Dear Families,

Spring is finally here.  Very soon we will see the tiny crocuses, daffodils and tulips peeking their heads out of the ground.  I have some purple hyacinth sprouting out of my flowers beds. The weather is warming up and children want to spend lots of time out-of-doors.

We are very excited and doing final preparations for our NAEYC visit sometime this month.  Please tell your teacher how much you appreciate them this month by filling out a great teacher card!  

At this time of the year, many families go through their children's toys and games and throw out or give away items that the children no longer play with.  Please remember that the Weekday Program and My Friends' Place are eager to receive gently used toys appropriate for Infants through 7th grade.  A donation letter is available.

Thank you for choosing The Weekday Program to partner with you in the early education of your child.  We are currently enrolling for the 2011-2012 school year and will begin enrollment for our Summer Program on March 10.   

We thank you for entrusting your child to us this year.  We have enjoyed working with all of the children in our care and have seen growth, development and skill acquisition in all of the boys and girls.  We have also witnessed how the children have grown in the way they deal with frustration and the care and concern they express for one another. We are really impressed with the extended attention spans of these little ones.

We thank you for your support throughout the year.  We feel a close partnership with our parents and send you our best wishes.

I would like to send out a special thank you to Ms. Denise, Ms. Natalie and Ms. Ann who have all taken on new roles this year in preparing for our 2011-2012 school year! 

Have a wonderful March and enjoy your spring break!

Peace and Blessings,

Shela 

Reading books to your preschooler is probably the single best thing you can do to enhance early literacy. Fostering a love of reading goes a long way to ensure that your child will always have a strong interest in books. Children who love books as a young child are more likely to continue to read for pleasure throughout their lives. Also, read books and magazines around your child. Let your child see that you enjoy reading for pleasure. Children learn so much from what they see their parents doing, so don't underestimate the power of modeling the things you want your child to appreciate.

Sharing nursery rhymes, poems, and finger plays are great ways to foster early literacy skills. The easy to remember, rhythmic verses of poems and rhymes will be requested over and over by your preschooler. You'll be amazed at how much a young child can pick up from a favorite rhyme. When purchasing children's books, make sure to buy a nursery rhyme book and a book of children's poetry. You'll be reading from these books for years to come.

Finger plays are also great ways to further your child's early literacy skills. Finger plays are really just poems or songs that are set to motion. Think of "Itsy Bitsy Spider" or "Where is Thumbkin?" These classics are a great place to start. You can actually find plenty of books full of finger plays to share with your child. Why not pick a few favorites to share as a part of your bedtime ritual.

Facilitate early literacy by keeping a variety of printed materials in your home. Let your child see you enjoying things that involve the printed word. For example, make sure your child sees you reading the newspaper, typing on the computer, writing lists for the store, or leaving a note for your spouse. Provide lots of writing materials for your child. Note pads, small composition notebooks, and colored paper should be available for your child to use. Encourage your child to "write" their own notes and store lists. In addition to a variety of papers, be sure to provide different writing materials. Colored pencils, markers, pencils, and crayons should be available to your child. Colored writing utensils are fun, and more interesting for a child than regular pens and pencils.

If you want to ensure that your child develops a love of reading and writing, the best things for parents of preschoolers to do is to share age appropriate books and enjoy reading for pleasure in front of your child, including poetry and nursery rhyme books. Have special reading times, and share finger plays in the car as well as at home. Finally, expose your child to the written word. Give them lots of different writing supplies and let them see you involved in writing. These are easy, yet ways to encourage early literacy in preschoolers.

The PTC's mission is to provide support to our children, their teachers and each other through fellowship, participation and prayer.

Childcare will be available for the meeting.  Please RSVP to Kim Hoover, PTC President, at blkahoover@verizon.net.