The Sandcastle Times - Sept. 2022

A great big welcome to our new students that have joined our Carelot Family. We are happy to begin our new school year and have many exciting activities planned! Our staff is working hard to get their classrooms and programs ready for continued fun and learning!

This time of year is a transition for all of us...school starts, jobs change, the weather changes, and more! Keep in mind that it is a time of change for all of us! Change is a good thing and it keeps our lives full of excitement. Enjoy the special moments with your children and cherish every minute!

Please take note of our calendar of events for easy planning. You can also check out information on our website. The site managers and executive directors are working diligently on the October through February programming for activities, and special events for planning. All information will be put in the monthly newsletter and on our website.

Please be sure to take advantage of our Referral Program! Check out the flyer on our Facebook page as well as in this newsletter! Who doesn't want FREE money??

Time to think about scheduling your Flu Shots! Please be advised that it is the Connecticut State Law that all children attending child care have a seasonal flu vaccine if they are between 6 to 59 months by December 31st, 2022. Please be sure your child gets their flu shot unless you have proper documentation stating they cannot get the vaccine.

ALL CENTERS:

Please follow your scheduled hours. This helps keep state mandated ratios in order as per the amount of staff that are scheduled. If you need to change your hours to earlier or later please give proper notice to the office so we can adjust our staff schedules. You can find the request for schedule change form on our forms page on the website. A two-week notice to the director/site manager is required for any schedule changes.

Soon cool weather will be here. Check your child’s extra clothes bins and bring home bathing suits and towels. It is important that your child has a change of clothes just in case.

Also, if your child will be late or absent, please call the center to let us know or send a message to your teacher via the procare app. We kindly ask that you call before 9:30am. This allows for our teachers to plan their day accordingly.

We know many of you utilize emails and Facebook pages. Not only is this a quick and effective means of communication it also saves paper and our environment.

We kindly ask that all of our Families and Staff LIKE our Facebook page at www.facebook.com/carelotctr or on Instagram @carelotchildrenscenter

We also ask that you provide us with a current email address to email you about current events and news as well as include you on our KidsReport daily communication.

Website- You can visit us at www.carelot.net to keep updated on our center events and center photo gallery! Check it out! The website is updated as soon as new activities and events are planned. You can also view our monthly newsletter as well.

Don't forget to submit your answers! You have won a $25 tuition credit on your account.

It's easy to win by just emailing us an answer! $25 tuition credit!

Email your responses along with your name and the program your child attends to adminassist@carelot.net. Thanks for helping us make our programs better! Without everyone’s input, we are not able to effectively assess how our programs are doing! We appreciate you taking the time to help us assess our policies, procedures, curriculum, and more!

Congrats to Jordan, Bentley, and Bailynn's mom from the Brooklyn Center for winning the August question of the month. We thank you for your kind words!!!

Our staff uses a process of documentation that aligns with the CT Early Learning Standards to record children’s growth and development. Through photographs, anecdotes, and children’s work samples, teachers put together a visual account of each child’s accomplishments. Using recognized developmental milestones, growth in the following seven areas of development are assessed:

1. Thinking, Reasoning, and Problem Solving

2. Emotional and Social Competency

3. Language and Communication

4. Gross Motor Development

5. Fine Motor Development

6. Reading and Writing Development

7. Creative Development

The Assessment process recognizes and celebrates that all children develop at different rates and with various strengths. Collections are completed for fall and spring and kept in their portfolio binder as long as the child is enrolled in the program. At the end of the child’s enrollment, the portfolio becomes a memento to be taken home and treasured. This collection is a representation of the child as an individual with distinct interests, backgrounds, skills, and desires. Teachers will meet with you in family/teacher conferences twice a year to share these treasured collections and celebrate the accomplishments of your child. This is the time that you will also share information on the growth and development of your child. Conferences are an ideal time to share expectations and your family philosophies. A conference can be scheduled at any time outside these set dates.

Upcoming events:

One stop shopping - November 6th - East Lyme High School

We are very excited to bring back our annual shopping event after a 2-year hiatus. Come shop amongst several vendors selling some amazing items!

Fall Fundraisers: Stay tuned!

Thanks for all of your continued Support! We are always looking for new ideas for fundraisers if you have an idea drop by the office and share it with us.

CLUBHOUSE 2022/2023 Sign up for before and/or after school care now! Limited spaces are available! You need to register even if you attended last year!! Call Heather or Lorraine @ 860-739-1993 Ext. 120 TODAY!!!! Programs are offered in the Waterford Elementary schools as well as at The Friendship School in Waterford. All those enrolled will also receive Snow Day care at our East Lyme or Killingly Center.

CENTER NEWS:

Summer has been flying by and we can't believe it is September already! We are very excited to start the school year with some great activities such as Grandfriends Social, Family Collages, Graphing, Friendship murals, Good neighbor day, EL and Killingly Trunk or Treat, and more!

Any old working Ipads, Iphones or tablets for our classrooms! Recycle!

Shaving cream, Board Books, Bubble Wrap, outdoor toys (bubbles, chalk, hula hoops, balls, etc), buckets, shovels, water toys.

Outdoor Materials:

Tree slices (large & small)

Sticks (various lengths and widths)

Rocks (a variety of sizes)

Tree nuts

Acorns

Pine cones

Large movable tree stumps

Flat wooden boards

Pots & Pants

Muffin tins, cake pans, pie pans

Plates, Bowls, Cups

Mixing spoons

Large mixing bowls

Pitchers

Canisters

Scoops

Buckets

Spray Bottles

Watering Cans

Large tubs for holding water

Wood Boards (various sizes work great for construction projects, ramps, etc.)

Milk crates

Balls (a variety of sizes)

Wood Block Set

Old Tire(s)

Movable Tree Stumps

Rope(s)

Buckets

Our Preschool will begin its school year curriculum on Sept.6th! We offer mornings, full-day, 2, 3, or 5-day programs. Please be sure to sign up and share our program with family and friends. Our curriculum is based on the CTELDS (CT early learning and development standards) and NAEYC criteria for a quality learning environment.

Our program is rich in:

• Social/Emotional Development
  
• Physical Development and Health
  
• Language and Literacy
  
• Creative Arts
  
• Mathematics
  
• Science
  
• Cognition
  
• Social Studies
  

"Building Strong Foundations for a Lifetime of Learning"

Providing education to Children ages 3 months to 12 years!

Email: adminassist@carelot.net
Website: www.carelot.net
Location: 315 Flanders Road, East Lyme, CT, United States
Phone: 860-739-1993
Facebook: facebook.com/carelotctr