At MVS we work hard every day to provide high-quality care and education for our children. But a reality of our work is that we can't accommodate every family that needs our services. A 2016 analysis of Vermont's early childhood landscape found that over 70% of children under age 6 have all available parents in the labor force, meaning they are likely to need care. 79% of those infants and toddlers do not have access to high-quality programs, and 47% don't have access to regulated programs at all.
Let's Grow Kids is a public awareness campaign that is working to educate Vermonters about the impact of early childhood experiences on brain development as well as the current challenges for families of young children and early education providers. Their website includes more information about brain development, the economic impact of child care, and a petition you can sign in support of increasing public investment in early childhood education. They also have a big event coming up on Sunday, October 1: a 1,000 person parade and flash mob on Church Street in Burlington, where families and musicians will sing "Something Beautiful", the new anthem for Vermont kids co-written by Kat Wright and Mister Chris.
We are grateful for the work that Let's Grow Kids is doing on behalf of young children, and we'd love to have MVS represented at the flash mob so let us know if you go! You can imagine how thrilled I was to see this onesie come in to school this week:
Thanks for reading,
Megan
News and Reminders
This coming week there will be a few teacher changes in the infant and toddler classrooms. For Infant I, Carly D. is starting to reduce her hours as her last day (October 12) approaches, so Kaitlyn will be joining Megan full-time. Amanda is going to team up with Hannah in the Infant II room, and we're very excited that Sadie will be coming back to work with Carly C. in the Toddler room. We'll do our best to make these transitions smooth for everyone; let us know if you have any questions.
Classroom Updates
Infant I
Our children really challenged themselves physically this week; it seems like they all want to be a step ahead of where they are. Our walkers were balancing on logs, our cruisers were letting themselves stand without support, and our rollers were scooting all over the place. None of us were too accustomed to the heat we experienced early in the week, but we pushed through it with some good naps and water play and were relieved to have the cooler weather return. We've also been hearing so many words from our older children, including "truck", "wash", "rock", and "bottle." This coming week Megan will be out on Tuesday and Wednesday, so Carly D. and Kaitlyn will be filling in.
Infant II
We have started going outside in the morning, which the children seem to love. They are able to get some energy out. We offered a variety of sensory activities this week, including some new ones such as putting star ice cubes in the sensory table with sand, watching them melt and leave star patterns. Another was playing with ice cubes with small toy orgs and dinosaurs inside. The children loved rubbing the ice on their bodies and sucking on it as well. This helped keep them cool on the hotter days this week. We continue to pick, eat and discuss the different vegetables in the school garden. The wooden boat has returned to our room and we are all having a blast rocking in it! We are working on taking turns. Our lunch times have been full of conversation with one another which is wonderful. We are thrilled to have Amanda joining us on Monday and are looking forward to fun new activities and learning she will share with us!
We had a nice week of great weather. We enjoyed very warm temps in the beginning of the week and we loved having one last chance to wear our bathing suits and have outside water play. We also were very happy when the air turned cooler. We noticed the change of temperature and spoke about how nice the cool air felt. We continue to observe the leaves beginning to change and see more and more on the ground. We continue to work on being kind and respectful to each other, both in our social interactions and the tone of voice we use with each other. We also continue to work on table manners, using please and thank you, and not talking with our mouths full. We are excited to welcome Sadie back next week!
Preschool I
The weather this week made some of us a bit unpredictable, but we pushed through! A renewed surge in toddler-like ownership (aka, all the sun touches is mine) has resulted in some high-intensity confrontations, so we are upping our self regulation skills: deep breaths, count to five, and walking away. Children are offered a choice– deep breaths, calm bodies and stay at the activity, or walk away and be sad, frustrated, etc. We are also preparing for some transitions so some behaviors will spike– you may see them at home! Feel free to communicate with Team Shannon through the daily journals; we're happy to offer support! Some highlights this week: lots of painting, a "tire swing", and an incredible donation of a gorgeous doll house! The moment it entered the room, the children welcomed it into their play! To one child, it was "grandma's house." Another said, "Horses can't come in here, horses aren't people!" We are excited to develop narrative and dramatic play with this beautiful gift.
Preschool II
Wow! We did it again. Another kindness jar filled and a well earned first field trip. On Friday we adventured out on the MVS bus to the Enchanted Forest where we really liked all the great climbers and the excitement of a new playground. Everyone did so well on the bus and at Stowe Mountain. We continued over talks about emotions, feelings, and how we can use our new mantra, stop, breathe, communicate, to express our emotions to each other or find a teacher to help us. On Monday we beat the heat with a day at the Little River and tree climbing along the Rec Path. Soccer has been an interest for many at school and we took a ball with us on our walk to library story hour so we could practice.
PreK
This week we've been reading books about kindness, friendship and fair ways to play and solve problems. We are planning games and activities to build active, whole body listening skills. We also started one of several projects based on recognizing, expressing and respecting feelings. Also this week we began building our insect hotel and exploring our new indoor worm composting bin! We are super excited about all of our upcoming projects and our plans for bus trips!
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