September 2023 Newsletter
Dear Jack & Jill Families,
We have gotten off to a great start to the new school year and with things starting to settle down we are excited to share details introducing you all to Parent Aware as well as share some updates with you all regarding upcoming fall events.
Parent Aware
We are currently in the process of getting Parent Aware rated! This past July we entered the July 2023-December 2023 rating cohort. Parent Aware is a State of Minnesota search partner connected to the MN Department of Human Services, Achieve, Develop, ChildCare Aware, and more. Parent Aware helps families find quality care and education for their children to succeed in school and life.
Parent Aware Certification will provide our program with additional training and coaching opportunities to help us continue to train and retain the highest quality early childhood educators. Participating programs may have access to grants and opportunities for staff to better access state resources for early childhood educators.
Parent Aware has a Star Rating system from one-to-four Stars. Our goal is to obtain a minimum of 3 Stars and ideally, we want 4 Stars!
Our initial steps have involved our teachers and staff evaluating the resources, practices, and learning environment in each classroom. This evaluation will allow our teachers to recognize our strengths and identify areas for growth in our program.
We have also submitted our Curriculum and Child Assessment forms for nomination to be Parent Aware certified. Our curriculum and assessment process in the classroom will be included as part of our self-assessment process.
Parent Aware also provides several resources for families ranging from Special needs, health & safety, food and nutrition, and low-income support. For more information on these resources, we encourage you to visit Parentaware.org.
Jack & Jack is excited to announce the following events occurring in the months of September & October:
Fall Dress Up Days!
Friday, September 8th: Football is back! Wear Your Favorite Sports Gear!
Friday, September 29th: Favorite Sweatshirt and Jeans Day – join our teachers in wearing your favorite sweatshirt and jeans today!
Tuesday, October 3rd: Pajama Day Returns! No slippers please.
Friday, October 13th: Flannel Friday!
Friday, October 27th: Border Battle Day
Tuesday, October 31st 4:00 pm Costume Parade!
Family Fall Harvest & Staff Meet and Greet
Fall is a special time of year, and we celebrate it annually with our Family Fall Harvest. We are excited to invite families back inside for our Fall Harvest this year as a chance to meet the teachers.
Wednesday, October 25th St Anthony Site
Thursday, October 26th Blaine Site
During the Fall Harvest, there will be a scheduled time for you to meet the teachers and play the games for each age group. The schedule is below:
4:00-5:00 PM: Infant & Toddler Families
5:00-6:00 PM: Preschool, Pre-Kindergarten, & School Age Families
Families with children in more than one age group may attend during both time frames. Families may stay for the entire duration of the time or partial amount, whatever works best for you! More details to follow prior to the event.
Game include: Ghost Velcro Toss, Monster Can Bowling, Candy Corn Toss, Spider Hula-Hoop Toss, Coloring Contest, Sticker Tattoos, Spin The Wheel for Prizes, Arts & Crafts activities, Pumpkin Sheet Decorating, Scratch Art, Pin The Nose on the Pumpkin, and more! Games and activities will be enjoyed by all throughout the day.
Fall Harvest Parade - Tuesday, October 31st at 4:00 PM
The Fall Costume Parade has become one of our favorite Family events!
The Costume Parade is a special day for the kids to wear their costumes to school and to share treats with their friends. The kids will parade throughout the building corridor in their designated classroom and proceed outside. The parade will conclude by 4:30 pm and parents are welcome to bring a lawn chair to see the parade go by outside! Parents can arrive by 4:00 and set up lawn chairs on the grass outside Jack & Jill to watch the parade and take their children home with them at the end of the parade! If you choose not to attend the parade, please plan to pick your child up by 5:00 pm as the program will be closing early this day.
What to Bring:
Your costume! Please make sure costumes work for potty training if applicable.
Change of clothing for the day.
Store bought individually packaged, Peanut and Tree Nut free treat to share (optional). Treat exchange will take place during the day. Shared items will be bagged and stored in each child’s locker and sent home at the end of the night and will not be consumed during the day due to allergies, etc.
Quantity of Treats (optional): If you would like to bring treats, please bring 12 treats if your child is an infant and 20 treats if your child is a toddler or preschooler so there are enough treats for everyone. Thank you.
Preschool Fish, Frog, Tree Frog, Pre-Kindergarten and School Age Children may wear their costumes throughout the day. Infants and Toddler age children will be changed into their costumes prior to the parade.
Family Questionnaire
We have put together a quick survey that we encourage all families to take part in. The focus of this survey is to get input from the families we serve in regard to potential future decision making.
Change of Seasons
The fall season brings a weather pattern that experiences warm to cooler temperatures quickly. Please remember to send hats, mittens, and seasonal fall and winter jackets as the temperatures change. As the cooler temperatures arrive, please remember your child’s winter clothing items (boots, jackets, snow pants, hats and mittens) will need to go to and from school with your child daily to accommodate our cleaning protocol. Please be sure your child has a bag or backpack adequate to hold the winter gear and it is properly labeled with your child’s first and last name.
Time Change
“Fall back” or Daylight Saving Time ends on Sunday, November 5, 2023, as we turn our clocks back one hour. As the seasons change, please take caution as you enter and exit our parking lots in the morning and afternoons. Some of our afternoon playground times may change with the change of seasons.
Absentee Notice
We encourage you to email if your child will be late or absent to: info@jackandjilledu.com or via ChildPilot. Kindly remember children arriving after 10:00 am without advance notice will be marked absent for the day.
Child Pick Up due to Illness
If your child becomes ill during the day, parents/guardians will be called to come and get their child. If a parent/guardian cannot be reached, an alternate authorized person (as listed on your emergency card) will be called to pick up the child. Kindly remember a sick child will need to be picked up within 60 minutes of receiving notice.
Warm Regards,
Carol L. Arens,
Owner/Administrator
carol@jackandjilledu.com