A happy new year toeveryone! We hope that youand your family had awonderfulholiday.HHCwouldliketonotonlywelcome you back to a newyearandnewsemesterbuttotakethisopportunitytothank

UBCCC families for makingthe December 19th, 2014Holiday Gift Collection andLuncheon (sponsored by theBoard of Directors) for theteachers, staff and adminis-tratorsofboththeNorthandSouth Campuses a success!

We could not have done itwithout all your generouscontributionandsupport.We hope to see you at ourFebruary 4th Spring organi-zational meeting and at ourMarch 19th family activityday!

Get involved!! Pleaseconsider joiningus inthisworthwhile mission. Volunteer-ism at any level is needed andgreatly appreciated. All andespecially new parents arewelcome.

FeelfreetocontactHHC-ourcontactdetailsarelistedonPage4.

Thankyouforyourinterest!

3rd Annual Family & Friends Fun Walk

UBCCCBoardofDirectorsAnnualMeetingReport

2

DearHHC:Q&A 2

Teacher/StaffSpotlight 3

HHCRecipeCorner 3

OngoingHHCProjects/Subcommittees

3

AnnouncementsandEvents

4

Inside this issue:

Winter/Spring greetings…

Volume 1, Issue 2 - Winter/Spring 2015

HHC Newsletter Helping Hands Committee

The Family & Friends (5K)Fun Walk has become anannual event at UBCCC andhas been a success for thepasttwoyears.Lastyear’sevent collecteda total of $3,049.09 for thecenter. After the walk, therewere an abundance ofactivities such as games,

raf les, music, visit from thelocal ire engine, operationsafe child inger printing,ingerpainting,parade loats,face painting, car seat check,magiciananddance.This year, the organizershavechosen tohold thewalkonSaturday,June6th.Moving the walk to thisdate will help clear up someconfusion experienced lastyear with Memorial Dayweekend. Moving forward,thiswillalsoallowthecenter

to keep the walk the irstweekend in June every year.Keeping the walk the sameweekendeveryyear,itiswithhope that families rememberand plan on attending eachyear!Thestartupmoneyneededfor the walk comes from thetee shirt sale, then the left

overgoesintothetotalpro itof the walk. Order forms forthe tee shirts will bedistributed. There will betables set up in the frontlobby. The inal day for teeshirt orders will be Friday,February6th.This wonderful event ismade possible under thecoordination of two centerteachers who have beeninstrumental in making thiseventasuccesssincethe irstfunwalk.

Toddler teachers, MelissaBennett and Ashley Orcutt -what an amazing pair andteamtheymake!

Thank you both for puttingtogether such a successfulevent thepast twoyears andwe are certain this year’seventwillbeaswonderfulaswell.Welookforwardtoseeingeveryone at this year’s funwalk.Markyoucalendars!!DatestoRemember:

January26th‐February6th:

TeeShirtSale

April6th(Monday):FunWalkRegistrationbegins

May11th(Monday):LastdayofFunWalk

Registrationtoguaranteeawalkteeshirt

June6th(Saturday):3rdAnnualFamily&FriendsFunWalk

Page 2 HHC Newsletter

The Annual Board of Directors meeting which was postponedfrom last semesterwasheldonThursday, January15th.Therewas a good turnout with about 42 attendees inclusive of thecurrent board members, parents, teachers and staff. A lightdinner was provided for both the attendees of the board ofdirectorsannualmeetingaswellasthechildren.EntertainmentforthechildrenwasprovidedbyMusicwithMarcourtesyoftheHelpingHandsCommittee.Themeeting started offwith welcome and introductions ofthe boardmembers by fellowboardmember Elizabeth Lidanowho also served as the Chair of the Leadership DevelopmentCommittee. TheUBCCCBoard ofDirectors is comprised of 16members where all but one was present. Christopher Connor,Presidentof theBoardofDirectors followedwithhisupdate about commissioning a climate survey of thecenteramongparentsaswellascenteremployees.Amy Myszka from UB’s Workforce Relations andAdvancementOf icewhooversawtheclimatesurveypresentedher indingsandcompareditwithprevioussurveyresults fromtheyear2010and2013.Perherindings,theAugust2014climatesurveygarneredthehighestresponseratewith54responsescomparedto36responsesintheDecember2010and30responsesintheMarch2013survey.Areas of focus from the survey shared similar themes in allthree survey years concerning communication, trust,performance issues, advancement opportunities andcompensation. New to the August 2014 climate survey areseniorleadershipandtools/workspaceconcerns.In the employee climate survey, some positive trends arepride in their work within the center, satisfaction with theworking environment, professional development, the lexibilityin work/life and recognition in terms of the teachers feelingvaluedbythefamiliesandcolleaguestheyserve.Intermsoffeedbackfromtheparentclimatesurvey,thereisahigh level of satisfaction in terms of the centers being wellmaintained,thecurriculumaswellastheteachingteams.The next steps proposed by the board is to conduct focusgroupswith parents and discuss ideas of improvements about

thecentercommunicationintermsofpoliciesandinformationfromteachers.ChristopherConnor furthersharedareasofstrengthof thecentersuchasitprovidequalityteachersandprogrammingperassessment and overall parental feedback. He also shared thatUBCCCchildrenwho‘graduated’fromthecenterarekindergar-tenready.Inaddition,theaf iliationofthecentertoUBprovidesawidearrayofopportunitiesandprogramminginauniversitylearning environment and lastly, the affordability of sendingchildrentothecenter.He also identi ied areas of improvement and futureimplementationswhichneedstotakeplace.Areaswhichneedsimprovements are infrastructural support, enrollment

management, inclusion communication, personnel,safety & compliance, iscal management and tostrengthenconnectiontotheUBCommunity.Some of the new implementation taking placearethecreationoftheUBCCCStrategicDevelopmentSubcommittee, opportunities for non-boardmembers to volunteer in board committees andestablishingavenuesforfeedbackandinput.Beth Rogan presented the center’s 2014-2015projectedrevenueof$2.66Maswellastheprojected

expensesof$2.65M.Kathi James, Interim UBCCC Senior Director provided acenterupdate.Someoftheareasshesharedwereaboutthe ieldtrips and learning experiences, ongoing campus & communitycollaborations, theschoolageprogram,developmentofahighperforming team of teachers and provided updates on thisyear’sfamily&friendsfunwalk.Afterall theupdates,boardelections tookplaceand therewerethreeboardmembersrunningforre-electionand ivenewcandidates all vying for a total of eight board of directorsmemberseats. If youwould like toobtaina copyof the slidespresented at the boardmeeting, you can contact the board atubcccboard@gmail.com.

Questionsorfeedbackfortheboard? E-mailthemtoubcccboard@gmail.com

UBCCC Board of Directors Annual Meeting Report

Dear HCC...

Thissectionwelcomesquestionsfromparents,guardians,teachersandstaffaboutallissuesrelatedtoUBCCC.Questionscanbesubmittedanonymouslytothedropboxwithineachcenter(addressedtoHHCNewsletter)oremailedto

oneoftheHHCChair/ViceChair.HHCwilltryourbesttoaddressthequestions/concernsbroughtforward.

bootsandotherwintergear.~

Q:How can Ibecomemove involvedwiththecenteractivities?

A: You can volunteer to be in one ormore of the UBCCC Board of Directorssubcommittee without being a boardmember. For more information, pleasecontact ubcccboard@gmail.com. Don’tforgetaboutHHC!Youcanalsovolunteerin of ongoing or upcoming projects/

Q:Whatactivitiescanfamiliesdooutdoorsduringthiscoldweathermonths?

A: Even in cold weathermonths, play is extremelyimportant. You can headoutdoorswheneverpossibleto enjoy walking, running,jumping, sledding, makingsnowangelsandmore!Most important-ly, don’t forget to bundle up -snowsuits,

activities. Please contact theHHC Chair/Vice Chairs formore information or attendour HHC meeting whichtakes place once everysemester.

The Spring 2015 HHCorganizational meeting willbe held on Wednesday,February 4 at 4:00pm at UBCCC NorthCampus.

Teacher/Staff Spotlight Volume 1, Issue 2 - Winter/Spring 2015 Page 3

Ingredients: 1cupquinoa,dry 11/2cupswater 1/2cuporangejuice 1cuporangesegments 1cupdriedcranber-ries 2tbspoliveoil

1tbsplemonjuice 1tspcumin 1tspcoriander 1/2tsppaprika Saltandcrackedblackpeppertotaste 1/3cupfreshcilantro,choppedDirections:1. Rinsethequinoawell.2. Inasaucepan,combinethequinoa,waterandorange

juiceandbringtoaboil.Reduceheatandsummerforabout10-15minutesoruntilliquidhasbeenabsorbed.Fluffwithfork.

3. Fold in the dried cranberries, transfer to a bowl andrefrigerateuntilchilled.

OrangeCranberryQuinoaSalad

HHC Recipe Corner

RecipefromKidsWithFoodAllergieshttp://www.kidswithfoodallergies.org

LabelsforEducation‐PleasecontactCourtneyWilliamsonclwilla@buffalo.eduformoreinformationorquestions.

HHC“food”Subcommittee-Ifyouareinterestedinhelping,pleaseemailCourtneyWilliamsonclwilla@buffalo.edu.

March19(UBCCCStaffDevelopmentDay)-HHCsponsoredFamilyActivityDay.Moredetailstocome!

SCRIP / Gift card program - Please contactJeanCostanzof56@buffalo.edu

Teacher Appreciation Week in conjunction with NAEYC’sWeekoftheYoungChild(April12-18,2015).Moredetailstofollow.

Ongoing HHC Projects/Subcommittees

EricLeonberger,AdministrativeAssistant(South)

Eric startedatUBCCCasateacherintheToddler3atNorthCampus.EricearnedhisBachelor’sdegreefromSyracuse University in TV,Radio&Filmproduction.

Even though he taughtdance to children ofvariousages(from3-18)atthe Donna Scott School of

Dance, his early childhoodexperiencewaslimited.HelearnedalotfromleadteacherMelissaBennett (North)and the teachingteamintheToddlerclusterandlaterobtainedhisChild Development Associate (CDA) certi icationinInfant/Toddlercare.

EricmovedtohiscurrentroleasAdministrativeAssistantatSouthCampusinlate2012,inordertogrow with the center and combine his retailexperiencewithhisearlychildhoodexperience.

Eric always enjoysadding music andmovement to hisclassroom. Wheth-er it be in tapdancing,isolationsof different bodyparts or stretch-ing/yoga, move-ment is bene icial.Notonly for the obvioushealthbene its,movementallowsthe incorporationofmath (counting in 8’s indance), animals(yogaposes)andfunintoclassroomactivities.Eventhoughheis no longer a teacher in the classroom, he makes himself

available to classroom teachers if they wouldlikedanceoryogataught.

Eric’s favorite part of being a part of theUBCCChastobethechildren!Helovesthatourcenter is so child-focusedand centeredon thechildren's’needs .Hereallydoes feelapartofeveryone’s extended families, and love to seeeach child grow through each developmentalmilestone, overcome challenges and graduate,readyforwhatliesahead.

Eric together with his nephew

Yoga time!

Dance time in Preschool

UB Child Care Center (UBCCC)

Helping Hands Commi ee (HHC)

HHC North Campus Chair ‐ Jessica Coram byerly@buffalo.edu

Vice Chair ‐ Sherene Milizia spcheah@buffalo.edu

HHC South Campus Chair ‐ Sara Goodman saragood@buffalo.edu

Vice Chair ‐ Courtney Williamson clwillia@buffalo.edu

Thursday, Jan. 1 New Year Holiday, Center closed

Monday, Jan. 19 Mar n Luther King Jr. Day, Center closed

Friday, Jan. 23 End of fall semester

Monday, Jan. 26 Spring semester begins

Week of Mar. 16 ‐ 20 UB Spring Break

Thursday, Mar. 19 Staff Development Day, Center closed

April 12 ‐ 18 Teacher Apprecia on Week

NAEYC’s Week of the Young Child

Friday, May 22 End of spring semester

Monday, May 25 Memorial Day, Center closed

Tuesday, May 26 Summer semester begins

Saturday, June 6 3rd Annual Family & Friends (5K) Fun Walk

Spring 2015 Calendar

The Helping Hands Commi ee mission is to establish a network of parents, grandparents, UBCCC staff & teachers, students, faculty, staff and friends interested in suppor ng the mission and ac vi es of the UBCCC through volunteer and financial support. The aim is to create a strong sense of community at UBCCC, grow parent involvement, to serve parents and to help provide valuable resources for UBCCC and its students.

If UB is closed, UBCCC will be closed as well. However, UBCCC can make the decision to close on its own without having the University close.

716‐645‐NEWS (6397), UB's recorded 24‐hour informa on line

716‐645‐2345, UB's campus road condi ons line

716‐645‐2000, University Operator

h p://emergency.buffalo.edu

Local TV Sta ons and Radio Channels (WGRZ 2, WIVB 4, WKBW 7 and WBEN 930 AM)

Weather Related Changes in Scheduled Operations

AnnouncementsandEvents Toview/accessHHC’sFall2014Newsletter-http://www.ubccc.buffalo.edu/documents/HHCNewsletter-Fall2014.pdf

January26thtoFebruary6th-Family&FriendsFunWalkTeeShirtSale

HelpingHandsCommittee(HHC)Spring2015OrganizationalMeeting-Wednesday,February4th,2015at4:00pm,UBCCCNorthCampus-Opentoallinterestedparties!

HHCislookingforavolunteertobethenewcoordinatoroftheSCRIPGiftCardProgrambeginningFall2015.PleasecontactoneoftheHHCChair/ViceChairifyouareinterested.

March19th(UBCCCStaffDevelopmentDay)HHCsponsoredFamilyActivityDay-moredetailstocome!

April6th-Family&FriendsFunWalkRegistrationbegins

June6th-3rdAnnualFamily&Friends(5K)FunWalk