Perspectives Quarter 01 2005

Vol. 2, Issue 1 • January/April 2005

President/CEO p. 1 Message Newsbriefs

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Health Tips

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Just For Fun

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• Child Care Resource Center A non-profit organization, the Child Care Resource Center (CCRC) has been supporting families in finding good quality child care as well as child development services and programs for their children. Over the last 27 years, the organization has grown to serve a variety of community needs, making CCRC a vital community resource. Main Office 16650 Sherman Way Van Nuys, CA 91406 818/756-3360 Northridge Office 8510 Balboa Blvd. Northridge, CA 91325 818/256-1000 Antelope Valley Office 42281 10th Street, West Lancaster, CA 93534 661/949-0615

In November, CCRC hosted our 15th annual Legislative Forum, which you will read more about on Page two. During the event, child care providers and community leaders were given the chance to address questions about early care and education to a panel of local legislators. We also took the opportunity to debut our new logo, which you see in this newsletter, and our new video. The logo’s arches, or bridge, as some see it, are interwoven and symbolize our four main tenets: Quality, Support, Development and Education. They also symbolize how our tenets all support one another to create a larger solid structure. These arches are our bridge to the future for CCRC. Our video provides a quick overview of our various services, our philosophy, and our commitment to our mission. In 2005, we will endeavor to uphold our commitment to providing quality service, supporting families, enhancing the community’s, economic development, and providing educational opportunities for children, families, providers and the community. Thank you so much So, for you support in 2004, and th isis availab lef iyouwa ntthanks it. also for sharing these goals with us as we carry them into the New Year. Best Wishes, Dr. Michael Olenick President/CEO

Receive Payment Faster! Sign up for direct deposit. Instead of waiting for checks in the mail, get your payments automatically deposited to your bank account! Call 818-256-1000 for more information.

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he start of CCRC’s School Readiness Initiative (SRI) this year also marked the start of a unique program component, the early childhood parent education and family support program called Parents As Teachers (PAT). The PAT program serves families from pregnancy until their child enters kindergarten, usually at age five. This program gives parents opportunities to meet with our staff or “Parent Educators” and learn directly from them.

CRC hosted its 15th Annual Legislative Forum and Breakfast in November 2004 to an audience of nearly 300 guests. The forum has become a much anticipated event because it is a great opportunity for the community to interact with local legislators and discuss issues related to early education and child care. This year’s breakfast included several special recognitions.

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The CCRC Legislative forum’s main feature was a panel featuring State Senator Jack Scott, State Senator Richard Alarcon, LA County Supervisor Zev Yaroslavsky, Los Angeles City Councilmember Wendy Greuel, San Fernando Mayor Maribel De La Torre, and Santa Clarita Mayor Cameron Smyth. Eighteen local and federal elected offices were represented by legislative aides and staff representatives.

State Senator Richard Alarcon, San Fernando Mayor Maribel De La Torre, State Senator Jack Scott, Santa Clarita Mayor Cameron Smyth, CCRC Vice President of External Relations & Research Education Stacy Miller, CCRC President & CEO Dr. Michael Olenick at the 15th Annual Legislative Forum.

“We’re very excited that we have this opportunity to meet with our local legislators and highlight what is going on in the field of child care and education,” says Stacy Miller, Vice President of External Relations & Research Education for CCRC. “We are also grateful to the six dedicated elected officials who

Inclusive Child Care A Conference about Special Needs The Special Needs Advisory Project (SNAP) is hosting a conference Saturday, April 9, 2005 at the Los Angeles Convention Center. The “A Place for Every Child: Inclusive Child Care” conference is tailor-made for child care providers seeking extra professional development in the area of special needs.

Supervisor Yaroslavsky received a special recognition for assisting in the development of CCRC’s new child care education program, “Keys to Quality.” CCRC Referral specialist Fran McHale was given a special recognition in honor of her work as being one of the founders of CCRC and to wish her well during her upcoming retirement. KCET television, the PBS affiliate for Southern California was recognized for dedication to quality child care, through their new program, “A Place of Our Own.” President and CEO of KCET, Al Jerome was in attendance to accept the award. In recent episodes the Child Care Resource Center (CCRC) has worked with KCET in providing information and guest speakers for “A Place of Our Own,” which focuses on resources and information for child care providers and parents.

networking opportunities, tips on improving your child care business, vendors and exhibits and a continental breakfast and lunch.

registration. The fee to register after that date will be $75. Space is limited, so call 213-427-2715 for more information and to register.

For more information about CCRC’s School Readiness Initiative and the PAT program, please call Program Liaison Maribell Gonzalez at (818) 256-1000 ext. 2016.

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participated at this year’s event,” Miller added.

The SNAP conference will feature workshops, guest speakers,

Guests who register before February 4, 2005, will save $30 on

CCRC’s Parent Educators share child development information for every age, and special activities with parents. Together they also address parenting concerns while engaging the family in activities that encourage healthy parent and child interaction. Through monthly personal visits, group meetings, and medical screenings, the program is now serving 66 families throughout the Van Nuys, Panorama City and North Hills areas. Recognizing that all families can benefit from support, CCRC upholds PAT’s program goals by increasing parent knowledge with the ultimate goal of increasing children’s school readiness and future school success.

“It is a greater work to educate a child, in the true and larger sense of the word, than to rule a state." - William Ellery Channing

CCRC and ONEgeneration Partners in Holiday Spirit

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or the first time ever, ONEgeneration and CCRC partnered to bring the holidays home to 20 deserving families. ONEgeneration invited CCRC to participate in their “Share Project” which “adopts” families for the holidays. CCRC then had 20 needy families fill out questionnaires detailing their most important needs and holiday wish lists. One family even received a new bed for the holidays! CCRC would like to thank ONEgeneration for inviting them to participate in their holiday giving program. We would also like to thank all the wonderful anonymous donors for their generosity and kindness in helping make the holidays a little brighter for those in need. If you would like more information on ONEgeneration’s Share Project, please contact Dana Haber, at 818-708-6618.

Smart Food: The Key to Low Cost and Healthy Eating! Contributed by: Janice Alfaro, CCRC Head Start Nutrition Coordinator – adapted from Nutrition Matters, Inc. his year, make a resolution to be healthy! Here are ten small ways you can help your family eat healthier in 2005:

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l e e h Pinw

This activity has been reviewed & approved by Betty and Blanca. Tools Ruler Pencil Safety scissors Drinking Straw Masking tape

■ Eat with your family.

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Plan family meals where you sit down together. Try to eat at least one meal a day with your family. Serve a fruit or vegetable with each meal. Offer fruit or juice with breakfast and lunch. Serve at least one vegetable or fruit and lunch and dinner. Serve milk at meals. Drinking milk will help keep calcium in your family’s diet. Switch to skim milk or 1% milk. Skim milk has the same amount of calcium found in 2% or whole milk. Skim and 1% milk are lower in calories and fat. Eat Breakfast. Eating breakfast helps keep you from feeling hungry before lunchtime and snacking on unhealthy foods. Toast with peanut butter, yogurt with fruit and healthy cereals with fiber are quick and easy. Buy whole wheat bread. Choose breads made with whole-wheat flour. This will increase the fiber in your family’s diet. Snack on fruits and vegetables. Keep fresh fruits and vegetables in your kitchen and ready to eat. Some easy choices are: baby carrots, apples, grapes, cherry tomatoes, broccoli, cauliflower, and canned fruits Skip French fries and potato chips. They are loaded with fat and calories. Some other choices are: baked potatoes, boiled potatoes and other vegetables: broccoli, green beans, corn raw carrots and salads. Don’t buy soda and other sweet drinks. Encourage your family to drink water when they are thirsty. Don’t choose fruit juices with a lot of sugar. Be active. Play with your family and do fun outdoor activities together. Take a walk around your neighborhood, play catch or go to the park. Make exercise and playtime part of your family routine.

Straight Pin, push pin or metal brad clip.

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This activity is appropriate for ages 4 and older, and should be supervised by an adult.

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Measure 5 inches toward the center of a large piece of paper diagonally from each corner. Mark the 5 inches measurement off lightly with a pencil. Cut in from each corner to the 5-inch mark (draw a line with your pencil if necessary). The sheet of paper should now be divided into four sections. You may color or decorate the paper. Rip or cut off a piece of masking tape, fold the ends back so they are touching and both sides are now sticky. Press the masking tape to the middle of the piece of paper where it is uncut.

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Starting at the left hand corner, fold the corner of the lower part of the section in toward the center and press the corner to the masking tape in the center. You don’t want to press the folded area down flat; it should have a rounded edge. Continue folding the corners to the middle, skipping the second corner of each section. This remaining corner should be standing straight up. When you have all the corners folded inwards that need to be folded it is time to assemble the pinwheel. An adult should press a small pushpin, or brad clip into the center of the pinwheel through all the corners of the pinwheel in the center very carefully and press the pin through one side of the straw. Have an adult cover the end of the pin or brad clip, with thick masking tape to cover any sharp point.

CCRC Head Start Family Services Coordinator

CCRC’s Head Start department has accomplished a lot in the past year and here is the latest news! This month, CCRC Head Start is celebrating the completion of construction at its newest Head Start site, Roscoe Canyon in Sun Valley. Head Start is now serving 100 additional children, totaling to over 500 children enrolled in its program. Over 600 people attended the CCRC Head Start family night Orientation and Open House. This yearly event gives children and their families the opportunity to see their classroom and meet teachers and program staff. The children got a chance to familiarize themselves with their classroom and teaching staff, along with their family. Head Start’s Policy Committee has been elected by parents participating in the Head Start programs and they continue to meet once a month to discuss program services, and new projects. During these monthly meetings parents also receive an hour of education on a topic of their choice. These topics often include activities or information that can be taken home and in turn, lead to better child care and early education for children. Head Start staff would like to thank Friends of the Family and ONEgeneration for participating in a holiday “adopt-afamily” program. CCRC helped these two groups provide holiday gifts and baskets for 40 needy families and more than 50 children. If you would like more information on Head Start programs and services, call CCRC, at 818-256-1000.

Give your pinwheel a spin or take it outside and let it go (if it is windy).

WEBSITE RESOURCES www.enchantedlearning.com www.onegeneration.org www.coloring.com

Non-Profit Org. U.S. POSTAGE PAID Permit No. 2042 Van Nuys, CA

CCRC Perspectives a quarterly publication of the Child Care Resource Center. Editor: Juliet Mothershed. For questions, comments or info, please call 818/256-1000

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appy New Year to you all! I hope that you have enjoyed the winter holiday season and the beginning of this New Year. Since our last newsletter, I celebrated my one-year anniversary as CCRC’s President and CEO. I have truly enjoyed my time getting to know more about our programs and the community we serve. I am looking forward to another great year!

CCRC Celebrates Its 15th Annual Legislative Forum!

Contributed by CCRC School Readiness Initiative (SRI) Staff

Submitted by Gloria Castro,

16650 Sherman Way Van Nuys, CA 91406

A Letter from the President & CEO:

In This Issue

Parent As Teachers Program (PAT)

Head Start Update