Celebrating Children, Building The Future

Week of the Young Child 2013 Theme:

“Early Years Are Learning Years”

The Week of the Young Child is an annual event sponsored by the National Association for the Education of Young Children (NAEYC).  NAEYC, the world’s largest early childhood education association, has nearly 90,000 members and is committed to providing and promoting excellence in early childhood education.  The primary goal of the Week of the Young Child is to celebrate and bring attention to the unique qualities and needs of young children and their families.   Also, the Week of the Young Child is a time to honor the educators and other professionals who nurture and provide safe, loving educational environments that can greatly impact the lives of young children.  This year’s theme is “Early Years Are Learning Years.” 

The Week of the Young Child was first established by NAEYC in 1971 and honors more than 35 million children nationwide aged between infancy and eight, and the families, teachers, caregivers, and other adults who help children make the most of the opportunities of their early years.  The event was created to focus on the fact that a child’s future academic and professional success has its’ foundations in the care the child is afforded during the formative years (birth through five).   Popular literature illustrates that during these early years children develop essential social, physical, cognitive and communicative abilities and that the level of these abilities are greatly advanced in the presence of constant, responsive and consistent care.  In today’s economic times, where many families have two working parents, the importance of high quality early childhood programs is critical.  High quality interactions include, but are not limited to, sustained and engaged play, open-ended conversations, individualized learning experiences and recognition of the importance of family involvement. 

Approximately 13 million infants, toddlers, and preschool children are regularly in non-parental care in the United States, including 45% of children younger than one year.  Young children and their families depend on high-quality education and care, which help children get a great start and bring lasting benefits to New Jersey.  The Week of the Young Child is also a time to recognize the importance of early learning and early literacy, and to celebrate the teachers and policies that bring early childhood education to young children.

Kangaroo Kids, a NAEYC accredited school celebrated this special week with a unique schedule of events.  They kicked off the week with special treats for families.  Children had special events all week in their classes, which emphasize the importance of literacy, staying fit and giving back to the community.  The also studied the arts by creating their rendition of famous artists.  Kangaroo Kids also hosted a Scholastic Book Fair to emphasize the importance of literacy. Finally, Kangaroo Kids brought the Week of the Young Child to a close by having an ice-cream social.  A perfect opportunity to enjoy a delicious treat while socializing with classmates and reflecting upon the week! 

You can celebrate the at home every day as well!  Take a moment to read a special book or work on a

cooperative craft or art project.  Be creative paint with a car instead of a traditional brush! Children love helping in the kitchen and will be thrilled to help prepare dinner or dessert for the family.  If you are going to bake something with your child, perhaps you can even make extra and bring the baked goods to a local nursing home, shelter or other community institution!  Community outings are always special and places such as libraries and children’s museums host many family friendly events.  Please don’t forget that the best possible way to connect with your child is simply to talk to them.  Drop the cell phone, put away the computer, get at their eye level and engage your child in sustained conversation.  A free and invaluable way to get into the mind and heart of your child!

If you would like information about upcoming programs at Kangaroo Kids or a list of special activities you can do with your child call 908-231-7800 or email us at staff@kangarookidschildcare.com     

19 Things We Should Say to Our Children!

This is a great reminder of some very special things we should say to our children! Hope you enjoy as much as I did.....
"With our busy, day to day lives, sometimes it is easy to forget to be really present and 'talk' to our children. Of course they know we love them, but sometimes we forget the things that they need to hear, and hear often."

http://thematernallens.blogspot.com/2010/01/they-are-listening.htmlhttp://thematernallens.blogspot.com/2010/01/they-are-listening.html

25 Tips to Encourage Literacy In Young Children

Happy Birthday Dr. Seuss!

25 Tips to Encourage Literacy In Young Children: 

1. Babble back to your infants
2. Encourage conversation
3. Teach site words – McDonalds, Lucky Charms, Barney
4. Speak another language
5. Encourage drawing and inventive spelling
6. Script what they say about the drawings – write their story and make it into a book
7. Fall in love with language, rhymes, songs and role model reading
8. Label your child’s environment
9. Make shopping lists with your child
10. Cook and read recipes together
11. Look for letters on the Menu when you go out to eat
12. Cut pictures out of magazines that begin with a letter you are studying.
13. Make an alphabet book
14. Read a book and then ask children a few questions to test their comprehension
15. Glue letters from an alphabet cereal on a piece of paper.
16. Put alphabet cereal on a plate and help child make their name out of the cereal.
17. Keep magnetic letters on the refrigerator
18. Make up silly songs starting with the letter you are studying.
19. Talk to your child
20. Sing with your child
21. Read to your child everyday
22. Limit television watching and watch appropriate shows
23. Visit libraries and bookstores
24. Select a quality child care
25. Read to children and ask them to predict what will happen next.

Kangaroo Kids Celebrates Chinese New Year!

Kangaroo Kids Kindergarten Class created their very own Chinese New Year Celebration with their language teacher Cynthia Yu.  Preschoolers through Kindergarten children at Kangaroo Kids Child Care and Learning Center have weekly lessons in Mandarin Chinese from Cynthia.    This month they celebrated the Year of the Snake Chinese New Year, also known as Spring Festival.  As a part of the celebration the Kindergarten Class created their own lion masks, a traditional sign of good luck, and then performed a typical Chinese New Year Parade as they danced and sang Chinese songs through the entire school.  Children were thrilled by the performance and it was a great lesson regarding the Chinese Culture.

Kangaroo Kids children had an opportunity to experiment with chop sticks as they consumed the homemade dumplings that Cynthia brought to school.  They also read Chinese stories, listened to traditional Chinese music, received red envelop gifts and tried on authentic Chinese outfits. 

Cynthia Yu holds a B.A degree, and has had formal music training in New York City and New Jersey.  She is also a certified teacher and has more than fifteen years of teaching experiences. She has been teaching music and Chinese language at Kangaroo Kids for the past three years. Teaching is one of her passions for life.   For the past two summers, Cynthia has traveled to Taiwan to participate in mission work, teaching English at the local University and in the country villages.  During the trips she met many local young people and children. She really enjoys sharing her music and language teaching experience with the young people in her home land!

Educating on other cultures helps to promote peace and understanding throughout the world.  For more information about Kangaroo Kids and additional photos of Chinese New Year Celebration visit Kangaroo Kids Facebook page at Kangaroo Kids Child Care and Learning Center.  

Minimizing Holiday Stress!

Dos and Don’ts of Minimizing Children’s Holiday Stress

By Barbara Thornton

During this holiday period, there are lots of fun activities and events going on both at home and at school, and while this is a good thing, holiday stress does cause varying degrees of anxiety in children.

Routines are important! Loss of sleep, change in diet and over stimulation can result in unhappiness for everyone, but these effects are often greater for children.  So DO keep your child’s eating, sleeping and activity schedule as close to regular as possible. And when a change in routine is inevitable, try to get back on track as soon as you can.  And DON’T let your child overdo on sweets.

DON’T over schedule your child.  Don’t say yes to every invitation or request, or you will end up with more activities than your family can happily handle.  DON’T forget – less is more.

If you are the type who must plan, then -

DO plan quiet time:

Reading stories

Hot cocoa and popcorn

Movie night at the house

Writing Holiday cards with a grandparent

DO plan activities to keep your child moving:

            Going skating

Swimming at the YMCA

Outside play dates

            Nature walks

DO watch your child’s cues. If you see your child starting to get tired or acting cranky, changing your plans may save you lots of grief in the long run.  You may need to take a snack break, or add a nap on a day you didn’t expect it would be needed.

DO remember that you are the most important role model for your child.

Set a calm example. Keep things in perspective. Don’t set unrealistic expectation for yourself or your family members.  Don’t compare the present with romanticized memories of holidays past.

DON’T blow things out of proportion.  Even when things don’t go the way you had hoped, remember that a disaster now results in a funny story later.

DO take care of yourself.  This may seem counter-intuitive with the holiday season messages, but being at your best is the most important gift you can give your family. Pay attention to your own needs and feelings during the holiday.  One way to help alleviate your own stress is to take advantage of Parent’s Night Out at Kangaroo Kids.

DO accept that there will be stress. But DO live in the moment, DO appreciate every moment you share with your child, and DO be thankful for all you have.

Happy Holidays!

Avoid Common Mistakes When Guiding Children's Behavior

Common mistakes we make when guiding children’s behavior:

1.       Not setting clear expectations in advance

Example:  “We are going shopping. Remember, we are only buying food for breakfast, and you can help me make some healthy choices.”   It also helps to review healthy choices.

2.       Not setting boundaries

Think of how you would feel driving in the right lane of the Brooklyn Bridge if there weren’t any guard rails?  You child needs boundaries which will grow as the child matures. 

3.       Lack of follow through and inconsistency

      Ask yourself - Are you willing to leave the cart if you give a warning to your child that you are leaving the store if he or she doesn’t stop a specific behavior? 

• Mean what you say or don’t say it.
• Don’t say no but then give in after much pleading, it only creates an environment for longer pleading.
• Choose your battles.  Ask yourself does it really matter?
• Turn off the cell phone so you can focus on follow through.

4.       Confusing loving with indulging

5.       Not letting our children experience consequences

6.       Not creating a yes environment.  A yes environment is created by setting parameters that are age appropriate such as avoiding long waiting periods for young children, and giving children time to transition as opposed to rushing from one activity to another.  

Happy Halloween!

Happy Halloween from the entire staff at

 Kangaroo Kids! 

Have a "Hauntingly"  Good Day!