December Newsletter

As December winds down, the joy of the holiday season permeates Fun Time Early Childhood Academy. Our classrooms are adorned with festive decor, and the imaginative holiday projects crafted by our students have evolved into cherished keepsakes shared with loved ones. Santa made a special visit to each academy, adding to the magic. Our collaboration with parents continues to shine brightly through engaging family activities, enhancing the festive spirit.

Teachers have been diligently working with the children, educating them about holidays around the world and creating special festive projects for them to take home. Additionally, we've received numerous gifts to distribute to families in need, and we are truly grateful for the generosity of our community. The Holiday Spirit Week was a tremendous success, with children and staff participating enthusiastically in themed days like Crazy Sock Day, Pajama Day, and donning festive attire.

I extend my personal thanks to everyone involved in the mission of Fun Time Early Childhood Academy. It's a privilege and an honor to be part of an organization dedicated to ensuring that our children receive the highest quality education.

Exciting news on the horizon – we are thrilled to announce the opening of an additional one-year-old room at our Poinciana location. This expansion allows us to serve more preschool-aged students, and we are eager to share more details about this new classroom in the coming year.

As we approach New Year’s Eve, the anticipation builds as we collectively count down the hours and minutes to bid farewell to another year. It's a time for reflection on the past year and making plans for the one ahead.

May your holidays sparkle with moments of love, laughter and goodwill. As we welcome the New Year, may it be filled with contentment and joy. Happy holidays to you and your loved ones!

Warm regards,

Jessica

2023 Annual Report

Our 2023 Annual Report is here, showcasing a year filled with success, learning and growth! Thanks to your support, we've achieved incredible milestones.

Here's to more fun and discovery in the coming year!

Click here

SUPER HEROES UNITE!

Join us on a special mission to benefit

Fun Time Early Childhood Academy

February 22, 2024

Grey Oaks Country Club

6 p.m.

Honorary Chairs Carol and Dick Munro

Help us prepare our little heroes for success!

To buy tickets or become a sponsor, please click on the link below.

Learn More

Holiday Spirit Week

During the holiday season at Fun Time Academy, we embraced the festive cheer with our spirited Holiday Spirit Week. Throughout the week, students and staff participated in a variety of themed activities, spreading joy and enthusiasm such as Crazy Sock, Pajama Day, Ugly Sweater Days.

From festive attire days to creative holiday crafts, the spirit of the season was palpable in every corner of our three early learning centers. Holiday Spirit Week was a joyous celebration, fostering a sense of community and warmth among our students and staff as we collectively immersed ourselves in the magic of the holidays.

Teacher Professional Development

Our teachers participated in a fantastic day of Professional Development on December 22. The day was filled with continuing our knowledge of CLASS, as well as team building, and developing a Fun Time vision for 2024. Teachers worked together to create vision boards, and gained a deeper understanding of teaching elements that make us a high quality early learning center.

Santa Claus Visit!

Our students had the delightful opportunity to meet Santa at all three Fun Time Academy locations. Santa visited classrooms, took pictures with Fun Time children, classes and families, and truly brought joy to the faces of all of Fun Time staff, students and parents. The excitement was abundant, and the joys of kindness and smiles filled our campuses!

Golden Gate

Downtown

Poinciana

Family Snowflake Activity

At Fun Time Academy, we hosted a heartwarming family snowflake activity for our monthly at-home family project. These activities bring families together for a delightful and creative experience.

Parents and children collaborated to craft intricate snowflakes, fostering a sense of unity and joy within our close-knit community. It was a wonderful occasion filled with laughter, shared moments and the warmth of family bonds.

It was a "fun time" with Santa

This month, parents participated in on the fun of the holiday season! From joining us for Santa photos to engaging in songs and crafts, parents and families filled our rooms with joy and laughter.

We look forward to the many parent activities that we have planned in January and the upcoming year and thank all of our parents and families for their involvement in our parent events during 2023.

Now Accepting Volunteer Applications

We are accepting volunteers at all three of our locations! If you would like to join us as a volunteer and want to explore the many ways you can contribute to Fun Time Academy, please don't hesitate to reach out to Christen Krembs at 239-261-8284 or via email at ckrembs@funtimeacademy.org for all volunteer inquiries.

We look forward to having you join our volunteer team and hope you will click the "learn more" button below to find out how to do it!

Learn More

Thank you to the many community partners who made this holiday season extra special for our Fun Time students and families. The kindness and generosity of our local community was amazing. We'd like to give a special shout-out to the Naples Police Department, Alice Sweetwater's Bar & Grille, Christ Child Society and Books for Collier Kids as our students were blessed with books and toys to brighten their holidays.

Thanks to Middleburg for the Christmas books!

Middleburg website

Donate Now

Multiple Year-End Donation Options for You

Are you aware of the tax benefits associated with Qualified Charitable Distributions (QCD) and Donor Advised Funds when making year-end donations to support Fun Time Early Childhood Academy?

If you're 70½ or older, you can take advantage of QCDs, enabling you to direct up to $100,000 annually from your IRA to a qualified charity like Fun Time Academy. Using QCDs, you can offset Required Minimum Distributions (RMDs) from your IRA, ensuring a tax-free withdrawal and the opportunity to make a charitable contribution without depleting your current cash or other assets.

Another alternative is to donate through a Donor Advised Fund.

This year, the Secure 2.0 Act has introduced a new option for those aged 70½ or older with IRAs. They can use a QCD from their IRA to fund a Charitable Gift Annuity (CGA). A CGA is a mutually beneficial contract where donors provide a gift, potentially earning a partial tax deduction, and receive a fixed stream of income from the charity for life.

Consult your financial advisor to determine the best option for you.

To explore making a year-end gift through your donor-advised fund or IRA or to learn more about establishing a Charitable Gift Annuity, please contact Beth Sterchi at 239-261-8284 or BSterchi@funtimeacademy.org.

School will be closed on the following days:

December 25-29, Winter Break

Returning to school:

January 2, 2024

Download the App

Collier CARES is a mobile and web app that connects people in need with vital resources and services in Collier County, Florida. Created by the Naples Children & Education Foundation (NCEF) in partnership with the Collier Community Foundation and the Richard M. Schulze Family Foundation, the app serves the most vulnerable populations in the county.

This free bilingual application provides users with information about critical resources and services available in Collier County. NCEF is dedicated to partnering with community leaders, stakeholders and service providers across the county to ensure that every family has access to help in times of need.

If you recently moved or changed your email address or phone number, please update your information by clicking the button below.

Update Your Information

Thank You!

Your commitment to Fun Time Early Childhood Academy allows us to provide safe, quality, affordable education and care for children and parents from low-income working families and to prepare the children for kindergarten, ready to read and ready to learn!

Annual Report

Fun Tim e Early Childhood Academy