More Friday Faces: Day Nursery Federal Center

Family Game Night

The folks at Family Game Night posted this suggested activity on their Facebook page today.  Sounds like something a preschooler would really enjoy.  If you try it out, drop us a line and tell us how it went and what game your child chose to play.

It’s Frankenstein Day! To start the Halloween weekend, host a homemade costume competition where everyone has 20 minutes to come up with a costume made out of items from around the house. The winner gets to pick which game to play!

Friday Faces: Day Nursery Clarian Center

Wordless Wednesday: Day Nursery pumpkin art

Too Cute Tuesday

Caught this brother and sister portrait last week at the Day Nursery Clarian Center on the first day of school picture day.  The photographer is Apryl Napier of Dimensions Photography. Too cute!

Where do the candidates stand on kids?

With the election just a week away, do you know where the Senate candidates from Indiana stand on kids? You can influence how the next Congress addresses kids’ issues by casting your vote next week. To get informed about the candidates in our state, visit the Children’s Senate Watch page on the Every Child Matters website where they’ve compiled the stances of all candidates on issues impacting our kids. Also, please take a moment to remind family, friends, and others in your community about the election next week and how much is at stake.

This material is taken directly from the candidate’s website. Every Child Matters neither endorses nor opposes candidates and posting their verbatim positions on issues should not be interpreted as testifying to the accuracy of the posting.

In Memorium

Laverne Edwards 2007

It is with great sadness we report the passing of Laverne Edwards, a former Day Nursery teacher who was dedicated to educating the children of Day Nursery for 23 years.  She passed away at Methodist Hospital last week.

Laverne’s family is deeply connected to Day Nursery. Currently two of Laverne’s sisters work for Day Nursery. Dollie Smith is the cook at our Clarian Center, and Angie Brown cooks at our Northwest Center.

Laverne came to Day Nursery in the summer of 1985 and spent most her time with us at our Wiles Center on East Street.  She spent the spring of 2008 at our Federal Center and worked briefly at the Day Nursery Ruth A. Lilly Center  on Central Avenue until June 2008. Day Nursery Federal Center Director Sarah Parks, who worked with Laverne at our Wiles and Federal Centers remembered Laverne as a well-respected by her peers and supervisors. “She was always our rock—you could count on her to be there no matter what center she was assigned to at the time,” said Parks.  “I valued her opinion in things we were doing both at Wiles and Federal, and called on her many years of experience.  She did a lot as far as classroom observations & getting my classrooms ready for our NAEYC accreditation visits.”

Laverne Edwards, Day Nursery Wiles Center July 2003

Services will be Wednesday, October 27  with a calling from 11:00 am-1:00 pm followed by the service at 1:00 pm at St Rita’s Catholic Church, 1733 Dr. Andrew J. Brown Parkway, Indianapolis.



Wordless Wednesday from Day Nursery Hendricks County

Cowboy Xavier and Mom at Day Nursery Avon parent group outing over the weekend at Natural Valley Ranch in Brownsburg.

Importance of vision screening for preschoolers

50 percent of all blindness is preventable. One in every four school-age children and one in 20 preschool-age children has an undiagnosed vision disorder. Left untreated, vision problems can trigger learning or behavioral problems in children.
A study conducted in 1999 by Dr. Joel Zaba and Roger A. Johnson proves a strong correlation between vision problems and illiteracy:  of the illiterate population studied, 74 percent had undetected visual disorders. In some instances, letting these disorders go unchecked can cause permanent vision loss and unnecessary blindness. 

Prevent Blindness Indiana is a non-profit organization committed to reducing needless cases of blindness for more than half a century.  As a trained volunteer for Prevent Blindness, I visit all the Day Nursery centers once a year to screen the preschool age children. Wednesday I was at the Day Nursery Hendricks County Early Care and Education Center in Avon. Volunteer Rae Eberle and I screened 33 preschoolers ages 3-5. Our screening included using the Lea Symbol chart to test visual acuity. One of the prime targets of the children’s vision screening program is amplyopia or “lazy eye.”  We use the “magic glasses” seen here to test depth perception. If not found and treated by age six, amplyopia can cause visual impairment.

Here is a checklist of indications that you or your child might need a professional eye exam:

Appearance

•        Crossed or misaligned eyes
•        Red-rimmed, encrusted or swollen eyelids 
•        Inflamed or watery eyes
•        Recurring sties (infections) on eyelids
•        Presence of white pupil in color photo 

Behavior

•        Rubs eyes excessively
•        Shuts or covers one eye
•        Tilts or thrusts head forward
•        Has difficulty with reading or other close-up work; holds objects close to eyes
•        Blinks more than usual and is irritable when doing close-up work
•        Is unable to see distant things clearly
•        Squints eyelids together or frowns

Complaints

•        Eyes itch, burn or feel scratchy
•        Cannot see well
•        Blurred or double vision
•        Dizziness, headaches or nausea following close-up work

Wordless Wednesday: Fall colors from Day Nursery Hendricks County

Fall colors by Lyla, age 2 1/2, Day Nursery Hendricks County Early Care & Education Center in Avon.