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April is the Month of the Young Child.
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Coordinator Corner,
April is the Month of the Young Child and we have been busy planning activities to celebrate young children this month. Our big event is the Early Childhood Fair and Celebration Day on Saturday, April 27th from 9 – 2 at the Montezuma County Annex. A new addition this year is the Teddy Bear Clinic where parents can ask Dr. Barkhurst questions and children can bring their favorite stuffed animal or doll for a “check up”. There is also an adult health fair that day at the Rec Center and The Children’s Kiva has their Kid Fest in the park, so plan to come out and make a day of it!! Our 6th Annual Young Artist’s Show will be on display at Walmart, so make sure to look at the talent when you are there shopping. Our Early Childhood Professional’s Appreciation Dinner will be in May – we are working on the date and venue, so if you work with young children, be watching for details! For that event, we honor a community member for their contributions that ultimately benefit young children, as well as a teacher or provider that has gone above and beyond. If you know of someone that fits either of those descriptions, please take a moment to nominate them on one of the attached forms!! And when you see someone that does work with young children, remember to thank them for their hard work!
Our April meeting brought Liz and Jacy from the Colorado Children’s Campaign to town to do an advocacy training for us. I have heard great comments from the 30+ participants and we will be doing two more – one more directed toward families and one toward youth. The dates are yet to be determined (late June is anticipated), and we will be sending out that info as soon as details are confirmed.
Our April family night provides a chance to get outside with your kids for some fun activities – the details of that event are also attached.
Happy Spring!
Vangi
Meet a MECC member, Mary Dodd:
I moved here in late 2009, after living almost my entire adult life in Texas, where I had a wonderful career and vibrant professional network. I had no idea how hard it would be to leave those connections  and relationships, even though I had long desired to live here in southwestern Colorado and have no regrets about making the move. Still, I was overwhelmed, sad, and lonely (although I do love to be alone). After getting settled, and making regular trips back to Texas, I finally decided that I couldn’t live ‘in between two states’ and contacted Vangi (read about MECC in the Cortez Journal online) in early 2011. Immediately I knew I’d met a kindred spirit and began to feel a connection. We met for coffee, she invited me to a council meeting, and the rest, well, as they say, is history! Fortunately the council was getting started on the strategic planning process in preparation to write the current funding grant, and I felt like I had a role to play because I have some experience in those areas.
My professional background is varied – one advantage to having lived so long (that’s politically correct speech for being so old) is that I’ve had the opportunity to do many wonderful and fulfilling things, including: provide home and center-based services to infants, toddlers, and preschoolers with disabilities and their families in inner-city Dallas; lead an assessment team for 0 – 5 year-olds in a school district; direct a Part C program; teach and do research at a university for 25 years; and have a small private practice providing direct and consultative services to families of children with various disabilities.
At this point in my life I enjoy doing almost everything related to infant, toddler, preschool, and family work, especially now that I am part of such a wonderful group of professionals through MECC. I look at challenges as opportunities for my own development, as well as opportunities to make our community a better, friendlier place for families with children. I do get frustrated when people do not value and support the importance of our children to our future well-being, but then, that gives me the chance to grow professionally by finding new ways to communicate that message.
And just so you know I am not all work and no play, I love to be outdoors here, hiking, exploring, enjoying the beauty of this area. And I love to read for pleasure: fiction, nonfiction, and poetry.
Teacher Feature:
 Angela Adams is in her eighth year at the Children's Kiva. This is her 5th year as a lead teacher, and she also serves as the Head Montessori Directress. One of the things Angela loves about her job, and that is unique to Montessori, is that all the children do different things at the same time promoting the freedom to move, the freedom to choose. She guides her students, ages 3-6 through works and the classroom is the children's house, meant to be beautiful, clean, and safe. The students focus on conflict resolution and peace and even learn about peace makers such as Mary Montessori, Martin Luther King Jr., and Ghandi.
Angela loves spending time with the children and watching their skills develop. She gets to be with the kids for three years and watch them grow during the cycle. One of the bigger challenges is time. The classroom is a very detailed environment and very busy.
Angela is married with a 5 year old daughter, Anika, who also attends the Children's Kiva. We appreciate Angela's commitment to guiding young children and thank you for all your hard work.
FOR PARENTS & PROVIDERS
Make a Rainbow Bouquet:
 Pipe-cleaners or chenille sticks are fun to craft with because they are inexpensive and come in every color of the rainbow. Which was exactly what we needed to make this easy rainbow-bouquet craft.
First, we gathered all the colored pipe-cleaners together on the paper.
Then we glued big cotton-balls (clouds) over and around the bottom of the "bouquet" to get it to stay in place on the paper.
Froggy Face Snacks:
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Ingredients for one:
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Enlgish Muffin half
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Green tinted cream cheese
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2 thin banana slices or cucumber slices
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4 chocolate chips or raisins 1" wide strip of red fruit roll-up
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3 raisins
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Diluted lemon juice (optional)
Preparation: Use green food coloring to tint container of cream cheese. Cut the fruit snacks into one-inch wide strips. Slice bananas or cucumbers into a bowl. If desired, toss bananas in lemon juice to prevent browning. Then lay out muffin half, spread with cream cheese, add banana or cucumber slices at top for eyes, place chocolate chips or raisins on banana or cucumber slices (your preference), use to for nostrils, press fruit roll-up for tongue, and add remaining raisins on tongue.
Recipe courtesy of the Mailbox
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| All Children are Healthy, Valued, and Thriving |
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