APRIL 2021
Greetings!

NAEYC WEEK OF THE YOUNG CHILD 2021: CELEBRATING OUR YOUNGEST LEARNERS
April 12-16 is Week of the Young Child. This annual celebration is sponsored by the National Association for the Education of Young Children (NAEYC), the nation’s largest organization of early childhood professionals with more than 80,000 members and a network of 300 local, state and regional affiliates.
 
The purpose of the Week of the Young Child is to focus public attention on the needs of young children and their families and to recognize the early childhood programs/ services that meet those needs. 
 
NAEYC established the Week of the Young Child in 1971, recognizing that the early childhood years (birth through age 8) lay the foundation for children’s success in school and later life.
 
The Week of the Young Child will look a little different this year than in the past, but we are still hoping to have a fun week together. 
THANK YOU!!!
Thank you to the families who donated used books to Cornerstone in April. We matched the donations with brand new books from Scholastic and plan to drop off the books in early April. 
CENTER HAPPENINGS
WEEK OF THE YOUNG CHILD CELEBRATIONS!
We invite each of our families to create a “quarantine collage” to post in our hallway. This past year has been very challenging for many of us, so let us celebrate our resilience & successes! Please pick up a form at the sign in table in April!
 
Tuesday, April 13: Pajama Day! The Kindergarten & PreK classes will go to Adventure Peak (for the first time in over a year)!

Wednesday, April 14: Our usual teacher appreciation potluck luncheon will look a little different this year. If you would like to help sponsor a lunch for staff, please consider purchasing a gift certificate to one of the following food establishments: Noodles, Chipotle or Bruegger’s. Thank you!
 
Thursday, April 15: The Penguin class will take a turn at Adventure Peak! Anna & Samantha (aka Anna & Elsa😊) will provide a “FROZEN” treat in the building atrium between 4:30 and 5:30 PM…
 
Friday, April 16: Instead of our usual prom experience, we invite the children to dress up in fancy outfits. We will have individual classroom disco opportunities in the large motor classroom during the day!
PARENT RESOURCES
WHAT WE CAN LEARN FROM FROEBEL’S KINDERGARTENS
Community Playthings recently posted an article on its blog about Friedrich Froebel, the founder of Kindergarten, and his philosophies about its purpose. We found the article to be a good reminder of the foundations for early learning. Here are some highlights:
 
“A good way to begin to understand Froebel’s philosophy is to define the word, Kindergarten. Kindergarten literally means Children’s Garden, which covers Froebel’s concept of ‘a place for children’ as well as his beliefs about child growth, development, and learning (Elkind, 2015). He believed that the best place for young children is a place where the child’s nature can be developed and nurtured…”
 
Some of Froebel’s critical concepts are:
 
  • Use of the Outdoors
  • Importance of Hands-on Learning
  • Use of multiple intelligences
  • View of early childhood as a unique learning period separate from formal educational
  • Nurturing individual growth and development
  • Importance of the family
  • The value of play
  • The importance of creativity
  • An understanding of children who struggle in school
  • The need to challenge educational orthodoxy
 
You can read more about each of these concepts here:
ESPECIALLY FOR PARENTS
 LOOKING AHEAD: SUMMER AT EFC
The end of the school year brings so many special traditions to our schools. In a now-familiar refrain, while things still look at bit different as we move through (and closer to the end!) of the pandemic, we hope you and your children will enjoy the activities we have planned – Week of the Young Child, parent/teacher conferences, and end of the year classroom celebrations, and, finally, after a very long winter, some wonderful time outdoors!
 
For the past several years, we have made our outdoor gardens a central aspect of our summer, and that will continue in 2021. Children will have the opportunity to plant and harvest a variety of foods. They will learn about the life cycle of plants and how to take care of them. And best of all, how good fresh, homegrown fruits and veggies taste!
In addition to gardening, children will learn and grow through fun and engaging programming developed by their teacher(s). This summer you will notice your child’s teacher highlighting activities and themes that call to mind the best elements of summer and adapt them to the particular interests of children in their classroom. As always, the core elements of our curriculum will remain woven into each day as we continue teaching literacy, science and math skills and supporting children’s social and emotional learning through play, stories, and interactions. Some special classes will return to the centers as well.
 
We will bring back summer t-shirts this year that reflect the joy and freedom of summer. Please look for ordering information in late spring.
 
Finally, if you have any vacations or time off planned for the summer, please fill out our form here: https://especiallyforchildren.com/summer-form/
 
We are so excited to celebrate and enjoy summer with your children. It will be a well-deserved reward for us all!
Especially for Children
3300 Edinborough Way 
Edina MN 55435 
(952) 835-0505 

Center Co-Directors
Anna Wilson and Samantha Baker
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