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Monday, August 31, 2015

What's coming up in September?

September is always such a busy month! It's back to school time for all those going to Kindergarten and it's the beginning of a fresh start for all the preschoolers still at Jellybean. What does a fresh start mean? Many things scheduled in one month! These are the things to look for coming up in September:

School Pictures: 22nd, 24th, & 25th 
     Every fall we take new school pictures with the wonderful Candylouu Photography. We have three dates scheduled so every child will be included in these school pictures. If your child will not be there during those dates, you are welcome to bring them during one of the dates that Candy will be there taking pictures. Be sure to let us know so we can be prepared and let you know what times she'll be there. You don't need to do much more than bring your child to school for the days they're scheduled.

Family Pictures Sign-Up: Beginning of the Month
     Because Candy is so awesome, she gives the Jellybean families a fantastic deal on family photography. If you're looking to update your family pictures, we highly recommend her. She has photographed our families for many years and she does a wonderful job. Her "Jellybean deal" is $75 for a 20 minute session ($25 is donated to Jellybean) & 8-12 custom edited, downloadable images with print release. If you'd like to sign up with her, feel free to sign up on her sign-up sheet on Juju's desk starting sometime in the middle of September.

ASQ Send Home: Mid-September
     ASQ stands for Ages & Stages Questionnaire. We complete one here at Jellybean and we will send one home with you to complete for your child at home. Make sure to look out for them in your email inbox around mid-September. It is all about where your child is when it comes to their social-emotional skills. Please have these completed by conferences (which are October 20th & 21st) so we have all the information we need to discuss your child's development.


Orientation: 9th from 6-7pm
     Orientation is one day a year where all parents are invited to come to Jellybean after hours to hear a presentation from the teachers and ask any questions that you may have for them. The presentation starts at 6pm so be sure to be there on time. There will be a sign up sheet starting this week on Juju's desk. Signing up is required for orientation attendance.


Jellybean at Kinderplatz (during Oktoberfest): 26th from 10am-2pm
     The annual Saline Oktoberfest has a special place dedicated to family fun and Jellybean will be there this year! Be sure to stop by (for free) to play on a bounce house, create make-it-and-take-it crafts, see big tractors, watch live animal shows, and more. Come visit us!

Family Field Trip at Talladay Farms: 26th from 3-5pm
     On Saturday, we will meet up to have some fun at Talladay Farms! There is so much to do there: a regular corn maze, a small bale maze for the little ones, a giant spider web to climb, a straw pile to play in, and a barrel train ride. You can also walk down the road to Wasem's Fruit Farm and get some donuts and cider. The cost will depend on how much you participate in, so visit their website for info on prices and what not. Sign up on Juju's desk starting at the beginning of the month.

Show & Tell: 21st
     Let your child bring in something that they'd like to show their friends during group! If your child doesn't come on Mondays, they are more than welcome to bring something Tuesday.

Take Home Activity: 10th
     September's take home activity will be available for you to bring home starting the 10th. So pick one up from the metal file holder up front by Juju.

Monday, August 24, 2015

2015 Fire Truck Muster

We have many children at Jellybean who are crazy about trucks, large vehicles, or any vehicle really. Is that your kid? Lucky for you, the 2015 Fire Truck Muster is this Saturday from 10-3pm. The Michigan Firehouse Museum puts this on every year at Riverside Park in Ypsi for everyone to come visit the fire trucks, young and old, and see the big hoses spray into the river!

This free event is open to the public. So stop by to check out the cool fire trucks and spend the afternoon in the park. :)

Monday, August 17, 2015

Resources in the Lobby

We have so many resources for you and your family here at Jellybean Daycare & Preschool. Not only do we have the resources listed on our website for parents from parents, we also have an abundance of things up front in the lobby for you to use at any time:

Parent Resources Lending Library: This library is located in one of the cubes by the bench. In this lending library, you will find multiple different books on different topics ranging from parenting help, easy recipes, what to expect books, and children's books that help them understand certain life events such as getting a new sibling or where babies come from. Also on that shelf is the Licensing Notebook. The State requires us to have this notebook out for you to look at in case you'd like to check at their report last time they came.

Literacy Packs: These Literacy Packs are located on a different shelf by the bench. The packs are for you to bring home and use with your children for a little bit more interactive reading. Each pack includes a children's book and a game that you can play to go along with the book.

Backpack Kits: The Backpack Kits are located on another shelf by the bench. These kits are similar to the literacy packs, but they are more directed towards other areas of learning like math. There are activity cards in each kit to help direct their play.

File Folder Games: These file folder games are located on yet another shelf by the bench. We used to use these file folder games for our curriculum before we updated everything. Each folder has a specific game inside, whether it's matching or counting, to help your child learn while they have fun within the game.

*All of those above resources require you to sign them out. There is a clipboard on the same shelf of the File Folder Games that you can use to sign them in and out. Everything included in each of the packs/kits is written somewhere within the pack. Please make sure to include everything in the pack when you return it. If you lose something, let us know so we can replace it for the other children.

Ask Me Board: This board sits on top of the shelves that are attached to the bench. It is a small blue board that the bathroom teacher writes on everyday that gives you questions you can ask your child about their day. You can ask them on your way home, during dinner, or during bath time. We give you these questions so you are able to have a conversation with your child about all they learned about that day.

Business Card Holder: Up on the wall by where payments go, there are a bunch of business cards available for you to grab if you need something. Many of our parents have their own businesses or have a service they'd like to share so we have their business cards available for you to take. The best resources are those that surround you, so if you have a business card you'd like to share with other parents, bring a handful of cards and put them up on the wall.

Bulletin Board / Wall: The bulletin board / wall is not only beautifully decorated by Juju, but has information about the current month (menus and event calendar), activities and events going on during the month, and any other pertinent information we would like to share with you. That could mean recalls on popular toys, weather reminders, etc.

Metal Filing Holder: Opposite of the Ask Me Board, there is a holder that has different things in it each month. In this holder, we may put coupons we get to hand out or take home activities we create for you. Check it every so often to see if there's something for you to take if you want.

Lost & Found: The Lost & Found is pretty self-explanatory. We put anything we find without an owner in this bin. At the end of the month, it will get emptied. Be sure to check once a month or so to make sure none of your child's stuff wound up in the lost & found.

Have any more questions on how this all works? Ask away and we'll be sure to answer!



Monday, August 10, 2015

Letter from Ms. Jenn: Things Kindergarten Teachers Want You to Know

Next month is a start of a new school year.  Many of our Jellybeans will be starting Kindergarten and we have a bunch of new Jellybeans starting preschool here!  I thought I would share with you this month a list of things that Kindergarten teachers want you and your child to know.  We will be working on these things with the preschool children to get them ready for Kindergarten in 2016 too.

1. Talk about school in a positive but realistic way to help prepare your child on what to expect.

2. Be prepared for every emotional reaction from your child on the first few mornings.

3. Let go! Trust your child’s teacher and trust your child.

4. Name, Address, and Phone Number.  These are important things for your child to know.

5. Encourage your children to dress themselves.  Tying their own shoes is great too!

6. Make sure your child knows how to open all of the items in their lunch box and put them back away.

7. Set a morning routine that works for your family and stay with it for consistency.

8. Get plenty of rest: early to bed.

9. Encourage outdoor play and reduce screen time.  Since in Kindergarten a lot of their time will be spent indoors, give them some time to spend outside.

10. Read to your child every day: this is the most important thing you can do to help your child with school success.

11. Talk to your child about their day.  Encourage them to describe what they did that day and introduce new vocabulary words during your talk.

12. Play counting games with your child to help build math skills.

13. Sing nursery rhymes and poems to help your child build their literacy skills.

14. Write, write, write. Encourage your child to write with chalk, pencils, or markers in a tub.  Focus on the proper way to hold the writing utensil.

15. Keep extra curricular activities to a minimum during the first few months of school while your child adjusts to the new schedule.

16. Be prepared for tantrums.  This is a big change for your child; they have so many new rules to follow at school they may act out at home for a bit.

17. Encourage your child to be responsible for their own things.  When they get to Kindergarten they will have to keep track of their own belongings.

18. Toileting and personal hygiene.  Can your child take care of their own personal needs in the bathroom?

19. Nap and Comfort items: time to phase these things out, this may be a tough transition for your child so give them some time to get used to it before school starts.


20. Enjoy this moment!!! Take pictures for memories to watch these babies grow!


-Ms. Jenn

Monday, August 3, 2015

POTM: Assessments

This has been taken directly from our handbook on how we assess the children and their progress here at Jellybean. If you have any questions on how we do this, let us know.

Each child’s developmental progress is tracked throughout their time at Jellybean. Teachers in each room perform routine assessments on a daily basis while children are alone and in groups. These daily assessments are recorded in several ways:

•On our daily health check list: The teachers do a general health check for each child in attendance each day.

•In journals: Each child has their own journal. These are written in every day, from developmental milestones to something they said or did. 

•On daily sheets: In the infant/toddler room, your child will have a sheet that lists information about their day (meals, diaper changes/potty times, naps, and other notes) in a classroom binder. You can take a look at their sheet at the end of the day and take a picture if you feel the need. 

•Through conversations with parents: There is constant communication between teachers and the parents. If you ever have any concerns or questions, don’t hesitate to ask one of the staff.


We perform formal assessments twice a year followed by conferences. We use two different versions of Ages and Stages Questionnaires to evaluate the children. We also send these assessments home via email for you to complete with your child.