Spring is finally here! The weather is heating up, butterflies appear, flowers bloom, and your children are growing so much right before our eyes. There are many celebrations this month, spring break and open house too. Let's hop into this month's newsletter...

This time of year is busy for many of you as you prepare your child for educational transitions. The Education staff will provide a transition session that will give parents more information to support and help your child through transitions. See flyer information below or contact Maria Salazar-Gallo at 562-210-4205.

As a reminder, we do not permit any food items to brought in for students. We cannot permit candy or "goodie bags" to be given out to students. Please see the flyer for more information.

New River: April 15 5-6:30pm

Moffitt: April 14 5:30-7pm

Columbia, Chavez, Huerta, Ramona, Nuffer: April 15 5:30-7pm

Dear Parents and Guardians,

We hope this message finds you well. We would like to make you aware of the updated tentative date for a solar panel project at Ramona that will impact parking, specifically for Early Head Start families. Solar panel canopies will be installed in two main sections of the parking lot beginning June 2nd, 2025 for fencing installation with panel installation beginning shortly after. During this time, parking will be available on the outer perimeter spaces of the parking lot.

Additionally, street parking on Dinard and Mapedale streets will be allowed, as the city of Norwalk has given the district permission to park Monday through Friday along those streets. Please remember not to block driveways or the red loading zone designated for the school bus.

The contractors have provided us with a tentative completion date in late August, 2025. We will continue to send updates throughout the project installation, so you are aware of parking impacts. We want to thank you in advance for your cooperation as we strive to ensure the safety of our students, parents, and staff.

• Parent volunteers are essential to our program success! Part of the requirement of Head Start is to have parents volunteer as part of matching federal funds received to implement our amazing Early Education programs. Every year we recognize parent volunteers at a luncheon. To be invited to the luncheon, Early Head Start parents need to have 130 hours and Head Start parents need to have 100 hours of volunteer hours. The deadline to submit hours to be recognized at the luncheon is APRIL 11th, 2025. Please ask your child's teacher how you can volunteer, as we need volunteers at all times during the school year.

The Early Education Toddler and Preschool classroom environment is guided by The Creative Curriculum for Preschool and Toddlers which is a comprehensive, research-based curriculum that features exploration and discovery as a way of learning, enabling children to develop confidence, creativity, and lifelong critical thinking skills. It is designed to support teachers to plan and implement a developmentally appropriate, content-rich program for children with diverse backgrounds and skill levels.

The children have begun to show an interest in plants and the fruits and vegetables that grow on them. For example, whenever we go outside, the children are curious about the plants they see around them, and, during mealtimes, they have shared their observations about the fruits and vegetables we eat. These interests have inspired us to begin a study of gardening. We will use children’s questions as the basis of our investigations and learn how to plan and care for a garden, how gardens grow, who helps gardens grow, how gardens help people and the environment, and how to harvest a garden.

As we study paper, children will develop language and literacy skills as they talk about the different types of paper and how they use them; social skills as they create art with paper alongside peers; fine-motor skills as they tear paper and cut paper with scissors; and cognitive skills as they explore, attend to, and engage in activities using paper.

The annual parent survey is going out to all parents this month, so please check your emails for a message from Power school. If you prefer a paper version, please ask your child's teacher for a paper survey. Each child who returns the survey will receive a small academic gift for completed surveys submitted electronically or paper surveys submitted directly to a teacher. You can also just click the link and complete the survey now if you prefer https://forms.office.com/Pages/ResponsePage.aspx?id=kYozH4QJHkaHFyZPRjllDHhxgTCsH_5EuAlD31CHRqlUODVGQ1RBNzFHUExRTEpISTA4RUhHRVdOWi4u

Ms. Laurel Parker, Director, has announced her retirement effective May 1, 2025. She has been the Program Director for 20 years and worked in other positions in the Program for four years prior to that. Before coming to the Early Education Program, she was a special education teacher at Nuffer and elementary teacher at Hargitt, Moffitt, and Chavez Schools. In total, she has served NLMUSD for 38 years. Her position is currently flying, and the district's goal is to have a new Director in place prior to her departure. We will all miss her greatly, her impact on the lives of staff, students and families is immeasurable. When you see her at the Ramona gate, be sure to say hello and offer wishes for a wonderful retirement.

April 18th, No School Local Holiday

April 21st-25th Spring Break No School

15 Fueling Snacks to Take to Your Childs Game

When your little league baseball player or soccer star says, "Your turn to bring snacks," stress can inadvertently be added to your already hectic day. But, it doesn't have to when your snack game plan provides nourishing, tasty choices for hungry kids.

Providing snacks that fuel up, not bog down, rising athletes is a chance to teach kids the proper way to get energy for sports while, at the same time, showing them how much you care. So, instead of reaching for candy or heading to the drive-thru, stop to consider the reasons for snacking and try these suggestions.

Snacks serve several purposes for active kids, including:

• Providing energy (calories) to help working muscles power through activity.
• Supplying fluids for hydration and to keep the body cool.
• Providing nutrients for growth and development.
• Promoting recovery after hard exercise.

In addition, snacks should be easily digested so blood flows to the muscles during exercise and not to the gut in order to digest a heavy, greasy snack.

Depending on the time of the game, different snacks meet different needs. Here is a guide to choosing snacks based on game day and time.

After School Games

Many kids have early lunch periods during school, so they might start the game hungry. A good after-school snack provides quality carbohydrates and protein for quick energy and a satisfied tummy. Consider packing your cooler with these nourishing options:

• 6-ounce cartons of a variety of fruited yogurt or yogurt in a tube
• Peanut butter or almond butter sandwiches with natural fruit jam
• Turkey and/or cheese wraps cut into 1-inch slices for easy finger food
• Low-fat string cheese and mini pretzels
• Bottles of cold water or pitchers of cold water with lemon (cold water helps lower body temperature in active athletes)

Weekend Morning Games

Muscle fuel can be very low after an overnight fast. Therefore, if you are rushing out the door to make it to a morning game, consider serving breakfast foods that kids love:

• A mini cinnamon-raisin bagel with flavored cream cheese
• English muffin sandwich with a slice of lean ham and/or reduced-fat cheese
• Greek yogurt with a variety of toppings (homemade granola, chopped almonds or walnuts, dried fruit)
• Fruit and yogurt smoothies
• Cartons of low-fat milk with baggies full of cereal
• 100% fruit juice boxes

After the Game

Post-game snacks should help to replace muscle fuel lost in exercise and replenish fluids without ruining kids' appetite for the next meal. Consider:

• Air-popped popcorn sprinkled with Parmesan cheese
• Low-fat plain milk
• Banana, orange slices, or apple slices (dipped in orange juice to prevent browning)
• Whole-grain granola bars

Providing snacks is a part of everything you do to keep your child healthy, so choose wisely and help your child succeed on the field, in the classroom, and in life.

If you have questions or concerns, please feel free to contact the program office at (562) 210-4205 to speak with an administrator.

Early Education Program Administration Team

• Director: Laurel Parker
• Assistant Directors: Amie Wilson Bird, Loretta Gallegos, and Marisol Martinez-Garcia