November  2019
914.761.3456
Parent Connections
Top 3 Things To Know
#1 - Do you have a child under the age of 2 years?

Child Passenger Safety (CPS) in New York State


Motor vehicle crashes are a leading cause of death for children ages 1 to 13. Car seats and boosters provide protection for infants and children in a crash so it is important to choose and use the right car seat correctly every time your child is in the car. Remember, the safety belt in your vehicle is not designed for children. A booster seat raises your child up so that the safety belt fits your child correctly and provides better protection.
Effective November 1, 2019,  the law states that 
all children under the age of 2 must use a rear-facing car seat . There are 3 types of rear-facing car seats: Infant Seats, Convertible Seats, and All-in-One Seats.



#2 -  A drop in the ocean? Hardly.
100% of your #GivingTuesday (December 3, 2019) donation goes directly to a Westchester child who needs quality early education to break the cycle of poverty. Visit our #GivingTuesday fundraising page to learn more and help fund a scholarship.
Special thank you to TD Bank for sponsoring our #GivingTuesday campaign for 5 years in a row!

#3 - Every Opportunity
Every Opportunity
Every Opportunity

What you need to know about your child care program/provider... 
Check your child care's regulatory history today!


It's not uncommon for child care programs/provider to have some regulatory violations. 

However, you should stop and consider the care being provided if there are multiple, serious, uncorrected, or recurring violations. 

Did you know that your child care program MUST immediately post their most recent inspection report in a prominent place visible to parents.
Children's Corner
Container Gardening with 
Young Children

In Every Season, There Is a Reason to Be Thankful:
Fostering Gratitude in Children
 
"Be thankful for what you have; you'll end up having more.
If you concentrate on what you don't have, you will never, ever have enough"
 
At Thanksgiving, we talked to children about being thankful, but by December, children may be more focused on what gifts they received and less on being thankful. Every day is a day to be thankful.
 
Grateful adults and children are happier people. Grateful children "feel connected to a caring community. ("Seven Ways to Foster Gratitude in Kids," Jeffrey Froh )
 
How do we help children develop gratitude?
 
  1. Model and teach gratitude - Children copy what they see, so they need to see adults being generous and thankful. 

  2. Good manners foster gratitude - Among children's first words are often "please" and "thank you". When you say it, they will say it. Say it to everyone about anything.
  3.  ppreciate big things and small things - We can be thankful for anything. Enjoy being grateful. It feels good.
  4. Be specific. Don't just be thankful for breakfast. Be thankful for the syrup on the pancakes. ("Six Habits of Highly Grateful People," Jeremy Adam Smith)
  5. "Helping others and being generous are two key ingredients for making grateful kids." ("Seven Ways to Foster Gratitude in Kids," Jeffrey Froh)
  6. Post a gratitude list and add to it all year round not just at Thanksgiving. Everyone should express gratitude all the time.
  7. Write thank you notes for anything and everything someone gives the children or your program. Write down exactly what the children say. This teaches children to be thankful not only when they receive something but also when someone does something nice for them. 
How grateful are you? Take the gratitude quiz!
 
Resources:

Health Corner
Holiday Safety 
How to keep your Family Safe this Holiday Season

Holiday Safety Event Highlights
Holiday Safety Event Highlights


Advocacy
Fighting for a Better Child Care System
Parents all over the U.S. pay as much for child care as they do housing, sometimes more.  Safe, learning-based child care is priced out of the reach of many families, while those who work in the field are among the most poorly paid of any profession.
 
The US and the High Price of Child Care,  just released by Child Care Aware of America, Inc., describes what we have as a "broken system".  We agree. To see the report, Click Here!
 
Fortunately, Westchester County's "child care system" is better than most.  We have informed and supportive leadership on child care in the Administration and the Board of Legislators.   But there's still more to do!
 
Our "asks" for the 2020 Westchester County budget:
(1) 10% increase in reimbursement rates to providers
(2) 2% reduction in the parent share
(3) 20 new Title XX subsidy slots
 
Come out to the Public Budget Hearings and speak up for child care in the 2020 Westchester County Budget:
  • Tuesday, November 26th, Cortlandt Town Hall, 1 Heady Street, Cortlandt
  • Wednesday, December 4th, Board of Legislators Chambers, 148 Martine Ave, 8th Floor, White Plains.
All hearings start at 7pm.  Sign-ups to speak begin at 6:15pm.
 
For more info, email Kathy Halas at Kathyh@cccwny.org.

Did You Know...
The Council is Here for You!
  Resources & Referr a l s!
Financial Help!
Summer Care!

Call us at 
(914)761-3456 x140 
visit 
or
  email us at  referrals@cccwny.org
 
Our FREE Services are:
  • Consultation with a trained Counselor 
  • 24/7 search for child care
  • Information to help pay for child care
  • Guidelines to choose a quality child care program
  • Checklist for your visits
And much, much more...
In This Issue
  • Things to Know
  • Every Opportunity
  • Health Tip: Holiday Safety
What's Happening at the Council
Toy Drive Event! 

For more info 
click here
Shake Shack
379 North Central Park Ave
Hartsdale, NY 
December 13, 2019
4pm-7pm 

Council Office Closings 
Early Closing (3pm)
December 24, 2019
December 31, 2019

Early Closing (12pm)
December 20, 2019

All Day
December 25-27, 2019
January 1, 2020

Support the Council 

Support the Council while you shop!
 
 
Sign up at: SMILE.AMAZON.COM

Things To Do
Story time with a twist 

This group combines movement, music and mostly just fun. Parents and children are invited to stay and play afterwards during open studio time until 10:00am.
 
When:  Every Thursday in December at 9am
Where:  Seven Star
509 Route 312, Brewster, NY
Cost:  Free 
For more information, Click here

Westchester Loves to Read
 
County Executive George Latimer has announced a new program to encourage early reading -  Westchester Loves to Read.  Encourage your children to read 300 minutes over the next few months (Oct to April) and complete a list of favorite books.  For more info on how to participate, simply 
 
Participating children can win a free pass to the 2020 Opening Day at Playland Park!

$10 to $13
A Frosty Fest
snowman_snowy_dec.jpg
Ulster Park
Fridays to Sundays
November 29th to December 22nd. 
Click Here for more info
Twilight Tours

Garrison
Saturdays and Sundays
November 29th to December 8th. 
Click Here for more info
Westchester's Winter Wonderland

Valhalla
November 29th to January 4th  
Click Here for more info
Parent Education
Click below to see a full list of 
Community Resources
 
United Way's 2-1-1 is a free, confidential, multilingual information and referral helpline open 365 days a year, 9am-7pm.

United Way's 2-1-1 call specialists can give you information about things such as:
  • Food Assistance
  • Housing assistance and shelters
  • Abuse prevention
  • Elder care
  • Mental health services
  • Recycling regulations
  • Services for people with disabilities
  • How to become a foster parent
  • Where to get medical help and more
Learn more:  www.uwwp.org

 
Sometimes a little help can go along way. 

If you struggle with having enough to eat, there is help. 

Feeding Westchester sources and distributes food all throughout Westchester. 
 
Agency Locator , helps you find the closest feeding program to meet your needs. 
 
Mobile Food Pantry Schedule , helps you find mobile food deliveries in your area
 
 Network Feeding List, is a list of feeding partners throughout Westchester  
 
Learn more: 

What's Cooking
Healthy Gingerbread Muffins
 
INGREDIENTS
  • 175g coconut sugar or use light brown sugar if preferred
  • 250g plain whole meal flour or plain white flour if preferred
  • 1 tsp baking powder
  • 1/2 tsp bicarbonate of soda
  • 1/2  tsp mixed spice
  • 1  tsp  ground ginger
  • 100g  water
  • 100g sunflower oil
  • 1 large ripe banana mashed
  • 100g sultanas
Click Here for full Receipt