A Bit About Lice
It’s a dreaded notice: There has been an instance of head lice in your child’s classroom. As a parent of a child in public schools, I’ve already gotten two notices so far this year—and it’s only October. According to the CDC Website: In the United States, infestation with head lice is most common among preschool children attending child care, elementary school children, and the household members of infested children. Although reliable data on how many people in the United States get head lice each year are not available, an estimated 6 million to 12 million infestations occur each year in the United States among children 3 to 11 years of age.
It may take 4-6 weeks for itching to appear the first time a person has head lice. Other symptoms may include:
· a tickling feeling or a sensation of something moving in the hair;
· irritability and sleeplessness; and
· sores on the head caused by scratching
Please know that NGCC is here to support families and have put together a handout “Lice Information for Families” that lists steps to take and several pesticide-free products that effectively treat lice. If you would like one, please see your Director or stop by the front desk. I would also highly recommend visiting the CDC’s website CDC.gov for more information.
Lori Snyder
VP of Operations
CLOSING CALENDAR 2008—2009
Next Generation Children’s Centers will be closed on the following days:
Thanksgiving: Thursday, November 27th & Friday, November 28th
Christmas: Thursday, December 25th & Friday, December 26th
New Year’s Day: Thursday, January 1st
President’s Day: Monday, February 16th
Patriot’s Day: Monday, April 20th
Memorial Day: Monday, May 25th
Please note: This year NGCC will be closed the day after Christmas, but we will not have a closing for the 4th of July. We will also be closing at 3 PM on Wednesday, December 24th. All families who are normally scheduled on Wednesdays will able to drop-off at 7 AM and pick-up at 3 PM. Sign-up sheets will be posted prior to the 24th to confirm your attendance that day.
Bundle Up for Fall
Now is the time to make sure that your child’s cubby is filled with weather-appropriate clothes! Here are some tips on what to have on-hand in your child’s cubby:
· 2 pairs of mittens/gloves & a hat
· 1 pair of boots and snow pants that STAY at school
· 2 pairs of pants and at least one long-sleeve shirt
· At least one extra pair of underwear and socks
This will carry your child through the upcoming fall & winter months comfortably and ensure they have dry clothes to change into.
It’s also time to check your child’s Non-Prescription Authorization form that we have on-file to see if it needs to be updated with a new dosage amount and inspect any over the counter medicines NGCC may have on-hand for your child (like Tylenol & Advil) to make sure they are not expired.
E-Mail Reminder
NGCC recently sent home a notice asking for an updated e-mail address for each parent that can be used to contact you during the day should the need occur. NGCC is asking that ALL families provide us with an email address that is checked frequently throughout the day.
These email addresses will benefit us in communicating other important information to you such as:
· Holiday closing reminders
· Early school closings due to weather
· General school wide announcements
· Emergency / Urgent situations—Such as a school lock down
· NGCC Headquarter Communications
Please rest assured that your e-mail address will remain with NGCC and will not be shared with anyone outside of NGCC. If you have not already completed your form, please stop by the front desk OR feel free to e-mail your Directors. Their contact information can be found on our website NGCCenters.com on your school’s main page.
Announcing Our Senior Program Managers
Next Generation Children’s Centers has an intense management structure at our schools: Directors have Program Managers who oversee their program classrooms and act as a support and liaison between staff, parents and their Director. NGCC believes in promoting from within and as a part of our plan in adding schools in 2009, we have elevated several of our current Program Managers to Senior Program Managers with the intent of training them for future Director positions.
These Senior Program Managers will be attending additional training sessions and working with their Directors to be exposed to more management responsibilities. Please join us in congratulating the following ladies in their expanded Senior roles:
Angelica Fortier—Andover
Aimee Cormier—Sudbury
Jen Smith—Hopkinton
Carolyn Faria—Sudbury
Alicia Resendes– Marlborough
Sarah Stuart—Westborough
Kristy Showstead—Natick
I CAN DO IT! Program Rolling Out With HUGE Success
NGCC’s new I Can Do It! and I Can Do It 2! programs have been receiving wonderful feedback from parents and teachers after just the first month of their implementation. Created by our own Training and Curriculum Department, the I Can Do It! programs were developed to meet the needs of the Toddlers in our care more fully.
Program Mascots Freddie, Reba, Carl, Barry and Becca have quickly become new friends with the children. Each animal mascot represents a different set of characteristics which guides the social skills development of the children, the foundation of the entire program. Perhaps your child has taken to Reba the Rabbit who enjoys giving hugs to her friends and is gentle to all around her. Or maybe your child likes Freddie the Frog! The children are encouraged to help be positive role models to Freddie who sometimes has a hard time hearing directions because he’s always on the go!
To support this important social development, the programs provide our teachers with books, sign language resources and engaging visuals to use daily during circle time and with other small grouping activities. All of our Toddler teachers participated in training sessions to review the programs, their classroom materials and our implementation.
In addition, we have brought in a representative from WeeHands™ to provide all of our Toddler and Infant teachers with an introduction to sign language and how to incorporate it into the classroom. The response to this program addition has been tremendous! To learn more about the WeeHands™ program, visit their website at WeeHands.com where you can view the sign alphabet on YouTube and order “The Baby Signing Book” through Amazon.com.
Additionally, the I Can Do It! programs foster each toddler’s cognitive development. Your Toddler will be exposed to a variety of curriculum that will enhance their language, math, science and problem solving development. The program will set a strong foundation that will flow seamlessly into our Preschool 3 curriculum, Look At Me – I Am Three!
So, take a look at your child’s curriculum and daily notes for the exciting new things they will be exploring everyday!
Holiday Gift Drive
Thank you again for your contributions to our Cradles to Crayons Coat Drive earlier this month. With your help we were able to donate over 200 new or gently used coats to children in need! Cradles works with numerous state agencies and other charitable organizations in New England to distribute items to children everyday. If you would like to make further donations or learn more about Cradles to Crayons, please visit their website at http://cradlestocrayons.org.
Last year NGCC also sponsored a gift drive for children in Massachusetts’ Department of Children and Families (formerly known as DSS) and we are going to be doing it again this year. NGCC families and staff have been very generous in the past by fulfilling a child’s holiday wish and we hope that this year is no exception. More information about the DCF Holiday Gift Drive will be coming to your school soon—so please help us make this holiday a little brighter for others out there.
Thank you!
LOFT on Your Child’s Curriculum
You will be seeing a small group activity time labeled “LOFT” on your child’s curriculum. What is LOFT? LOFT stands for: Look, Observe, Foster and Teach. It will represent a time each week that the teachers will use as a new means to monitor each child’s progress . This assessment will provide the teachers with a clearer picture as to how each child is developing, so they can support children’s individual needs. It will also assist teachers in writing more comprehensive progress reports throughout the year.
This simple curriculum tool will allow all of our teachers to work with your child continuously on emerging and developing skills.
Fall Returns
While the new school year has started on a happy note here at NGCC, many of us are watching the world around us change daily and wondering what is going to happen. Uncertainty and financial worries are on all of our minds while we watch our children skip carefree into their classrooms.
I wanted to take a moment to reassure parents that in the face of today’s uncertain economy, there is something Next Generation Children’s Centers won’t be doing: Compromising on the care and services to our families. We have been hearing from new families starting with us that other companies in the child care industry are facing their own economic crisis with little or no funding for classroom basics, cutting staff and services just to survive—all before the current global market crisis really began. Next Generation continues to be a financially strong business with a highly regarded reputation in the marketplace—thanks to our families and our outstanding staff.
When I started the company 15 years ago this November 1st, it was with the unwavering belief that our children deserve the very best we can give them. It is my personal commitment to you that NGCC will continue to provide exceptional care for your children. Our valued staff and I will take every step to ensure that it continues.
You can help NGCC continue to be strong by recommending us to other families who are looking for childcare while reaping the benefits of our rewarding family referral program! With the ever-growing list of layoffs across industries in our state, I encourage parents to keep the lines of communication open with your Directors about changes going on at home. Please know that we are here for you and your children.
Thank you,
