March Newsletter

“March is known to roar in like a lion… and goes out like a lamb”. Let’s hope that’s the case for us. It straddles between winter and spring and tends to display characteristics of both, soo continue to be mindful when dressing your children.

Transitioning

As spring approaches, think about the transitions you and your family will make in preparation for kindergarten or another year in the Head Start/PFA program.

Where will your child attend kindergarten in the fall? Visit the local school where you plan to send your child/children. If you are unsure about which school district you are in, ask your Family Engagement Specialist.

Classroom Assessment Scoring System (CLASS)

As early childhood professionals, we are fully aware of how important language experiences are for young children. A Stanford study has shown that by age 2, there was a six-month language gap between economically vulnerable children as compared to their more affluent peers. This is one of the reasons we place such emphasis on language-rich classrooms in CLASS, and specifically, self and parallel talk.Self-talk is that kind of “sportscasting” teachers do that describes what they are doing, seeing, thinking, feeling, etc.

For example, “baking” little play-doh “snacks” with her students. “I’m going to squish the sprinkles on the play-doh so they stay,” she said, as she did exactly that. She immediately made the words “squish,” “sprinkles,” “play-doh” tangible; children learn through concrete experiences just like this! Parallel talk is similar, but a teacher maps the actions of a student. Because this is often an unnatural way to talk, it definitely takes intentional practice. These small adjustments to the way we speak can have a huge impact on enhancing the language development and communication skills in our classrooms.

#DoltonNewsletter
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Neighborhood Housing Services of Chicago offers free home lead inspection and repairs in many areas of Cook County. Do you know a pregnant woman or children under age 6? Encourage them to apply. Call 773.329.4146 for more information and appointments.

Harvey Park District and Illinois Department of Employment Security invites you to their Annual Employment Fair on Friday, March 20, 2020 from 10 a.m. to 2 p.m. at Gloria Taylor Hall on 14821 Broadway Ave., Harvey, IL 60426. Call 708.331.3857 for details.

Strengthening Working Family Expo at Prairie State College, located on 202 S. Halsted St., Chicago Heights, IL 60411 on March 21, 2020 from 10 a.m. to 2 p.m. Meet child care providers, find out about summer camp, the Child Care Assistance Program (CCAP), and Head Start. On-site health screenings, screenings for employment opportunities, information about housing and tax preparation and energy assistance will be available. Children can enjoy fun activities, including face painting and games. Contact Stephanie Craine at 708.0283.5020 (ext 211)

The 2020 Census is an opportunity to shape the future of your community. Census results have an impact on congressional representation, as well as planning and funding for health clinics and highways, fire departments and disaster response, education programs such as Head Start and college tuition assistance, and so much more. Don’t let misinformation keep your friends and family members from responding. The U.S. Census is recruiting thousands of people to assist with the 2020 Census. Visit www.census2020.gov to learn more.

In the 2010 Census, more than 36,000 children were not counted resulting lost of millions of public funding. Illinois Action for Children is working to make sure that doesn’t happen again! Representatives will come to your center with more information—check your child’s backpack for dates. You can also get more information about IAFCs 2020 Census outreach at https://www.actforchildren.org/census2020/.

How to Feel Calm Your child can cope with emotions like anger, anxiety, and frustration by using these calm-down tricks at home or at school.

• Bear Hug: Maybe she’s feeling overwhelmed. Have her wrap her arms around herself and give a squeeze while she slowly counts to five.

• Pep Talk: Together, think of a positive message she can repeat to herself when she feels anxious. Example: “I’ve got this.”

• Deep Breath: Anger rising? Ask your youngster to inhale deeply and then slowly and gently blow the biggest imaginary bubble possible.

• “Noodle Bones”: To help her relax, try this funny technique. Get her to close her eyes and pretend that all her bones are wiggly noodles.

Focusing Attention
When your little one begins to lose interest in an activity, encourage him to do “one more” before he stops—attempt one more basket, try to balance on his bike one more time, put away one more book, etc. Over time, these small increases will add up.

• NOTE: If you are concerned about your youngster’s attention span, talk to his teacher. She can tell you if she has noticed any problems.