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September 2025
Newsletter
| | | Critchlow Adkins Children's Centers' mission is to provide quality, financially accessible childcare for children and their families in a nurturing, diverse, safe, and enriching environment. | | |
Back To "Cool" At Critchlow Adkins! | Our Critchlow Adkins Kids have spent the month of September getting into the swing of a brand new school year! They have spent lots of time learning about each other, practicing new routines, and taking advantage of the glorious early fall weather to explore and play with friends. Please watch the video below to see just a few of the smiles that YOU made possible this month! | | Look At What We've Been Up To! | |
All About Me!
At our Easton Preschool Site, the theme was “All About Me” as they kicked off the school year. The children worked with their parents to make posters about themselves, which are now displayed in the hallway of the school. Our littlest learners also drew pictures of their homes, made self-portraits, measured themselves using blocks, and brought in their favorite things from home for show and tell. When they headed outside for playtime, Ms. Ali and the students took wing during a super cute portrait session with a chalk butterfly!
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Together We Are Special!
In Cordova, the preschoolers explored both what they have in common and what makes each of them unique during "I Am Special" week. The children made a Mad Libs-style poem called “I Like Myself,” and their answers were adorable. In the school age classrooms, the theme was "Working Together." Students teamed up for some exciting enrichment activities! They built marshmallow and toothpick towers, used their elbows to complete a cup stacking challenge, and joined forces to save Sam the (gummy) worm.
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Understanding Ourselves and Each Other
Our Easton School Age Site kicked off the school year with several activities allowing students to engage with one another, learn about each other, and forge connections. They also concentrated on developing emotional awareness, learning how to understand their emotions, and those of their peers.
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Art, Apples, and Animals!
What better way to start the school year at our St. Michaels Site than with the letter "A!" Our students created magnificent Art masterpieces using different media, including paint and markers, paper, and even playdough that they made themselves! They also learned about Amazing Animals, discovering which animals live in each climate, making puppy puppets, and sculpting their favorite animals out of clay. The pre-k classroom added a special learning center this month– the Apple Orchard Bakery. Our smallest scholars are welcoming autumn while using their imaginations, practicing their social skills, and learning math!
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"Fall"-ing Into Fun!
Our White Marsh Site officially said goodbye to summer as they celebrated “Signs of Fall!" They tested their taste buds to determine their favorite kinds of apples and dips, worked together on an autumn-themed secret message activity that highlighted the S (science) and the A (art) in STEAM, and spent lots of time outside in the amazing early fall weather. Ms. Karen also stopped by for some relaxing outdoor yoga!
| | Follow us on Facebook to get your Friday fix of cuteness with our Weekly Round Up! | | | Welcoming Leadership Maryland! | | |
We are very proud of our Executive Director, Cristy Morrell, who is a member of the Leadership Maryland Class of 2025. Cristy has been attending conferences across the state throughout the year, meeting other leaders from various Maryland industries and learning about the issues and challenges they face.
When the class held their conference here on the Mid-Shore, Cristy welcomed her fellow leaders to our Easton School Age Site. After giving a tour and sharing an overview of our enrichment programming and economic impact, Cristy's classmates worked on a tanagram project together. Judging from the photo above, the visit was a big success. Congratulations to Cristy and the Leadership Maryland Class of 2025!
| | Exceptional Event Excitement! | | We were incredibly fortunate to have two extraordinary Critchlow Adkins supporters host events on our behalf this month! | | |
On Sunday, September 7th, Rennie Gay and his family hosted the 8th annual Conor's Project Sporting Clay Shoot and Crab Feast at Pintail Point. It was a phenomenal success! A misty morning turned into a day filled with love, family and friendship. It brings us great joy to report that a record $95,000+ was raised to support our summer camps, swimming lessons, tuition assistance and enrichment programs!
We are beyond grateful to everyone who participated in and supported this incredible event. Each year, we are overwhelmed by the way the community comes together to celebrate Conor and support Rennie and his family.
Thank you to Rennie and the whole Conor's Project family for making a lasting difference in the lives of local children and families!
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On Wednesday, September 10th, Critchlow Adkins Board Member Zandi Nammack hosted our inaugural Play It Forward American Mahjong Tournament. Mahjong masters at all levels came together at the Easton Fire House to go all in to Build Brighter Futures for our Critchlow Adkins Kids!
After the tournament, we gathered for refreshments and fellowship and gave out prizes for the winners, as well as for the best “mahj” outfits. Everyone took home fun mahjong gear as a thank you for their support!
Our fervent thanks go out to everyone who participated in this fabulous event, including our mahjong maestro, Zandi! She worked tirelessly, rallying the local mahjong community and creating a fun and memorable evening to benefit our children and their families!
| | More Critchlow Adkins Celebrations Ahead! | | We've got two more super fun opportunities to support Critchlow Adkins coming up just around the corner! | | |
Celebrate 55 years of exceptional childcare with us at a very special Critchlow Adkins Trivia Night! The fun takes place on Thursday, October 23rd at the Tred Avon Yacht Club in Oxford.
Don't miss out on this exciting celebration! Join us for cocktails, dinner, a unique silent auction, and a rousing game of trivia. We'll also hold our annual Fund-A-Need paddle raise. This year's Fund-A-Need goal is to raise $75,000 to support our tuition assistance and enrichment programming. With state childcare scholarships frozen, more families will need your help to make our high quality care accessible to ALL.
| | | Click the button below to reserve your spot and celebrate your transformative impact on local families! RSVP by October 18th. | | | | |
Kick the holiday season into high gear at our brand new Cruisin' Into Christmas with Critchlow Adkins event!
Join us on November 9th, when Board Member Bicky Warrington and her husband Dan open their home for a classic car show and photos with Santa with incredible holiday backdrops. Then, head over to the Cordova Fire House for a drive-in style showing of the movie Elf!
| | Proceeds from Cruisin' Into Christmas will provide tuition assistance and enrichment programming for our Cordova Site. Click the button below to learn more and purchase your tickets today! | | We love working with community partners to create the most enriching experience possible for our students. One of our newest partners is Vicki Weaver of Easton Music Academy! Vicki was born and raised on the Shore, where she still lives today with her 3 chihuahuas and her pineapple conure! | | | |
Easton Music Academy began in 2018 as “Strings with Vicki," teaching guitar, piano, violin, and ukulele lessons in students’ homes. It became Easton Music Academy in 2022 as her vision and team grew. In 2022, Vicki also graduated from Berklee College of Music, earning her music degree online while teaching and building her business. Vicki and her staff make lessons fun, personalized, and community-focused, offering guitar, piano, drums, violin, voice, and band instrument instruction for all ages. Their rock bands, community performances, kids nights, and parties help students build confidence, friendships, and a lifelong love for music. They truly love what they do!
Over the years, Vicki taught many students from Critchlow Adkins and heard glowing reviews about our programs. She reached out to explore how we could team up to bring music education to our classrooms, and our partnership began!
Vicki is working with the preschoolers at our Easton Preschool Site as part of our Pre-K Expansion, made possibly by a grant from the Maryland State Department of Education. Our 3- and 4-year-olds are having a blast exploring instruments, singing, and moving in Vicki’s music classes! Exposure to music and the arts is crucial for early childhood development because it lights up multiple areas of the brain, boosting emotional, social, physical, and cognitive growth. Singing and rhythm activities build language skills and confidence, while movement to music strengthens coordination. Music also fosters creativity and emotional expression, helping kids develop empathy and teamwork in a fun, supportive way.
“I am inspired to work with Critchlow Adkins because of their heartfelt mission and commitment to providing a safe and caring environment for children,” Vicki shares. “I’ve seen how their programs transform and impact lives for children and families in our community. They create a space where every child feels valued and empowered is truly special. I’m so excited to bring our fun, community-focused music classes to their classrooms, helping kids discover their creativity while supporting a mission that uplifts our community through accessible, enriching education. It’s exciting to know our classes are part of a vision that makes a real difference for kids!”
Thank you, Vicki! We are thrilled to welcome you to our Critchlow Adkins family!
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Thank you from the bottom of our hearts to everyone who voted for us in the Best Childcare and Best Preschool categories of the APG Best of the Best Contest! We were honored to make the top five in both categories once again, thanks to your nominations.
Now... We wait! The results are usually revealed in November, so stay tuned, and we will keep you posted! We are so grateful for your vote of confidence in Critchlow Adkins!
| | A September STEAM Project YOU Can Do At Home! | | With the change of seasons, the weather has been absolutely incredible, and our students have been spending tons of time on our playgrounds! The playground is an amazing outdoor classroom, where children not only learn social skills, but explore their imaginations, develop motor skills, and have real world interactions with concepts like math and physics! This month's STEAM activity brings together Physics, Engineering, and Art for tons of fun! | | | | As always, before climbing into your STEAM activity, take some inspiration from a great book! We recommend The Recess Queen, by Alexis O'Neill. This is the story of Mean Jean, the schoolyard bully. A new girl, Katie Sue, challenges Mean Jean's dominance by inviting her to play. Mean Jean learns the importance of sharing and friendship, and changes her behavior. | | |
After reading the book, you and your child will have a blast building your own miniature playground! Gather items you can find around your house, like cardboard, construction paper, paper towel or toilet paper tubes, rubber bands, string, glue, etc. Build a playground with at least 3 areas where children can play together to encourage kindness and friendship, sharing and teamwork. Explore physics, such as the use of ramps for a sliding board or seesaw. Discover how force and motion create a pendulum such as a swing. Try different variables, like changes to angles or speeds. How do these changes affect the playground pieces or the children using them?
If you and your future engineer need more inspiration while designing your playground, check out the video below!
| | As always, be as creative as you want, and have lots of fun learning together! Visit our website for hundreds of additional STEAM activities you can do at home! | | | |  |
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You're the
APPLE
of our eye!
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Your generosity is at the core of everything we do! You plant the seeds of success and make the future sweet for our children!
Consider helping our students grow all year-round by establishing a recurring monthly donation!
| | Support Critchlow Adkins While Shopping! | | Connect your Harris Teeter VIC card to Critchlow Adkins via the Together in Education Program, and when you purchase the brands listed below, you help earn money to support our programs! | | If you are a Weis Market customer, scan the bar code below at checkout to help Critchlow Adkins earn funds for supplies, programs, and more! | | Thank You To Our Critchlow Adkins Community and Business Partners! | | |
Grant Partners
Bryan Brothers Foundation
Christmas in St. Michaels
Christ Church St. Michaels Parish
Church of the Holy Trinity Episcopal Church Women
Dock Street Foundation
Fullwood Foundation
Maryland State Department of Education
Mid-Shore Community Foundation
Rotary Club of Easton
Rural Maryland Council
St. John Foundation
St. Mark's United Methodist Church
Talbot County Health Department
Talbot Optimists Club
USDA Rural Development
Van Strum Foundation
Whole Kids Foundation
Women & Girls Fund of the Mid-Shore
Philip A Zaffere Foundation
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Academy Art Museum
Adkins Arboretum
Appleseed Books
Boy Scouts of America
Candlelight Cove
Carepacks of Talbot County
Chesapeake Bay Environmental Center
Chesapeake Bay Maritime Museum
Chesapeake College
Choptank Community Health
Eastern Shore Speech Therapy
Easton Cinemas
Easton Volunteer Fire Department
Emily's Produce
Environmental Concern
Family Affair Farm
For All Seasons
Girl Scouts of America
Healthy Talbot
Imagination Library of Talbot County
Judy Amdur Music
Judy Center Early Learning Hubs
Jump Start With The Arts
Lion's Club
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Kiln Born
Maryland Zoo
Pickering Creek Audubon Center
Police, Fire, and EMS Departments
Positive Strides Therapeutic Riding
Project Right Steps
Ready at Five
SOS Sink or Swim
Society of St. Vincent de Paul
St. Michaels Community Center
Talbot County:
Health Department
Infants and Toddlers
Oral Health Department
Parks and Recreation
Public Schools
Talbot County Free Library
Talbot Family Network
Talbot Interfaith Shelter
Talbot Thrive
University of Maryland Extension
US Armed Forces
4-H Club
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Critchlow Adkins is so fortunate to have generous support from our local business community. Meet our CACC Stars!
*For more information on how YOU can become a CACC Star, click HERE or contact our Development Director, Liz Connelly, at lconnelly@cacckids.org.
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Bartlett Tree Services
Benson and Mangold Real Estate
Brambles Electric
Carpenter Street Saloon
Chesapeake Blooms
Chesapeake Building Components
Coventry Motor Works
Easton Music Academy
Freestyle Fabrication
George's Green Thumb
Moore Funeral Home
RLE LLC
Talbot County Chamber of Commerce
What's Good, LLC
Windswept Clothiers
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Licensed Maryland Childcare Providers
Cordova - 45445
Easton Preschool - 31291
Easton School Age - 31294
St. Michaels - 31292
White Marsh - 53488
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