This month our Voluntary Pre-Kindergarten (VPK) classes got to ride a big yellow school bus to Lake Park Elementary School. Small groups of students visited various places around the elementary school—classrooms, the cafeteria and playground, related arts and the media center. This field trip served as a transition activity to provide children with the chance to compare a new school setting against their expectations and to develop relationships with staff to ease their minds regarding their upcoming change in schools. It was exciting to hear the children tell their parents what they saw and did on their field trip. |
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The students had a wonderful time and learned a lot about what they should expect in the fall. When transitions are effective, they provide the support that children need to adjust. We want our children to have a positive frame of mind as they look forward to attending a new school. |
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Principal Marker speaking with our VPK classes about school
expectations, procedures and personnel.
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Typically, our VPK children do not attend our early learning center over the summer after the last day of the regular school year. Many children stay home with older children, friends or family members. This summer we received a grant from the United Way of Collier County to provide tuition assistance for children wishing to attend in order to maintain our quality education over the summer months. This will help families to afford quality childcare and provide opportunities for family involvement events, education classes and access to necessary resources. We are grateful to supporters like United Way, as well as our board, emeriti, donors and volunteers. Together we are helping families and preparing children for kindergarten, ready to read and ready to learn! |
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Schulze Family Foundation Awards Grant to Fun Time |
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Fun Time Early Childhood Academy is excited to announce we recently received a grant of $20,000 from the Richard M. Schulze Family Foundation to support the academy’s Quality Educational Programming for Spring of 2022.
The Schulze Family Foundation was created in 2014 to give back to communities and works to support education, college scholarships, human and social services, and health and medicine. They “look to support, by invitation only, high-performing schools and mental health organizations that have a lengthy and positive funding history with the foundation and that hone in on prevention, early intervention and children’s/adolescent mental health issues.”
With the help of the Schulze Family Foundation, Fun Time can continue to provide a quality, affordable education to low-income working families and their children in Naples.
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Parent Involvement and Special Events |
Teacher Appreciation Week |
The week of May 2 was FILLED with Teacher Appreciation, and we had a blast surprising our teachers with their favorite treats! From ice cream and Chick-fil-A to gift cards for Aldi and Wawa, we made sure that we spoiled our wonderful, hard-working teachers all week long. Thank you to Tamiami Hyundai - Naples, FL for supporting our efforts to really show our staff what they mean to us and “to fill the bank to fill their tank!”
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Lifetouch Photography came to Fun Time on May 9 and 10 for our spring picture day! Skyla, Lifetouch’s photographer, did an amazing job making all the children feel comfortable and happy and created precious memories for their families.
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Thanks to Christ Child Society of Naples, our children and families enjoyed a movie night at the theater this month. We watched Sonic 2, enjoyed popcorn and gave the children a chance to socialize with their school friends in a different location! We had so much fun and are very thankful for the support of Christ Child in providing these amazing opportunities for our children and families.
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Stewie the Duck - Water Safety |
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Stewie the Duck from the Safe & Healthy Children’s Coalition of Collier County visited Fun Time to teach our three- and four-year-olds all about water safety. They learned critical rules to follow when in and around water, the perfect precursor to our swimming lessons coming up in June at River Park Aquatic Center. |
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That’s a wrap on our official 2021-2022 school year! On Friday, we rolled out the red carpet for our Pre-K students graduation ceremonies. Families joined us in our multipurpose room to see their children sing, dance and receive their end-of-year awards. Thanks to Christ Child Society of Naples and Tamiami Hyundai - Naples, FL all 40 of our Pre-K children walked out with a backpack loaded with school supplies to head into Kindergarten!
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In May the children learned all about plants and how they grow. They enjoyed reading stories, singing songs and acting out the lifecycle of a plant. Our VPK classes drew pictures showing various parts of a plant and writing about their drawings. The toddlers grew plants in their classrooms and observed firsthand the parts of the plant as they grew. They could even list what a plant needs to grow. They are so proud of growing their own plants! |
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Each classroom started back up with dental care. Teachers supervised children as they brushed their teeth following mealtime, and the children were taught proper toothbrushing techniques. Our goal is to promote oral health and teach children a lifelong habit.
Liberty Dental came in to talk to our children about oral health. Lourdes, a dental hygienist, taught them the best way to brush their teeth, how to floss, and which foods are good and bad for the teeth. Each child went home with a bag filled with dental goodies and a book on dental health!
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Ronald McDonald House Charities of Southwest Florida also came to visit our children and checked each of their little pearly whites! We are thankful for the relationships we've continued to build with our community partners to make sure the health of our children is the best it can be in all areas. |
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Florida's Early Learning and Developmental Standards |
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A child’s development of learning and social skills begins at home. The Florida Early Learning and Developmental Standards helps support children’s learning and development from birth to age five with clear guidance on ways to provide productive early learning experiences. The Early Learning and Development Standards describe the concepts and skills that children develop and learn as they grow and prepare for kindergarten. The purpose of these standards is to support the development and well-being of young children and to foster their learning. The standards are grouped around eight domains of early learning and development: |
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Standards and benchmarks assist teachers in planning instruction and discussing expectations and growth with families. It is important to remember that all children develop differently and at different times and that children can demonstrate their knowledge and capabilities in many ways. Standards are not a checklist of items that a child must be able to do at each age and stage of development but, rather, are a guide to opportunities for exploring and discovering throughout the children’s first five years. Significant delays or interruptions in the sequence of development are signals for further assessment and evaluation. |
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Get Involved with Fun Time! |
Our children love interacting with our volunteers to read stories, complete academic activities and even head outside to our garden. If you are interested in volunteering, call us!
Want to help support our mission? Click here to view our Amazon wish list. Fun Time staff appreciate having a variety of books and academic toys to help support children in their development.
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Want to learn more about Fun Time and see our friendly, nurturing environment firsthand? You can view learning in action for each age group, hear about our curriculum, see our beautiful campus, and get answers to any questions you have.
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Fun Time Early Childhood Academy | [Website]
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