Regina Early Learning Centre

Main Office Family Outreach KidsFirst 2115 Athol St. Address same as main office 3528 13th Ave. Regina, SK (306)522-3668 Regina, SK S4T 3E8 S4T 1P9 (306)757-3744 Website: www.earlylearning.ca (306)522-7044 Username: ELC-Parent Password: Family2115

On Facebook @ Regina Early Learning Centre

March

2020

Tansi, Tawnshi, Hello

Brighter Futures for Children 2020 Thursday April 2, Casino Regi-na Show Lounge. This is our largest annual fundraiser. If you have Silent Auction Donation or would like to volunteer please call the centre. Call our office for tickets or purchase them at the Casino Regina Show Lounge Box Office. Our musical performers will be Suncliffs (featuring Green Room Teacher Brigid McNutt); Conrad Bigknife and The Uncoolas Hit Revue. Preschool Chocolate Fundraiser: the chocolates should ar-rive tomorrow (March 4) so watch for your child’s order form and send it back with the driver (let the driver know the form is in your child’s backpack or give it directly to the driver). The proceeds of this fundraiser go directly to supplies for the preschool. Prizes for the most chocolates sold are: First Place $50.00; Second Place $35.00; Third Place $15.00 Classroom News: Yellow Room Teacher Anita Uhl has begun her maternity leave. Safa will be in charge of the classroom until the end of the year and Adrianna Roa-Murad will be working as the Associate Teacher for the rest of the year. Yellow Room Driver Toby will be off on a medical leave for about two weeks. Devon will fill-in for Toby. We are looking for Subs for our classrooms and vans. We need a CPIC from Regina Police Services for either position. Please call Kelly at 306-757-3744 for more information. We are a Good Food Box Agency. This is a great way to order healthy affordable food for your family. For more information http://www.reachinregina.ca/. Look under programs, click on Good Food box tab to view different Good Food boxes. If you would like to order call Mel at 306-757-3744.

Novel Coronavirus: risks in Saskatchewan remain low. At this point we are encouraging everyone to observe universal pre-cautions: stay home if you or your child is sick and wash your hands frequently. Should the situation become more serious, we will keep you posted on further steps.

Preschool News

Regina Early Learning Centre Page 2

Welcome March. So the saying goes, “In like a lion out like a lamb, or in like a lamb out like a lion”. Therefore, I looked ahead at the forecast and it looks like March is going to come in like a lamb, no major cold days or winter storms are headed our way, but if the saying comes true then maybe the end of the month we will be shivering in the snow once again. The weather is an important subject and sometimes our lives revolve around it. At the ELC the weather affects many things. If it is too cold (-30) the vans do not run. If it is cold and windy (-45 with wind chill) the vans do not run. If the weather is warm and it rains instead of snows, and then the tempera-ture drops below freezing, our streets become a skating rink and the risk of accidents go way up so our vans will stay parked. The weather also affects the children’s time outdoors. If it is unbearably cold playing outside is not an option, but if it gets warm and starts to melt the snow, the playground gets so icy and play can be dangerous. There is lots of talk about the Coronavirus. We have talked about it and how the ELC should respond. On the advice of public health authorities, we are paying more attention to what are called “universal precautions: washing hands more thoroughly and more frequently and staying home when staff are sick. As well we are en-courage the children to wash their hands more. We encourage parents to continue to keep children home if they are sick. We will spend even more time than usual making sure that toys and surfaces are clean and sterilized. As most of the cases in Canada have begun as a result of travel from countries with higher rates of the virus, we are asking families who may have traveled internationally to observe a 14 day quarantine: we will not do home visits during this period and will encourage families not to attend group programs. At the moment, we do not have any children enrolled in the Preschool who are travelling out of the country. If and when cases of Coronavirus are found in Regina, we will explore whether further steps are necessary. In reaching decisions on this we always consider recommendations from the Sask. Health Authority. However, if there were a high number of infections, cancelling of preschool for a period of time and suspending group pro-grams and in person home visits would be possibilities. Green Room Teacher Brigid McNutt is booked on a Canadian Study Tour of the Reggio Emilia Preschools in Reg-gio Emilia, Italy. We are waiting to hear if this study tour will still take place as Reggio Emilia is close to the area in Italy with the highest number of infections. It seems likely that Brigid’s study tour will be cancelled and we are hoping she will be able to attend a rescheduled tour at a later date. This tour is a tremendous learning opportunity for Brigid and she has been planning to share her insights with other staff to enrich all our classrooms. Reggio Emilia has pro-vided inspiration to our Preschool program for many years. Despite some of the worrying news in the world around us, I encourage you to keep your eyes open for signs of spring. It is a season of new life and hope. It is a time of wonder for young children who are often first to notice the first blades of green grass, and the first flower to jump out of the soil. We can learn a lot from little ones; stop and take the time to notice the world around us and appreciate the season as it changes. Have a wonderful start to spring everyone.

Kelly Thornton

Preschool/Driver Supervisor

Regina Early Learning Centre Page 3

Family Outreach News

Family Outreach Office Phone 306-522-3668

Teresa-Family Support Coordinator Ext. 232 Suleil-PAT Coordinator/Educator Ext. 227

Ronda-Family Support Worker Ext. 228 Michelle-PAT Educator Ext. 226

Tansi Families! We had a few Community Kitchens in February. Families worked with Ronda and Danica and created some great recipes to share with their families. PAT program hosted a ‘Light N Shadow’ evening. Suleil and Michelle used our lantern to set-up different light and shadow events. The parents and children had a great time exploring and spending time together. We are offering a four session Cree class. Sharon Strongarm from Okanese First Nation will spend time with families teaching the basics of conversational Cree. Sign-up sheets will be sent home with Drivers and Home Visitors. Space will be limited for this program. Tax season is upon us and there are a few places offering free tax preparation. If you have children you must file for income tax otherwise your child benefits will be put on hold. SaskTel Pioneers United Way - 1440 Scarth St. Monday to Friday 9 – 3, March 3

rd to April 30

th

No appointment necessary

or

The Gathering Place - 4001 3rd

Ave. N. March 7

th, 14

th, 25

th, April 4

th, 18

th, 25

th, 11 - 3

No appointment necessary Evening Programs: Spirit of Peace: Mondays, March 16

th & 30

th, 6 – 8 pm

Info Session: 4 Directions: Tuesday, March 10

th, 6 – 8 pm

Financial Literacy: Wednesdays, March 4

th & 11, 6 - 8 pm

This program started in February. Conversational Cree: Wednesdays, March 18th, 21st, April 1st, & 8th, 6 – 8 pm Board Meeting: Tuesday, March 10

th, 6 – 8 pm

If you have any questions or concerns please call Teresa @ 522-3668 ext. 232

Teresa Seel

Family Outreach Coordinator

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KidsFirst News

Kids First News KidsFirst Regina is a voluntary and free program that can help support you through your pregnancy and for the first three years of your child’s life. During your pregnancy, a home visitor will provide you with information and activities to help you prepare for the arrival of your baby. Your home visitor may also provide support to help you in accessing prenatal care and nutrition. Once your baby is born your home visitor will provide information around child development and have activities for you to participate in with your baby. KidsFirst is a strength-based family focused program that will provide support around goals you may have for yourself and your children. KidsFirst Regina also has a dedicated Family Wellness Outreach Team as well as a cultural component that families may access to explore traditional cultural teachings and participate in ceremonies.

How can I play with my child?

Different adults play differently with their children. You may prefer to play active games while your partner likes to play games with rules. You may like to read to your child while your partner tells stories and acts them out. That is okay. Children need more than one adult in their lives. Parents, family members, and other caregivers all pro-vide different opportunities for your child to play, explore, and learn. Encourage other family members and care providers to play with your child. Just set some clear safety rules for everyone. Tips that help you play with your child:

Whenever possible, respond when your child initiates play.

Talk to your child while he is playing, explain and name things he is playing with.

Ask your child questions about his play (for example: what, where, why, when, who and how?). This will help him learn to self-reflect and encourage his thinking skills.

Read stories with your child and act them out (for example, stories about children starting school).

Add dolls, unbreakable dishes, pretend food, and dress up clothes to your child’s play area.

Add paper and crayons to your child’s play area so he can make scribbles, lists, drawings, and plans. This helps help your child develop writing skills for school.

Add measuring cups and rulers to stimulate his interest in mathematical and scientific concepts.

Learning to play and playing to learn: Getting Ready for School

Lorna Wesaquate

KidsFirst Supervisor

Page 4 Regina Early Learning Centre

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Regina Early Learning Centre

Early Years Family Centre News

March is Nutrition Month and we have invited local Dietician Chelsea Brown RD to share some tips and tricks for healthy eating.

Healthy Eating is more than Food Dietitians want you to know that healthy eating is about so much more than food - how you eat is important too. Below are some ideas on how to incorporate and role model healthy habits for your children. Eat meals with others - Eating meals together can benefit children in many ways, it helps with bonding, self-esteem, role modeling, and developing language skills through conversation. Try these conversation starters and eat together as often as you can: bit.ly/2PaaH3u Be mindful of your eating habits - Trust your children to know when they are hungry and full - that means

letting them decide how much to eat and removing pressure around eating at mealtimes. Eat without distractions

and make meal times screen free zones - this will help children pay attention to their eating to eat the amount they

need.

Cook more often - Involve children in planning and preparing meals and snacks. This is a good opportuni-ty to spend quality time together and pass on important food skills and traditions. For age appropriate kitchen tasks, visit UnlockFood.ca: bit.ly/2HGG5Cy. Enjoy your food - Teach children your family ’s culture and food traditions. Learn about other cultures too. Help children be open to trying new foods by trying with them. Pick out a new recipe together from the Dietitians of Can-ada ‘Cookspiration’ app: www.cookspiration.com or Canada’s Food Guide bit.ly/2v28ccE. Also, try growing and tasting different vegetables, fruit and herbs. For more information on healthy habits, visit food-guide.canada.ca Novel Coronavirus and other infectious conditions If you have travelled internationally recently or think you might have come in contact with the Coronavirus we

would request you observe a 14 day waiting period before coming to our spaces. Young children are both prone

to picking up infections as well as being prone to spreading these conditions too We encourage everyone to ob-

serve the recommended universal precautions: wash your hands frequently and stay home when you are sick.

We will be paying extra attention to cleaning and disinfecting all

toys and surfaces in our space.

Monica Totton

EYFC Supervisor

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Early Years Family Centre News

Page 6

The Centre is a depot for Good Food Boxes!

Healthy food at a reasonable price. To place an order, please call

Mel at the Centre at 757-3744

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Family Outreach

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Regina Early Learning Centre

Regina Early Learning Centre