The Sandcastle Times - May 2023

May greetings to Carelot Families and Friends!

First and foremost, I would like to extend a huge thank you to the families, center, and PTO for their kind donations to our staff! We dedicated this entire week to recognizing the staff at Carelot. Each day the staff will receive special treats, breakfast, lunch, and lots of love!!! We couldn't have done it without the support of our Families! On Friday we will end the week with some swag and fan mail! Our staff are the backbone of our programs and dedicate each day to the education and care of the children! THANK YOU!!

This month, you will see the children learning all about transportation. Please be sure to ask your child what they learn. Some great open-ended questions could include:

What was your favorite part of today?

• How did you make___________?
• What was your favorite center activity today?

• Today was fun because_________?
• What or who made you smile today?
• What book did your teacher read for the class today?
• What was your favorite part of your school day?
• Did you help anyone in class today?
• Did someone make you laugh?
• Who sat next to you at lunch?

These are just a few examples of some great conversation starters.

It's been a long couple of years but it is great to see families and events back in our programs. Our classrooms are always open to our families to volunteer their time, help out or participate in one of our classroom events. We thank all of you who joined us for The Week of the Young Child events. The art show was AMAZING!!! We have so many talented children and their creativity definitely showed!

Be sure to check out the calendar on the website and the special events page for upcoming activities. We are always looking for parent/family volunteers. Come and share a favorite story, make a snack or craft with the children, or just come and spend time in your child’s classroom!

Check out the upcoming events happening at each program! Keep updated by checking out our website calendar or joining our Facebook page. Each month we add new pictures and updates!

As always, I cannot be in every program so if you have a compliment, concern, or idea to share, please email me at holly@carelot.net.

Happy May!

Holly

Family/Teacher Conferences: Time set up a short conference with your child’s teacher! Please schedule a time to review your child’s development and assessment information in the weeks of June 5th-16th! We can’t wait to share all of their milestones and accomplishments!

Teachers plan lessons and activities based on their observations of each individual child in their classrooms. This allows each child to develop and grow at his/her own potential.

First and foremost, I would like to extend a huge thank you to the families, programs and PTO for their kind donations to our staff! We have dedicated this week May 2nd through May 6th to show special recognition to the Carelot Staff. There are some great surprises planned for each day of the week. We couldn't do it without the support of our Families! Our staff are the backbone of our programs and dedicate each day to the education and care of the children! THANK YOU!!

April was filled with some exciting learning about Spring! We learned about flowers, the weather, butterflies and caterpillars, our earth, and rainbows.

The week of the young child was a great event with activities focused on cooperation, food, music, and art! We ended the week with an Art Show with all original pieces of art and an Ice Cream Party!

May is here and filled with even more challenges and learning. Our theme will be transportation. We can't wait to travel around finding out all the ways to get around!

CT music will be back as we move and groove to the sounds of music!

Communication is the KEY! At Carelot we strive to work together with our families to provide the best care and education. Our parent-teacher conferences are a great way to have a say in the planning of our programs to meet the needs of each of your children, however, we ask that you continue to plan with the teachers year-round. Communicate daily or schedule a time to discuss your thoughts, concerns, or ideas to make the home/school experience the best for your child!

We also encourage families to:

• Share information with our teachers- through verbal communication or utilize our Parent/teacher communication app- Procareconnect! This is a great way to send a quick message or see how your child is doing?
• Contribute your ideas or feedback to your child's teachers.
• Check out the Community/Resource boards, and Carelot Facebook page, or ask a staff member to learn about community events and resources that can help your family or child.
• Join us for events and invitations to take part in classroom activities and events
• Be open and discuss items that may come up regarding your child's day, learning experiences or interaction in the classroom.
• Utilize the written reports Carelot offers twice a year at our Family/Teacher conferences and through your child's classroom learning portfolio.
• Interested in planning an event or activities? We are open to hearing all about it!
• Be Open! Someone is always willing to listen!

We like to occasionally remind families about the importance of nutritious meals for young children. Although packing meals at home for school is time consuming, the types of foods that your child finds in his or her lunch box help to determine the energy that he or she has for participating in school activities. When selecting lunches, please consider those that are low in fat, sodium and sugar. For example, some of the ready-made snacks or lunch meals look appealing, but are low on nutritional value. It may take a few minutes, but it is worth your time to make a peanut butter or cheese sandwich and add a piece of fruit. Yogurt and fresh fruit make nutritious snacks. Please help educate your child about nutritious eating and snacking so that he or she will benefit from these lessons now and in the future!

Check out Pinterest for some great school lunch ideas!

Reminder: We cannot prepare food for your children. Please send all items in and ready to eat!

PROVIDER APPRECIATION:

Thank you to everyone who has signed up for our Award-Winning Teacher Appreciation Theme Week. The staff will enjoy a treat each day of the week and have been invited to a staff appreciation picnic in June!

Upcoming events:

Summer Fundraiser: Little Ceasars Pizza Kits is delivered right to your home. Stay tuned for dates. A fun dinner night!

Shop on AMAZON! Mother's Day, is May 14th, and Father's Day, on June 18, is a major shopping holiday and a great time to increase your AmazonSmile donations. With the below copy and banners, simply remind your supporters to shop at smile.amazon.com to generate donations for Carelot Children's Center PTO.

Turn your Father's Day shopping into a force for good. Shop at smile.amazon.com/ch/31-1653526 and Amazon donates to Carelot Children's Center PTO.

Our programs are getting ready for summer. Summer Camp for school-age and preschool children will begin in June. We are also offering a camp program @ The Friendship School for students enrolled at the Friendship School. (This includes children entering the program in the fall) Please sign up early - spaces are filling quickly!

Our staff has many exciting activities planned to make your child’s summer one to remember! Volunteers are encouraged to help out in our classrooms whenever possible! Drop off 5 minutes early and read a story to the class or make arrangements with the classroom teachers to help out with a project.

Sometimes summer brings schedule changes and we kindly ask that you notify the office of any summer changes. We base our staffing on maintaining ratios we are mandated to follow and therefore need to plan ahead if schedules change. Remember if you withdraw your child for the summer, we will do our best to have a space, but cannot guarantee that we will be able to re-enroll your child. We promise to always try our best to meet your needs!

• Please bring in a change of clothing that is “weather appropriate”
  
• Labeling: we ask for help and please label all of your child’s belongings (clothes, bedding, lunches, etc.) This helps keep items from getting lost!
  
• Please take home your child’s lunch daily. Unfortunately we cannot store food that is not eaten.
• Please be sure to Label ALL Items that come into the Clubhouse. We have Sharpies available if you need one. It is our hope to have the lost and found items all find their proper owners.

APRIL WINNER:

We have a winner for April! Jan Lin (Sophia)- East Lyme Center- Congratulations!

Thank you, everyone, for your feedback!

It's so easy to win- Just submit an answer by May 25th!

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

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!

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

Sand Toys

Any toys you have cleaned out in good condition

Cars or trucks for outdoor play

Board books

• Information sheets are sent home to programs if a child has a contagious disease which includes information on symptoms, procedures, and prevention. (illnesses such as Covid-19, coxsackie, strep, pink eye, etc) This is to keep you abreast of illnesses your child may be exposed to. At this time we will continue our regular health assessments when the children arrive at the center.

"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