JANUARY 2013 WINTER EDITION

THE WONDER YEARS LEARNING CENTER 148 LOWELL STREET WILMINGTON, MA 01887 978.658.8282 www.thewondeyears.info

From the Directors Desk

Happy New year to all! The beginning of the school year seems to have flown by this year. The biggest indicator of how much time has passed is the growth and learning that we see in the children. Physically, when it was time to switch out the fall extra clothes with ones for the winter, most children were already barely able to fit into their previous attire. And in terms of their development, our assessments have shown that they are well on their way to mastering the skills they need to move onto the next phase of learning. It will be so much fun to watch as they master their next challenges in the months to come. In addition to all the wonderful things happening in the classrooms, the Center in general has been very busy with our preparations for the next phase of our own development as we prepare to apply for the next level on the states Quality rating Scale (QRIS). Read on to learn the latest news and about what lies ahead.

WHATS HAPPENING:
QRIS Update: The Center continues to make quality improvements according to the states voluntary Quality Rating Improvement System (QRIS). The teachers are engaged in more training to meet the new guidelines. Also, several of our classrooms were observed by our QRIS consultant and rated using the Environmental Rating Scale. All of our classrooms have now been observed In general the classrooms received high marks for their curriculum, interactions, room environments, and communications. This speaks highly of all of their hard work and dedication to the children and the center. We still need to make improvements on our playground and adjustments to some of our routines. I also need to continue with individual teacher observations and ratings that they require as well as organization of the data for their review. This will be our focus in the months to come. To learn more about the Environmental Rating Scales and the states voluntary Quality Rating Improvement System, go here: http://www.isbe.state.il.us/earlychi/pdf/ecers_presentatio n.pdf and here: http://www.mass.gov/edu/birth-grade-12/earlyeducation-and-care/provider-and-program-administration/qualityrating-and-improvement-system-qris.html

No improvements would be complete without input from you! As part of the QRIS we need your help! Please complete and return the attached survey so we can determine which improvements you would like to see happening at TWYLC. Thanks for your support. The Wonder Years is now on PATCH!: Competition is tough these days! We are still working on our marketing to get the word out about the quality programs we offer for children. As I mentioned in the Fall Newsletter, recommendations from parents are our #1 marketing tool. Both word-of-mouth and your great reviews on the internet are the most often-cited reasons for new families to come for a tour of our school. We have a new format for posting reviews: we now have a page on the Wilmington Patch! I would love to increase our presence on this site as it is a wonderful local resource for families. Also, they have a Best of feature where you can vote for the best child care in Wilmington and I would LOVE that to be The Wonder Years! Your votes and reviews will all help us achieve that goal. Please post a review on PATCH this week to help us towards this goal, Thanks!

WHATS HAPPENING (continued)

Playground Fundraiser Update: We want to thank all of you who participated in this years playground fundraiser by purchasing the KidStuff Coupon Books. We earned $1075 for our playground through your efforts so it was a great success! Playgrounds are especially costly to upgrade. There are new federal guidelines that have been put into place that the state will now follow and these require changes to our surfacing and fall zones. We also want to add some shade structures. Between required changes and things we would love to add, we could easily spend $20,000 right now just for the basics! Class Composites: Where are the class composites you ask? I just received notice that they have been shipped! We will keep you posted. The Wonder Years Learning Center Facebook Update: We have not made as much progress towards updating our Facebook page as we wanted this past fall, but this is still on our agenda. We have had many more likes to our page so I feel we are moving forward. If you have not done so yet, find The Wonder Years Learning Center page and like us to keep your finger on the pulse of whats happening at TWY. Also, send us any suggestions for the content you would like us to include as we continue with our page upgrade. The Wonder Kids Parent Group Update: Our parent group welcomed new members and has been meeting each month. They have planned a busy schedule again this year. They hosted a winter clothing swap during our Open House in October and organized a successful Winter Coat drive in collaboration with Antons Cleaners in December. Twenty-five coats were donated. This month they are hosting Dining for a Cause at the 99 Restaurant for their first fundraising event. You can dine in or out and 15% of the proceeds will go towards the Parent Group. Next month, on February 12th, they will host Wiggles & Giggles as an enrichment program for the children. Please find the NEW parent Bulletin Board across from Lindas office to see what other events are scheduled throughout the winter and spring. Also, watch your email and see posters around the Center for more information on Parent Group activities. Snow Day Alerts: You can now receive alerts on your cell phone whenever there is an event that affects our opening or closing. Go to http://whdhstore.hipcricket.com/?smenu=1 to sign up. You can also go to our Facebook page or call our office at 978.658.8282 EX:10 to learn about school closures. "For the child... it is not half so important to know as to feel. If facts are the seeds that later produce knowledge and wisdom, then the emotions and the impressions of the senses are the fertile soil in which the seeds must grow.... It is more important to pave the way for a child to want to know than to put him on a diet of facts that he is not ready to assimilate." -Rachel Carson

Many of you have asked about our security in light of last months Newtown tragedy. We are in the process of adding new elements to our emergency procedures to increase the safety of our children and staff. At our staff meeting this month, we actively worked on developing Lockdown procedures which are sensitive to the childrens needs while still being effective in case of an emergency. We have come up with a preliminary plan. This will be discussed with the town Safety Officer to fine-tune the details. We also will be meeting with a representative from the Wilmington Public Schools to learn about their procedures and implement any that seem to be applicable to our setting. We will keep you informed of our final plan. We also will be changing our door codes by the end of the month. These will be distributed through your childs classroom so be looking for those soon. We will add another element of safety by keeping our playground doors locked when we are not playing outside. We have determined one area of safety that needs to be improved and for this we need YOUR help. OPENING OUR FRONT DOOR TO STRANGERS DURING DROP-OFF AND PICK-UP IS A PROBLEM AREA. The Wonder Years staff always cards anyone who we do not know prior to them entering the building or in the classroom (if they get that far). However during the busy times of the day it is easy to just allow someone to walk in behind you or open the door for someone who forgot the code. Be aware that it is not unusual to have families here with active restraining orders. Custody battles also occur. Between these factors and all that is happening in the world today, we need to be more cautious about who enters the building. Please ask questions to people you dont know prior to leaving them in the door (I dont know you. Who is your classroom teacher? Which classroom are you going to?) Follow up with someone on the staff if someone gets in that you dont know. Also, keep us informed if you think someone YOU know might pose a threat to the center in some way. Speak with the Director about this promptly so a plan can be put into place to help avoid any issues. We welcome your input during our review process. Please feel free to join our conversation about the safety of our school by speaking with one of us, emailing us, or dropping us a note in our tuition/suggestion box outside of my office. Safety is our number one priority here and we appreciate your suggestions.