Too Cute Tuesday: Lessons in letters to Santa

Wondering what happens during an average day in our centers?  Here is a note and some pictures from Day Nursery Ruth A. Lilly Center Director Shannon Garrity about the good things happening in one of her preschool classrooms.

This is a project that the three-year-old class is working on.  In the morning they cut out pictures and write letters to Santa and put them in their box.  At nap time, while children are sleeping, Santa picks up the letters and leaves the children a note which their teacher Ms. Sara will read to them after their nap. This activity is a good example of the importance of early childhood education. The children are learning new skills they will need when they reach elementary school. The most important lesson they are learning is how to follow a series of steps to complete the activity.  Using scissors to cut out the pictures will develop their fine motor skills which in turn helps them have the control they need to learn to write their name on the envelope to Santa.

Children’s Champions Alert

Call the White House today The funding bills are still under negotiation between the White House and Congress.  On Tuesday, November 30, advocates from across the country will contact the White House to ask them to remind Congress not to drop 300,000 children from child care and Head Start, and to support the Early Learning Challenge Fund.

The President and his important staff are key players in these funding decisions and we need to continue to let them know that young children and families should not lose out on the early care and education they need during these difficult times.

How to Call or Email the White House on November 30

Leave a message for President Obama on the White House Comments line:
To call the comments line dial 202-456-1111. (You may need to call more than once if you get a busy signal.)

Here is a sample voicemail message:

My name is ________ and I’m from (City), (State). Please urge Congress not to drop 300,000 children from child care and Head Start. Make sure that continued funding for the Child Care and Development Block Grant and Head Start is NOT REDUCED in the appropriations bill and that the Early Learning Challenge Fund is included. Thank you.

Send President Obama an e-mail in support of early childhood education programs.

To e-mail the President, go to www.whitehouse.gov/contact.

Use the web form to send the White House an email. Here is a sample message you can type into the form:

Dear President Obama,

Please urge Congress not to drop 300,000 children from child care and Head Start. Make sure that continued funding for the Child Care and Development Block Grant and Head Start is NOT REDUCED in the FY 2011 appropriations bill and that the Early Learning Challenge Fund is included. These programs help children learn and develop skills they need to succeed in school and in life. They also help families get ahead by giving parents the support they need to be productive at work. Thank you. 

Sincerely, (Insert Your Name)

Santa’s Mailbox

Trying to Reach Santa?  Send a letter through Santa’s Mailbox on Monument Circle! Each year, this holiday mailbox is placed for children of all ages to drop off their letters addressed to Santa. And to every child’s delight, Santa himself personally answers each letter with a return address. Letters can be sent now through Dec. 16. (The mailbox is removed Dec. 17). The mailbox is decorated festively-half of the box is a reindeer complete with antlers and the other half is dressed like Santa. You can find the mailbox on the east side of Monument Circle, facing Market Street. Note – it’s very important that each letter has a return address so Santa can send his reply. (A self-addressed, stamped envelope is also appreciated.)

Introducing Day Nursery’s 2010 Official Turkey

The students enjoyed the book Setting the Turkeys Free written by W. Nikola-Lisa and illustrated by Ken Wilson-Max so much that they made many hand print turkeys to decorate their classroom.

2010 marks the 5th year that Day Nursery has selected an “official” hand print turkey in celebration of Thanksgiving (see Talking Turkey for more history).  The official turkey is selected by a panel of staff members in our administrative offices.  We use the student artwork to decorate a Thanksgiving card sent to our donors and supporters. Beth Rodriguez, Day Nursery Director of Development oversees the judging.  This year she really captured the spirit of the competition in her emails to the staff announcing the contenders are “so cute you could gobble them up” and reminding everyone not to “stuff” the ballot box.    I will spare you the rest of the corny jokes as I am pleased to present the winning turkey for this year, created by 4-year-old Nathaniel of Ms. Lee Ann Kidwell’s preschool room at the Day Nursery Clarian Center.

Day Nursery Federal Family Feast

It is a tradition at Day Nursery for our centers to host a family meal around Thanksgiving.  Today I would like to share some pictures with you sent to me from Sarah Parks, Director of our downtown Federal Center.  Prior to the today’s lunch, the children were treated to a special visit from Young Audiences performing artists The Asante Touring Company and their program TUCHEZE NGOMA: THE DRUMS OF KENYA.  The performance introduced the children to drumming, dancing, and singing of Kenya, in East Africa.  They were amazed by the thumb piano handmade out of wood and a garden rake. Sarah says the children really enjoyed the drums–both playing them & listening to them. The children also learned about Kenya & how to say “Hey! Let’s play the drums!” in Kiswahili, the Kenyan national language. 

Many parents stayed to enjoy the Thanksgiving feast with their children, including this dad who wore a bib & allowed his toddler to feed him.  That is one cool Dad.   Happy Holidays.

Day Nursery holiday happenings

Miss Raine shows off her turkey pinata

Sydney's toddler turkey

Toddler creative indian corn

So many turkeys, so little time

Every Day Nursery I visit this week is filled with Thanksgiving and fall artwork. These turkeys come from the Preschool 3 classroom at the Day Nursery Clarian Center. Below you can see Assistant Teacher Ms. Karen Garrett proudly posing in front of her students’ artwork. Ms. Karen has been with Day Nursery for 11 years.

Holiday art: Handprint turkey of the day

This beauty is the creation of Jada, a preschooler at the Day Nursery Clarian Center.

Find Us Friday

I usually try to do a “Friday Faces” post but this week I am going to mix it up a bit.  Today is Find Us Friday because I wanted to show off our new sign on the front of the Day Nursery Hendricks County Early Care and Education Center in Avon. Isn’t it a beauty?  If you have friends or family looking for child care in Hendricks County……send them to the north side of the campus at Clarian West hospital and tell them to look for the sign!

Thankful Thursday: Day Nursery gives thanks for our generous funders

Day Nursery Director of Development Beth Rodriguez returns today with another guest blog post!
Greetings from the Day Nursery Development Department! It’s been an exciting couple of weeks with some fantastic grants coming through in support of the children and teachers! As Thanksgiving approaches, we want to make sure that these generous funders know how much we appreciate them.

First, we want to thank the Lilly Endowment for an extraordinary grant of $200,000 in support of the Tuition Assistance Program and the Staff Education and Self-Sufficiency Initiative. The Endowment has made a two-year commitment of $75,000 each year for the Staff Education and Self-Sufficiency Initiative (a total of $150,000) and $25,000 each year for Tuition Assistance (a total of $50,000).

Next, we want to extend our appreciation to the Efroymson Family Fund, a CICF Fund, for their generous grant of $50,000 in support of the Tuition Assistance Program. Over the years, the Efroymson Family has awarded $120,000 in support of Tuition Assistance and the Staff Education and Self-Sufficiency Initiative.

The good news just keeps coming!

We also want to thank The Indianapolis Foundation for their $25,000 commitment to the Tuition Assistance Program. The Indianapolis Foundation has invested generously in the sustainability of Day Nursery, and we are stronger now than ever because of their support and belief in our mission and programs.

And last, but certainly never the least, we want to thank the Women’s Fund of Central Indiana, a CICF Fund, for their continued investments in the lives of the children we serve and the teachers who care for them. This year, the Women’s Fund granted $25,000 in support of the Staff Education and Self-Sufficiency Initiative.

If you aren’t already familiar with the core programs that these generous grants are supporting, here’s a little more information:

Tuition Assistance Program: Day Nursery believes that all children, regardless of a family’s income, should have access to high-quality early care and education. Support of the Tuition Assistance Program gives families the opportunity to choose quality early care and education for their children while improving their tenuous hold on self-sufficiency. Thanks to our extraordinary and generous funders, 300 children from low-income families attended Day Nursery this year and got the best start in life.

Staff Education and Self-Sufficiency Initiative: This comprehensive professional development program provides our early education teachers with the tools and financial support they need to earn a Child Development Associate credential (CDA), an Associate’s or Bachelor’s Degree in Early Education. Day Nursery employs more than 150 early education teachers in its centers and, since good teachers are the heart of Day Nursery’s excellent programs for the children in our care, it is essential to provide them with high quality educational opportunities.

If you would like to make an investment in these programs, please visit http://www.daynursery.org and donate today! If you would more information about our exciting planned giving opportunities, please contact me, Beth Rodriguez, at (317) 636-9197, ext 240.