As we reach the 3 o'clock mark at Carelot and naptime is over, it's time to ensure our afternoon activities are set in motion to maintain a nurturing and engaging environment for our little ones. Here are some important reminders and suggestions for this time of the day:

1. Transition Time: Begin transitioning children from their current activities to the next phase of the day. Use gentle reminders and visual cues to help them understand the change in routine.

2. Snack Time: For many children, 3 o'clock means snack time. Ensure that snacks are prepared and distributed safely, adhering to any dietary restrictions or allergies.

3. Structured Activities: Plan engaging and age-appropriate activities to keep children stimulated and entertained. This could include arts and crafts, storytime, music and movement, or outdoor play if weather permits.

4. Quiet Time: For those who may need it, incorporate a period of quiet time into the schedule. This could involve reading books, listening to soft music, or engaging in calming activities to help recharge for the remainder of the day.

5. Staff Communication: Maintain open communication with fellow staff members to ensure smooth transitions and support each other in providing the best care possible for the children. If you are an afternoon staff, ask the teacher if there is any infomaton to relay to the families. If they ask how their day was, it is your repsonsibility to answer them with information about their child.

6. End of the night staffing: If classroom numbers decrease and you become extra, check in with your Site manager/Supervisor to see where you may be needed.

7. Preparation for Child Pick-Up: As the hallways are not classrooms, it's essential to have children ready and waiting in a classroom for pick-up. Faces have been wiped, a fresh diaper may be needed, etc.

Remember our Education and Care of the children continues throughout the day from the time we open the doors until the last child leaves for the day! Thank you for working together to maintain the best service to our families and children!

Happy May! It was so amazing to see all the recognition you received during our Staff Appreciation Week! You were all spoiled with special treats from the PTO, families, co-workers, and the administrative team. I hope you all enjoyed the week of goodies! I believe that it is important to find qualified, nurturing individuals to work at Carelot. That is why we have all of you on our TEAM! We realize that we may not say it as often as we should, but, without all of you, we would not be able to offer the high-quality program and family atmosphere that we do. Keep up the great work and THANK YOU for all of your hard work and dedication!

I am always impressed when I see how many of you have been with Carelot for 1 or more years! It is wonderful to have a company that has a team of individuals committed to both Carelot, the Children, and the Families!

Being a Carelot Employee involves more than just working with the children. Please be sure that you are:

• Communicating with your supervisor (needs for your classroom, family issue, staffing issues, supplies or toy replacements etc)
• Reading news and information that comes from HR, Corporate or your site managers
• Responding to requests for incentives, questions, feedback etc.
• Attending required meetings and trainings.
• Listening to your families - their needs, ideas ... be respectful of their requests and expectations.
• Taking ownership of your classroom and centers. You and the children spend many hours in the building and it is important that you make it a home away from home! Have ideas or needs for classrooms, the building, ways to show off your programs, JUST ASK!!!!! CALL ME/EMAIL ME and I will be happy to help your team facilitate ideas that parallel our program philosophy!

These are just a few items that can make your jobs easier and your days more efficient and stress free. Thanks for being the best staff ever!!!

• Tour Etiquette Reminder: We've had numerous tours and visits from families lately, thanks to our open door policy at Carelot. As staff members, it's crucial to maintain a welcoming atmosphere and respect our guests' time. Avoid discussing internal matters with administrative staff during tours or visits. Instead, extend a warm welcome to visitors, showcase your classroom activities, and save any administrative discussions for later. If you need to communicate with admin, a quick request or note suffices. Let's ensure every visitor feels valued and appreciated during their time with us.

• Sunscreen should be labeled clearly with the child’s name. Sunscreen should be applied at Carelot due to excessive sweat, water play or if worn off for afternoon outdoor time.
• Non—Prescription Medication Forms- Please review all non-prescription med forms when they are returned to make sure that it matches the non prescription item that are br,ought in.

Question of the Month:

" What is one thing you appreciate about Carelot?" Submit answers BY May 25th!

Last Month's entries:

WINNER: Congratulations to Heather our Clubhouse Executive Director . You won $20-

TO: All Classroom Teachers

FROM: The Administrative Team

RE: Family Conferences- Part 2- June

We will be holding family conferences from June 1st to June 10th. Please be sure to review your conference paperwork and collect the required paperwork from your families. If you have any questions please feel free to see us. Take the time to continue to develop relationships with your families. Listen to the family’s expectations and comments with an open mind and enjoy the opportunity to share ideas and information about each of your special little people.

The key is being prepared. Utilize your planning time over the next few weeks to ready yourselves. Ask questions and use the resources available to you in the resource room, office and in your supervisor’s brains. Remember to be honest and address all issues you have, always include the positive with the negative and brainstorm together on appropriate solutions.

** Assessment Checklists are to be kept in your assessment binders to assist you in assessing the child’s developmental growth. These assessments are filled out at various times throughout the year to have a thorough grasp on the children’s developmental stages for planning lessons and activities in your classroom! See your director if you have any questions.

**Portfolio heets should be gone over when getting ready for your conference and child portfolios will be part of your parent conference.

**Family Conference summary form is to be used AT the conference to document any plans or ideas that come up with you and the child’s family regarding: Classroom ideas, family participation, ideas for future development, etc… Remember this is a partnership between home and school!

Summer Portfolios: The children’s portfolios process for the summer will be entirely up to the classroom teachers. There aren’t any requirements for collections over the summer (JULY & AUGUST) You may add entries using the Look at Me forms – some cute photos or something special that may occur. Enjoy the summer and your children!

Fall 2024- New portfolio process using the DOTS system and forms. We are very excited!

Most parents in your center are reasonable, rational, responsible, caring about their child, and sensitive. But there are a few parents in every center who are difficult, demanding, critical, irresponsible, or uncooperative.

This is the observation of Anne Stonehouse in her Exchange book, How Does it Feel? Child Care from Families' Perspectives. She points out...

"These people test the professionalism of teachers, especially home-based caregivers, where there is no relief and often no other adult present to provide support. With these parents, try to understand where the behavior may be coming from, what purpose it serves. For example, do they lack power in other areas of their lives? What image do they have of themselves as people, as parents?

It is often those parents who behave in ways that are least likely to elicit support and help, and are the ones most in need of it. For example, parents who are critical of staff and who make unreasonable demands may be uncertain about their skills as parents, and see this as a misguided way of demonstrating that they are good parents.
"In the same way that it is nonsense for staff to act as if they enjoy all children equally, it is not possible, not human, in fact, to like all parents equally. In an atmosphere of professionalism, it should be acceptable for staff to talk about parents they have a hard time getting along with or parents they just can't warm up to with their supervisor. Just as with children, the aim with parents is not to love them or even like them, but to respect them and to work with them on behalf of their children."

ALL staff will be required to take a mandated health and safety course. I have provided the link below. The state is tracking this so it is not a Carelot requirement. It will be recorded on CCAC for OEC. Everyone must have this class completed by the summer. The class is 5 hours online training if you hold a CPR/1st Aid and Medication Certifications. If you do not hold all of these certifications, you will be required to take an 18 hour online class. This class MUST BE COMPLETED to work in our program as per the CT OEC.

"Building Strong Foundations for a Lifetime of Learning"

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