Early Childhood Council for Yuma, Washington and

Kit Carson Counties

October 2015

Oct 5th

National Child Health Day

Oct 9th

Fire Prevention Day

Oct 15th

Global Handwashing Day

Oct 21

Count Your Buttons Day

Oct 31

Halloween

(Pretend vs Not Pretend)

For more information

visit our website at

www.eccywk.org

October is National Nut Month

Early Childhood Council Meeting Dates ECC Yuma County ECC Kit Carson County

October 7th, 2015 October 29, 2015

1:00pm—3:00pm 12:00pm– 2:00pm

In Yuma TBD Morgan Community College

Executive Committee Meeting ECC Washington County

October 7th October 28, 2015

11:00am-12:00pm 9:00am– 11:00am

Conference Call CSU Extension Office

Early Childhood Quote

A person's a person, no matter how small.

Kid swim at

Wray Rehabilitation & Activities Center 8-week session

October 3rd to November 21st

Parent/Tot- (6 months and up)- 9:30 to 10:00am

Water Exploration– Level 1– 10:10 to 10:40am

Primary skills– Level 2– 10:50 to 11:20am

Stroke Readiness– Level 3– 11:30 to noon

Stop by the Wray Rehabilitation & Activities Center

700 Main St. Wray CO or call 332-4451 to reserve you spot

www.wracofwray.org

Yuma District Hospital

Flue Shot Clinic

Tuesday October 13th, 2015

7:00am to 5:00pm

$25.00 per shot

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Page 3

I’m Nut Free, Are You? How to Welcome Children With Nut Allergies

www.carelulu.com

Just when you think you’re all set to welcome the newest addition to your child care program, little Susie’s mom chimes in, “I forgot to mention. Susie is deathly allergic to nuts. Can you accommodate her?”

Before you start madly examining the floor of your child care center or home for peanut shell remnants, or begin throwing everything in your snack cupboard out, know you aren’t alone in addressing nut allergies. With 1 in every 13 children under the age of 18 having a life threatening allergy to nuts in the US today, it’s inevitable that at some point you are going to have a Susie walk through your door.

To make it easier for you to accommodate children with nut allergies, we came up with a list of easy ways to make your facilities as safe as possible (without having to go to extremes!)

Educate yourself: It’s better to be safe than sorry. With that in mind, you should arm yourself with as much knowledge as you can about treating a nut allergy in a child care setting, should an accident happen. Online courses like How to C.A.R.E.™ for Students with Food Allergies from FoodAllergy.org are designed to help teachers, administrators and other school personnel prevent and manage potentially life-threatening allergic reactions. And because it’s available online, the course can easily be shared with all of your staff.

Educate the children: As a preschool director, it’s impossible to prevent kids from touching each other, and although skin to skin contact with someone with a nut allergy likely won’t result in anaphylaxis (life-threatening type of allergic reaction.), it’s still good to talk to your children about nut allergies and what could happen if little Susie comes into contact with nuts. The popular PBS show Arthur has a DVD and educational activity unit around food allergies that will make this conversation all that much easier (and entertaining!).

Have a plan: Make a “daycare emergency plan” for dealing with a nut allergy incident, and keep it in a place where all your staff members will see it on a regular basis (on a bulletin board or on the fridge for example). F.A.R.E. (Food Allergy Research & Education) has a great emergency care plan available for download with clear instructions on how to treat both mild and severe symptoms.

Keep it clean: To avoid any chance of cross contamination (since even the smallest trace of nuts can be dangerous), always do the following:

Clean and sanitize all surfaces in your daycare where food is prepared or eaten with soap and water (or an all-purpose cleaning agent).

(Continued on page 4)

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I’m Nut Free, Are You? How to Welcome Children With Nut Allergies www.carelulu.com

(Continued from Page 3)

Clean and sanitize all food preparation equipment including utensils, cheese graters, vegetable peelers, strainers, and blenders as well as trays and baking sheets, etc. before and after each and every use. If you ’ve cooked on or in it, even if it was covered in wax paper or aluminum foil, it needs to be cleaned.

Always have your staff and children wash their hands thoroughly with liquid or bar soap and water. Note: hand sanitizers are great for germs but useless against food allergens. In a pinch, commercial wet wipes will work.

Check the ingredients: Before serving any snack, check to make sure that the product isn’t labelled as containing a “major food allergen” such as peanuts or tree nuts. U.S. law requires that all allergens must be listed on product labels which makes ensuring a product is nut free that much easier. This handy checklist makes it easy to identify what foods might be harmful in your preschool.

Know the signs: By familiarizing yourself and your staff with the signs of a possible allergic reaction, you will ensure the allergy is addressed quickly, before it escalates. Some of the signs of a young child suffering from a nut allergy may include them putting their hands in their mouths or pull, scratch at their tongues, have a noticeable change in their voice, or even slur their words. An older child may tell you that the food is too spicy, that their tongue is hot, burning, or tingling, or that there’s a frog in their throat, just to name a few possibilities.

Accommodating children with nut allergies doesn’t have to be an all or nothing situation in your child care or preschool program.

Page 5

Build Your Child’s Social Skills this Halloween By: Faye De Muyshondt, Founder & author of socialsklz for SUCCESS

Halloween is right around the corner and pretty soon, your child will be out in her best superhero or princess costume, knocking on doors and getting lots of tasty treats. This festive occasion is not all about dressing up, trick or treating or the sugar rushes that will follow, however. The spookiest night of the season can be a good time to build your child’s social graces, as she will be able to practice her skills through several interactions with others. Stellar social skills are just as important on this holiday as they are on any other day, but Halloween can be the perfect opportunity to teach your child about being gracious and about the rewards (candy!) that come from being respectful.

There are many ways that you can make sure that this Halloween is full of treats and no tricks this year. Here are some helpful tips for you and your little ghosts and goblins:

Choose a trick-or-treat bag with your child, and let her know that she will need to be prepared and ready to accept treats quickly and graciously. The bag should be easy to carry and open and close and it should be strong enough to hold a few pounds of treats. After you get the right bag, show her how to say trick or treat politely and then quickly open her bag, so as to not hold up the rest of the trick-or-treaters. Trick-or-treating can also be a good lesson in waiting and patience. Patience may not be a virtue that your child grasps fully yet, so make sure to remind her about the need to wait while the other children before her get their treats instead of storming to the front of the line.

Talk to your child about being polite to others and minding his manners while trick-or-treating. While some children are naturals at interacting with others, some may still need guidance, and this may be a great time to remind your child about the importance of good manners. The combination of lots of sugar and funny costumes to hide behind can also affect his behavior, but there are ways to avoid this recipe for disaster. Express to him that although he may be dressed like Shrek, he’s still a real kid inside, not an ogre! Remind him that he should have fun, but should still exhibit good social skills, and be kind and courteous to others.

Practice trick-or-treating with your child. Have your child ring your doorbell in costume and go through the whole trick-or-treat process. Encourage her to make eye contact with those handing out candy and with friends or neighbors she may run into on Halloween night. Express that it is important to always say, “thank you,” regardless of whether or not she likes the treat. Explain that even if she doesn’t like what she has received, she should be grateful that the person gave her a treat at all. You can separate the “good” from the “bad” candy later at home.

(Continued on page 6)

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Build Your Child’s Social Skills this Halloween By: Faye De Muyshondt, Founder & author of socialsklz for SUCCESS

(Continued from page 5)

Map out a trick-or-treat route and discuss Halloween safety with your child. If you are not accompanying your child, remind him to stay in a group and stick to the approved route so you know he is in a safe area. You may also want to provide him with a flashlight with fresh batteries and remind him to call 911 if he gets lost or needs help. The American Academy of Pediatrics also recommends that you make sure that your child’s costume is bright and reflective, flame resistant, and that any mask that he wears doesn’t limit his eyesight.

Ask your child to be respectful of others. If a house has no lights on, it’s probably not a good idea to ring that doorbell. The family probably ran out of candy, isn’t home, or simply might not be participating in the festivities. Remind your child that it is always important to be respectful of others, even on Halloween. Halloween night can also offer a lesson in kindness. If your child is going out trick-or-treating, be sure your household is also participating in handing out treats. Spread kindness (and treats) this Halloween, and most of all, enjoy!

Page 7

Why is Handwashing so Important? A delicious mud pie, a good-luck rock, a friendly frog — just some of the types of goodies kids love to bring home. But these adorable gifts also can bring millions of germs with them.

Kids don't always listen when parents tell them to wash their hands before eating, after using the bathroom, or when they come inside from playing. But it's a message worth repeating — hand washing is by far the best way to prevent germs from spreading and to keep kids from getting sick.

First Line of Defense Against Germs

Germs can spread many ways, including:

touching dirty hands

changing dirty diapers

through contaminated water and food

through droplets in the air released during a cough or sneeze

on contaminated surfaces

through contact with a sick person's body fluids

When kids come into contact with germs, they can unknowingly become infected simply by touching their eyes, nose, or mouth. And once they're infected, it's usually just a matter of time before the whole family comes down with the same illness.

Good hand washing is the first line of defense against the spread of many illnesses — from the common cold to more serious infections, such as meningitis, bronchiolitis, the flu, hepatitis A, and most types of infectious diarrhea.

(Continued on Page 8)

Page 8

Why is Handwashing so Important?

(Continued from page 7)

Washing Hands Correctly

Here's how to scrub those germs away. Teach this routine to your kids — or better yet, wash your hands together often so they learn how important this good habit is:

1. Wash your hands in warm water. Make sure the water isn't too hot for little hands.

2. Use soap and lather up for about 20 seconds (antibacterial soap isn't necessary — any soap will do). Make sure you get in between the fingers and under the nails where germs like to hang out. And don't forget the wrists!

3. Rinse and dry well with a clean towel.

To minimize the germs passed around your family, make regular hand washing a rule for every-one, especially:

before eating and cooking

after using the bathroom after cleaning around the house

after touching animals, including family pets before and after visiting or taking care of any sick friends or relatives after blowing one's nose, coughing, or sneezing after being outside (playing, gardening, walking the dog, etc.) Don't underestimate the power of hand washing! The few seconds you spend at the sink could save you trips to the doctor's office.

Page 9

Monsters Under the Bed: Understanding Kid Fears By Reshma Memon Yaqub from Parents Magazine

Many of kids' fears seem mystifying or irrational, but to them the world is full of threats. Most

fears fade as kids develop, but if your child's fear persist and totally preoccupy him, he'll need your

help to overcome them. We've got the top soothing strategies for his biggest fears - -real and

imaginary.

Toddler Fears

Two- and 3-year-olds are creatures of habit. Any

unfamiliar sight or sound -- a strange animal getting too close,

ear-splitting sirens -- can send them into a panic. Often, toddlers are

afraid of harmless stuff, such as the vacuum cleaner. The reason:

Even though they're aware of their environment, they don't yet understand everything that happens

in it, says psychologist Kim Burgess, PhD, director of the

Pediatric Psychology Center, in Rockville, Maryland. (Your child may know that a vacuum

cleans up dirt, but he's not sure it won't suck him up too!) Toddlers' fears often stem from one

scary experience, adds Kristy Hagar, PhD, coauthor of Seven Steps to Help Your Child Worry

Less. For example, a child who cried when his birthday balloons popped might become afraid of all

balloons.

Soothing Strategies

Play detective. If your kid can't tell you what's scaring him, look for clues. Jennifer Bosavage, of

Huntington, New York, couldn't figure out why her 2-year-old son sometimes panicked when he got

dressed -- until she noticed that it happened only when he wore shirts that button. "He couldn't

undo buttons yet, so I think he felt trapped in his shirts," she says.

Be creative. Experiment with ways to help your child feel safer. For toddlers, the more visual

the strategy, the better. If he's afraid of being sucked down the bathtub drain, cover it with a

washcloth or an upside-down cup, says Dr. Hagar.

Change your child's perception. If he screams at the sight of bugs, read him books about

friendly ones or draw pictures of them. When he stops fearing the idea of bugs, he may feel more

brave around real ones, says Stephen W. Garber, PhD, coauthor of Monsters Under the Bed.

Clear up false beliefs. Sure, you know that a haircut is no big deal. But that's because you

understand that hair doesn't bleed and the stylist won't snip your ears. The more your toddler

knows, the less he'll worry. (Continued on page 10)

Page 10

Monsters Under the Bed: Understanding Kid Fears By Reshma Memon Yaqub from Parents Magazine

(Continued from page 9)

Preschool Fears

As 4- and 5-year-olds begin to understand abstract concepts, their fears become more

complex as well. They're scared of what they can see and of what lurks in their imagination -- the

monster under the bed, things that go bump in the night, and what might happen when Mom and

Dad aren't nearby. It's no surprise that this is the peak age for nightmares. And since preschoolers

still have a hard time distinguishing fact from fantasy, their bad dreams can feel terrifyingly real.

Soothing Strategies

Answer the "what-ifs." Children this age are mostly

worried about what could happen, says Dr. Garber.

If your child jumps at the sight of your neighbor's dog,

for example, calm her by explaining the dog's

behavior. Instead of saying, "The dog won't hurt you,"

be specific: "The dog sniffs you to get to know you. He

barks because that's how dogs talk."

Don't overreact to nightmares. When Ryan

McCaffery, 5, has a bad dream, mom Candace does her best to calm her. "Sometimes I'm just so

exhausted that I let her stay with me, though," admits the Atlanta mom. But it's better to give a

quick reassurance and tuck your child into her own bed; otherwise, you validate her fears.

Look for role models. If your child is terrified of the monkey bars at the playground, encourage

her to watch an older sibling or another kid around her age play on them without pressuring her to

take a turn. Seeing somebody she can relate to confronting her fear may give her a shot of

courage.

Respect her feelings. Teasing your child or forcing her to confront a situation that terrifies

her will probably backfire. But don't overindulge the fear either -- otherwise, you may convince her

that she's truly in danger, says Dr. Burgess. If your child freaks out every time she hears thunder,

for example, resist the urge to scoop her up and hold her tight. Get down on her level and talk

about it instead.

(Continued on page 11)

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Monsters Under the Bed: Understanding Kid Fears By Reshma Memon Yaqub from Parents Magazine

(Continued from page 10)

Big Kid Fears

Older children realize that bad things do happen sometimes, says Dr. Hagar. What they

don't yet understand is the probability of a really scary event rocking their world: a stranger

climbing into their bedroom window at night, a hurricane, or gun violence in schools. But because

they often hear about these things from their friends or see them on the news, they don't get a

sense of perspective.

Soothing Strategies

Teach coping skills. Your child is old enough to learn relaxation techniques that will manage his

physical responses to fear, like a pounding heart or churning stomach, says Dr. Garber.

Encourage him to take long, slow breaths, and come up with a soothing mantra such as, "I'm safe

in my bed. All the doors and windows are locked."

Avoid media overexposure. Because children's worldview is limited, they don't know how often

hurricanes hit or how many kidnappers exist. (And they pick up on more than you think when they

overhear you listening to the radio or a TV program.) Even some kids' shows and video games can

be too intense.

Do talk about death. It's not unusual for kids this age to worry about when you'll die. If your

child brings it up, reassure her that you intend to live a long life; you can even talk about all the

good habits you follow that help keep you healthy, says child psychologist Vicki Panaccione, PhD,

of the Better Parenting Institute, in Melbourne, Florida. Since your child's underlying fear is likely,

"What will happen to me if my parents die?" you might tell her who would take care of her.

Explain probability. When a scary event hits the

news -- a terrorist attack or a natural disaster -- don't

avoid talking about it, says Raymond Crowel, PsyD,

former vice president of Mental Health America.

Explain that these tragedies rarely occur but that even if

something bad happened, you, his school, and the

community have plans in place to keep everyone safe.

Page 12

Activities with buttons

Button Jar

For older children. Fill a small

jar with buttons. Ask each

child to guess how many

buttons are in the jar. For

younger children, limit the

number of buttons to less than

ten. Record each child's

guess. Count the buttons.

Make a train with 10 buttons

or less. How many buttons are

in “Jane’s” train? In John’s?

”Here is “Sam’s” button train.

Which button is in the third

place? The 10th place? Look

at your train. Who has a red

button in the fifth place?

Five Little Scarecrows

Five little scarecrows standing in a row,

The first one said, "Look, here come the crows!"

The second one said, "I am very small.”

"The third one said, "But, I am very tall."

The fourth one said, "I can bend my head."

The fifth one said, "I can wave my arms, instead."

Five little scarecrows standing in a row,

Count them as they move when the wind blows.

READ!

READ! READ! By Ed Emberley. Through the use of die-cut pages, a scary monster is created page by page. But once the monster is complete the reader tells it “You don’t scare me! So go away…” Now each page removes a piece of the scary monster until the end “and don’t come back.” As the child cre-ates and then destroys the monster in the book, page by page, they see that the monster isn’t as scary as they thought. This great interactive approach gives chil-dren control of the monster and hopefully helps them to understand and control their own fears.

FUN ACTIVITIES FOR CHILDREN

Spider Crackers

Ingredients: round crackers, pretzels, cream cheese, raisins

Directions

1. Spread cream cheese on both crackers.

2. Put pretzel 4 pretzel sticks on top of one cracker to look like legs.

3. Cover with second cracker.

4. Eat and enjoy!!!

Early Childhood Education Stipends

Early Childhood Council for Yuma, Washington and Kit Carson Counties has stipends for child care providers

who are taking ECE classes.

If you are taking or have taken an ECE class since May 1st, 2015 contact Claudia Strait at 970-848-3867.

To qualify you must pass the ECE class with a “C” or better

and you will need to get an application from Claudia to apply for the Colorado Early Childhood Professional Credential. Stipends will be awarded based on your credential level.

Stipend amounts start at $150 and can be as much as $500

for each ECE class. All stipends will need to be distributed by April 15th, 2016.

(Funding is limited, stipends will be awarded to first who apply)

Early Childhood Council Vision– The children and families of Yuma, Washington and Kit Carson counties will be healthy, well educated and part of a caring community. Mission -To provide a comprehensive, high quality, coordinated and accessible system of support for all children and families to ensure they are healthy and thriving.

Claudia Strait-Early Childhood Council Director PO Box 450 Yuma CO 80759 970-630-1278 cstrait@eccywk.org

Website: www.eccywk.org

Early Childhood Council of Yuma, Washington and Kit Carson Counties Funding

for this program and newsletter is from Colorado Department of Human Services,

Colorado Department of Education, Race To The Top, Temple Hoyne Buell

Foundation and Yuma and Washington County Department of Human Services

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