Toddle Towne

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Important Bits and Pieces: JUNE

Why Do I Have To Pay Tuition When My Child Is Out On Vacation?
The answer quite simply is … you don’t. The monthly/weekly fees are not based on the number of days of care used in any particular month, but rather they are 1/12 or 1/52 of the yearly tuition. Each year an annual tuition fee is figured for each category of attendance (full month/week, half month/week, quarter month/week). This fee is the daily cost for providing care, times the number of available days of care. TTLC is aware that children will not attend school every scheduled day – most families plan a vacation and young children are guaranteed to miss at least a few days with normal childhood illness. In recognition of this, TTLC deducts four weeks of charges from the annual tuition fee. The yearly fee is then divided into 12 monthly or 52 weekly payments. Since this four weeks for sickness and vacation has been deducted before the rates were figured parents cannot expect that it be deducted again when the child is actually absent. Many policies are in effect which provide additional reductions in fees. A sibling discount is made to families with more than one child even though the cost of providing care to additional children in the same family is not any less. Substantial discounts are figured in to all advance payment rates. This discount is, reclaimed at 5% per week of late payment when fees are not paid in advance as promised.   Services which are not utilized equally by all parents (summer camp, field trips, registration fees, and late pick up fees) are charged separately so that only parents who use these services pay for them. While TTLC tries to be responsive to parents’ need for affordable care, the fee structure must provide a financial base for providing quality care. Once fees and payment policies have been set, no changes or special considerations will be granted.

Outside Play
Except in extremes of temperature, we will be playing outside every day throughout the summer. Teachers are aware of the symptoms and dangers of heat stroke. On very hot days outside play will be scheduled early in the morning and water will be available to the children as is appropriate. Please send wide brimmed hats and sunglasses (labeled) to protect against the sun. Long lasting sunscreen should be applied as part of your child’s daily grooming routine.

Fourth of July
Make your Fourth of July plans early! As always, TTLC encourages you to protect your child from serious burns or injuries by attending safe community celebrations and their fireworks displays. TTLC will be contributing financially to these displays … so please be our guest. Watch the board or your July newsletter for details.

 

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From Ms Peggy: Food for Thought

This month’s theme Down on the Farm brings to mind the “good old days” when everybody had fried eggs, bacon, and biscuits and gravy for breakfast. Nobody worried about high cholesterol or calories. In the “good old days” no one was concerned about physical fitness for children. Heart disease and hypertension were unknown for children.

Now, according to the American Academy of Pediatrics, up to 50 percent of American children are not getting enough exercise to develop healthy hearts and lungs. Forty percent of 5 – 8-year-old children show at least one risk factor for heart disease, elevated blood pressure, high cholesterol, or physical inactivity. Childhood obesity is becoming more prevalent. This is important not only because it is associated with adult obesity and disease but also because prejudice and discrimination against fat children are widespread and can limit the child’s potential. When viewed from this perspective any caring parent would want to help a child maintain an appropriate weight.

It is important to state emphatically that “diets” are not appropriate for young children. They need fat for the development of the brain. Muscles and tissues are still growing and systems are still developing. It is, however, always appropriate to begin developing healthy habits and attitudes related to foods. Only good healthy foods should be available to children and food should not be used as a reward or punishment or as evidence of love. The most important thing that parents can do to help children regulate their weight and fitness is to become a family of active people.

When we all lived Down on the Farm, contrived exercise was not necessary. The daily chores of living were more than enough to provide adequate exercise. Technology has made our lives easier and no one would want to go back but for the health of our children, we must encourage more active pursuits. Families are always the most important influencing factor in the lives of young children and example is always the best teacher! Families need to develop a form of exercise which they can enjoy together. It can be a sport such as playing ball or bowling; a task such as gardening or yard work; or an activity such as biking or walking. TTLC also tries to do its part to encourage healthy levels of activity by setting aside a 30 minute period each day for structured physical activities to provide a healthy cardiovascular workout and longer periods of time for active free play indoors and out to develop strength and coordination.

Each year parents request that their children be excused from outside active play because “they don’t like it” or “it’s too hot or cold”. Although parents intend these requests to be supportive of their children. . . they may actually be shortening their child’s life.   For the sake of your child’s life-long health, encourage and model healthy eating habits and an active lifestyle.

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Homework Alert: June

We would love for you to participate in our Annual Fruit Festival and Vegetable Fair. Take a trip to the grocery store, Farmers Market or even a roadside stand to pick out your favorite or maybe the most unusual fruits or vegetables you can find. Watch the calendar for these events and bring enough to share!

Summer is traditionally a time for relaxation and fun and so we are setting aside Tuesdays and Thursdays for special outside activities which will be education disguised as fun! Please keep your calendar handy so that you are prepared with the things you need to bring or special clothes to wear so that your child can benefit from the experiences we have planned. Each class will have a container in the front hallway to keep special items safe and available.

Sunscreen! We will be playing outside most days, please make sunscreen part of your daily routine!

 

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A Green Hour for Healthier Kids!

A recent Kaiser Family Foundation study revealed that US children spend an average of 6.5 hours of their “free time” each day inside using electronic media: computers, video games, television and MP3 players. They are also becoming increasingly disconnected from nature. Their sedentary pursuits contribute to higher numbers of children with childhood obesity, high blood pressure, attention deficit diagnoses and more.

To reverse this “nature deficit”, The National Wild Life Federation and Wild Birds Unlimited are encouraging a “Green Hour” – – at least one hour of unstructured outdoor play daily when children can practice skills like gardening, observing, and how to experiment in the physical world. Other studies show that while children’s imaginations are soaring during active play their stress levels drop, they become fitter and leaner, and their immune systems grow stronger.

The green hour can take place in any green space where they can safely explore and learn — their own backyard, a park. nature trails or a walk through the neighborhood. Here are some sample activities but check www.greenhour.org for more suggestions:   Take a nature photo safari, camp out in the back yard, put up a bird feeder, stay up late and look at the stars, go on a bug walk,or a nature scavenger hunt. The conversation, and emotional bonding between you and your child as you explore will make a difference in behavior, grades and tired children sleep better at night.

Get going and get outside!

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Family Fun: June

The Southwestern Farm and Home Museum located in the Shipman Community Park, on Route 16 serves as a memorial to farmers and their families who have made us the best fed people in the world. It is open to the public on Friday, Saturday, and Sunday. from 1:00 – 4:00. The cost is $2.00 for adults, Children 6 – 16 $1.00, and children under 6 are free.

Included in the collection are antiques, lots of horse-drawn vehicles, farming tools and machinery, bottles, dishes, and toys.   Also available in the park are picnic tables, playground equipment and the only preserved one-room school house in Macoupin County. The staff is “child-friendly” and very helpful. A trip to the museum could make a very enjoyable week-end outing.