Child Care Chronicle Feature Facts from Dawn April

April
UNO Child Care
Center
2016
Child Care Chronicle
Dawn Hove–Casart — Director
Helping Parents and
Children Learn Together
(402) 554-3398
Monica Dey — Assistant Director
Feature Facts from Dawn
Spring is finally upon us and hopefully the days
will start staying warmer. The children are
getting excited to be able to play outside each
day. Please make sure that you have provided
sunscreen for your child for outside play.
The groups have also begun talking walks on
campus, so please make sure you check the
“Where We Are” board, located in the
Multi-Purpose Room, to see where your child
may be. Also, as a reminder that if you will be
picking up before 4 p.m., please let the teacher
know, so in case the group goes for a walk in the
afternoon, that we have your child stay back.
classrooms. See sign-up sheet located on the front
desk counter. Times are 9:15am, 10:30am, 2:30pm
and 3:45pm.
Wednesday, April 13: Wear the color Pur ple.
Purple Ribbon Day. Please pick up your Purple
Ribbon from the front desk.
Thursday, April 14: Guest Reader Day, we will
have an opportunity for parents and departments on
campus to sign up to read to the different
classrooms. See sign-up sheet located on the front
desk counter. Times are 9:15am, 10:30am, 2:30pm
and 3:45pm.
Monday, April 11th, Toddler 1 & 2 families
Tuesday, April 12th, Transition families
Wednesday, April 13th, Preschool families
Thursday, April 14th, Preschool 2 families
Thank you in advance for all of your support!
Come help us celebrate this wonderful week. We
hope that you can join us for one or all of the
activities. Please watch for more details about
additional activities that will be happening in your
child’s classroom.
The Preschool 2 Graduation and Center wide
Luncheon is on Friday, April 29th at 11:00 a.m. at
the Milo Bail Student Center Ballroom. Everyone
Please turn in completed Summer and Fall
Friday, April 15: Family Games Night and Pot- is invited to attend. A shuttle bus will be provided
registration information by Thursday, April 9th. luck from 5:00 to 7:30pm. Come join us for some
to take the children and the families from the child
After this date, we will be calling families on our Food, Fun and Family Time. Bring your favorite
care center to the student center beginning at
waiting lists to fill any open spaces.
dish to share, network with other families and staff 10:15 a.m. and will do return trips back to the
and play games in the different classrooms. Games center beginning at 12 noon. All children will be
This year, Week of the Young Child is
will be provided by Playtime Schooltime. Games
attending the graduation and lunch. If you will be
April 11-15th. The UNO Child Care Center will can also be ordered and purchased. Order forms
dropping off your child after 10:30 a.m. or picking
be doing special activities and events during this will be available that evening. A sign-up sheet is
them up before 12:30 p.m. you will either need to
week. Here is a list of the activities for the week located on the front desk counter for you to sign-up. bring them to or pick them up from the student
include:
center’s ballroom. We hope that you can join us
Playtime Schooltime has also provided two $15 Gift and have lunch with your child.
Monday, April 11: The childr en will par ade Certificate as door prizes. You must attend the
across campus beginning at 9:00 a.m. to deliver a event to enter the drawing. One entry per family.
As always if you have any questions or concerns,
special “Thank You” to various offices on
Hope to see you there!
you may contact me at 554-4936, e-mail me at
campus. Parents are welcome to join us.
[email protected] or stop by my office.
Chancellor Christensen will also be stopping by CHAMPS is also inviting all families to show the
the child care center at 9 a.m.
teachers how much they appreciate all their hard
Until next month…People grow
work! They are asking families to bring snacks or
through experience if they meet life
Tuesday, April 12: Taco Tuesday. We will
treats for the teachers to share during Week of the
honestly and courageously. This is
have tacos for lunch. Guest Reader Day, we will Young Child. See the list to know what day to
how character is built. Eleanor
have an opportunity for parents and departments bring in treats.
Roosevelt, My Day
on campus to sign up to read to the different
Dates to Make Note of...
April
1 - April Fool’s Day
5 - CHAMPS Meeting 12-1 Alumni Center
10-16 - Week of the Young Child
15 - Family Game Night & Potluck
22 - Earth Day
23 - Passover Begins
28 - Preschool 2 Graduation Practice 9-11am
29 - Preschool 2 Graduation & Center Luncheon
MBSC Ballroom 11am
29 - Arbor Day
May
1 - May Day
5 - Cinco de Mayo
6 - Last day of Spring Semester
8 - Mother’s Day
10 - CHAMPS Meeting 12-1/Alumni Center
21 - Armed Forces Day
30 - Memorial Day; Center Closed
31 - Summer School-age Program Starts
June
3 - National Doughnut Day
6 - Ramadan Begins
13-23 - Swim Lessons at Hper
14 - Flag Day
19 - Father’s Day
20 - Summer Begins
3 - Steen C.
4 - Damien B.J. 13 - Landon S. 16 - Julia D.
9 - Miss Jamie 10 - Emmett J. 20 - Claire C.
23 - Owen C.
11 - Miss Anna 12 - Colin A.
23 - Mr. Logan 25 - Evelyn P.
27 - Leighton B. 28 - Ms. Missy
29 - Elliana B. 29 - Violet F.
30 - Scarlett S.
Rick Jacobsen – Kitchen Tech.
Egg Salad Recipe looked as if it could be one
that I would like to try --knowing that there
are plenty of eggs this time of year.
Ingredients call for:
6 hard-cooked eggs, peeled
1/4 C finely diced celery
2 tsp. finely chopped fresh tarragon or
1/2 tsp dried tarragon
1 Tbsp. finely chopped fresh flat leaf
parsley
1/2 tsp. celery seeds
2 Tbsp. mayonnaise
2 Tbsp. sour cream
2 tsp. Dijon mustard
1/2 tsp. lemon juice
1/4 tsp. each of salt & pepper or to taste
Directions:
1. Chop eggs, but not to fine. Transfer to a
mixing bowl and mix in the celery,
tarragon, parsley and celery seeds.
2. Next add the mayonnaise, sour cream,
mustard and lemon juice--stir to combine. Add in the salt and pepper and stir;
making adjustments as needed.
3.
Use as a sandwich filling on your
favorite bread or serve by itself on a bed
of lettuce.
“Few things in the world are more powerful
than a positive push. A smile. A world of
optimism and hope. A ‘you can do it’ when
things are tough.” --Richard M. DeVos
Happy Spring.
Mr. Rick
Effie Swinarski – Lead Teacher
Welcome to April
First of all, thank you to those parents
who took the time to meet with me during
Parent/Teacher Conferences. Your input is
important.
have any questions, please see
either myself or Miss Sarah M.
Transition letters will be going out later
this month for children who will be moving
to the Toddler 2 Group.
Themes for this month:
Baby Animals, Color: Yellow, Number: 8,
Shape: Oval and Letters: V,W,X.
We will have some fun activities planned
for the Week of the Young Child. A flyer
went home a couple of weeks ago. If you
We would like to wish Emmett J.
and Scarlett S. a Happy 2nd Birthday!
Parents, please make sure to turn in both
your envelope with your child’s progress
report and the family survey.
Family Pet Pictures:
Please bring in a picture of your family pet
by Friday, April 15. We will be displaying
the pictures in our room.
Until next month!
We would like to welcome Brooks W. to the “A child has a way of adding joy to every
Toddler classroom!
day”
~Toddler 1 Teachers
Sarah Murray - Lead Teacher
Thank you to all of our Toddler 2
parents and families that signed up
for conferences. We appreciate your
feedback.
The monthly themes are:
Baby Animals
Color: Yellow
Shape: Oval
Number: 8
Letters: V, W, X
Wednesday April 6th is Animal Day!
Please bring in a favorite stuffed
animal. We will be dancing with
them and other fun things!
children will begin visiting the
Transition room this month. See your
child’s mailbox for information
regarding the transition schedule.
Week of the Young Child
will be the week of April
11th. Stay tuned for fun
activities planned in the
classroom.
Preschool 2 Graduation and Center
Luncheon is Friday, April 29th at 11 am.
All the children will be going. We will
be taking a bus to the Student
Center. Be sure to have your child
here no later than 9:30am.
Children will start moving up to the
Transition Group. The 1st group of
~ Toddler 2 Teachers
Cassie Miller – Lead Teacher
Happy Spring!!!
This month we will be focusing on the
following themes:
-Plant Life
-Nature
-Weather
-New Beginning
-U, V, W
-Color Purple
-Flowers
-Oval
-Numbers 17 & 18
Thanks to all the parents who signed up
for conferences. It is always nice to visit
with you about your child. If you didn’t
get a chance to sign up please let me know
if you would like to meet at another time.
During the Spring and Summer months
the Transition class tries to have a picnic
once a month. Our picnic in April will be
on Friday, April 22nd. Your child will
need a peanut/nut free sack lunch.
Parents are more than welcome to join us.
This is a good opportunity for you to come
eat lunch with your child and spend some
time with them at school.
As the weather continues to fluctuate,
please make sure your child has the
appropriate clothing to go outside. Also, if
please bring in sunscreen for your child if
you have not done so.
Starting in the middle of April we will have
some of our Transition friends
transitioning down to Preschool 1 and some
Toddler 2 friends transitioning to
Transition. Please keep an eye out for a
letter and schedule concerning
transitioning to the new classrooms.
As always if you have any questions or
concerns please feel free to contact me via
email or during my hours at the center.
Transition Teachers
Sarah Jacobsen – Lead Teacher
Dear Parents,
We are ready for sunny weather and the end
of the winter months. To integrate our spring
theme in our dramatic play center, we’ll set
out sunglasses, visors and garden gloves. Our
children will go fishing using construction
paper fish and magnets. We’ll set up a
greenhouse, florist shop and farmer’s market.
Our children love to explore with different
sensory materials and water. Our sensory
tables will be filled with potting soil, dried
beans, sunflower seeds, and grass seeds.
We’ll fill them with water, wash the babies
and hang the baby clothes to dry.
Our science area will come to life! We’ll
observe growing plants and root a sweet
potato. The children will do evaporation
experiments with water on the sidewalk,
make a “tree stuff” collage and cut open
apples to determine if all apples have the
same number of seeds.


During the week of Monday, April 11th.
Please help our UNO Preschool students
celebrate the Week of the Young child:
 Monday: Department deliveries/
Music Monday
 Tuesday: Guest readers/ Taco Lunch/
Spirit Day
 Wednesday: Purple Ribbon day
Themes for the Month:
On the Farm, Zoo Animals, In the Garden, &
Backyard Creatures
Shape: Oval
Color: Yellow
Numbers: 17 & 18
Letters: V, W, X
Thursday: Guest readers
Friday: Family Game Night & Potluck
(5:00-7:30 PM)
Thanks,
Mrs. Sarah Jacobsen &
The Preschool Staff
Missy Brown - Lead Teacher
Welcome to Spring!!!
Can you believe we only have one
more month until graduation?! Start
talking to your child what graduation
is to get them prepared for what is
to come.
Our monthly themes are:

Spring

Numbers: 26, 27, 28

Letters: V, W, X

Colors: Pastel

Shape: Octagon

Animals: Tigers, Lions, and
other large Cats
Since graduation is coming up very
soon, we will be focusing and
practicing on getting prepared for
their big day. This means singing
the graduation song, learning our
graduation dance, and practicing
the order of how graduation will
go.
We plan to be going on walks in the
afternoons when it is sunny outside.
Water bottles are welcome in the
classroom. Please be aware of your
child’s shoes they wear each day.
Make sure they will be comfortable
enough to go on a walk in.
If you have any questions, comments,
concerns, please feel free to contact
me by email at
[email protected]
Sincerely,
Preschool 2 Staff
Technology and Parenting
phone at night, or have a central charging station in
your bedroom.
By Alma Villarreal, Parent Educator
Technology is great! It’s made life so much easier,
right? You can ask Siri and Google just about
anything. It helps us stay connected with friends
and family around the world, and it constantly
entertains us. It’s changed the way we shop, and
bank and it has replaced cameras and, sadly,
even books. It’s also made our work life a lot
easier – with the ability to read and answer emails,
make conference calls and stay connected around
the clock.
So what’s the problem? The problem is this: Yes,
technology is awesome! And we all enjoy talking
on the phone, facetime, social media and watching YouTube videos. However, as parents it can
also rob us of precious time with our kids – being
in the moment – being present. Technology is not
going anywhere; it’s only going to get
bigger. But, if you think about it, what is going
away is our kids’ childhood. It will pass us by with
the blink of an eye. And once it’s gone, it’s gone
forever.
Being mindful of all of this can be a good start to
making changes in order to be present, truly
present.
Here’s a few suggestions:
1. When you are with your kids, be with them.
Checking and replying to an email at your son’s
baseball game can cause you to miss out on his
homerun. And then that moment is gone. This is
true for any other great moment and milestone. It
can be easily missed while you’re busy posting
about your day, or uploading the pictures you just
took.
Remember that all rules have to have reasonable
consequences. For example, if a child chose not to
put up her phone until 9:30 pm instead of 9:00 pm,
she will now lose 30 minutes of cell phone use the
next day.
3. If you really must take a phone call or tend to an
important email or business matter while you are
spending time with your kids, it’s a good idea to say
out loud, “Listen, I have to take this important call
from my bank, but we will continue reading this book
once I’m done”.
4. Be respectful to your kids on social media. Be
mindful of the pictures you are posting of them that
are personal or private. Many times we can create
anxiety and lose their trust when we do this. I’ve
heard kids as young as 4 years old say things like,
“Mommy, please don’t post this picture!” Think about
it – you’d be mortified if your parents had the ability to
do this to you!
5. Lead by example. Remember that children are
constantly learning from observing you! Parents often
get annoyed with their kids because the kids are
spending too much time with their electronics (video
games, ipads and cell phones), yet many parents
can’t seem to put their own phone down around their
kids.
6. Don’t lose the ability to have a conversation. This
means talking not texting. As easy, convenient and
nice as it is to send a text – and even a group text to
your family, “Dinner starts in 15 minutes!” – we are
also losing the opportunity to talk and connect with
them. Let your kids know that it’s important for them
to answer the phone when you call them, and not
reply with a text.
Rules such as “no electronics at the dinner table”
or “no electronics in bed” are very important. It’s
important to have family time where you’re
actually looking face to face instead of staring at
screens. If you set the rule, you also have to follow
the rule.
I know we all have the best of intentions with our kids,
and we never mean to prioritize our phones over our
kids, but we’ve all let it happen from time to time. The
important thing is to be aware of how often we’re
looking at a screen and how well we’re connecting
with our children in their presence. Connecting with
kids can be so simple that it might not seem like
much. But here are a few easy ways that parents can
build that person-to-person connection.
As a side note, teens can make very bad choices
after hours, so I encourage you to make a rule
about appropriate times to put away their cell
Make eye contact. Get down to your child’s level.
Use your body language to let her know that you are
present and that she has your full attention.
2. Make family rules and follow them
C.H.A.M.P.S met on Tuesday, March 8.
At the meeting, the group discussed
activities that will be occurring during
the Week of the Young Child.
Things to be looking forward to
include,; purple ribbon day, Family
Game Night, and opportunities for
family members to read to the
children.
Preschool 2 Graduation will be
happening on Friday April 29.
C.H.A.M.P.S is purchasing items for
gift bags and will be filling the bags at
our April meeting.
The center will be celebrating our
30th. Anniversary this year, and
planning for a big event in August
have already begun!
The next meeting will be held
Tuesday, April 5 from 12:00pm to
1:00 pm at the Thompson Alumni
Center. All parents are encouraged
to attend!
Use touch. A simple rub of the shoulder, running
your finger through her hair, holding her hand or
giving her a hug lets her know that you’re with her.
Learn to listen. Really, truly listen. Not just nod in
agreement while also thinking about all of the work
emails you have to respond to. This takes practice!
But by being intentional about it and really focusing
your efforts on truly listening to your child, you can
send a powerful message that you care about her
enough to hear what she has to say to you.
Even on the busiest of days, try to make it a priority
to spend at least three minutes a day playing with
your kids. Three minutes really doesn’t sound like
much, but it’s so important to do this. It helps
improve the parent child relationship, builds trust,
confidence and helps with brain development.
Think of age appropriate activities, keeping in mind
that interest will vary depending on your child and
your lifestyle. Try reading, art (painting, coloring,
making bracelets), board games, playing dress up
or painting your child’s nails (this is a good one as
you are touching, looking at her eyes, and it
provides opportunities to talk), playing sports as a
family, spending time outdoors, have a picnic at
the park. Even if it’s a quick sandwich, fruit snack
or a box of pizza, the important thing is that you
are connecting and spending time with your kids.
If for just three minutes a day, you put your phone
away, look in your child’s eyes and have a
conversation with him, you will be sending powerful
messages that he matters. Of course, the more
time you can spend, and the more often you can
turn away from your electronics the better!
Technology is great – and it’s made our lives so
much easier – but nothing can replace the human
connection between a parent and child.
©2016 Momentous Institute
- See more at: http://momentousinstitute.org/blog/
technology-and-parenting#sthash.revVdA9b.dpuf
The University of Nebraska at Omaha Child
Care Center will continue Scholastic book
orders this month. Books are an important
part of a child’s development and can help
your child gain pre-literacy skills. Scholastic
also offers free books and educational materials to the Child Care Center when you order.
We will be accepting online book orders again this year. Please
visit scholastic.com/parent ordering to order. Our class user
name is UNOCCC and the password is Durango. You may pay
for your order using a credit card through Scholastics secure
web site.
The next book orders are due Friday, April 22. Watch for the
new book orders to go out.
Happy Reading!
Schedule Changes
No Schedule Changes can be made to
part-time options; example changing
one day for anther during the week or
adding the half day morning or
afternoon for a day.
For any other schedule changes there
must be availability during the semester
and approval must be obtained by the
Director or Assistant Director.
If you choose to withdraw your child
from the center any time during the
semester, a two week notice is required
with the understanding that all
out-standing balances will be paid in full
prior to your child’s last day of
enrollment.
Reminder that Tuition is due on the first scheduled
day of each week. You will be charged a $10 late
fee if your payment is not received before 11 AM on
the last day of the week. There are no credits for
sick or missed days. (Prepayments are welcome.)
There are NO EXCEPTIONS!
Withdrawal requests 3 weeks or less prior
to the end of the contracted semester
will require full payment of the remaining
tuition for the semester.
NOTE: Any vacation days used, but not
yet allotted will be required to be paid
back prior to the withdrawal date.
NOTE: If my account has a credit upon
withdrawal of my child from the center, I
understand that I must notify the director
in writing that I am requesting a refund
for the amount of the credit. I
understand that this process can take up
to 6 weeks before receiving a refund
check.
Remember when you are bringing in treats in for the children, in any
group, make sure there are no nuts or peanuts of any kind in or on
them. We have children and staff that are highly allergic. Thank you.
Baby News!
Lesson plans are posted weekly outside
your child’s classroom. Please read and
extend those lessons at home!
Congratulations to the
Christensen Family
Anders, Emily, big brother Steen and
big sister Adeline
On the birth of
Please remember: it is important to wash your hands wherever you are
and go. This could be at home, work, school, restaurants, grocery store,
department stores etc. Washing your hands and your children’s hands will
get rid of the germs and help you and your children stay healthy. It is
important that we do what we can to keep everyone healthy and germ
free.
Soren Foster
Born March 10, 2016
8lbs 10oz
20in