FEBRUARY 2024

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Dear Angie,


PARENTS DESIGN-A-VALENTINE

We would like to continue the tradition we started a few years ago and will need your participation!! We would like parents to design a Valentine for their child(ren) to be hung in the hallway at Especially for Children during the month of February. This is your opportunity to be creative and have fun!! Due to limited space, the size restriction of the Valentine will be letter size (9” X 13”). Please have your artwork to Kathy by Monday, February 13th. Have fun and let me know if you need any supplies!!

CENTER HAPPENINGS

2hearts

VALENTINE’S DAY PARTIES

The toddler and preschool groups will be having their valentine exchange and party on Wednesday, February 14th. The teachers will provide more information regarding their classroom parties closer to Valentine’s Day. Please see Kathy if this is not a scheduled day for your child and you would like them to have the opportunity to participate in the Valentine activities. In accordance with our Celebrations/Treats Policy, we will not be allowing any candy or sweets. Thank you!

FAMILY RESOURCES

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BLACK HISTORY MONTH – FEBRUARY

In 1926, Dr. Carter G. Woodson, known as the “father of black history” initiated the celebration of Negro History Week to coincide with Frederick Douglass and Abraham Lincoln’s birthdays. In 1976, 50 years later, President Gerald Ford officially recognized and expanded it to Black History Month. He called upon the public to “seize the opportunity to honor the too-often neglected accomplishments of black Americans in every area of endeavor throughout our history”. Every Republican and Democratic president since has endorsed the theme and focus each year.

 

The theme for Black History Month 2024 is: African Americans and the Arts. 

CHINESE NEW YEAR – FEBRUARY 10TH

The dates for Chinese New Year aren’t set in stone, and vary yearly based on the lunar cycle, but it always falls in January or February. The most important days of Chinese New Year are Chinese New Year’s Eve and the first day of Chinese New Year. Chinese New Year’s Eve is very special and important day to gather with family and have a big feast. The celebration lasts for fifteen days with the Lantern Festival marking the end of the celebration. 

2024 is the year of the Dragon. In Chinese culture, the dragon represents good luck, strength and health. The dragon is unique because it is the only mythical creature of all the animals in the Chinese zodiac and babies are born in the year of the dragon more than any other animal.

ESPECIALLY FOR PARENTS

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INSPIRATION FOR THE FUTURE FROM BLACK LEADERS OF THE PAST

 

My daughter’s 5th grade teacher is a huge baseball fan (instead of taking the lovely Minnesota summers off, she works at the Twins stadium to be close to the action). As she sets the tone for her classroom each year, she highlights Jackie Robinson, the first African American MLB player, and his nine core values. We are entering Black History Month, and it is inspiring to reflect on how these values shaped Robinson’s life, and how powerful they can be when cultivated in our own children.

 

Jackie Robinson’s nine core values were:

 

COURAGE

Doing what you know is the right thing even when it is hard to do

 

DETERMINATION

Staying focused on a plan even though the path to its end may be difficult

 

TEAMWORK

Working with other people toward a common goal

 

PERSISTENCE

Working toward a goal and continuing to move forward even though you face obstacles or barriers

 

INTEGRITY

Sticking to your values, regardless of what others think you should do

 

CITIZENSHIP

Making a contribution that improves the lives of others

 

JUSTICE

Treating all people fairly, no matter who they are

 

COMMITMENT

Making a promise and following through on it

 

EXCELLENCE

Doing the best that you possibly can

 

Jackie Robinson broke barriers and lived out these values in spite of the personal and professional challenges he faced during an era of deep discord over issues of race.

Martin Luther King Jr. followed behind Robinson during the civil rights era, and from a young age he was determined to develop and use his skills for justice and equality in our nation. In reading a recent biography of MLK, it is clear that he dedicated himself to and lived out many of Robinson’s same values. His persistence in fighting for equal rights, though it cost him his life, is evident. He also did so with optimism, which feels remarkable to me given what he and others encountered. In an early sermon, he asked his listeners,

 

“Life is what you make of it by the way you handle trouble. When malice or misfortune finds you, do you hold it so close to your eyes that you can’t see anything else?…Learn to handle life’s difficulties with kindness and courage.”

 

MLK implored his audience to keep working toward justice with a sense of positive and hopeful expectation.

 

While black history is American history and should not be relegated to one month of the year, Black History Month gives all of us an opportunity to focus our attention on the life stories of both well-known black heroes as well as ordinary black citizens and their extraordinary contributions to our world. We can take time on our own and/or with our children to reflect on black history, and to learn about and be inspired by the perspectives and values of the people who lived it.

TWIN CITIES

FAMILY EVENTS

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Now-2/4 Winter Carnival, Saint Paul

Now-2/10 Winter Fete Activities, Bloomington

Now-2/11 Art Shanty Projects, Lake Harriet, Mpls  

Now-Late February Ice Castles, Maple Grove

Now-2/24 Night Trains, TC Model Railroad Museum, St. Paul      

Now-2/25 Dragons Love Tacos, Stages Theatre, Hopkins

2/3-2/4 Loppet Winter Festival, Mpls

2/17 Live Music with John Penny, Midtown Global Market, Minneapolis

Especially for Children - Bloomington

5133 - W. 98th St. 

Bloomington, MN 55437

(952) 831-1435

efc15@especiallyforchildren.com

Center Director

Kathy Hane