Toddler Talk: Vroom Vroom

I know my posts about toddler topics are generally not super popular, but I've got a few grouptime ideas to share:)

This week is Transportation week in Toddlerville...are anyone else's 1-2 year old obsessed with all things wheels?? We currently have a large train table in the room and if we didn't take breaks from it (we cover it with a sheet periodically through the day to diversify our free play minds), many of the kids would engage in nothing else!!!

So we embrace the love of cars, trucks, buses, airplanes and introduce concepts to expand the transportation knowledge.

Grouptime Storyboard #1:

Who Drives That??

Simple concept- match the driver to the vehicle!

Grouptime Storyboard #2:
Where Does This Travel?

Matching the item to its preferred/logical travel destination- water, road, tracks, sidewalk and air! 

 

Clip art printed in color from the computer, laminated for durability and Velcro or tape (your preference) to the back of the items to be matched. Vroom, Vroom.

Crafty Corner: Pillow Perfect

Several weeks ago, one of my toddler friends was getting ready to take a big trip overseas with his mama to visit his grandparents. We sent him off with a little gift (a matchbox dump truck) to keep him busy at the airport and a travel pillow to keep him sleepy on the plane:)

I chose some special fabric (he loves all things transportation):

Cut 2 pieces to the desired size (12X8ish: it's really up to you, I just eyeballed it to be not-too-big and not-too-small...how helpful is that?):

And cut/sewed a suitcase strap for storage when not being used:

After sewing the strap into place, I took the other piece of fabric and laid it on top (so both patterns were facing each other). I then pinned and sewed around the edge...leaving a small opening at the bottom to add the polyester fill:

Turned it right side out and went to town with the stuffing:

When it reached the perfect state of puffy, fluffiness, I sewed up the hole by hand and it was ready for travel:

His mama sent us a picture of him on the plane as they were preparing to take off - he looked comfy cozy with his blankie and new pillow friend!

I'm thinking of making one for myself for my next travel adventures....but perhaps a different pattern. Kitties? Flowers? Stripes? Who am I trying to kid...it will totally be kitties.

A Whole New World!!

First of all, I want to thank all of you who read and shared my post from last week about the current financial funding losses my Preschool is experiencing. I don't know if it will make a difference in the long run, but over 900 of you took the time to hear our story and your kind words were healing to our CCCC hearts! 

Thank you, thank you, thank you. 

For my own mental health, I need to take a break from the trials of life for a bit and share with you 2 recent life updates that are a revolution to my very soul:

1. A nightstand with drawers:

Now, this may not be news to anyone else, but a nightstand with drawers is AMAZING! For many years, I had a little table (I think it actually used to be a wooden plant stand) that was my Papa's. It was a sentimental piece and I loved it. Then came Mosby...and nothing could be left on it for him to 'investigate' (you could also read this as 'find and destroy'). He is too good of an investigator. It came time to retire the old plant stand friend. I just purchased and assembled this little lovely a few days ago and it is such a delight to have a place for my chapstick, tissues, my bible and even a pen right next to my bed. What? Can it be? All these items just an arm's length away from my sleep head? Seriously a life changer.

2. A Keyboard for my phone:

I AM TYPING A BLOG POST ONTO MY PHONE WITH THIS BAD BOY AS WE SPEAK!!!

You may be asking yourself what the big deal is. Let me tell you- I am kind of stuck in the dark ages (by choice) when it comes to technology. I have never owned a computer, never had the internet in my house or past apartments and have been blogging from my phone since its birth. I think I like the simplicity of not having total access to the world when I get home. Plus, smart phones are really smart and can do lots of stuff. 

My one internal complaint- its hard to type a long blog with just my thumbs! It takes forever and sometimes i get cramps- hahaha, true story.

Then, a few days ago a wise friend with much technology knowledge kindly bought me this keyboard- I didn't even know such things existed! It's controlled by some magical force called the 'Bluetooth'...and it is a true delight. I am thankful for the speed at which I am now able to blog it up!

Ok, that is all.  Be kind, do your best, find joy in the little things, Happy Wednesday:)

The CCCC- My Home, My Family

The past month at the CCCC (Community Child Care Center...where I have been a Preschool Teacher for the past 16 years) has been a challenging and heartbreaking month. As a staff, we strive to provide high quality early childhood education at a cost that families are able to sustain. We have been successfully managing to help student families on the U of M, St. Paul Campus for over 30 years with the use of a sliding fee scale- payment dependent upon how many people are in the family along with household income.

The funding which made this a possibility came in large part from the Student Service Fees we applied for and received from the University of Minnesota each fiscal year....upwards of $90,000. We counted on this funding to be able to sustain the sliding fee scale and keep costs as low as possible while not compromising on quality. We counted on this funding because it was decided by the University back in the early 80's that supporting early childhood education on campus was to be funded in this manner. 

We were recently blindsided with the news that we would no longer be receiving funding from the University through student service fees...leaving us no time to find alternate solutions to help our families. We will still be eligible to apply for $25,000 in funding (along with all other U of M student groups that apply), but the requirements for its use have become very strict and do not match up with our needs within the program to pay for staffing and other essential aspects of our annual operations. Tough stuff. We are deeply disappointed that early childhood education is seemingly not valued by the University as an essential part of furthering student parents post-secondary education. As a student parent, it is not a choice to find a place to care for your child while you are taking classes or working in labs and campus offices. It is a necessity! And families deserve to give their children the best education at a rate they can afford. They deserve to find a place where they trust their child will be safe, be loved, be developed and be challenged. We are that place and the recent news of the loss of funding will change the course of our families lives forever- as many will have to choose between furthering their own education or that of their young children. 

It is clear that the new plans made to the Student Service Fees application process will not be changed. We understand that. It has been stated by some University folks that there are plans for a grant program in the works to help families pay for childcare costs as they choose. This sounds great in theory as grants for student families are desperately needed. The problem, however is that the proposed $100,000 grant program will not even make a dent in the increased out of pocket costs that will come with removing the sliding fee scale (an additional $3,000+ annually for some families on top of the fees they already pay). It won't reach all families, will not match the benefit the sliding fee scale provided and the grant money will certainly run out quickly. 

What we desire most is to be sustainably supported by the University moving forward in a way that is not dependent on a yearly application to prove that we deserve it. 

We desire to be seen as a valuable resource to the University and the people we serve. 

We desire to have the University understand and embrace the reality that investing in early childhood education is essential and beneficial- yielding a positive return for the University and the surrounding communities. Children who are given the opportunity to be educated from birth to 5 show better outcomes in their primary education and beyond, their positive social contributions and future employment.

We desire to be respected as highly trained and educated professionals who have the skills to help all children reach these goals if given the support we need to do so.

I am well aware that my little blog story will most likely not make many waves, but a few ripples are better than still waters. I love my CCCC family and have a strong passion for the field of Early Childhood Education- investing in young children matters. It matters. Who's with me?