Express yourself at the ballot box on
Tuesday, November  8th. Polls are open from 6 am to 9 pm. At the Council we are promoting voting by giving staff an extra hour off to get to the polls. Please do whatever you can to see that all of us in child care - staff and parents - take part in this important election.
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#2 Take Action Now for Child Care!
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NEW YORK STATE
The Time Has Come to Fund CHILD CARE
Safe, quality child care is a proven difference maker for children, working parents, employers and our future economy. The Federal government is requiring new health and safety improvements for child care as well as expanded access. We applaud...
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Safe, quality child care is a proven difference maker for children, working parents, employers and our future economy. The Federal government is requiring new health and safety improvements for child care as well as expanded access. We applaud these changes. Now it's time to fund them.
Westchester County
Come Out and Support Child Care $$$$
2017 Westchester County Public Budget Hearings
Many Westchester parents are only able to work because they receive help paying for child care from the Child Care Subsidy Program run by the Westchester County Department of Social Services. Let your County legislators know that this child care funding is critically important to our economy at the up-coming hearings:
Tuesday, November 22nd
New Rochelle City Hall Chamber
515 North Ave, New Rochelle
Wednesday, November 30th
H.C. Crittenden Middle School
10 Macdonald Avenue, Armonk
Wednesday, December 7th
Board of Legislators Chambers
148 Martine Ave, White Plains
All hearings start at 7 pm. If you want to speak, sign-ups usually start shortly after 6 pm, you are allowed to speak in the order in which they sign up.
We'll be there, fighting for child care!
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Share the spirit of the holidays by joining our annual toy drive. There are many ways you may help:
*Donate an unwrapped toy
*Join us in the community to help encourage holiday shoppers to donate a toy
*Help us sort toys with the Toys for Tots volunteers
*Share the below flyer with friends, family etc.
Time to Shop?
Visit our online wish list on amazon!
For more information contact Juanita Pope at [email protected] or call her at (914)761-3456 ext. 106
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The Council is Here for You... Resources & Referrals!
Financial Help!
After School Care too!
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Call us at
914-761-3456 ext 140,
visit www.childcarewestchester.org
or
email us at [email protected]
Our FREE Services are:
- Consultation with a trained Counselor
- Online child care search
- Information to help pay for child care
- Guidelines to choose a quality child care program
- Checklist for your visits
- And much, much more...
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Anti-Bias Education:
Thanksgiving
NAEYC Families
Many early childhood educators have questions about how to approach the holidays.
Anti-Bias Education for Young Children and Ourselves
offers useful information and tools for teachers as you consider the specific families in your program. The following is an excerpt from "Learning About Holidays & Fairness":
"Although Thanksgiving is a holiday widely celebrated by people in the United States, including new immigrants, it is not embraced by all. While many families use it to express thankfulness for family and for their current lives, Thanksgiving does raise challenging issues. Its story and traditions largely reflect the perspective of the European colonists, not the indigenous people who had been living on the continent for many thousands of years already. And while the holiday honors the social struggle of a group who immigrated in search of a better life and religious freedom, it does not recognize what the cost was to the Native Americans they displaced."
To read more and share with your early care and education program
click here
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 2016-2017 Influenza
It's That Time of Year
Influenza is a contagious disease that easily spreads every winter, usually between October and May. It can cause mild to severe illness that may result in hospitalizations and at times even death.
According to the Centers for Disease Control and Prevention (CDC), each year an average of more than 20,000 children under the age of 5 are hospitalized because of influenza complications. Severe complications are most common in children younger than 2 years old.
To learn how the flu spreads, click here:
To learn more about Influenza symptoms and complications, click here:
The CDC recommends a yearly flu vaccine for everyone 6 months of age and older. To learn more about the 2016 - 2017 guidelines for flu vaccination, click here:
If you have any questions about how your child care program should be prepared for the Flu season, feel free to call Elissa Guzzardi at 914.761.3456 x 154.
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Support the Child Care Council
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We're in!
We are pleased to once again participate in #GivingTuesday, an international campaign that harnesses the power of social media to create a charitable day of giving each year. Following Black Friday and Cyber Monday, #GivingTuesday is on November 29th 2016.
In 2015, we raised $14,000 IN ONE DAY for early care/education scholarships! We're hopeful you can be as generous as possible this year, digging deep to help us raise money to support brain growth in young children. Details about our exciting new "Brain-Building" campaign soon!
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Westchester Toyota 21st Give Back Campaign and Voting is now Live!!!
Please click the link below to visit Westchester Toyota's Facebook page to vote for us as favorite charity. Help us spread the word and have your friends and family vote too!
Your votes will help us win funds, supporting our efforts to make sure children in Westchester have access to quality early care.
Click here to Vote!
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Did you know TD Bank has an affinity program?
TD Bank will make an annual contribution to the Council based on the activity of all participating members' TD accounts. If you are already a customer, or wish to open an account, visit any of their locations and ask to be included in the affinity program to benefit the Council.
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- Flu Season, keeping healthy
- Parent Training
- Advocacy for children
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What's happening at the Council
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Nominate a Great Child Care Provider/Staff or Afterschool Staff
Recognize a child care provider by nominating them for a "Joey Award" via the nomination form below:
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We're looking for a few good women/men
Come to work at the Child Care Council and make a difference in the life of a child. We currently have the following openings:
For more information contact Juanita Pope at 914-761-3456 ext. 106 or email at [email protected]
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Fall Infant Toddler Conference
Friday, November 18, 2016
8:30am-12:00pm
St. Gregory the Great's Early Child Care Center
Harrison, NY
2017 Annual Awards Breakfast
Friday, May 19, 2017
8:00am-10:00am
Westchester Marriott
Tarrytown, NY
Council Office Closings
All day
Wednesday,
November 2, 2016
Thursday,
November 24, 2016
Friday,
November 25, 2016
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Special Days in November
November 15th is America's Recycle Day. Use this day to share the importance of recycling and to increase recycling. We encourage you to look around your home and work to identify ways you can recycle. Teaching children how to recycle is one of the best ways to ensure that there will be a healthy planet for future generations to teach little ones.
Read More from Earth911
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Weekend Walk at
Greenburgh Nature Center
Teaching Trails: Weekend Walks for All Ages. This guided trail experience is generously supported by Con Edison. The Nature Center's specially trained "Trail Ninja" volunteers provide information on trees, plants, wildlife and seasonal changes. Conversation varies each time. Program runs approximately 45 minutes. FREE!
For more info click here:
Greenburgh Nature Center
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Storytime: Read with Rabbit
at Scattered Books
Meet Acorn the Bunny and enjoy story time in the kids area every Tuesday from 11am-12pm at Scattered Books Store
29 King St., Chappaqua
For more info please call 914-529-8013.
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Upcoming trainings:
Go to
for a full list of trainings available.
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Frittata anyone...
Serves 4 for a meal or 8 for snack. Frittata is an Italian omelet. It is delicious for breakfast, lunch or dinner. It can be made with any combination of vegetables, including onions or scallions, tomatoes, potatoes, mushrooms, corn, peas, kale, spinach, Swiss chard, broccoli, and others. Fresh herbs such as parsley and dill make it even more delicious. Below is just one version.
INGREDIENTS
2 ½ tablespoons extra virgin olive oil
1 medium potato, unpeeled, quartered and thinly sliced
1 medium onion, thinly sliced
1 bunch spinach, rinsed and chopped
6 large eggs
Salt and freshly ground pepper to taste
DIRECTIONS
1) Heat 2 tablespoons olive oil in a 10-inch non-stick fry pan.
2) Add potatoes and onions and sauté on medium heat for about 8-10 minutes, until potatoes are lightly browned and cooked through. If vegetables look too dry, add a tablespoon of water to the pan.
3) Add spinach to the pan and cook for 3-4 more minutes, until spinach is wilted. Season the vegetables with salt and pepper.
4) In the meantime, beat eggs in a large bowl and season with salt and pepper.
5) Pour potato and spinach mixture into the bowl with the eggs and mix gently.
6) Add
the remaining ½ tablespoon of olive oil to the frying pan, and pour the egg and vegetable mixture back into the pan. Reduce heat to medium-low. Cover with a lid and let cook 5-7 minutes, or until the underside is lightly browned.
7) Remove from heat and loosen the edges with a spatula. Lay a large plate (large enough to cover the whole pan) upside down over the frittata. With one hand on the bottom of the plate, and the other on the handle of the pan, flip the frittata upside down onto the plate. Gently slide the frittata back into the pan and cook over medium- low heat until the egg is firm throughout.
8) As an alternative to flipping it: place the pan with the half-cooked frittata into a 350 degree oven for about 15 minutes or until cooked through.
9) Remove from heat and slide frittata onto a plate or cutting board. Cut into triangles like a pizza and serve hot or at room temperature for breakfast, lunch, or dinner.
Enjoy!
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