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. | | |
  Thank You For A Marvelous May! | |
Our sites were absolutely bursting with activity this month! From celebrating spring to honoring our favorite ladies, to real-life adventures within our community and exploring international cultures, every day was packed with discovery and joy. Whether during lesson time or play time, your support fills our classrooms with learning, growth, and fun.
Please watch the video below to see some of the smiles YOU made possible this month, then scroll down for many more May highlights!
| | Look At What We've Been Up To! | | |
Strawberries, Soaring, and Science!
May was blooming with excitement at the Cordova Site! The students joined children from our White Marsh Site for an adventure to Family Affair Farms, where they picked strawberries, met animals, and enjoyed some farm-themed play time. There was magic in the air with the release of nine class butterflies and a super fun bubble party for the preschoolers. The school age students engaged in messy science while making ooey, gooey Oobleck. And of course, it wouldn’t be May without the site’s annual Mother’s Day party!
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May Masterpieces!
In Trappe, our White Marsh students put their creativity on display! The children worked hard to create beautiful and meaningful artwork for their PEACE art exhibition. Together, they created a gallery showcasing their masterpieces, such as self-portraits, watercolors, and painted rocks. Later in the month, they became authors, writing their own story books during the site’s Book Week! Another special highlight was the annual Muffins with Mom breakfast in honor of Mother’s Day.
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Going Global!
The Easton School Age students explored cultures from around the world! They completed group projects about different countries and enjoyed new foods. Our friends from the Easton High School Interact Club joined the children outside to play games from Puerto Rico, Ghana, and Greece. Back here in the U.S. of A., the site hosted two celebrations for the students’ moms and special friends. One class treated their favorite ladies to Brownies and Bouquets, and another hosted a Sunday Special Ladies’ Tea Party, complete with florals, fascinators and fun!
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Marching, Music, and the Maryland Zoo!
The children at our St. Michaels Site are “Kids for a Cause!” With World No Tobacco Day coming up, they held an early celebration, including pledging to stay tobacco-free, having a mini march wearing this year’s winning Anti-Tobacco t-shirts, and an ice cream social. The preschoolers joined our friends at the Judy Center Early Learning Hub to watch a performance by Grammy-winning music duo, 123 Andres. Our mini musicians learned songs in Spanish and English, and even got up out of their seats to dance! The Maryland Zoo brought their amazing Animal Discovery Kits to the site, sponsored by the PNC Grow Up Great Grant. the students created meaningful gifts to spoil the most important women in their lives.
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Learning Takes Flight!
After watching the classroom caterpillars undergo their transformations, our Preschool Site students released their beautiful butterflies out into the world! Room 4 earned their “Budding Entomologist” certificates for helping take care of the caterpillars during metamorphosis. In Room 1, the children named their butterflies before setting them free. Our favorite butterfly names include Fiona, Creamy, and Spiderman! Room 2 talked about where they would fly to if they were butterflies. Some would stay pretty close to home, like the classroom rug, or to Mommy or Daddy’s work, while others would go on adventures to the zoo, the beach, or even other countries like Mexico or Jamaica. Our littlest learners also had fun creating handmade Mother’s Day gifts, and shared breakfast with their Moms, Grandmothers, and other special friends!
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Mother's Day Celebrations!
We love hosting family activities throughout the year, but are especially grateful when we can celebrate amazing parents and guardians who are part of our Critchlow Adkins family!
Check out some highlights from our 2026 Mother's Day festivities!
| | Follow us on Facebook to get your Friday fix of cuteness with our Weekly Round Up! | | | Additional April Announcements | | |
May 4th through 8th marked Teacher Appreciation Week, and while we appreciate our staff all year round, it was our pleasure to show them a little extra love that week. We also had several staff members celebrating very exciting milestones this month!
Four of our teachers have reached notable anniversaries with Critchlow Adkins!
Lanii Emory - 5 years
Lanique Emory - 5 years
Samantha Patrick - 10 years
Marie Pitts - 20 years
We are so thankful for these wonderful women, whose care and dedication change lives for the better every single day. Here's to many more years as part of our Critchlow Adkins family!
Four of our staff members are celebrating graduations this month! Kaleigh Hammond, a former Critchlow Adkins Kid and aide at our Easton School Age Site recently graduated from Chesapeake College. Su Lovell, an aide from our Cordova Site, Ella Ball from our White Marsh Site, and Alice Shafer from our St. Michaels Site graduated from high school. Ella and Alice were part of the TCPS apprenticeship program.
Wendy Chandler, teacher at our Easton Preschool Site, received a Provider Appreciation Award from the Eastern Shore Child Care Resource Center!
If you see any of our outstanding educators, please help us thank them for creating such a caring, nurturing, and enriching environment for our children and their families. And thank YOU... Your support allows us to recruit, develop, and retain our incredibly talented and devoted staff.
| | On May 26th, our Executive Director, Cristy Morrell, attended Maryland's final bill-signing session of the year in Annapolis. Along with other childcare providers from across the state, Cristy has been tirelessly advocating for legislation that will make childcare accessible to more families. Among the bills signed into law this week were HB849 and HB1321. These laws provide funding for an additional 3,200+ families, getting them off the childcare scholarship wait list, funding of the scholarship program through fiscal year 2027, and funding reinstated for the EXCELS credentialing program, which incentivizes providers to strive for higher quality care. | | | During his remarks, Governor Moore specifically shouted out both Critchlow Adkins Children's Centers for its decades of service to Mid-Shore families and Cristy for her leadership and advocacy. Cristy was invited up to the podium and presented with the ceremonial signing pen. Watch the moment below! | | |
We could not be more grateful! Thank you to everyone who planned, participated in, and attended our inaugural Critchlow Adkins Couture Fashion Show and Luncheon at Scossa on May 14th. It was an amazing afternoon, filled with friends, food, and fabulous fashions!
Thank you so very much to our event sponsors, Anna Fichtner, Annie Witte Raymond and Catherine Joyce of Morgan Stanley. Marc Randall and our gorgeous models put on a stunning fashion show, and Talley and Chef Giancarlo at Scossa provided an delectible menu and beautiful venue. Everything was perfect, down to the fashionable flower arrangements provided by Zandi Nammack, Mimi Dickinson, and Alice Carr, the beautiful music by harpist Nadia Passeo and pianist Dr. John Malin, and the commentary from hosts Jayme Dingler and Father James Nash. To see all of the photos from the talented Tom McCall and meet all of our generous sponsors, click here to visit our website.
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Please help us give special thanks to our Presenting Sponsor, Catherine Joyce of Morgan Stanley. Not only did Catherine play a pivotal role in the success of our Couture event, but she has been generously supporting our mission for several years as a Gold Star Business Partner!
Thank you, Catherine, for all you do for Critchlow Adkins, our families, and the community!
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Each month, we introduce you to some of the people and organizations who make up our Critchlow Adkins family. This month's featured "family member" needs no introduction! He is the brains behind our incredible Critchlow Adkins Couture fashion show - Marc Randall!
Marc was born in Trinidad and moved to the United States, spending his formative years in New York. He worked in the restaurant industry before moving into clothing, first in manufacturing, and then he began curating his own collections.
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Marc moved to the Eastern Shore and opened his boutique, Marc Randall, which will be celebrating its 36th anniversary on August 1st. He says what thrills him most is taking clients out of their comfort zones and finding just the right piece that "blows their mind." He loves seeing unique pieces from his store's collections out and about in the community.
Many years ago, Marc began putting on fashion shows to draw attention to worthy local nonprofits who were flying "under the radar." He has hosted events for the YMCA, Easton Rocks, Wye Conservatory of Music, Cricket Theater, and Talbot Interfaith Shelter, among others.
When his client and friend, Anna Fichtner, brought up the idea for Critchlow Adkins Couture, he jumped into action. Marc says he loves CACC's purpose and goals, and was impressed with our mission... And it didn't help that it was an opportunity to be "a ham," which he loves.
We cannot thank Marc enough for his vision, creativity, and his drive to use his talent to make the Eastern Shore a better place!
| | A May STEAM Project YOU Can Do At Home! | | Butterflies were the center of attention in many of our classrooms this month! One of our little learners' favorite activities was a fun "Caterpillar to Butterfly" science experiment. We're going to show you how you can replicate this fun activity at home with your favorite kiddos. But first, it's always helpful to read a good book for inspiration! | | | | Chasing Butterflies, by Vontavia J Heard, is the story of a girl named Keely, who learns about the butterfly life cycle and the importance of letting go as she raises a caterpillar and eventually releases it when it becomes a butterfly. Our students could relate to this book, as it mirrors their own experiences! | | |
Now that you've got butterflies on the brain, let's do an easy and engaging butterfly-themed STEAM project that your future scientists will want to repeat over and over again! You'll need a few things from around your house: balloons, a permanent marker, vinegar and baking soda, an empty clear bottle, a funnel, a measuring spoon, and some safety goggles.
Draw a caterpillar on one side of your balloon, and a butterfly on the other. Add vinegar to your plastic bottle. Using the funnel, add a spoonful of baking soda to the inside of your balloon. Attach your balloon to the mouth of your bottle with the caterpillar side showing.
Now, have your child lift up the balloon and let the baking soda spill into the vinegar. The balloon will fill up with the gasses released from the chemical reaction, and your butterfly will rise!
| | | | As always, be as creative as you want, and have lots of fun learning together! Visit our website for hundreds of additional STEAM activities you can do at home! | | Artwork from the White Marsh PEACE Art Gallery | | | Your generous support builds a strong foundation for a brighter future. You create a safe, nurturing, and engaging environment, and foster a lifelong love of learning. In short... You ROCK! Consider a recurring monthly gift of any size to change lives all year round! | | 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! | | |
Grant Partners
Bryan Brothers Foundation
Christmas in St. Michaels
Christ Church St. Michaels Parish
Church of the Holy Trinity Episcopal Church Women
Dock Street Foundation
Fullwood Foundation
Maryland State Department of Education
Mid-Shore Community Foundation
Rotary Club of Easton
Rural Maryland Council
St. John Foundation
St. Mark's United Methodist Church
Talbot County Health Department
Talbot Optimists Club
USDA Rural Development
Van Strum Foundation
Whole Kids Foundation
Women & Girls Fund of the Mid-Shore
Philip A Zaffere Foundation
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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
Carpenter Street Saloon
Chesapeake Blooms
Chic-fil-A
Coventry Motor Works
Crackerjacks
Dairy Queen of Denton
Dragonfly Boutique
Easton Music Academy
L. Lucke Designs
Moore Funeral Home
PeachBlossoms Events
RLE LLC
Salt & Light Entertainment
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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