Project Connect CFCE

Hello Families,

It's that time again, it's Family Fun Fair time! The Family Fun Fair is a community resource event sponsored by the Early Childhood Community of Attleboro (ECCA) geared towards families with children 6 and under. This event is to help Attleboro families learn more about what their community has to offer them. Many local Attleboro agencies will be attending this event, preschool and child care providers, Attleboro Public Library, William James Interface, South Attleboro Lions club, Early Head Start, Project Connect and more!.

This Fair will also have plenty of FREE! fun activities for the kids! Face painting, balloon animals, story walk, FREE! used books from infant to adult and more activities at each agency table! South Attleboro Lions Club will be offering FREE! eye screenings for the little ones! There will also be FREE! giveaways and prize drawings! Did I mention this event is FREE! to attend?

The Family Fun Fair will be on April 6th from 9:30-11:30 am in the Attleboro High School cafeteria, in the back of the building. We hope you are FREE! to come on by and join us for this wonderful event.

We are very excited to announce we have a new social media page. Instagram! Please click the Instagram logo to access our page or you can find us @attleboro_projectconnect_cfce.

DoubleACS Attleboro's local TV station paid Project Connect a visit on Tuesday Feb. 6th to highlight our program. We had some awesome families that were willing to be filmed and and a big thank you to Iswarya (Ice) Prabakar and Sandra Faira for speaking about the program. Be on the look out for our segment on Facebook at: https://www.facebook.com/DoubleACS/ or visit DoubleACS's website at:https://www.aacs15.com/

Playgroups will begin the week of March 4th through the week of April 12th. Please include your child/ren's name, birth, home address and phone number when signing up. All groups birth through 5 years old are held at Project Connect's center unless specified. Please email Jacquie at jcapitanio@attleboroschools.com to register for all classes below.

Monday, beginning March 4th and ending April 8th

Toddler Time from 9:30-10:45 am, early walkers to 2.9 years old with Ms. Beatrice (non mobile siblings welcomed) Toddler time allows children to learn through play at their own pace and discover their own interests. Activities will include sensory, fine and gross motor and social emotional experiences.

Fun with Early Literacy from 9:30-11:00 am, 2.9-5 years old with Ms. Sarah (non mobile siblings welcomed) Come join us as we explore stories in a more preschool-like setting. Friends will have the opportunity to engage in sensory, fine motor and social emotional experiences that are all tied to the story of the day. (This group is offered twice, please choose one to attend)

The Baby Group from 11:00-12:15 pm, birth through pre-walkers with Ms. Beatrice (siblings welcomed) This playgroup is designed to support babies and their parents/caregivers to play, share ideas, and chat about the ups and downs of parenting. Activities will support a baby’s social, emotional, and physical development. Each week will also include facilitated conversations to build community and share skills & resources with each other.

ASQ Office Hours from 12:30-1:30 pm- Ms. Beatrice will be available to help any family that would be interested in learning more about your child's developmental milestones using an ASQ: SE and/or ASQ 3 questionnaire tool. These will be scored and a Parent Educator will contact you with the results.* Note: These questionnaires are kept confidential*

Tuesdays, beginning March 5th and ending April 9th

Mixed Group from 9:15-10:30 am, birth through 5 years old with Ms. Dana

This playgroup is based on promoting children's development milestones including: social/emotional, language, cognitive and movement in play setting. Activities include free play, reading and circle time.

Fun with Early Literacy from 9:30-11:00 am, 2.9-5 years old with Ms. Sarah (non mobile siblings welcomed) Come join us as we explore stories in a more preschool-like setting. Friends will have the opportunity to engage in sensory, fine motor and social emotional experiences that are all tied to the story of the day. (This group is offered twice, please choose one to attend)

Messy Play from 11:00-12:00 pm, 18 months-5 years old with Ms. Dana

In this playgroup your child will experience fun with shaving cream, finger paints, playdough, water play and more. This is going to be a mess of a time! (This group is offered twice, please choose

one to attend)

Wednesdays, beginning March 6th and ending April 10th

Fun in the Kitchen from 9:30-10:30 am, 2-5 years old with Ms. Dana (non-mobile siblings welcomed) Each week you and your child can make some easy, nutritious snacks. This is a fun way to foster your child's cognitive, fine motor and social emotional development. Let's get cooking!

*Note: When signing up please inform Jacquie of any allergies or food concerns*

Tinkering from 10:30-11:30 am, 3-5 years old with Ms. Beatrice (siblings welcomed)

Come explore creative engineering and building! Children will build towers, bridges, boats and more with different materials. Activities will support problem solving, fine motor, experimenting, and persevering skills.

Mixed Group from 11:00-12:15 pm, birth through 5 years old with Ms. Dana

This playgroup is based on promoting children's development milestones including: social/emotional, language, cognitive and movement in play setting. Activities include free play, reading and circle time.

Outdoor/Indoor Explorers from 2:00-3:00 pm, birth-5 years old with Ms. Beatrice Bundle up and play outside on and around the playground for 20-30 minutes. Then come inside to warm up with a snack and circle time!

Thursdays, beginning March 7th and ending April 11th

Me, You, We from 9:30-11:00 am, 2.6-5 years old with Ms. Sarah (siblings welcomed) Come join us as we explore social emotional topics each week through story telling, fine motor, sensory and dramatic play experiences.

Playtime @ the Gym from 10:00-11:30 am, birth- 5 years old at the Bartek Recreation Center, 81 Pine St. Attleboro with Ms. Dana Join us for gross motor activities and circle time. *Note: This is drop-in playgroup, no registration required.* (Last day of the Gym will be on 3/28)

Messy Play from 10:00-11:00 am, 18 months-5 years old with Ms. Beatrice

In this playgroup your child will experience fun with shaving cream, finger paints, playdough, water play and more. This is going to be a mess of a time! (This group is offered twice, please choose

one to attend)

Fridays beginning March 8th and ending April 12th

Music and Movement from 9:00-10:15 am, birth-5 years old with Ms. Cheryl This lively group will nourish your child's love and natural enthusiasm for music, movement and fun! (This group is offered twice, please choose one to attend)

Music and Movement from 10:30-11:45 am, birth-5 years old with Ms. Cheryl This lively group will nourish your child's love and natural enthusiasm for music, movement and fun! (This group is offered twice, please choose one to attend)

The Friendship Project is an Attleboro based community that helps families create friendships among children with autism and other additional needs. If you would like more information about The Friendship Project please email: ckillion@attleboroschools.com

Our PTO would like to say THANK YOU to all of our families with a pajama party! Pizza will be served. YAY! Come, eat and party with Ms. Cheryl in your pajamas, parents and kiddo(s). Please let Jacquie know of any allergies or food concerns.

*Note: This event is being offered twice, please choose one date to attend, thank you*

Attention Dads, Granddads, etc. join Ms. Cheryl for playtime and refreshments with your child(ren). Come, enjoy a special time with your child(ren) and meet other dads!

*Note: When signing up please inform Jacquie of any allergies or food concerns*

Playtime @ the Gym might be over, but playtime with Ms. Dana and Ms. Ashley is not. Come join them at Fred E Briggs Playground located at 35 Parker St. *Note: This is a drop-in group, no registration required *

Attention Moms, Grandmas, etc. join Ms. Cheryl for playtime and refreshments with your child(ren). Come, enjoy a special time with your child(ren) and meet other moms! *Note: When signing up please inform Jacquie of any allergies or food concerns*

Meet Ms. Beatrice outside to enjoy some fresh air, an earth-themed craft, and explore play with recycled materials. (The group will move indoors if weather requires it.) Ages birth-5 years old.

Come join Ms. Sarah for some construction fun. We will explore all things building! Ages birth -5 years old.

Joy has been doing live animal and nature programs for children of all ages for over 20 years. Join her to learn more about our reptile friends and have fun while doing it. Each family will also receive a book. Ages 18 months to 5 years old. (Note: This group is being offered at two different times, please choose one to attend. Thank you)

Come and join Ms. Beatrice and Ms. Sarah as they read The Very Hungry Caterpillar by Eric Carle. This group will include activities all connected to the story including sensory, art, music, and movement. Come listen to a story and bring it to life with your brain and your body! Ages 18 months-5 years old.

Parent support and playgroup at the same time? Yes, please! These groups are being held at the same time so one caregiver can attend playgroup with the kiddo(s) and one caregiver can join Ms. Cheryl for an in-person parent support group. Ages birth-5 years old. *Note: You do not have to sign-up for both groups to attend either group; sign-up for playgroup and/or C.C.*

The Parent Hour is a Zoom parent support group that will dive into different parent topics each week. It will be a place where parents/caregivers can talk about scenarios, concerns, etc. and get support/advice from a Parent Educator/fellow parents. This will run on the following dates:

Wednesdays: 3/6, 3/20, 4/10

Thursdays: 3/28

*Note: You can sign up for as many dates as you like or as little as you like.

Please let Jacquie know what dates you would like to attend.*

Jill Vetstein is a licensed clinical social worker with a background in early childhood education. This class is designed for parents/caregivers/teachers of children ages 18 months-5 years old. Parents will learn how to meet their child's need when their child is dysregulated and not able to listen. Also gain a deeper understanding on how some approaches to time outs are problematic and how others can be developmentally appropriate.

Jill Vetstein is a licensed clinical social worker with a background in early childhood education. This class is designed for parents/caregivers/teachers of children of all ages. This class will give an in-depth understanding of all seven senses. It will teach how senses impact everyday behaviors. Parents will learn how to read these behaviors and have a better understanding of how each child ticks.

Everyone should have pizza on Leap Year Day! How else do you celebrate the extra time?

Papa Gino's is giving Project Connect 20% of all qualifying sales on February 29th. Please mention this fundraiser when walking-in or placing a phone order. Online orders please enter Code 19 on the payment screen. If you have any questions about what the PTO does for Project Connect or would like more information on how to join please email pcfcpto@gmail.com.

If Channel 9, and local news stations announce, " No School for Attleboro", then Project Connect will be CLOSED. If there is a school delay, we will cancel the first morning group. Information will be posted on Facebook.

Project Connect will be closed and no playgroups will occur on the following dates:

February 19th through February 23rd

March 29th

A big Thank you! to the following families for their generous donations:

Boyle, Chheng, Conlea, Dimond, Fogarty, Kreu, Lemay-Rodriguez, Lusk, Martin, McVeigh, Radny, Silva, Skerker-Fortin and Wildt

Also, Thank you to any family that donated books to the Free Library

Staff:

Andrea Witherell, Coordinator

Jacquie Capitanio, Sr. Clerk Typist

Parent Educators:

Beatrice Conover

Sarah Dorfman

Cheryl Killion

Dana Walker

Program Assistant:

Ashley Choquette

****Please ask how the ASQ Questionnaire can help support your child's development****

Telephone: 774-551-8251

Location: Attleboro High School, 1 Blue Pride Way, Attleboro MA

APS website: https://pcfc.attleboroschools.com/o/pcfc

Facebook: Project Connect Family Center- Attleboro CFCE

Instagram: @attleboro_projectconnect_cfce

Email: jcapitanio@attleboroschools.com