Giving back to our community

The month of November is all about giving back to our community. This year we have decided to parent with Nashville Diaper Connection for a diaper drive at our school.  We couldn't think of a better way to help out other children in need. Our goal for the month is to collect 5,000 diapers and with the help of our school family we know this is something we can accomplish.

Here are a few facts about the needs for diapers and the link to Nashville Diaper Connection if you would like to help in another way.
https://www.nashvillediaperconnection.org

What is diaper need?

·      Diaper need is the lack of a sufficient supply of disposable diapers for a child to remain clean, dry and healthy.

Diaper need in Nashville is overlooked problem.

·      In 2017, Nashville has over 7,550 children ​age three and younger living at or below the poverty level. 

·      Disposable diapers often cost over $85 per month per child and cannot be purchased through any state or federal assistance program. 

·      Food Stamps and the Women, Infant and Children (WIC) program classifies diapers with cigarettes, alcohol and pet food.

·      Without any form of support, mothers often must make the choice of buying food, paying rent, or buying diapers. 

·      Beyond those in poverty, one in three low to moderate wage earners report they struggle to buy diapers.

The consequences of diaper need are disheartening.

·      Babies who remain too long in a soiled diaper are exposed to potential health risks including increased instances of child abuse. 

·      Maternal depression and family stress is significantly increased in homes that struggle to provide this basic necessity. 

·      Most childcare centers, even free and subsidized facilities, require parents to provide a day's supply of disposable diapers to allow the child to participate. 

·      Many parents cannot go to work or school if they can’t leave their babies at child care.

·      Children that participate in early childhood education programs are 3 x more likely to complete high school and go onto higher education. Children that don't participate in early childhood education programs are 3 x more likely to NOT read at grade level at the end of the 3rd grade. These children are far more likely to drop out of high school.

·      Additionally, 3rd grade performance statistics are used by Tennessee to forecast future prison bed needs.

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What Can You Do?

·      Help spread the word about Diaper Need in Nashville

·      Volunteer with Nashville Diaper Connection by wrapping and delivering diapers

·      Promote a diaper drive or diaper wrapping event at your employer, church or school

·      Make a donation to support our mission, at nashvillediaperconnection.org

Halloween Walk

We are so lucky to be surrounded by an incredible community in Maryland Farms. Our neighbors at The Brentwood Police Department and Fire Station and Sutherland Place Nursing Home we nice enough to volunteer their time and donate candy for our Family Halloween Walk. Families were encouraged to dress up with their children and enjoy the morning. We were able to check out the fire hall and see a few of the patients at the nursing home. Take a look at all the fun we had!

Sensory TIme

Little ones learn with their whole bodies. Sensory activities (such as these ones focusing on the sense of touch) are a very important part of that whole body learning.

Sensory play exposes children to many new experiences, textures, and materials. It is calming for many children and also presents children with lots of new language that they might not otherwise experience – rough, smooth, clumpy, brittle …

Take a look at the fun Halloween sensory bin that Mr.Sean created for his Preschool One class. They had the best time talking about what was in the bin and how it felt.

Dress like a Scarecrow Day

Bring on the cooler weather! To celebrate Fall's final arrival we had "Dress Like a Scarecrow Day!" We were so excited to see everyone dress like a scarecrow! Check out some of the cutest scarecrows below:

Room on the Broom

Preschool One had a great time exploring the Halloween book "Room on the Broom". After their stories Mr. Sean and his friends created a fun and spooky Halloween experiment with small witches cauldrons. Check out all the fun they had.

Reading with Infants

You may wonder about the benefits of reading to your baby. An infant won't understand everything you're doing or why. But reading aloud to your baby is a wonderful shared activity you can continue for years to come — and it's an important form of stimulation.

Reading aloud:

• teaches a baby about communication
• introduces concepts such as numbers, letters, colors, and shapes in a fun way
• builds listening, memory, and vocabulary skills
• gives babies information about the world around them

Believe it or not, by the time babies reach their first birthday they will have learned all the sounds needed to speak their native language. The more stories you read aloud, the more words your child will be exposed to and the better he or she will be able to talk.

Hearing words helps to build a rich network of words in a baby's brain. Kids whose parents frequently talk/read to them know more words by age 2 than children who have not been read to. And kids who are read to during their early years are more likely to learn to read at the right time.

When you read, your child hears you using many different emotions and expressive sounds, which fosters social and emotional development. Reading also invites your baby to look, point, touch, and answer questions — all of which promote social development and thinking skills. And your baby improves language skills by imitating sounds, recognizing pictures, and learning words.

But perhaps the most important reason to read aloud is that it makes a connection between the things your baby loves the most — your voice and closeness to you — and books. Spending time reading to your baby shows that reading is a skill worth learning. And, if infants and children are read to often with joy, excitement, and closeness, they begin to associate books with happiness — and budding readers are created.

Check out our story time in Infant 3...

Open House 2018

We want to thank everyone who came out to our open house. This was a great time to come in and take a look at what our program offers. Our educators were also able to talk one on one to parents about progress reports and share their goals for the school year.