This Month Was 😍MAY-jorly😍 Fun At Critchlow Adkins!

May 2025

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Critchlow Adkins Children's Centers' mission is to provide quality, financially accessible childcare for children and their families in a nurturing, diverse, safe, and enriching environment.

This Month Was MAY-jorly Fun At Critchlow Adkins!

As we count down to the end of the school year and the beginning of summer camps, our children continue to stay engaged and excited about learning. Spring has made the perfect backdrop for exploring nature, the life cycle, weather, and more, both inside and outside the classroom. With endings also come new beginnings; we celebrated our preschool graduates and welcomed them to school age care!

We hope you will take a minute to watch the video below to see just a few of the smiling faces YOU made possible this month!

Look At What We've Been Up To!

A Sweet Adventure!

The preschoolers at our St. Michaels Site had a sweet treat when they hopped on the bus for a special trip to Emily's Produce! They learned about farming, picked strawberries, met new animal friends, and spent lots of time playing. As a true farm-to-table experience, the children used some of the strawberries they picked to make a delicious strawberry shortcake for their Tasty Tuesday snack!

Seeds Of Love!

The students at our Easton School Age Site became mini-botanists while preparing for Mother's Day. They decorated flower pots and planted and nurtured plants. When the plants had grown, they gave them to their favorite ladies as Mother's Day gifts! The site welcomed Moms and special friends for a fun Mother's Day celebration, including a sweet photo session. Take a look at some of the wonderful memories they captured below!

Reading and Rhythm!

The children at our Easton Preschool Site have been enjoying our brand new partnership with Jump Start With The Arts! Thanks to the wonderful folks at Carpe Diem Arts, all of our preschoolers have the opportunity to meet artists and performers across many different genres. This month alone, they met puppeteers, folk musicians, and most recently, Ms. Ingrid visited to read her book, Ugh, Said the Slug, and sing songs with the kids. We are looking forward to many more enriching experiences through this valuable partnership!

Buildings and Butterflies!

At our White Marsh Site, the preschool class has been learning all about construction. They got to discover tools and other building equipment during a trip to Easton Hardware. Then they used their newfound construction knowledge to draw blueprints for imaginative projects like a beach house, a princess castle, a movie theater, and a baseball stadium. Meanwhile, the school age students have been studying metamorphosis, watching firsthand as caterpillars become butterflies! Ms. Karen also visited to facilitate a relaxing, nature-themed outdoor yoga session. Also, please help is thank Mimi and Mark Dickinson for providing bouquets of flowers for the children to give their mothers for Mother's Day!

Taking Flight and Taking Note!

The young students at our Cordova Site were mesmerized when they participated in the final phase of metamorphosis: watching their class butterflies emerge and fly away! It was a magical moment, and the culmination of several weeks of observation and learning. The school age classes were busy learning about music, developing an appreciation for different musical styles and various instruments. The children also took the time to write heartfelt notes of appreciation to the Chapel District Elementary School music teacher, Ms. Leffler!

Congrats Graduates!

As we mentioned above, this month, we had the pleasure of celebrating our littlest learners as they reached the major milestone of graduating from our preschool programs! We were so fortunate this year to have professional photographers in attendance at two of our graduation ceremonies. Thank you to Laura's Focus Photography for capturing all the cuteness at our St. Michaels Site, and to Exposed Images for sharing some absolutely adorable snaps from the Easton Preschool Site. We hope you will take a few moments to watch the video below to catch a glimpse of some of the most memorable moments!

The Future Is Now!

When we started our Cordova Site Expansion Project, we spoke often about building the future of Critchlow Adkins and the site. We are very excited to share with you that the future is here! We recently attended a walk through of our beautiful new space in anticipation of moving in NEXT MONTH!

Our expanded site will allow us to serve up to 30 more school age students in our out-of-school care and summer camp programs. It also gets our children out of the cafeteria and into engaging classrooms that are designed for learning.

The next step is to set up all of the furniture you helped pay for, thanks to our record-breaking fund-a-need at last year's Critchlow Adkins Trivia Night. We can't wait to share images of the new space once we are officially moved in!

Our Development Director, Liz Connelly, had the opportunity to thank State Senator Johnny Mautz at the Legislative Wrap Up earlier this month. Senator Mautz was a huge help in securing a bond bill to help offset a significant portion of the cost of this $1.8 million project.

In addition to the bond bill, this crucial childcare expansion was made possible by grants from the Rural Maryland Council, The Arthur H. Kudner Jr. Fund, The Reynolds/Cristiano Fund, The Fryling Fund, The Ferree Fund, and donations from several generous Critchlow Adkins supporters. We are incredibly grateful to everyone who brought this project to fruition, making high-quality childcare accessible to even more local families!

Meet Kennedy Grove!

Critchlow Adkins is honored to partner with Talbot County Public Schools in a number of ways. Once such partnership is the Easton High School Apprenticeship Program. During the 2024-2025 school year, we have had the pleasure of hosting Kennedy Grove as a student apprentice at our White Marsh Site.

Kennedy is from Easton, has a loving blended family, and loves playing sports of any kind, as well as teaching.

Kennedy was curious about teaching, and joined the Teaching Academy of Maryland, a cross-campus course housed at St. Michaels Middle High School and offered to Talbot County students. She fell in love with teaching through the course, and applied to work with Critchlow Adkins as an apprentice.

When asked what she has learned from her experience, Kennedy shared, "I have learned a lot about classroom management and student engagement, but the biggest thing I've learned is confidence. What helped me the most was that all the kids were approachable and fun. The staff helped me gain confidence by helping me learn the ropes and being patient with me."

We also asked Kennedy what she liked about working at Critchlow Adkins, and what she enjoyed about teaching children. She said, "My favorite part about Critchlow Adkins is being able to connect with the kids. What inspired me the most is how they balance learning and playing. There are designated times for reading and many science experiments through the week that engage the kids and teach them about the environment around them. I like that children are still learning. They aren't just learning academics, but who they are and who they want to be. I enjoy how different kids are, their personalities, background, everything that makes them unique."

We are happy to share that we have offered Kennedy a job past her apprenticeship, and she will be staying on at White Marsh through the summer. This fall, she will be attending Towson University, where she will pursue a degree in Elementary Education. We are incredibly proud of Kennedy, and know she is going to become a phenomenal teacher!

Help Kids Like Kahlil Build Brighter Futures!

By now, you have likely received Kahlil's story by mail and email. Thanks to extraordinary donors like you, Kahlil is on the path to a bright future!

We need your help to ensure that more children like Kahlil have access to the same excellent educational start that he received.

Even as we expand to make childcare accessible for more local families, cuts to state and federal grants jeopardize our progress.

We are so grateful to those who have already heeded the call to help bridge our funding gap and make sure we can continue Building Brighter Futures for children like Kahlil.

If you have not already done so, we urge you to consider a gift in support of our mission. Your generosity changes lives!

Help more families like Kahlil's today! Giving is as easy as 1-2-3!

Mail your gift to:

Critchlow Adkins

Children's Centers

15 S. Hanson Street

Easton, MD 21601

Make a one-time or recurring online donation.

Donate

Donate Monthly

Donate Stock/Securities

Charles Schwab

DTC# 0164 | Code 40

Easton Daycare Centers

Account #5028-3304

Thank you so much for your generous support! We cannot fulfill our mission without YOU!

A May STEAM Project YOU Can Do At Home!

Spring is the time of year when we can watch the Earth - and so many plants, animals, and insects - come to life! One of the processes that we witness in action during the Spring is seed dispersal. This is the method by which plants and trees scatter their seeds, which will hopefully then land in an optimal area for them to grow. This month, the children at our Easton School Age Site did a fun and simple experiment with students from the Easton High School Interact Club to mimic the movement of helicopter seeds.

Helicopter seeds spin as they fall from a tree. The spinning movement and their light weight improves the chances that they will be picked up by the wind and land somewhere where they don't have to compete with their parent plant for light, water, and nutrients.

Before flying into your helicopter seed experiment, get some inspiration by reading The Tiny Seed, by Eric Carle. This is the story of a tiny seed that gets blown away from its parent plant and travels over seas, deserts, and mountains. After surviving its journey, the seed lands on fertile earth where it grows into the biggest flower for miles around.

Now it's time to make your own helicopter seeds. You can do this activity with items that are likely already laying around the house!

Paper

Paper Clip or Hair Clip

Scissors

Click here to find the experiment from Science Sparks, as well as information about helicopter sees and free printables!

As always, be as creative as you want, and have lots of fun learning together! Follow our Facebook and Instagram pages to see a new STEAM project every week on "STEAM Saturday!"

You Give Us Wings To Fly Into The Future!

Thanks to your support, the sky is the limit for the students in our programs! You provide a warm, engaging, and nurturing cocoon that allows our children's unique personalities and talents to emerge and their futures to take flight!

Consider helping our students soar all year-round by establishing a recurring monthly donation!

I Want To Become A Monthly Donor!

I Want To Make A One-Time Donation!

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!