The Child Care Center

Child Care Center Newsletter

February 1, 2010

CENTER CLOSED PRESIDENT'S DAY

The Center will be closed Monday, February 15th in observance of President's Day.  See you Tuesday.  

Parent Conferences

Sign up sheets can be found on your child's classroom door.  

CENSUS 2010

The 2010 U.S. Census has begun.  The census is a count of everyone residing in the United States.  All U.S. residents must be counted – both citizens and non-citizens.  The U.S. Constitution requires a national census once every 10 years to count the population and determine the number of seats each state will have in the U.S. House of Representatives.  The census also helps determine the amount of federal dollars that will be allotted to each state for education, health, welfare, infrastructure and more. That is $ 400 billion each year.  

It is most important that each household fill out its census questionnaire.  So this month, when your questionnaire arrives in the mail, please be sure to fill it out and return it.  

NEWS FROM RIVIERA PRESBYTERIAN CHURCH

A “Save the Date” for February 14….Transfiguration Sunday and  Valentines Day  

• In the morning service, we will observe Transfiguration Sunday (the final Sunday before Lent, which recalls how Jesus went up to the mountain and was transfigured before his friends as he committed his life to the path of sacrificial love.  Our service will examine the ways and means of love and commitment:  in faith, in friendship, in relationship…and all present will be invited to a reaffirmation of vows of meaning in each of our lives; whether celebrating our commitment to God, our relationship with a spouse or partner; the beauty of rich friendships, the bond between children and parents, our covenant with our highest and best self, to live in the image of God, and our commitment to life in intentional community.

LOVE CHANGES EVERYTHING:  a musical benefit for the nation of Haiti.

• At 5:00 on Valentine’s Day afternoon, Riviera is proud to produce and host a concert, followed by refreshments. An hour long recital of voices, piano, trumpet, and organ will feature songs of love from around the globe… Following the concert, a reception of tapas and festive beverages will send you off into your valentine’s evening with a warm and joyous feeling.  Donations will be taken for the benefit of the recovery of Haiti.  ONE HUNDRED PERCENT of all donations raised will benefit the Haitian relief efforts. Come by yourself…come with a friend…come with a sweetheart, a child or a beloved parent…. Just come, and help us remember in song and in community and in our giving:  Love Changes Everything.

FEBRUARY 17 at 7:30 ….Rising From the Ashes

• An Ash Wednesday service of prayer and intercession.  Through the ancient doorway of Ash Wednesday, which leads the Christian people into the season of Lent, we will join in a brief service of prayer, reflection, song and communion.  An opportunity will be given for the imposition of ashes, for the “burning” of burdens; and for continued intercession for Haiti, and other places in our lives, nation, and world that need healing and restoration. Following the service, the Labyrinth will be opened in the Sanctuary.  You are invited to join us on a “global walk” of peace and healing purpose for the people of Haiti; you are invited to walk as preparation for your own Lenten journey of reflection and renewal; you are invited to walk for the healing and the wholeness of a yourself or another.   Anointing with oil and prayers for wholeness will be offered in the sanctuary following the service and during the labyrinth walk.

THE YOUNG AND THE RESTLESS

INFANT

Can you imagine we have been experiencing some really cold weather, and we are in Miami.  

We see a lot of changes happening.  We can also feel love in the air.  That means Valentine's Day is coming up soon.  We celebrated Martin Luther King's Birthday.  

Thanks to Peter, Lucia, Anthony and Gian Carlo's Moms for the delicious pastries.  

Let us see what our babies are up to:  Jacob is so interested in story time.  He tries to pull the book away.  Ethan K gets excited watching the kids playing outside from the window on the courtyard.  Michael is fascinated with Elmo when Elmo starts dancing.  

Isabella and Charley hang out together on the play mat.  They babble to each other.  Ethan L blows bubbles when he does not want to take a bottle.  

Connor flirts with the girls.  Grandma comes by for her afternoon visits.  Anne sits up with the help of Boppy pillow.  Anthony goes around and jumps up and down in the Exersaucer.  

Gabriel looks forward to being on his stroller walk.  Luis Enrique is just so layed back and looks around at the bright colors.  

Bye-bye for now.  

See you soon.  

INFANT II

Hello February.

 Good bye January.  January was a month filled with chilly days.  We all enjoyed wearing our sweaters and jackets. It marked the start of a new year full of hope and many resolutions.  It is now time to welcome the month of love and friendship and Black History.
We are really looking forward to February.  Now let us see what our little loving ones from Infant II are up to now.
 Peter, Ian, Christopher and Reese are our little dancers.  They love to dance in the classroom.  They also love going outside and playing on the bridge in the sandbox, going down the slide and walking around the courtyard.  Congratulations to Reese who is making a big transition to the Toddler room.  We will all miss you.  You are wonderful, little girl.
Thijs and Declan are two fantastic additions to the classroom.  They also sit up to play with musical toys and moving backwards in the play area.  Nicole takes great pleasure watching other people.  When she sees someone singing or reading a book, she tries to do the same. She also likes playing hide-and-seek and walking around the classroom.  

Giancarlo loves to sit up in the activity area to play with books and look at the pictures. He is also doing so much walking.  Olivia and Bella crawl around the room. They stand and hold onto the table.  Bella gets really excited when she sees her brother across the door.  

 Rose and Zoe are busy with their push and pull toys. They love to play in the block area.  

 As you can see, our little ones have been busy. They have also been singing songs, doing creative art, and reading stories. The children have fun on the playground.  

 Plans for February are looking very exciting. We wish everybody a Happy Valentine’s Day.

Love,
Leo

TODDLER

Welcome February.  This is the month of caring and sharing.  Cupid will be on the prowl with the bow and arrow, piercing the hearts of our wonderful boys and girls.

It is a great joy to see our Toddlers greeting each other when they arrive each morning.  It is usually a hug, a kiss, “Hi” or a pat on the head or back with a big smile.  We know that actions really play an important part in a child's life.  It would be great to start off this month using our children's examples by sharing our love for each other or by saying what is wrong and make it right.  Then there could be a love connection for everyone.  Love is highly contagious.  You have it and pass it on.  

This month we will celebrate Black History Month, the Chinese New Year, President's Day, Ash Wednesday and Valentine's Day.  Please stay watchful for the announcement of our Valentine Day classroom party.  Information pertaining to your child's classroom party will be posted on the door.  

We are asking each parent to please label your child's personal belongings with the child's name.  This includes wearing apparel, cups, bottles and food from home.  There are order forms from a company that makes labels for everything listed above and more.  Label everything however you want.  Our bottom line is everything must be labeled.  

Now that we have provided you with some helpful hints, we are moving back to January so that we can bring you up to the monthly happenings.   Evelyn and TJ moved to the Pre-Scooters in early January.  They are having lots of fun.  Tripp and Trevor moved on the 18th of January.  Their adjustment is very good.  They are happy to see each other.  

The Toddlers received two wonderful replacements from the Infant II room.  We welcomed Lucia and Luke.  They have fit right into the class.  The staff is continually giving them and the Mommies lots of love and encouragement.  Lucia enjoys music time.  She loves to sing the Happy Birthday song over and over again.  She is also putting puzzles together.  She also enjoys being outside.  Luke is our cool dude.  He cruises along pushing toys, looking at pictures in books and eating is his favorite.  He is happy when it is time to go on a wagon ride.  

Emma's Grandmother was here visiting for two weeks.  Emma enjoyed being home with Grandma (Patty) from Oregon.  Emma was very happy to come back to be with her friends, playing in Housekeeping, reading books and playing on the playground.  Jacob is still giving his flirting “attitude eyes” and running to get the first push toy.  Jacob is great at putting puzzles together.  His language has also improved a lot.  He now is saying short sentences.  

Amanda has gained an early morning friend, Nicole (Mae's Granddaughter).  They have so much fun talking and playing with each other.  They will sometimes take a break and have an early snack together before breakfast.  Amanda's new trick is carrying her strapped chair around on her back.  I wonder what will happen when she starts sitting on the cubes.  Her vocabulary is so broad.  Now, she might say ”No I don't want to sit on that.  I need a chair.”  (With an attitude.)  She loves playing with all toys, boys and girls, but she likes being in charge.  

Declan arrives at school each morning very happy, running to each teacher, giving hugs and kisses and he dashes off to the push toys, then two or three puzzles, then dumps blocks on the floor.  Then he will come back and look through the books.  His favorite times are eating, art and going to the playground.  

Adriana enjoys playing with dolls and in the Housekeeping Area.  She wraps the doll in a blanket and lays it down.  Then she will go to the kitchen area to play with kitchen utensils.  Sometimes her sister comes to the door and they can be seen blowing kisses to each other and smiling happily.  

Stella has a favorite word that just comes up at any time:  “Sit down.”  It can be at lunch time or nap time when everyone is sitting or napping.  She enjoys wagon rides, art and the sliding board.  

Reece and Jacob will probably be our track stars one day.  One will see the other running and join in the fun.  We just have to get them to understand that they should walk softly inside.  

So now we are all singing, walking, walking, walking, walking, taking short steps, taking short steps, walking, walking; here we go.  And it is working, through positive reinforcement.  

Julia is our little greeter.  Everyone (parent or child) that comes in the room is greeted by Julia.  If they are familiar to her, she gives a hug to the child first, then the parent as the parent starts to leave.  Julia is also our little trend setter wearing her tam to the side and carrying her silver purse.  

Parents we thank you kindly for your time and your concerns.  We are here to help wherever we can.  

Anna

PRE-SCOOTER    

Welcome back!  The Pre-Scooters have been awaiting a new change.  At last, it has arrived.  So let us take a walk and see what our Pre-Scooters have been up to.  

Yazmin, Clara and Shaline have grouped our Pre-Scooters according to their age and unique creativity.  So as we group each child, each group has a unique character to itself.  Shaline is Potty Training Izaac, Indeah, Declan, Bridget and Nicolas.  Yazmin is introducing Potty Training to Alissa, Yannick, Elijah, Mia and Alexander.  Clara will welcome the new comers to the Pre-Scooter classroom.  She will assist them to get more familiar with the classroom, themes, schedule and activities.  Of course, her group would be Jenna, Trevor, TJ, Evelyn and Tripp.  Let us cross our fingers and wish for the best for the new changes in the Pre-Scooter class.  

Let us get started!  This month Clara introduced shapes and different sizes to Jenna, Trevor, TJ, Evelyn and Tripp.  She helped them to see how shapes are all around us.  They were laughing with joy when Clara helped them to make shapes while finger painting, playing with the sand table and even dot painting.  Clara is also helping them to learn table manners.  So far they all are doing a great job.  

Yazmin talked about the weather with Alissa, Elijah, Alexander, Mia and Yannick.  Every morning Yazmin would take them out on a “Nature Walk.”  On this walk they would talk about the weather and whatever the children were interested in that morning.  Last week, Alissa saw a butterfly.  She chased the butterfly around until it flew away.  Then she turned around and said, “Yazmin!  Butterfly go away!”  

After a Nature Walk, Yazmin would assist the children into setting down and having Circle time outdoors.  Alexander will smile and clap as Yazmin begins to sing.  Whenever it is story time he runs and sits next to Yazmin and listens quietly as Yazmin reads a story.  

Shaline was talking abut animals with Declan, Nicolas, Bridget, Indeah and Izaac.  Shaline helped them in making their own “Elephant Ears, Brown Bears” and even their unique “Yarn Lion.”  Shaline then read a story about animals.  She read Brown Bear, Roar!  Roar!  Then she read Elephant Ear.  Shaline took a class picture on the Pre-Scooters “Animal Kingdom.”  They all enjoyed it.  

Well, our journey has come to a stop.  As we reach our destination, our walk has come to an end.  Until next time, this is the Pre-Scooters saying “Good-bye.”  

SCOOTERS

February is the shortest month of the year with many nationally celebrated days like Valentine's Day, President's Day, Groundhog Day, National Chocolate Fondue Day and many others.  February is also designated as Black History month because of two birthdays that have a great bearing on Black History, those of Abraham Lincoln and Fredrick Douglas.  Just like there is much to celebrate in February, our Scooter celebrate on a daily basis their exploration and discoveries of the world around them, as they grow and adjust to society's demand while maintaining their independence and a sense of themselves.  

This month they will be getting familiar with some of the celebrated days as well as learning about their body parts and dental hygiene.  

As to what our Scooters have been up to:  Cannon and Sophia have moved on to the Explorers.  We will surely miss them in the Scooter room.  Dylan has left us.  We miss him and wish he and his family well.  It was a great pleasure to have worked with them.  

We have new members in our midst from the “other side.”  The Scooters team welcome Cooper, Eve, Morgan and Brock.  They are already Scooterific.  

Now to our Scooter “veterans.”  Jack is doing an outstanding job at using his words to express his feelings to peers.  He uses sentences like “Stop.  I don't like it.  Don't take my toy.  May make me sad.  Don't push.”  (Please do not get the idea that our Scooters are a terrible group of misbehaving children.)  

Congratulations to Marcelo and his family.  Marcelo is now walking in the “big brother shoes.”  The shoes fit him pretty nicely.  

Sidney is speaking clearly most of the time.  She is very active in the Centers with her friends.  She is doing better at re-telling stories.  Connor shows more independence now by wanting to do things more by himself.  He is cleaning the table after snack.  He is putting away his cup in his bag in the cubbies.  He is doing a great job at following routines.  

My two love birds, Savannah and Adam, are now is separate groups.  Adam is talking more and repeats after you more often with a big smile on his face.  Savannah is following routines very well.  She is showing enjoyment in playing with the pattern blocks.  Savannah and her family are off to Costa Rico for a week.  

Marella engages more in back and forth conversations.  She is playing very well with her friends.  Daniella and Dante are becoming veterans in the classroom.  Daniella goes potty on the toilet.  It is not yet on a daily basis, but quite often.  Way to go!  Dante is doing an excellent job adjusting and following our routine.  Let us face it folks, our kids are growing fast.  That is it for now.  Till next time.  

Joelle

EXPLORERS

During this month we focused on the New Year.  We started working and using the calendar, putting seasonal stickers up for each month.  The next week we talked about winter/the cold.  We did special crafts related with Winter like penguins and bears.  The third week of January we celebrated Martin Luther King's life.  We did a Circle of Friends and found out that we are all different.  The next week we worked with Wild Animals.  We talked about dots, spots and stripes.  We had so much fun.  

Next month we are going to start talking about feelings, love, friendship and we will celebrate Valentine's Day.  

We observed the following during this past month.  In the Block Area Logan and Alberto like to play with trucks.  They like to ride them.  Sean and Jacob like to play in the Block Area playing with the dinosaurs.  Peter and Cooper like to play with the construction hats and Lego people.  

Gemma, Emily, Stefania and Stephanie like to pretend to watch movies in a big movie theater when they are outside.  Kimberly, Madelyn and Leilani love to dress like princesses and play in the Castle (Dramatic Play Area).  Marlena likes to cook.  She pretends to serve tea and coffee to Dustin.  

Eric and Reese enjoyed going to the Language Center and Playing with the puppets and flannel board.  Nicolas loves to go and play in the Art Center or Writing Table.  

We would like to say a sad good-bye to Sebastian.  He moved to the Bloomer class as a big boy.  Congratulations.  We welcome Cannon and Sophia to the Explorers classroom.  

BLOOMERS

January has flown by.  It seems like just yesterday that we celebrated the New Year.  Our class has discussed New Year's Resolutions and dreams in honor of the great Martin Luther King, Jr.  I was very impressed with their interest in the subject and how much they were able to learn.  They even learned to pronounce the words “emancipation proclamation.”  

The discussion on resolutions was very interesting.  Conlon said his resolution is to “get a lollipop with Riley.”  Maximo said he wants to eat more fruit.  George thinks it might be a good idea to “help Mom at home.”  We also talked about what we want to be when we grow up.  Ivan wants to be a policeman and so does Sebastian.  They want to “fight the bad guys.”  Julian wants to be a Mommy.  I explained that he would be a Daddy, but he still wants to be just like his Mommy.  

To celebrate Martin Luther King, Jr. Day we made hand hearts and dream clouds.  Taylor's dream is to write her name.  Morgan wants to see the real Super Girl.  

Nishka wants to sleep in her bed alone.  Victoria wants to see Santa.  Maximo wants to stop hitting.  It was great to see their interest and understanding on this subject.  

During the month of February we will continue to build our pirate ship.  The plan is to cover it in paper mache and make it more firm.  Our boxes do not last very long in the humidity.  We will discuss Ground Hog Day and begin to decorate for Valentine's Day.  

Bloomers,

Lianne

  

Love and smiles,

FANTASTICS

It is already February, the Friendship month.  January went so fast,  We did not realize how many things we did.  During the month of January, we had a blast.  We had a special treat.  We got the chance to see an opera.  The troupe had a dress rehearsal in Fellowship Hall.  We were invited.   It was wonderful; lovely voices, funny antics and the actors interacted with us (the audience).  It was a great experience.  When we went to our classroom we discussed what we liked the most in the opera.  The rest of the week there was a lot of talk about the Birdman and the Princess and how they had to get married because they kissed at the end of the opera.  (this was the girls' idea.)  Needless to say, both the children and teacher enjoyed the opera.  

We are working very hard learning our ABC's and 123's.  We are reading lots and lots of books.  Sometimes we read three books or stories in a day.  We are still bringing books from home to share with our friends.  

Outdoor weather has been perfect.  We enjoyed the cold weather, feeling the breeze and the perfect time of the year to really enjoy watching some of the trees changing colors.  Blue skies and cool temperatures.  Sometimes a little too cool.  We love wearing hats, gloves and coats once in a while in Miami.  We can really say that for the first time in so long it felt like winter.  We took a survey about our weather (temperature) preference.  It was like this:  

I love really cold weather:  Emma, Naomi, Colin, Nicholas, Shawna and Adrian.  

I love cool weather: Camille, Eliza, Daniela and Michael.  

I would rather have warm days:  None.  

Anthony had a great time being outside playing with the parachute.  Jakk loves our outdoor picnics.  James and John are always talking about how beautiful the weather is.  They love to see the leaves falling down when there is a breeze.  

Zenia and Rachael have been wearing cute dresses.  They love to play in the Dramatic Area.  They wear hats and high heels.  Ella is our new friend from New Jersey.  She is very sweet with all her friends.  She loves to help during clean-up activities.  

Mila has been transferred to the Fantastics III.  She enjoys drawing in her journal.  Christopher is always singing in Spanish.  He teaches the outers when they ask questions.  Nicholas and Zenia are inseparable.  They love to play and do activities together.  Nicholas is always telling her how much he loves her.  

Can you believe it is the middle of the school year.  The time has flown by.  We continue to work on writing names and numbers.  In phonics, we are working on letter names and sounds.  Let us not forget working together as a team when we play.  Using our words we achieve self control so we can communicate our needs.  We are playing rhyming bingo and sight word bingo to enhance reading readiness.  

Isaac and Jayden have been working with the floor puzzles:  Number Train and Alphabet Choo-Choo are only a couple of them.  Samantha and Landyn head for the computer each morning.  They are playing Arthur's School House game.  

Kathryn and Miranda are playing in the Dramatic Play Area.  They are cooking.  They use the necklaces and beads and pretend it is food in the pots.  Alexia is keeping herself busy in the art and Writing Areas.  She is often working with the markers and scissors.  

Gabriella has started to show interest in building with the Legos.  Gabriel is helping her along.  He works with the Legos every morning.  He is giving her some pointers.  James and his friends build a pirate ship using giant wooden blocks the other day in the Block Area.  They had ramps, cylinders, a stair case and even a steering wheel.  

We are getting ready for Valentine's Day.  We will keep you informed about our class party.  Happy Valentine's Day you all!  

Fantastics I, II & III

AFTERNOON PROGRAMMING

INFANTS

The first month of the year was full of excitement and joy in the Infant family.  We welcomed back all our bundle of little stars and new stars that will shine this year next to us.  This month of January, we experienced freezing weather.  Our infants had to be wrapped around with layers of clothes in order to say warm, but our infants stayed even warmer with our hugs.  

Charley and Anne had girl time in the Activity area by sitting in the bombo chairs and giggling to one another.  Anthony has the cutest smile from ear to ear when you talk to him.  

Ethan K and Jacob are the big boys in the class.  They guard the Activity Area door and try to sneak out when they get a chance.  Connor spends time resting on the boppy pillows, looking at himself in the mirror.  Ethan L and Isabella are the love birds in the class.  They stare at each other and smile at one another while sitting in the Excersaucer.  

February is a month of expressing love, care and friendship.  But we in the Infant room already do that every day.  We give our love to our infants and care for them very much.  We are looking forward to the month of February to put hearts all around and celebrate a month of LOVE!  

Love always,

Martha

INFANT II -

The beginning of the new year has come and gone.  I hope everyone is enjoying 2010 as much as our Infant II children and I are enjoying it.  In January we celebrated the New Year, Martin Luther King's Birthday.  Our Infants were very involved in a lot of art, dancing, singing and outside play.  Christopher loves to go outside any time the door open.  He “speed walks” to the door.  Peter, Reese and Ian all love to dance to the sound of any beat that emerges from the radio speaker.  

We welcome Nicole, Declan and Thijs to our Infant II room and CCC family.  You can always catch Zoe and Olivia somewhere around the class playing together.  GianCarlo likes to read and look at pictures in the many books that we have in our classroom. Rose enjoys climbing the activity tunnel that we have in the Activity Area.  Bella is always spotted scooting around the class with her signature crawl.  

In February we will be celebrating President's Day and Valentine's Day.  We  will continue to read books, send home beautiful art, look at flash cards and play outside.  

I hope everyone has a wonderful and safe February.  

-- Until next month Shante is signing off. “Love ya”

TODDLERS -

Hello everyone.  We were so busy this past month of January.  We celebrated Dr. Martin Luther King's Birthday.  We learned new songs and games.  As we awake to the magical and sweetest month of the year, February, we will celebrate Friendship, Love and Sharing.  We will experience great activities by the hand of our caring teachers.  

-- Have a Lovely Valentines Day.  

PRE-SCOOTERS

We say good-bye to the month of February where we celebrated Martin Luther King's Birthday.   We welcomed new children to the Pre-Scooters classroom.  We would like to say that we are very happy to have them with us:  Evelyn, Tripp, Trevor and TJ.  They have made a very successful transition into the Pre-Scooters classroom.  

We celebrated some birthdays.  The children had lots of fun and enjoyed the experience.  Happy birthday to all who turned two.  

In February we will celebrate Valentine's Day, the day of love and friendship.  We will have art activities and decorate the classroom.  We will make something special for each child to give to another:  sort of like a gift exchange.  It will be interesting.  

Thank you,

-- Ms. Rosey

SCOOTERS

We are in February, the month of friendship and love.  We started the year, 2010 in a very positive way.  In the afternoon the children love to ride bicycles all around the yard.  They love taking wagon rides.  We also have art.  They play table games, build in the Block Area and build with the Legos.  

We are looking forward to Valentine's Day.  They will exchange cards and have a party.  I look forward to seeing what the months of 2010 have in store for everyone.  

Best regards,

-- Josephine

EXPLORERS

The beginning of 2010 went off without a hitch.  January came and opened up new possibilities and adventures for the children.  They all had an exciting week learning about Martin Luther King, Jr.  They read books, leaned about all the different seasons, beginning with Winter.  

As we begin the second month of 2010 the children are so excited to celebrate Valentine's Day.  They are looking forward to making cards for their families and friends, as well as the goodies that will accompany the day.  Another exciting thing is that February will also bring about the last month of winter.  I look forward to learning new things about the children and helping them transition as they grow each day.  

All my love,

-- Patti

BLOOMERS

As the weather changes from day to day, we have been enjoying many fun activities.  Taylor loves to play with the musical instruments in the Block Area.  Morgan and Julian enjoy spinning on the tire swing.  George loves to dig up treasure in the sandbox.  

Our Valentine decorations are slowly beginning to appear.  We hope to enrich our knowledge with our history as well as cultures abroad with President's Day and Chinese New Year.  We begin to take a little bit of time each day to appreciate those we cherish.  

Hugs & kisses,

-- Tamara

FANTASTICS

The Fantastics have had a great month celebrating lots of birthdays and doing lots of fun activities.  Now we say good-bye to January and hello to February, where we have lots more fun things to celebrate.  Valentines Day is coming up, along with President's Day and Groundhog Day.  We have some neat stories to read and fun projects to create.

Thank you parents for your continuing support.  

-- Ms. Jocelyn & Ms. Jennifer

FOURTH OF JULY FIREWORKS

No, we are not crazy.  With  the holidays are going to be  packages arriving, with  bubble wrap.  Bring us your  bubble wrap and we can  begin to get ready for the 4th of July.  

FROM THE DIRECTOR'S DESK

EASY TO LOVE, DIFFICULT TO DISCIPLINE:  The 7 Basic Skills for Turning Conflict into Cooperation.  Becky Bailey.  Quill:  New York, 2002.  pp. 114 - 117

Learned Opposition

The second type of child who resists structured choices has learned that this is an effective way to get his needs met.  Children can lean this lesson in three basic ways:  through permissive parenting; from parenting that fails to meet the child's needs; and from family troubles.  

Permissive parents either cave in to their child when he becomes upset, or try to dance around an issue in order to avoid upsetting him.  

The second way children learn to resist structured choices begins in infancy, and has to do with the way in which the baby's needs were met, or not met.  When a baby has a need (hunger, warmth, comfort), he enters an aroused state.  When an adult fulfills the baby's need, a relaxed state is produced.  If the parent responds to the baby, but cannot soothe him (due to colic, premature birth, or other physical problems), the baby will remain in an overly aroused state.  From the infant's perspective, his needs were not met.  That baby may come to believe that he must attempt to run the world in order to have his needs met.  As he grows, the child will become controlling and will resist imposed structure.  He will expand a great deal of energy trying to steer the world his way because he believes that this is his only chance for survival.  Such children do not resist structure to test the boundaries of their power.  Instead they try to control others in order to feel safe.  They have a low tolerance for frustration.  

One last way a child learns to oppose structured choices is through that experience of serious family trouble (for example, through divorce, death, or a  depressed, drug-abusing or alcoholic parent).  

To assist a child who opposes structure, do the following:  

First, keep in mind that although an oppositional child will challenge your patience, you must maintain self-control to help him.  

You will need to follow the steps listed below to enable both you and your child to heal spiritually after a power struggle has occurred.  

• •.Forgive yourself.  Since all power struggles end in someone getting hurt, after the dust clears you will probably feel guilty, and guilt can lead to permissive parenting.  Permissive parenting leads to the creation of demanding, willful, oppositional children.  Stop the cycle by truly forgiving yourself.  Forgiveness takes place in three steps, which I call the “three R's of forgiveness.”  First, recognize and accept your feelings.  Tell yourself, “I feel angry and anxious, and that is OK.”  Second, reframe the experience.  Forget about finding a good guy and a villain.  Third, request help.  Calmly ask your child to work with you in forging new patterns of behavior.    

• •.Engage your child in solving problems. Together, forge a plan for the future that will help your child do a better job of obeying you.    

   

• •.Help your child feel powerful.  Do this by giving him the chance to participate often in activities that he enjoys and at which he can succeed.  Point out the many decisions he makes each day.    

• •.Play with your child regularly.  If you concentrate on playing with young children for at least five minutes a day, you may reduce power struggles by as much as fifty percent.    

VALENTINE'S DAY PARTIES

Valentine's Day celebrations are planned for Friday, February 12th.  Sign up lists will be posted on classroom doors at the beginning of the week.  

HEALTH ALERT

FOOD ALLERGY CONTINUES TO INCREASE. . . CHILD HEALTH ALERT, January 2010.  

Food allergy among children is a serious health issue that can be life-threatening.  Reports have suggested that food allergy is increasing among U.S. children, particularly when it comes to peanut allergy.  To estimate what the rate of food allergy is now and whether it has increased over recent years, researchers examined a number of U.S. National surveys focused on children under the age of 18 years for the years 1997 – 2007.  

Based on these various sources, the authors estimate that food allergy in 2007 affected 3.9% of the U.S. children, and this represents an 18% increase over the frequency estimated in 1997.  Milk allergy was the most common allergy reported, followed by peanut and then egg allergy.  The authors are careful to point out that some of this increase might simply reflect growing awareness of food allergy (so parents are more likely to think of it and doctors may be more likely to diagnose it).  On the other hand, the authors point to other data that suggest that the apparent increase in food allergies – or at least part of it – might indeed be real.  (Branum AM & Lukas SL:  Pediatrics, December, 2009, pp. 1549 – 1555).  

. . . AND WHAT STRESS DOES IT PLACE ON FAMILIES?  

It is generally assumed that having a food allergy places a great deal of stress on children and their families.  After all, they have to be on constant alert to what is being served and eaten, and there is likely to be anxiety over the possibility of a serious allergic reaction.  It is of interest, then, that no one has studied levels of psychological distress in food–allergic children and their families – until now.  Researchers at Children's Hospital Boston gave mothers of 141 food-allergic children questionnaires asking about their children's medical history, anxiety and depression, as well as their own level of anxiety symptoms.  They also asked 69 older children (ages 8 – 17 years) to describe their own symptoms of anxiety or depression, social stress and their attitudes toward food allergy.  

The authors were surprised to find that, for most of the factors studied, the children with food allergy were no more distressed than children without food allergies.  On the other hand, mothers' reports of their children's symptoms were higher than the children's own reports.  Special analyses revealed that distress levels in children were higher when their parents had high levels of anxiety.  

So what do these findings mean?  The researchers point out that since mothers tend to report more child anxiety and depressive symptoms than their children, it is particularly important for health care providers to get the child's perspective on their own psychological functioning.  In addition, these findings “highlight the resiliency of youth with food allergy.”  However, the authors make the point that some children did indeed have high distress levels, and it should not be assumed that all food-allergic children have adapted to their situation and are free of distress.  

The authors suggest that lowering parents' anxiety about food allergy can help  reduce anxiety in their children, and this can be done by providing parents with good information and coaching on how to manage food allergy, which gives them a greater sense of control.  “When parents project a calm, matter-of-fact approach to allergy management, focusing on safety routines, and (when the parents) model use of coping strategies themselves, children will benefit from the underlying message that food allergy is manageable.”  (LeBovidge JS et al:  Journal of Allergy and Clinical Immunology, December, 2009, pp. 1282 – 1288.)

TICKLER

BLANKETS.  Parents are asked to provide a small blanket for their child for nap-time.  The emphasis is on the word small. For health reasons, we store the blankets in Zip-Loc bags.   Large blankets, sleeping bags are both cumbersome for sleeping on the floor, storing in the Zip-Loc bags and adding to your weekly laundry.  So please, think small and in the Summer think light.  Be sure to take the bedding home on Fridays for laundering.  

CALENDAR

FEBRUARY/MARCH

02/02 Compukidz

02/03 Ballet At Your School

02/04 Soaring Eagles Yoga

SoccerShots – 3:15

02/08 – 12  Parent Conferences

02/09 Compukidz

02/10 Ballet At Your School

02/11 Soaring Eagles Yoga

SoccerShots – 3:15

02/12 Valentine's Day Parties

Lincoln's Birthday

02/15 President's Day – Center closed

02/16 Compukidz

02/17 Ballet At Your School

02/18 Soaring Eagles Yoga

SoccerShots – 3:15

02/23 Compukidz

02/24 Ballet At Your School

02/25 Soaring Eagles Yoga

SoccerShots – 3:15

MILESTONES

INFANT I

Luis Enrique

Anthony

Connor

Gabriel

Anne

INFANT II

Nicole

Declan

Thjis

TODDLER

Lucia

Luke

PRE-SCOOTER

TJ

Tripp

Trevor

Evelyn

SCOOTER

Brock

Eve

Morgan

Cooper

EXPLORERS

Sophia

Cannon

BLOOMERS

Sebastian

FANTASTICS I  

Alexi

FANTASTICS III

Mila

HAPPY BIRTHDAY

• 02/08 Alexander (Pre-Scooters)
• 02/11 Gina Sanchez
• 02/12 Madelyn (Explorers); Yannick (Pre-Scooters); Declan (Infant II)
• 02/15 Conlon (Bloomers); Alissa (Pre-Scooters)
• 02/20 Jacob (Infant I)
• 02/23 Mia (Pre-Scooters)
• 02/25 Jazmin Bu  
• 03/11 Ethan (Infant I)  
• 03/16 Anthony (Fantastic III)  
• 03/18 Olivia (Infant II)  
• 03/23 Kimberly (Explorer)  
• 03/29 Clara Richardson
• 03/31 Cooper (Explorer); Arturo Pizzali

We wish all of you a very Happy Birthday.  

KEEP IT IN THE FAMILY

This is our means of getting to know what our parents do and what services they might be able to provide to other parents.  We want to be clear that we are not necessarily endorsing the company or organization a parent works for, but we are just spreading the word about what that parents can offer.  (The newsletter is becoming a networking tool.  Welcome to the 21st century.)  This month's parents are:  Todd & Dee Friedman

Dee and Todd Friedman, run the integrated branding and marketing agency, Tepino. The agency specializes in developing distinct brand identities and campaign strategies to help companies  generate more business.  Located in Coral Gables, Tepino brings more than 40 years of combined experience to their clients-some of which include Pasha's restaurants, Yogurbella, and Rapid Roy Delivery. Whether it’s a new company needing a name and logo, or a existing company needing an updated look, a fresh website and a smart campaign, the Friedmans’ bring the right combination of creative style, skill and experience to every client.                                      

Tepino Integrated Branding                          
4942 Le Jeune Road Penthouse                        
Coral Gables, Florida 33146 
305-725-6303
Tepino.com

A WISE PARENT KNOWS:  

Housework is largely invisible
unless it is not done.  

-- Patty Sprinkle

The Child Care Center does not discriminate among applicants and participants on the basis of race, religion, sex, national origin, sexual orientation or color.

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