Filter the information
Families and others who care for young children need to provide comfort, reassurance, and stability at all times, but especially during times of stress. When a news story does not directly affect them or their families, young children really have no “need to know.” Well-meaning adults often give young children too much information. When deciding what a child needs to know, consider “what can they do with this information?”
Turn off the TV
The most important thing families and other
continued on page 6
February–March 2017
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How To Reach UsWeather Hotline: 734.480.8592
700 Mt. Vernon Ann Arbor, MI 48103 734.769.4402 [email protected]
721 Mt. Pleasant Ann Arbor, MI 48103 734.662.2739 [email protected]
1745 W. Stadium Blvd. Ann Arbor, MI 48103 734.663.4720 [email protected]
1735 Wagner Rd. (WISD) Ann Arbor, MI 48103 734.994.8111 ext. 1696 [email protected]
2625 Traver Rd. Ann Arbor, MI 48105 734.761.7030 [email protected]
2340 Oak Valley Dr. Ann Arbor, MI 48103 734.327.6125 [email protected]
1580 Dhu Varren Ann Arbor, MI 48105 734.821.2800 [email protected]
Chelsea Schoolage Program North Creek Elementary School South Meadows Elementary School 734.433.2652 [email protected]
Early Learning Children’s Community (“Early LCC”) 601 Washington Sq. North Lansing, MI 48933 517.483.1100 [email protected]
Human Resources Director Michele Davis 734.761.2576 [email protected]
Executive Director Heidi McFadden 734.761.2576 [email protected]
President and Owner Gretchen Preston 734.761.2576 [email protected]
Summer Camp
Our planning for this year’s Scamp program has already begun. Three of our Ann Arbor centers offer a full day program for children ages 5–11: Oak Valley, Traver, and Dhu Varren. Mt. Vernon will have a program for 5–7 year olds.
We will also have a Scamp program at our Chelsea location. This program will serve children who have completed kindergarten through 5th grade, and will be located at North Creek Elementary School.
Scampers enjoy crafts, sports, swimming at local public pools, weekly local field trips and several special trips to the Toledo Zoo, Greenfield Village, and other popular destinations.
Registration forms will be available by the end of February at the centers and on line. Check out our website for more information, or see your center Director if you have questions about our summer programs.
Insurance Updates
If your family’s insurance information changed in January, please notify your center director. We can make the changes on the emergency card if you email or call us with your new information. This is a good time to double check those contact numbers as well!
Ann Arbor Public School Closings
2/20 Presidents’ Day
3/8 Early release
Looking ahead:
4/3–7 Spring Break
5/2 Elections
Chelsea Public School Closings
2/20 Presidents’ Day
3/9 ½ day
3/10 No school
Looking ahead:
4/3-7 Spring Break
4/14 Good Friday
If you need care for your kindergarten or school age child on days the schools are closed, please sign up in your child’s classroom or speak with your center Director.
2016 Statements
If your child attended our program in 2016, you should already have received a statement for the year, showing your childcare tuition and payments. If you have not received this and need it for tax purposes, please see your center Director or Office Manager (Oak Valley and Dhu Varren) for assistance.
Important Notes
Staff from all of our centers want to
thank families for their generosity toward
staff during the holiday season. We
appreciate all of the ways families make
Gretchen’s House a great place for
children, teachers, and parents.
The Good News Gazette
These staff members are celebrating Gretchen’s House anniversaries this February and March! Years
Lisa Lemble 20
Susan Petit 19
Allison Rogers 13
Eva-Marie Hatfield 10
Hala Hilmi 10
Jill Hegarty 5
Deborah Bossenberger 5
Tabatha Tyler 4
Jessica Crider 4
Anne Wilber 4
Paula Steffen 3
Mallorie Brazeau 3
Quinton Makgale 3
Janelle Nystrom 3
Michelle McDaniel 3
Autumn Jervis 3
Madison Andrews 1
Jessica Boggus 1
Ison Reid 1 Amanda Olech 1
Megan Mellinger 1
Serpil Mercan 1
attended, making it a successful event.
Stadium families and staff sponsored a family through SOS during the holidays. Your generous contributions helped make a family’s holiday season even brighter.
Traver staff and families collected over 150 pounds of food for Food Gatherers – Thank you!
Traver Preschoolers had a visit from the Ann Arbor Fire Department and received tours of the truck… and cool hats!
Traver’s Barn preschool visited the Huron Valley Humane Society for a tour and enjoyed seeing dogs and cats.
Traver’s Cottage preschool went to California pizza kitchen and had their own tour of the kitchen. They enjoyed making their own personal pizzas!
Chelsea staff would like to thank parents for attending our annual Holiday Party and joining their children in decorating cookies… and for their generous gifts to the staff. It made everyone feel so special!
Chelsea South Meadows participated in community outreach by raking leaves and shopping for the Faith in Action Food Pantry. Children also filled felt stockings they made for our school community leaders.
Chelsea collected food and personal hygiene items for Faith in Action.
WISD recently welcomed teachers from a center in Warren, who had requested a visit to observe the HighScope curriculum in action. Many teachers from both their preschool and infant/toddler programs have come in to observe the daily routine at WISD. Most recently their center director spent a morning here to gather ideas and information to better support her teachers. We are very proud of our first HighScope accredited program and are thrilled that we have opportunity to share our practices with other professionals
9Dhu Varren celebrated in December with holiday parties in each wing of the building. The children and families gathered together to enjoy cookies decorating, snowman target toss, a “Hot Cocoa Station,” and indoor ice skating with Recycle bags! The Railroad Wing would like to give a big thank you to parents Jessica and Matt McComons for providing musical entertainment for their holiday party.
Dhu Varren participated in a food drive for Food Gatherers in the month of December and collected 215 lbs of food! The Young 5s classroom was able to deliver the food and tour part of Food Gatherers. Thank you to all who participated.
Mt. Pleasant will be participating in the Food Gatherers Food Drive in March. Collections will take place March 13-24. A box for collections will be in your child’s classroom. What a great opportunity to support others in our community!
Oak Valley would like to thank Ingrid Bahr (parent) and Knar Pifer (Program Director), for organizing our fundraiser for SOS. We would also like to thank all of the families and staff for their generous donations to such a worthy cause.
Oak Valley hosted a 20th anniversary celebration for Heike Hampel, Oak Valley Office Manager, who has been with Gretchen’s House since 1997. Thank you to Heike, who has held a variety of positions in more than one GH location. We are so lucky to have her on our team!
Oak Valley’s Orchard Infant room hosted “Books with Babies” for Orchard parents in January. Teachers Jade Teachey and Rose Rittinger shared literacy information, reading books, and a special gift made by Rose.
Stadium staff and families enjoyed their annual Winter Wonderland celebration in December. Thanks to all of the families who
Neighborhood News
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When I have open-ended materials, it gives me the opportunity to be creative using my imagination. Here I am using different shapes to stack in a pattern.
Mathematics
I am using dice and matching
colors and shapes to match,
compare and contrast.Measuring & spatial awareness is
certainly a fun part of Math. Here
I am checking to see if my body
is too big or too small to fit in this
space.
Using the marble maze gives me
a great opportunity to experience
part-whole relationships.
Combining many pieces to create
one piece. It is fun to watch the
marbles roll down.
Magna tiles are great for building larger shapes out of smaller shapes.
What better way to have fun while learning about matching colors and numbers than with UNO and Sorry?!?
We enjoy making our own
playdough. We follow the recipe
for the ingredeints list and measure
them all out.
We have a variety of puzzle games that help me use my spatial analysis skills.
The Good News Gazette
Infants use different sized tubes and rings to count. Their teacher supports them by naming the shapes and sizes and she also counts as they place the rings
Using counting bears makes
it easier for me to recognize
differences in colors and size. It
is also easy to create patterns with
these materials.
We are busy using math in ALL of our activities during work time. I am measuring colored water using droppers to see how much color I need to get the outcome I want, I am measuring myself and other against how tall I can build with the blocks and I am counting money out while playing pretend store with my friends.
Our sensory tables are always
open and available with water,
ice or sand. This gives me to
opportunity to do measuring, filling
and dumping or chipping with a
chisel and small hammer at any
time.
I am working on fitting the cubes in the square space and the pipe cleaners in the holes.
Graphing is one way to give children real-life reasons to use math concepts. After graphing it is natural to count the elements as well and compare and contrast them.
Unifix cubes are an excellent
material to help us with counting &
measuring/comparing.
www.gretchenshouse.com
CPR/ First Aid
We will now have one class per month. Each class will provide CPR and First Aid training. If you only need CPR, that will be the first part of the training. If you need both, you’ll stay for the whole session. Trainings take place at our Oak Valley center and start at 6:00 p.m. Sign up with Heike at 734-327-6126 or email her at [email protected].
Upcoming dates:
Tuesday, March 7
Wednesday, April 5
Talking with Children
continued from page 1
adults can do is make sure children aren’t over-exposed to media coverage. More than any other action, avoiding media coverage will protect children from confusing and disturbing images.
When young children witness troubling events, directly or on television, they are likely to feel afraid and confused. Images of violence or suffering can cause high anxiety and even panic. Young children are most fearful when they do not understand what is happening around them. Their strong feelings and reactions are natural and should be expected. Adults need to reassure children that they are there to help them and to keep them safe.
Monitor your own feelings
Helping children deal with their reactions to the events can be challenging when adults are struggling with their own feelings. However, we should remember that young children are very perceptive and will quickly recognize and respond to the fear and anxiety that adults are experiencing. If you need to talk about your feelings, call a friend or seek support from other adults.
At Gretchen’s House, we are reminding each other that political conversations have no place in our classrooms. As with any professional setting, there are people with diverse views. Discussing these views – even when adults agree – is not appropriate, especially in front of children.
Answer their questions
Even very young children may hear about news stories and have questions. All of us gain a sense of control by talking about
things that bother or confuse us. Talking with a supportive adult can help children clarify their feelings. More than anything, children need to know that you will keep them safe, and the people who have been hurt are being helped and cared for as well.
Adults need to answer children’s questions without creating more anxiety by providing unnecessary details. It’s a difficult balance – talking with other parents and teachers will help. Thinking about your responses ahead of time, and even rehearsing them, is a good idea.
[OK, OK, but what can we do?] I know many of us want to take action. While attending a political meeting with other adults might help adults feel they are making a difference, this type of gathering or conversation would likely create more confusion for children. Finding concrete ways to help others may help your child feel empowered. Donating food or household items to local organizations is one way to help, which children can understand. Helping a neighbor shovel their walk, taking food to a friend who is sick, or feeding the birds… these are all ways children can make their world a better place.
Maintain your routine
Children need consistency and security, especially when the world seems confusing and unpredictable. Emphasize familiar routines: make sure your children get appropriate sleep, exercise and nutrition. Make time for the things that bring you comfort: extra hugs and time with family will help children feel more secure. This is good advice for all of us.
— Heidi McFadden
The Good News Gazette
Immunization Policy
Gretchen’s House requires that all enrolled children provide immunization records that are up-to-date and in compliance with the guidelines from the State of Michigan and the American Academy of Pediatrics. Non-medical (philosophical) waivers must be obtained through the Washtenaw County Health Department. Non-compliance with this policy will result in disenrollment. We want to assure parents that the number of non-medical waivers in our programs is very small.
Since August 2015, Gretchen’s House has required all staff to be current in the recommended immunizations for adults, as well as to have had this year’s flu shot. For staff, we only accept medical waivers, signed by a physician. We are not accepting non-medical waivers for staff.
We have an excellent rate of immunization in our population, and our Directors place a high priority on monitoring this particular issue.
Back to Sleep and Tummy to PlayWhen putting your baby to sleep, the American Academy of Pediatrics recommends following the ABC’s of Safe Sleep. Babies should be placed alone, on their back, and in a crib. To increase development of gross motor skills tummy time during play is essential. Babies should begin tummy time, while awake and supervised, as early as the first day home from the hospital. The American Academy of Pediatrics recommends starting with 2–3 times a day, for short bouts of time (3–5 minutes), and increasing as your baby becomes more comfortable. Tummy time can be done on a clean play mat or rug, on your chest, or on your legs (over your lap). Tummy time helps prepare them for scooting across the room on their bellies, pushing up into a crawling or sitting position, and eventually crawling. Not all babies enjoy tummy time and may cry out. This can be a way of communicating that it is hard work. The more tummy time your baby does, the stronger they will get and the more they will enjoy it! Placing yourself or a toy within their reach can help keep them motivated for all that hard work they are doing. Here are a few ways you can incorporate tummy time into your daily routine:
• Beforeorafterdiaperchanges.• Beforeanap,orafterwakingup.• Beforebathtime.• Duringbedtimebooks.
There are also many different ways to support your baby as they do tummy time:
• Gettingdownonthefloorandlayonyour tummy, talking face to face.
• Rollupasmalltowelandplaceitunderyour baby’s chest and arms (or use a Boppy pillow), stay close by and offer your baby a toy or rattle.
• Giveyourbabyamirrororhighcontrastbook to look at.
• Whilelayingonyourback,holdyourbaby on your chest. Your baby will raise their head to look at your face.
• Asyourbabygetsstrongeryoucanputthem on their tummy, and place toys in a circle around them. Reaching to different toys can promote movement for crawling.
• Remember…BacktoSleep,TummytoPlay.
~ Jade Teachey, Oak Valley Infant/Toddler Teacher
Staff News
Michele Davis (HR Director) and center Directors Danielle Grimaldo (Mt. Pleasant) and Emily Frisk (Mt. Vernon) attended the MiAEYC Professional Development Institute earlier this month. Some of the sessions included Managing Conflict, Raising the Bar in the Early Childhood Field, Intentionality, and Reflective Supervision.
Our MLK day training for all staff focused on the NAEYC Code of Ethical Conduct. This code is a guide for all we do with children, families, staff, and the community. We had some great conversations and are so proud to work with such thoughtful professionals. If you would like to know more about NAEYC’s Code of Ethical Conduct, check it out on their website at naeyc.org.
Dr. Andrew Hashikawa and several of his colleagues presented an all-staff training at the end of January. The focus of the session
was healthy environments and policies for early childhood programs. Dr. Hashikawa and his team discussed injury prevention and practices which help prevent the spread of illness. Dr. Hashikawa serves as our Consulting Pediatrician and provides valuable assistance by helping us set policies and responding to health questions as they arise. Dr. Hashikawa is the Early Childhood Champion for the American Academy of Pediatrics at the University of Michigan Hospital, where he also teaches and works in the ER.
In early February, Head Teachers from our Ann Arbor and Chelsea centers participated in a half-day retreat/training. The focus was goal-setting for staff evaluations, and it was a great opportunity for Head Teachers to gather new information and network with colleagues from other GH centers.