Day Nursery in the News

Fox59 called today looking for permission to come to Day Nursery to get some footage for the news tonight. They are doing a story about how important hand washing is in the fight to keep the Swine Flu at bay. I found a good page on the CDC website for some basic tips on healthy habits.  You will find a “cover your cough” poster that is great for parents to use at home with their young children.   The simply illustrated poster is available in 9 different languages.

Fox59 will be interviewing our Director of Operations, Marsha Lindsey at the Day Nursery Clarian Center. Look for her on the news tonight!

Butler Crib Race Results

Grand Champion (determined by overall points earned in several categories):Kappa Delta Pi racing for the Day Nursery Clarian Center

Most Beautiful Baby and Best Dressed Team: Kappa Delta Pi racing for the Day Nursery Ruth A. Lilly Center

 

Fastest Crib: Phi Psi racing for the Day Nursery Federal Center

Most Children's Books Donated: Independents racing for the Day Nursery Indiana State Government Centers. Deanna Saylor, director of the State Center (4th from left) joined the team for a photo after the race.

Inaugural Crib Race was great fun

Day Nursery staff members cheered on the teams representing the State and Ruth Lilly centers. The goal at next year's event is to have 7 racing teams so all Day Nursery centers will be have a team to support.

We couldn’t have asked for a nicer day, weather wise. And nicer people to work with. I am happy to say that the inaugural Butler University Crib Race went off without a hitch on Saturday morning, thanks to a lot of very nice hardworking people at Butler University and a great support staff from Day Nursery. We ended up with five enthusiastic student teams who came in jammies…and diapers….dressed like storybook characters…with pacifiers.  The race, for those of you just tuning in, was created to celebrate Day Nursery’s 110th Anniversary and the Week of the Young Child, which wrapped up on Saturday.  We weren’t trying to compete with IU’s Little 500 or Purdue’s Gran Prix but we think we do think we have a good start on a new Indiana collegiate racing tradition. Kurt Workman of Workman Services, aka the Day Nursery pit crew chief, told the Indianapolis Star photographer that he thinks we may have started a new racing association—NasCrib.  Thanks to Butler student leaders Ruthie Leeth representing Kappa Delta Pi International Education Honor Society and Katie Vollmer representing the College of Education Student Education Association and their fellow volunteers and Butler College of Education faculty and Butler staff members: Dr. Ena Shelley, Dean of the School of Education; Professor Angela Lupton; Professor Meredith Beilfuss; Cindy Smith and Associate Director of Public Relations Mary Ellen Stephenson.

The event received media coverage from WRTV6 News (Day Nursery got several mentions!) and there are 11 photos posted in the on-line gallery of the Indy Star. More of my photos and event results will be posted next so stay tuned.

El Día de los Niños – The Day of the Children free event

Meet PBS KIDS favorites Maya and Miguel at The Children’s Museum of Indianapolis during its celebration of El Día de los Niños – The Day of the Children – on Sunday, April 26 from 10 am to 5 pm. The museum will offer free admission that day, along with programs that celebrate Hispanic and Latino culture and all children.

Week of the Young Child

We wrap up our very busy  Week of the Young Child celebration tomorrow morning with the inaugural Crib Race at Butler University.   Hope you can join us at 10:30 am.  Looks like the weather is going to be in our favor.  I can’t wait to see the teams of Butler U students dressed up as babies.  I am sure I will have lots of cute pictures to post when I get back.  I have a feeling this will grow into an annual event.  Next year we hope to have the student teams visit the Day Nursery centers in advance of the race and read stories to the children.  Speaking of The Week of the Young Child, I snapped some photos of student artwork while I was visiting our Clarian center this week.  I thought I was share some of the images the children in Preschool4 did of themselves.  Looks like crowns are a big fashion accessory for four and five year old girls this season.

Celebrating the Week of the Young Child

The Week of the Young Child is an annual celebration sponsored by the National Association for the Education of Young Children(NAEYC), the world’s largest early childhood education association, with nearly 100,000 members and a network of over 300 local, state, and regional Affiliates.

We are proud of the fact that all Day Nursery centers are NAEYC accredited. That means we go the extra mile every day to make sure our programs meet the needs of your child and your family. More than 20 years ago, NAEYC created an accreditation system to improve the quality of education and care provided in programs for young children. NAEYC Accreditation has become the mark of quality, helping parents find the best possible early childhood experience.

The purpose of the Week of the Young Child is to focus public attention on the needs of young children and their families and to recognize the early childhood programs and services that meet those needs.

In the Day Nursery centers this week, special activities are going on to celebrate.  At the Clarian Day Nursery, children and parents made a banner together to highlight the week.  At the State Government Center Day Nursery, the staff held a parent appreciation day breakfast. At our Ruth A. Lilly Center, parents were the guests for lunch today and they made art projects with their children. The children at our Ft. Harrison Center are happy because their classrooms were stocked with several new toys. Parents at the Day Nursery Guion Road Center and Federal Centers are encouraged to come visit and read to their child’s class this week. In Hendricks County at our center in Avon, a local librarian has been in several times to read to the children.

No matter how you celebrate it, the Week of the Young Child calls attention to the importance of early childhood education. Read NAEYC’s, A Call to Excellence in Early Childhood Education, which describes the organization’s vision for all children, all early childhood professionals, all families, and all communities.

Join us for the inaugural Crib Race April 25

Costumed teams of Butler University students will blow off end-of-semester steam by racing customized baby cribs on Hampton Drive Saturday, April 25.

Free and open to the public, the first-time Crib Race is co-sponsored by Kappa Delta Pi International Educational Honor Society, the College of Education Student Education Association and the Day Nursery Association of Indianapolis.

Activities start at 10:30 a.m. in front of Schwitzer Residence Hall, 750 W. Hampton Drive, with a parade of participants to determine the “Most Beautiful Baby” (crib rider) and best-dressed race team.

Contenders will then compete in heat races of two teams each. Four student runners will push each crib, with a fifth student riding inside. The 5-foot-high stainless steel beds, weighing approximately 175 pounds each, were donated for the race by Clarian Health Partners.

Day Nursery staffers retrofitted the cribs with larger rubber tires for better stability during the competition.

The race celebrates the 110th anniversary of the Day Nursery Association and caps off the National Week of the Young Child observance

“Seeing today’s university students race in baby cribs seemed a fun way to reflect on how far Day Nursery has come in its more than a century of offering quality child care in Indianapolis,” said Day Nursery Executive Director Carolyn Dederer. Indiana’s oldest child care provider, Day Nursery Association is one of the few non-profit child care agencies in the metropolitan area.

“The Crib Race also points to the long association between Day Nursery and Butler University’s College of Education. We both strongly champion the benefit of early childhood education, and COE has helped educate many of our graduates and our current teachers,” Dederer said.

KDP president Ruthie Leeth said teams will earn points toward championship trophies by collecting new and gently used children’s books for Day Nursery’s seven sites. Books will be counted prior to the race. Spectators can drop off children’s books in a public collection box on race day.

Jennifer Eakins, who attended Day Nursery as a preschooler and is now a 500 Festival Princess, will serve as one of the race judges, along with three Day Nursery Auxiliary volunteers.

For more information on the Butler Crib Race, call Cindy Smith, (317) 940-8464. to learn more about Day Nursery Association of Indianapolis, call (317) 636-9197 or visit http://www.daynursery.org.

Grants help Day Nursery fund health and safety programs

A Day Nursery student from our Guion Road center got one-on-one instruction last year at the Swim America program at the Natatorium.

Day Nursery Association has been selected as one of nineteen youth-serving organizations throughout Indiana as a CHAMPS (Champions in Life) Grant recipient, awarded annually by Indiana Sports Corporation.
CHAMPS Grants support organizations that provide underserved youth with the opportunity to participate in sports and fitness activities that teach life skills. The CHAMPS Grants are funded by the net proceeds of the annual Youthlinks IndianaCharity Golf Tournament, as well as direct contributions from many generous organizations like Community Health Network Foundation, The Samerian Foundation and Conseco. 

Day Nursery will be using our award for our Summer Water Safety Program. This program takes place for six weeks during June and July at the IUPUI Natatorium and is open to all 4-6 year old preschoolers at the 7 Day Nursery centers.

A total of 208 youth-serving organizations have received more than $1.7 million in CHAMPS Grants since 1988. This year’s CHAMPS Grants are divided among 19 organizations that serve nearly 10,000 youth. 

For a complete list of the CHAMPS Grant recipients, click here.

More Day Nursery Easter Fun

Mrs. Patricia introduces Peter Cottontail to the children in her two year old classroom.

Peter Cottontail made a visit to the Day Nursery in the State Government Center last week to celebrate the arrival of spring. The bunny hopped from classroom to classroom to the delight of the children. Here are a few pictures from the visit.

Peter Cottontail stopped for a snack when he visited Miss Nancy's preschool classroom.

(from left to right) Patty Fisher, Director of Center Administration; student Michael McNutt; Deanna Saylor, State Center Director; Peter Cottontail and Amy Cavin, State Center Office Manager.

Put Play in Your Day

Our friends at the YMCA are inviting you to Put Play in Your Day this Saturday, April 18.  Families can play for free at all YMCA branches from 10 a.m.-1 p.m. as part of the YMCA Healthy Kids® Day, the nation’s largest health day for children and families. Don’t miss Double Dutch demonstrations, healthy snack stations, music, swimming and more.  Hey Day Nursery families…don’t miss this great opportunity to see what the YMCA has to offer for your family.