Dear Angie,

April showers bring May flowers! During May, many of our classrooms will be discussing mothers and making Mother’s Day crafts to celebrate. As the weather continues to improve, we’ll be spending more time outdoors exploring our surroundings. Our classrooms will be focusing on a variety of fun new topics this month including pets, flowers and insects! In addition to our academic studies, your child will have the opportunity to celebrate May Day, Cinco De Mayo, and even the Kentucky Derby! Keep an eye on the calendar for special days and events!

CENTER HAPPENINGS

In honor of Mother’s Day, the preschool classrooms will have a “Mom’s Tea” event on Thursday, May 9, from 3:30-4:30 pm. Our infant and toddler classrooms will have a “Muffins for Moms” event on Friday, May 10, from 8:00-9:00 am. All mothers and special caregivers in your child’s life are welcome to join us. We look forward to seeing you all!

In our commitment to provide time and opportunities for staff to grow professionally, EFC will be closed on Friday, May 24, for a staff professional development day. We will also be closed on Monday, May 27, for Memorial Day. We wish everyone a safe and happy holiday weekend!

Watch the calendar for bike days and other fun special days throughout the month!

FAMILY RESOURCES

BANANA SUSHI ROLL

Flour Tortilla, small
1 large banana
2 Tablespoons peanut butter
Raisins (optional)

1. Work with your children to make this snack

2. Give them a tortilla with peanut butter and let them spread it using the back of a spoon.

3.Place peeled banana at one end and roll up the tortilla.

4. Slice into eight pieces.

FAMILY REMINDERS

As we approach Summer, please be mindful of the shoe choices for your children. We would like all children to have closed toe shoes with tennis shoe type bottoms so they can safely climb and run during our outdoor activities. Please do not bring or wear flip-flops to school.

In addition, please bring in a labeled bottle of sunscreen with your child’s first and last name to keep at school. We do not allow aerosol sunscreens. We will be spending as much time outside as possible this summer!

Please let us know of any changes to your child’s attendance/schedule for this summer!

ESPECIALLY FOR PARENTS

Screen Time and Young Children: Taking Stock

We have heard it so many times that it may be easy to ignore the headlines: screens have transformed our lives in profound ways over the last several decades. Much of the recent media conversation has focused on the negative impact of smartphones, and especially social media, on the brain wiring and mental and emotional health of preteens, teenagers, and young adults.

Research on the effects of screen time in young children can be confusing and contradictory. However, there are some clear tips from experts that can help parents and caregivers of children under 5 (whose brains are developing at an incredible rate) as they think about screen time:

Children under 18-24 months: For children younger than 2, there is very limited benefit, and potential developmental risk, to screen viewing.
Content Matters: The best content for children is slow-paced and reflects real life. (Think “old school” episodes of Mr. Rogers and Sesame Street versus frenetically paced cartoons, even those that are labeled “educational”).

Behavior: Screen time should not be used to console. In addition, it may be helpful to assess how your child behaves before and after screen time...you can make adjustments to the time spent or the type of content viewed by assessing your child’s behavior.
Participation: Very young children get the most benefit from screen time when an adult watches with them, participates in active content, and follows up off-screen, reinforcing any lessons from the media content.
Sleep: Screens should not be used 1 hour before bedtime as they have a negative effect on sleep.

In considering how our children are affected by screens, experts also encourage adults to consider our own screen time in the equation (which can be very hard!). Children learn by observing the world around them and by interacting with their environment. It makes sense that both the child’s use of screens as well as their caregiver or family’s level of screentime, can impact development.

Research is important and helpful, but we don’t need a study to understand that the world has changed due to the mobile devices in our pockets. Several months ago, while at the airport, I looked around and observed that nearly every person around me was looking down at a screen. A young toddler was standing close to her parents, taking in the environment around her, and I wondered to myself about what she was learning—or not learning—from this scene. She could not observe or hear many interactions between people because there were not many taking place. Eye contact, smiles, or friendly waves from passersby were nowhere to be found.

Since that experience, I have tried to be much more aware of not taking out my phone in places where it has become the default norm—because children and adults of all ages still need to experience those interactions and allow their minds to wander. It can feel difficult, but also important, to resist the societal norm that screen-based connections take priority over real-world ones, even in places filled with strangers.

Screen Free Week is coming up on May 6-12. This may be a great opportunity to disconnect and reflect on how screens, which are here to stay, and certainly have benefits (like keeping in touch with far-away grandparents or giving all family members a bit of time to decompress), best fit into the life of your family.

Additional Resources

https://www.health.harvard.edu/blog/need-to-revisit-screen-time-2021020921912

https://screenfree.org/