Ella is off to a great start in first grade at Westford Public Schools.  We just had our first parent/teacher conference before the holidays and Ella is performing above average in her classroom.  She is reading at a high level and is one level away from where they expect her to be at the end of the year.  Many of the books she is reading now were first introduced in Miss Lynn’s classroom!   On a social level, she continues to be extremely kind and generous to her classmates often assisting others that need help.  Overall, I would say that Rich and I were extremely pleased on how well Ella transitioned from NGCC into a public school environment.  I would highly recommend the Kindergarten program at NGCC!

-Kelley Spence (Mother of Ella 2011)

We couldn’t be happier with Next Generation’s Kindergarten program.  Our younger daughter is in Ms. Lynn’s Kindergarten class now, and our older daughter graduated from Next Gen Kindergarten 3 years ago.  We have been part of the Next Generation family for over 8 and ½ years and truly consider it “family”.  While we will be sad to leave it when our younger daughter graduates, we know from experience that she will be well prepared for first grade – academically, socially, and emotionally.  We have always said that Lynn is the “quintessential” Kindergarten teacher.  She is warm, encouraging, and able to build upon each child’s strengths, while gently handling any issues in a positive and constructive way.

-Kris and Jeff (Parents of Lisa 2012 and Eleanor 2009)

Our son Daniel attended the Westford NGCC Kindergarten program after attending NGCC’s other programs since the age of two.  We were very excited about the comprehensive curriculum and were even more impressed by the caliber of teacher in Ms. Lynn.  The class was appropriately sized to allow for a close-knit community feeling as well as extensive individual attention for each student.  Daniel developed into a confident, articulate student that year and was completely prepared for the challenges that would come when he entered first grade.  We were so pleased with Daniel’s experience and are happy that our son Tait will be starting the kindergarten program in September.  Thank you NGCC!

-Liz (Mother of Daniel 2010

NGCC’s Summer Program is open to all of our families with Pre-K and Kindergarten children as well as recent graduates and outside families!  Registration packets for returning graduates or outside families available by clicking here.

NGCC kicks off it’s Summer Program on June 25th and goes until August 30th.  Keep in mind that we can arrange for care both before and after these dates!

Here is more detail on what we have planned:

Special visitors to our program already scheduled include Rhythm Kids and Erica’s Amazing Science Show!

Summer Kick-Off Week: June 25th—Olympic Opening Ceremonies

We are going to be celebrating the London 2012 Olympic Games with sports, games and learning what good sportsmanship is happens here!

Session 1 July 2nd—13th—  Fizz, Boom, Splat!  How did you do that?

The time will be filled with science experiments and science observations!  The children also be challenged to create their own inventions and make a prototype of it!  Art, science and critical thinking skills all combined into one!

Session 2 July 16th—27th— Animals, Animals Near and Far

The children will be discovering animals from our backyard, to those on other continents and their what their environments are like.  Nature walks, learning about exotic locations and building their appreciation for our natural world is what this session is all about!

Session 3—July 30th—August 10th— Music Mania

We will be investigating different types of music (jazz, classical, pop and rock) and different instruments that people use.  The children will also create their own instruments and end the week demonstrating their new instruments to the younger children at our school!   Dance party for everyone!

Session 4— August 13th—24th— Storytelling Adventures

Examining all the different types of stories and authors out there.  The children will read, act out and write their own fairy tales, tall tales and myths.   NGCC will be highlighting Caldecott award books and spotlighting different              authors.  We will also be having “special guests” to come in to read a book—would you like to join us?

Summer Send-Off Week: August 27th—30th— Olympic Closing Ceremonies

It might be the end of the Olympics—but not for the great days of summer!  We’ll revisit our favorite games, sports    activities and send summer off with a celebration while getting ready for the up-coming school year!

Dear NGCC Families,

As you may know, there has been a lot of press recently about arsenic levels in fruit juice.  Recent confirmation of varying levels of both organic and inorganic arsenics, along with calls being raised to lower the current levels of allowed arsenic has led me to remove juice from our menus.  Next Generation served juice during snack times for our preschoolers and up, but we will now offer the children plenty of water to drink throughout the day with snacks or lunch.

According to the American Academy of Pediatrics, children should not be given juice of any kind until they are 6 months old.  After 6 months, children should only consume 6 ounces or less per day for six years old and under.  Besides arsenic, tooth decay and high glucose level spikes are also reasons to reduce or eliminate juices from your child’s diet.  Your pediatrician is a great resource for more information on this topic.

If you have any questions about this decision, I encourage you to speak with your Director.

Sincerely,

Donna Kelleher

President and CEO

Next Generation Children’s Centers

American Academy of Pediatrics – has information about child health and guidelines concerning pediatric issues.

American Red Cross - has information about first aid and CPR training.

National Resource Center for Health and Safety in Child Care and Early Education – promotes health and safety in out-of-home child care settings throughout the nation.

National Association for the Education of Young Children (NAEYC) – Largest National group promoting early childhood program accreditation.

Consumer Product Safety Commission – is charged with protecting the public from unreasonable risks of injury or death from thousands of types of consumer products under the agency’s jurisdiction.  Check this site for product & toy recalls.

Bay State Parent – Local publication for parents with helpful articles and local event listings.

Boston Parents Paper – Local edition of nation publication for parents with articles and local event listings.

Healthy Child, Healthy World – An organization dedicated to promoting a chemical-free childhood with tips and suggestions for parents.

Why have we created these layers within our programs?

They allow us to best meet your child’s needs by offering a classroom and curriculum that builds off of the previous one. In addition it allows your child to continuously be challenged each year, without repetition of a program, smoothly building their way up to Kindergarten.

How do we decide when your child moves from one program to the next?

We actually base it on their eligibility for kindergarten. We look ahead at when your child will be eligible for kindergarten and we plan their progression through our programs accordingly.

When will my child transition to the next program?

Next Generation has a school-wide transition each September. Similar to the public school calendar, we have children transition to the next appropriate step. Often times, the majority of the class will move together to the next program. Birth dates are used for guidance in their placement over the later years. Children’s personalities and the balance of boys and girls in the classrooms are also looked at to create environments that will be the most positive combination.

What about mid-year transitions?

At Next Generation, we believe in continuously adapting the environment to meet the growing and changing needs of the children. Sometimes this is simply done with physical changes to the environment and/or added challenges within the curriculum. However, especially within our infant and toddler programs, children are becoming “official” toddlers and preschoolers. As a result, NGCC will do one of the following: transition age-eligible children to the next program if there are openings or transition an entire age-eligible classroom to the next program. With this second option, children may simply remain in their existing room and materials for the next program will be brought in or the children may move into a new classroom.

My child misses the age-requirement for the program that all of his/her friends are moving into. Can he/she move up too?

Generally, we try to adhere to our age guidelines when transitioning children. Most importantly, by keeping children in the program geared for their age, it provides them the opportunity to continue to develop their social skills in that age-appropriate setting. Research shows that social confidence is part of the foundation of strong academic success. This also allows them to progress through each program without repetition. Ultimately, this allows them to move appropriately into Kindergarten or first grade, where the age criteria are set by the town your child lives in. Many towns strictly adhere to their cut-off ages.

How will I know if my child will have a mid-year transition?

As we plan our transitions for September, we prepare for possible transitions for the entire year. These plans can sometimes change based on enrollment and the needs of the classroom. Each month, we will be looking ahead to see what transitions may potentially occur. We will provide you with a written notification in advance of when a transition is going to take place. We are happy to share with you potential plans if you approach your Director, however, we may not yet be able to confirm a transition.

Where will my child be in September?

Infants: Baby Steps – Younger than 15 months

Toddler Ones: I Can Do It! – Older than 15 months

Toddler Twos: I Can Do It 2! – Birthdays after January 1, 2009

Preschool 3: Look At Me – I Am Three! – Birthdays between Sept. 1 – Dec. 31, 2008

Preschool 4: Little Treasures – Birthdays through August 31, 2008

Pre-K: Let’s Begin With the Letter People – Birthdays through August 31, 2007

Kindergarten: Land of the Letter People – Birthdays through August 31, 2006