Mission Statement
  
To elevate child development to a new level by leading the social and emotional growth and education of young children by providing a safe, welcoming, home-like environment with a caring, educated and professional staff that promotes partnerships between parents, children, and other early childhood professionals. 

May Notes of Interest

Accreditation Update:
As many of you may remember, we started our self study towards gaining our accreditation through the National Accreditation Commission (NAC) almost 2 years ago. The time has finally come to submit our official application! We are so excited to be in the final stages of this process. Once our paperwork is submitted, we will be notified of a two week time period when the NAC evaluators will come to evaluate our center. After the evaluation process is complete it may take up to 4 months before we hear what the final decision is. We will keep you updated on the time frame as well as the end results. 

Parent Teacher Conferences
Parent Teacher Conferences are continuing through the first half of May. If you have not yet had a chance to sign up, please talk to your child's teacher about doing so.

Creative Movement Show
If your child is in Creative Movement, Miss Gail is hosting the end of the year show on May 21st. There will be two shows; one at 5:30pm and one at 6:15pm. Miss Gail has posted a sign at the front desk showing the time slot that has been chosen for your child's group. Please mark if your child will or will not attend the show. Just a reminder, the show counts as the last class for May.

Menu Change
After receiving feedback in our family surveys, Katie's Kids re-evaluated our morning food options. In looking to create positive changes AND  still meeting the Meal Plan requirements for DCFS.  W e are changing the title of "Breakfast" to
"AM Snack." What does this mean for you and your family? Really...not much! We will continue to serve the same/similar food options at our same meal times.  However, this brings about a positive change by allowing us to incorporate more variety into the morning menu such as protein options, which aligns with many of the desires expressed in the parent survey. 
 
Prep Freeze Cook Fundraiser 
We have officially met our Fundraiser goal of $400 to pay for 4 new tricycles for the preschool playground! Thank you to all who ordered and helped with our fundraising goals. We will continue the Prep Freeze Cook Fundraiser this month to raise further funds for lending library materials.

Staff Kudos

Do you have any positive moments you want to share about our staff? If so, we want to hear them! We have created a new Google form called Katie's Kids Kudos. The form is easy for you to access from home, so no need to take extra time at pick up and drop off. Simply click on the button below, fill out the form, and submit. We will be sure to share these positive moments with our staff, as well. 


  Kudos!
 
 
Upcoming Dates

May 4th: Parent Fair 9am - 11am
May 4th: SNL @ K2 5:00pm - 10:00pm
May 6th - 10th: Teacher Appreciation Week
May 7th:  P.A.C Meeting 5pm
May 12th: Mother's Day
May 21st: Creative Movement Show
May 27th: Closed for Memorial Day

June 3rd: School Age Summer Program Begins


C losure Dates for 2019

Please click   here  to view the Katie's Kids Center Closure list for 2019.    
            
Saturday Night Live

Saturday, May 4th
5:00 -10:00 p.m.
@ Ft. Jesse (K2)

Enjoy a night out on your own! We will watch your kids. Children ages 3+ have the opportunity to watch a movie and use their artistic abilities to create a masterpiece of their choice! Free play activities will be set up for children under the age of 3 years. If you have any questions please ask the KKLC Leadership Team. 


Health Corner


Sun Safety

It is finally warming up outside which means we all want to be out soaking up that sunshine. Sunshine carries a lot of benefits to us including mood improvement and the production of Vitamin D. However, the sun can also be brutal at times, so necessary precautions should be taken when partaking in outdoor activities.

Here are some articles about sun safety.

            
Community Connections



















Our community has great things to offer families! This section of the newsletter is to help you connect to the variety of community events occurring  in the Bloomington/Normal area. Enjoy!

1000 Books Before Kindergarten
Children under age 5 can earn a free tote bag by reading 1000 books before Kindergarten. Click here for more information.

Bloomington Center for the Performing Arts
Click here to view the 2018 - 2019 Season of Events

Children's Discovery Museum
Click here for the Winter 2018/2019 schedule of events 

Corn Crib Car Show
The Corn Crib Car show will be held in August, but tickets go on sale starting May 9th. Click here for more information. 

Cornbelters
Click here to view the Cornbelters summer schedule.

Downtown Bloomington First Friday Events
On the first Friday of each month Downtown Bloomington businesses showcase their wares and artisitc abilities. Click here for more information and here for a list of highlights for the month of March. 

Open Cockpit Day
Click here to view more information.

Ideas for Home
--------------------------------------------  
Spring means color! Here is an engaging and scientific activity you can do with your little ones at home. It's all about water play and color mixing.

Click  here for the instructions!
 
Loose Parts Donations  

We, at Katie's Kids, would like to keep utilizing loose parts in our classrooms throughout the year.  Therefore, we are inviting parents and families that are interested to keep the supplies coming!  If you choose to donate you can drop the materials off at the front desk at any time!
  
Be sure to look through our center for how the loose parts are being used within the curriculum! 
  
Thank you in advance for your donations, we look forward to seeing the creativity that stems from all of the materials!


Our Focus this Month: 
  • Greeting Cards/Envelopes (if you have any old, unused ones lying around, we will take them!)
  • Yarn
  • Bottle Caps
Meals to Go

Did you know? In order to make our foot print a little less on this Earth, we use reusable food containers for our Meals to Go! We kindly ask that you rinse your containers and return them to the front desk at your earliest convenience . We will wash and sanitize these containers to be used for our next meals. 

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May 2nd

Country Fried Steak
Garlic Mashed Potatoes
Rice Krispies Treats
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May 9th

Cajun Shrimp Cavatappi
California Veggies
Garlic Toast
M&M Cookie Bars
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May 16th 

Calzones (w/choice of toppings)
Ceaser Salad
Smore's Pizza
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May 23rd

Sweet Onion Turkey Burger
Homemade Sweet Potato Fries
Chocolate Turtle Cookies
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May 30th

No Meal to Go

Getting Healthier...
At Katie's Kids Learning Center, we are committed to providing the best possible nutrition to you and your family.  We hope you enjoy the following recipe: 
 
Roasted Lemon Herb Chicken 

Ingredients:
  • 1 Tablespoon plus 1 ½ teaspoons lemon juice
  • 2 Tablespoons salt
  • 8 cups water
  • 1 ½ lb whole chicken, cut up, bone-in
  • 1 ¾ teaspoons extra virgin olive oil
  • 2 Tablespoons fresh oregano, chopped
  • 2 Tablespoons Italian parsley, chopped
  • 2 Tablespoons fresh basil, finely cut
  • ⅛ teaspoon pepper

Directions:

The night before: 
  1. Combine lemon, salt, and water and brine chicken overnight.
The next day:
  1. Remove chicken from the brine, season with pepper and marinate in herbs and olive oil for four to six hours.
  2. Bake at 350 degrees F for 30 to 45 minutes

 

Katie's Kids Learning | @ the Links | 309.663.5800 |  Katie@katieskids.net | www.katieskids.net
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