Critchlow Adkins Children’s Centers is dedicated to nurturing children and their families by providing quality, educationally-based, and financially accessible childcare in a safe, diverse, and enriching environment. | | |
October was full of Pumpkin Spice and Everything Nice! | |
Our students have had such a "gourd" time this month! With fall in the air, they've spent their days enjoying the beautiful weather and learning about farming, food, and community helpers. Halloween celebrations with our families were a special opportunity to gather and spend time together. These joyous gatherings remind us of the beautiful Critchlow Adkins community that YOU help us build, and of which you are a cherished member!
Watch the video below to see some of the smiles YOU made possible this month, then scroll down for more October highlights!
| | Look At What We've Been Up To! | | |
Farming, Food, and Fun!
Food was a running theme throughout this month at our Easton School Age Site! Students began by exploring where food comes from, how it’s grown, and the important jobs farmers do every day. Next, they used their imaginations to create restaurants, pie shops, pumpkin patches, and apple-picking adventures inside the classroom. The children learned about food safety and put their new knowledge to the test as they prepared tasty treats to share. A special highlight came when the kids ran their own pretend Pizza Hut and designed personal pizzas in boxes donated by our friends at the Denton Pizza Hut!
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Helping Hands!
At our White Marsh Site, October was all about Community Helpers in the preschool classroom. The children role-played as doctors, grocery clerks, and firefighters, discussed the important jobs they do, and learned how they can show respect and gratitude for people who serve our community. Meanwhile, the school age students went all in on fall fun! Ms. Mariah led a density experiment with pumpkins of various sizes, and worked with the students to build a scarecrow. Everyone came together for Halloween hilarity during the annual Table-or-Treat celebration!
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Planting Seeds and Picking Pumpkins!
Our Cordova Site enjoyed a quintessential autumn experience with a trip to the pumpkin patch at Family Affair Farms! The children had a wonderful time feeding the cows and petting the goats, donkey, and some adorable little bunnies. They listened to Spookley the Square Pumpkin and picked out their own pumpkins, which they decorated when they returned to the classroom. The students also learned about planting and harvesting, and even got to play in the soil while potting their own plants!
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Costumes and Community!
It was a fa-boo-lous month at our St. Michaels Site. The children enjoyed visits from several community helpers, including the St. Michaels Volunteer Fire Department, Officer Tim, and Nurse Kim. The site was full of Halloween spirit when they welcomed all of their families for the annual Costume Party. Everyone enjoyed great food, fun crafts, boogying on the dance floor, and most importantly, spending time together as a community!
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Our Little Pumpkins!
The fall fun continued when Farmer Wendy visited our Easton Preschool Site. She performed a magic show and brought her special guests, Rascal, Chickadee, and Quackers, for a visit. The children had a blast petting and feeding their new waterfowl friends! They then got to pick their own pumpkins right on the playground! Our friends from Challenge Island also stopped to read The Five Little Pumpkins and help our littlest learners balance pumpkins on a gate. The most important part of the lesson was that the students never gave up. If they couldn’t get it right the first time, they tried again until they achieved success!
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Lemons and Love!
Help us give a special shout-out to JJ Marrah! JJ's dad, John, has been teaching him about impact over income. That inspired JJ to open a lemonade stand, but instead of selling his lemonade, he gave it away and invited people to donate to support the Critchlow Adkins St. Michaels Site. By the end of the day, Lemons and Love had raised $61. Several weeks later, JJ received a letter in the mail from a family friend who had read about Lemons and Love. The kind note was accompanied by $50 in cash, bringing JJ's fundraising total to $111!
| | | We are incredibly proud of JJ for his entrepreneurial spirit and for spreading kindness throughout St. Michaels and beyond. Click the button below to read the touching note JJ received. It is sweeter than a glass of lemonade! | | Follow us on Facebook to get your Friday fix of cuteness with our Weekly Round Up! | | | Thank You For A Terrific Trivia Night! | | |
All we can say is thank you, thank you, THANK YOU! Our annual trivia night tradition gets better and better every year.
Together, YOU raised more than $109,000 to fund a new playground at our St. Michaels Site and support Critchlow Adkins' tuition assistance and enrichment programming at all five of our locations.
It was wonderful to spend the evening with so many friends, old and new. From cocktails to dinner to our fund-a-need to trivia, every moment was filled with joy, laughter, and community. Our hearts are full!
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Special thanks to our amazing event committee, chaired by Dru Haines, Linda Laramy, and Susie Wheeler, with lots of support from Drew Carroll, Julie Crocker, Anna Fichtner, Gaither Kyhos, Zandi Nammack, and Annie Witte Raymond. We would also like to extend our appreciation to all the businesses and individuals who donated items for our fantastic silent auction, as well as Zandi Nammack for spearheading the auction efforts.
Thanks also to all of our generous event sponsors, our entertaining auctioneer, Sandy McAllister, Zandi and friends for making the gorgeous floral centerpieces, and John from Let’s Do Trivia for keeping us guessing – and laughing – through trivia. Scroll down to our partner section for a full list of contributors.
We hope you'll take a few moments to watch some highlights from the evening. For more details, access our full photo album, or pay your fund-a-need or auction pledge, click the button below!
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Chili Cook-Off at Doc's Sunset Grille
A brand new way to have fun and support our mission is coming up on Sunday, November 22nd at 1 pm! Doc's Sunset Grille is hosting a Chili Cook-Off, and YOU get to decide the winner!
If you think you've got the chili-cooking skills to win, register to compete by November 15th using the link below. There are four categories - beef, white chili/chicken, game, and vegetarian - and it's free to enter.
If taste testing is more your speed, head over to Doc's the day of the event with a $15 donation. You'll get samples of all of the entries, and your votes decide the first, second, and third place winners.
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Shapers Salon Annual Poinsettia Sale
This wonderful annual tradition, hosted by Bicky and Dan Warrington, begins on Tuesday, November 24th and runs through December while supplies last.
Don't miss out... These plants are absolutely stunning year after year and are a perfect way to spread holiday cheer. Call 410-822-6555 to preorder, or visit Shapers Salon starting on November 24th.
413 Needwood Avenue in Easton
Tues - Fri 8 am to 6 pm
Sat 8 am to 2 pm
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Family-Friendly Fun at the Avalon Theatre!
One of our students' favorite books is Ada Twist, Scientist. TheaterWorkUSA is bringing Ada and her friends to life on stage at the Avalon on November 6th!
This exciting production is part of a three-show partnership with TheaterWorkUSA, which includes the Cat Kid Comic Club on February 26th and The Pout Pout Fish on May 7th. If you purchase tickets to all three shows in the same transaction, you'll receive 10% per ticket!
You can also watch fellow community members perform in the annual holiday show, Annie, which runs from December 10th through 20th.
Visit our Community Events page for more details and ticket links.
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A very special member of the Critchlow Adkins family reached an incredible milestone this month. Please help us celebrate our amazing friend, Peg Keller, on her 100th birthday!
Peg is an Emeritus member of our Board of Directors and has been a fervent champion of our mission for an incredible thirty years.
Our St. Michaels Site Director, Marlene Thomas, worked closely with Peg for many years and shared some special memories in honor of this momentous occasion.
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"It has been an absolute honor to know and work alongside Mrs. Peg Keller for over 30 years. Her incredible spirit and generosity have left an indelible mark on our community through two beautifully distinct holiday traditions. Through her dedicated volunteer work with the Christmas in St. Michaels Annual events, Peg has been a steadfast pillar of our favorite holiday tradition. In addition to the main event, Peg brought a completely unique joy directly to Critchlow through her passion for photography," said Marlene.
"Hundreds of children and staff members were able to collect irreplaceable, lifelong keepsakes thanks to her tireless efforts. Each year, she traveled faithfully from site to site, taking photos and delivering them in time for the children to hang on their Christmas trees at home. We truly anticipated and cherished this activity every year. As a true perfectionist, Peg ensured the lighting and background were always flawless—even returning to a center for re-takes to guarantee every snapshot was perfect."
Click below for a short Happy Birthday salute to Peg!
| | An October STEAM Project YOU Can Do At Home! | | |
Stepping outside these days is a feast for the eyes. The changing leaves make every outdoor trip magical! There is science behind those vibrant colors, and we've got an easy STEAM project you can do at home with your little learners to explore where the red, yellow, and orange in autumn leaves come from!
As always, we encourage you to get into the STEAM spirit with a good book. This month's recommendation is A Very Big Fall, by Emmy Kastner.
| | | | In this heartwarming story, three adorable leaf friends - Birch, Oak, and Maple - find themselves changing color and then discover that they are going to fall to the ground. As they face this big change, they learn that the ground might not be the end, but a new beginning. | | |
After reading, it's time to learn why Birch, Oak, and Maple change color! A chemical called chlorophyll gives leaves their green color. The green is so strong that it overshadows the other colors in the leaves. In the fall, chlorophyll breaks down, and the other colors shine through.
This month's STEAM experiment will replicate this process. Before getting started, gather the following materials:
3 green leaves from the same tree
Rubbing alcohol
1 glass jar
Plastic wrap
Paper Strip from a coffee filter
Small bowl with hot water in it
Now you're ready to let those colors show! Click below for instructions!
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As always, be as creative as you want, and make sure to have lots of fun learning together!
Visit our website for hundreds of additional STEAM activities you can do at home!
| | | | | We think you're simply unbe-LEAF- able! | Artwork by a Critchlow Adkins preschool student | | |
Your generosity helps our children plant the roots of success. Every day in our classrooms, students are branching out and trying new things. Though the winds may blow, our mission stands tall and strong, thanks to YOUR support!
Consider a recurring monthly gift of any size to change lives with Critchlow Adkins through every season!
| | Support Critchlow Adkins While Shopping! | | Connect your Harris Teeter VIC card to Critchlow Adkins via the Together in Education Program, and when you purchase the brands listed below, you help earn money to support our programs! | | If you are a Weis Market customer, scan the bar code below at checkout to help Critchlow Adkins earn funds for supplies, programs, and more! | | Thank You To Our Critchlow Adkins Community And Business Partners! | | Special Thanks To Our Trivia Night Contributors! | | |
Aging At Home Solution
Alera Group
Eastern Shore Title Company
Ewing, Dietz, Fountain, and Kaludis, P.A.
Let's Do Trivia
Shapers Salon
Shore United Bank
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Jody and Brad Baker
Karen Broujos
Kathy Canzoniero & George Weckel
Cherie and Drew Carroll
Diane and Bob Cattaneo
Julie and Mike Crocker
Libby and Dave Dalrymple
Mimi and Mark Dickinson
Nance and Ebby duPont
Anna and Chip Fichtner
Maureen and Bob Fogarty
Katie and Ned Foster
Lynn Freeburger-Partridge
Dru Haines and John Mann
Lyn Harper and Mike Brennan
Gigi and Steve Hershey
Bridget and John Horner
Martha Horner
Bette Kenzie
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Hughlett Kirby
Gaither G. Kyhos
Barbara and Bill Lane
Linda Laramy
John Malin
Lauren and Chuck Mangold
Jill and Jack Meyerhoff
Zandi and Tom Nammack
Tot O’Mara
Barbara Oxnam
Cammy and Tony Passarella
Stacia and Mark Skinner
Sharon and Volkan Taskin
Nancy Thompson
Beverly and Richard Tilghman
Bicky and Dan Warrington
Susie Wheeler
Francesca and Doug Wiseman
Mary Witte
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Ball Greenhouses
Mary K. Witte & Bond Theatrical
Chesapeake Blooms
Councell Farms
Crackerjacks
Julie Crocker
Nance & Ebby duPont
Anna Fichtner
Heather’s Salon
Imagine Health & Wellness
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Janet Larson
L. Lucke Designs
Moon Blossom Therapeautics
Zandi & Tom Nammack
Peachblossom Events
Becky & Andy Peter
Annie Raymond
Ruby’s Cakes Shoppe & Pastries
Denise Suttenfuss/Health & Wellness Coach
Vintage Family Farms
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Grant Partners
American Legion Blake Blackston Post #77
Bryan Brothers Foundation
Christmas in St. Michaels
Christ Church St. Michaels Parish
Christopher Foundation for Life
Church of the Holy Trinity Episcopal Church Women
Dock Street Foundation
Fullwood Foundation
Grayce B. Kerr Foundation
Maryland State Department of Education
Mid-Shore Community Foundation
MSCF Donor Advised Funds:
Cassady Family Fund FBO Critchlow Adkins, Critchlow Adkins Children's Centers Endowment, Ferree Fund, Katra Fund, Reynolds/Cristiano Fund
Philip A Zaffere Foundation
Ridgeway Family Charitable Trust
Rotary Club of Easton
Rural Maryland Council
St. John Foundation
St. Michaels After School Help
Talbot County Health Department
Van Strum Foundation
Women & Girls Fund of the Mid-Shore
Women & Girls Fund Daisy Funds
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Academy Art Museum
Adkins Arboretum
Appleseed Books
Boy Scouts of America
Candlelight Cove
Carepacks of Talbot County
Chesapeake Bay Environmental Center
Chesapeake Bay Maritime Museum
Chesapeake College
Choptank Community Health
Cordova Fire Station
Eastern Shore Speech Therapy
Easton Cinemas
Easton Volunteer Fire Department
Emily's Produce
Environmental Concern
Family Affair Farm
For All Seasons
Girl Scouts of America
Healthy Talbot
Imagination Library of Talbot County
Judy Amdur Music
Judy Center Early Learning Hubs
Jump Start With The Arts
Lion's Club
Kiln Born Creations
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Maryland Zoo
Pickering Creek Audubon Center
Police, Fire, and EMS Departments
Positive Strides Therapeutic Riding
Project Right Steps
Ready at Five
Shore Lit
SOS Sink or Swim
Society of St. Vincent de Paul
St. Michaels Community Center
Talbot County:
Health Department
Infants and Toddlers
Oral Health Department
Parks and Recreation
Public Schools
Talbot County Free Library
Talbot Family Network
Talbot Humane
Talbot Interfaith Shelter
Talbot Thrive
University of Maryland Extension
US Armed Forces
4-H Club
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Critchlow Adkins is so fortunate to have generous support from our local business community. Meet our CACC Stars!
*For more information on how YOU can become a CACC Star, click HERE or contact our Development Director, Liz Connelly, at lconnelly@cacckids.org.
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Ball Greenhouses
Benson and Mangold Real Estate
Brambles Electric
Chesapeake Blooms
Chick-fil-A
Clark Realty, LLC
Coventry Motor Works
Crackerjacks
Dairy Queen of Denton
Dragonfly Boutique
Easton Music Academy
Foster and Son, Inc.
L. Lucke Designs
Let's Do Trivia
Moore Funeral Home
PeachBlossoms Events
RLE LLC
Storm & Daughters Ice Cream
Vintage Family Farms
What's Good, LLC
Windswept Clothiers
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Licensed Maryland Childcare Providers
Cordova - 45445
Easton Preschool - 31291
Easton School Age - 31294
St. Michaels - 31292
White Marsh - 53488
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