Words can Shape the Destiny of Children
Transcription
Words can Shape the Destiny of Children
NEWSLETTER Words can Shape the Destiny of Children On the wall in my office I have the following words from an anonymous wise soul that reads: *Watch your thought, they become your words, *Watch your words they become actions, *Watch your actions they become habits, *Watch your habits, they become your character, *Watch your character, it becomes your destiny. These thought provoking words remind me that what we think, say, and do really does matter. Reflecting on these words emphasises the crucial impact we have on the lives of children. After all we are there role models. *If children are constantly given directions, how will they find their own path. *If children are told “we will have to talk to Mommy and Daddy about this behaviour”, how will they learn to trust in their own ability to change inappropriate behaviours. *If children hear harsh and demanding words from adults, we should not be surprised when they begin to speak the same way. *If children watch our body language, will we be happy when they mirror us? I have often wondered why adults don’t stop to think how they would feel if they were spoken to the way they speak to children. If they are spoken to with respect, would they not feel a sense of pride in their abilities? Would they not feel confident to share their opinions? If they are spoken to with contempt or spoken to harshly would they not feel angry? Would they not feel insecure, confused, and belittled? Take time each day to reflect on how your words, actions, habits and character have made an impact in a child’s destiny. Did you know that Jubilee has approximately 235 licensed spaces from Infants to School Age Children and approximately 100 spots in our Village In Home program. Each time I have the opportunity to write this article I always am pleasantly surprised and left wanting to know more. I hope after you read this article you will feel the same too. Sometimes when we work with people we tend to forget that they are more than just educators. By me taking the time to get to know people I have found that I have more in common with them then I thought. Or I find out that person I thought was kind of snobby was just shy and is an amazingly creative person with the heart of gold. Or the co-worker that I labelled as a mom, dad or grandparent is a world traveller, is well educated, has big dreams, so many things. There is more to us than our labels of educator, supervisor, maintenance executive director, parent, grandparent etc. Take the time to get to know those around you and those from our other sites we are all amazing men and woman but you will never know if you don't take the time to see that. Here are a handful of the amazing people at Jubilee. Kaytlin Cacciotti(St.Francis) - Kaytlin lives on a farm with horses, goats, rabbits, chickens and cows. She has been working with special needs children since she was 15. Her first experience was when she did a placement in the special needs class when she went to Chippewa Secondary School. She loves doing anything outdoors she enjoys snow machining in the winter and quading or mud bogging in the summer. Jodee Duguay (Macleod) - Jodie enjoys spending most of her time outside, and if she is not outside she is spending it inside decorating for Christmas (as of right now). She has her tree up and most decorations up and presents wrapped. Her favorite colour is purple, she is CRAZY for purple! Brianna Nadjiwon (Board Member) Brianna has 2 Golden Retrievers, Rocky (2 years old) and Roody (4 years old) and they are brothers with the same mother. They are amazing and gentle dogs that love to cuddle, often in her bed! They are like children and they spoil them a lot! She is a big sports fan and she was a goalie in hockey and ringette for most of her life. She played for the Northeastern AAA Ringette team at the Ontario Winter Games in 2000. She can often be found dancing to jazz music or watching the Toronto Blue Jays while cooking up something new and fun! Carole Brunet (Jubilee Best Start Hub Coordinator) - Carole has 3 grown children, 25, 23 and 16 and she is a Nan to her granddaughter who is 4. Jubilee has been her first and only employment. She has been here since 1997 and wouldn't want to work anywhere else! She started at Jubilee Playtime Co-op which was located off site at 1960 Paris St. That ran for 2 years. She then worked with SAC for 4 years and made her way to the Toy Library which is now Best Start Hubs. She has been Hub Coordinator for 4 1/2 years now and loves it. Her dream since she was a very young girl was to become a Police Officer! Rob Longarini (maintenance) - Rob played organized football for 5 years in High school and coached hockey and football for fourteen years. After that in the Kinsmen Minor Football League and High School Level and Copper Cliff Minor Hockey League. He was married at the age of 18 and had four children by age 23. Kris, Ryan and twin girls Kelly and Kara. On November 24/1012 Rob and his wife Kathy will have been married 39 years. Rob graduated high school at age 18. He started his career with the City of Sudbury. Over his 37 year tenure with the City he progressed through the work force and spent his last 15 years as Manager of the Water Wastewater Treatment, Operations and Maintenance Division. During this time he also owned and operated a home improvement and construction business. Through Continuing Education Programs he now possesses 21 different Provincial and Federal certifications and licenses including a Masters Certificate in Municipal Management from York University. Cheryl Duhaime(St.Alberts/relief) - Cheryl likes to travel. Some of the places she has been are Finland, Sweden, Latvia, Estonia, Lithuania and Poland where she visited Auschwitz. It was a very humbling experience. She has always been fascinated with the Holocaust. She also has been to South Korea to visit her daughter Erynn. She has Braille part 1 and taught it to a visually impaired student when she was an Education Assistant before becoming the Attendance Counsellor with the Superior Greenstone District School Board. She can only read Braille visually as most sighted people do. She can play the flute and was in the Sudbury Public School orchestra from grades 5-7. She then played in the North Shore Community Band in Terrace Bay where she lived for 27 years before moving back here 4 years ago. I leave you with this quote, “Judging someone is easy. Getting to know someone for who they really are takes effort, that’s why it means something. Unknown~~” Brandy Mergeart Happy Holidays from Home Child Care. Since joining Jubilee, Providers have been enjoying the closeness of the agency "family". They feel very welcomed and an important part of the agency. They are happy to be invited to and involved in our Professional Development Days as well as other events. Many have been with other agencies in the past and many have been in HCC for over 25 years. They worked in a variety of settings so they evaluate their present situation with experience. I would like to acknowledge the dedication they have to their careers and the long hours they put in daily. Depending on the individual, Home Child Care Providers provide child care for 7 days a week up to 24 hours per day, including evening, week-end, and holidays, for children from birth to age 12 ! They are a great attribute to our family. Cheers ! Did you know that Jubilee has had 3 Executive Directors since opening in 1988 as the Toy Library, Penny Earley, Eve Kremyr and Elizabeth Hamilton. Why be Active? Being active has a lot more benefits then just losing weight and gaining muscles. Scientific studies show that regular physical activity helps: decrease stress relieve depression and anxiety increase energy and happiness improve mood improve sleep improve digestion strengthen the immune system reduce blood pressure improve body composition by reducing fat improves cholesterol levels in the blood prevent type 2 diabetes and heart disease prevent osteoporosis and some forms of cancer All of which contribute to better health. Fitting in physical activity does not need to be hard; it can be as simple as parking further away, taking a walk on your lunch, or even dancing with the kids. (Information from www.mhp.gov.on.ca the Ontario ministry of health.) Andrea Villeseche Wellness Team Continuing our Professional Development When I was young (ages 5 to 9) and growing up in Nova Scotia I lived in the most wonderful place on earth. This was my child’s view of the world. I lived on the last street of a very tiny subdivision outside of Halifax (12 streets in all). My road was surrounded by forests on 3 sides, 2 ponds, and a large rock mass. It was a child’s dream playground. The forests trees when bended, became houses, the ponds became fishing holes (tad poles, frogs, and minnows) and a skating rink in the winter. The rock mass was a mountain to climb and a toboggan hill to slide on. Adults never entered our world. They simply believed we were capable to create our own play and work. They also had confidence in our decision making skills to conduct ourselves safely. How can we offer the same opportunities to the children at Jubilee? Create spaces that include: water, vegetation, animals, insects, creatures in ponds, sand, natural colour, diversity and change, places and features to sit on; in; under; lean against; provide privacy; shade; shelter, different levels, nooks, crannies, places to hide, structures or objects that can be changed, and including lots of loose parts. Take the indoor classroom outside. Create storage bins that include writing materials, paint, chalk and blackboards. These materials should be as easy to access for the children as the pails, shovels, balls, and skipping ropes. Provide spaces for woodworking, clay, artwork, and exploring loose parts. Look at the play space that you are providing. Is it inviting? Are there invitations to explore? Is children’s work visible? Are there items from nature being used in a sensorial, creative and for cognitive experience? Reflect on this space: How are you going to change to make the changes happen? Heather Margerison RECE Welcome to Jubilee Best Start Hubs! When arriving for the first time, you are greeted by warm welcoming staff eager to show you around and make you feel part of a small community. You may be an expectant parent or a new mom, dad, grandparent, childcare worker or just curious to see what happens here. You will see an early learning environment set up with many opportunities for children to explore a little world of their own. A place where they can develop the skills they will require socially, emotionally and physically to reach their fullest potential. It is the perfect transition to school. Parents have the opportunity to meet other parents and become their own support system. Relationships are made here, conversations are shared and support is given in all areas. It is a one stop centre with many doors that open to other services. If you are wondering about your child’s development and have questions or concern, you have come to the right place. Staff are trained in assisting families in completing Developmental Checklists and connecting them with the proper services such as Wordplay, Community Children’s Network, Children’s Treatment Centre, Child and Family Centre, Children’s Services, Sudbury District Health Centre and Child and Community Resources (formerly Childcare Resources).If you are having challenging behaviours, staff is trained in delivering the Triple P parenting program. If you are looking for a specific age related program, topics, outings or community outreach, you won’t be disappointed. We offer: Baby’s Day Out, Toddler’s Rhymes to Reading, Preschool Readiness, Parent Discussions, Field trips, Community Kitchen @ Christ the King Church, Intergenerational Program @ Alzheimer’s Society, Community Gardens and Special Guests. If you can’t make it in the daytime, well you can certainly join us once a month at our Family Fun Nights. Here you will have the opportunity to have a meal with us and join a special activity such as, Zumba, Gross Motor Fun, Yoga, Star Lab, Science North to name a few. A Saturday may be just what you are looking for. We are open the 1st Saturday of each month at our South End Hub and the 2nd Saturday of each month at our West End Hub. Please visit the new Best Start website at http://www.sudburybeststart.ca/ Here you will find the new Best Start video…featuring staff from the West End Hub! Please keep December 13th in mind and join us at Science North from 6-7pm. We will be singing Christmas Carols, enjoying the lights while sipping on Hot Chocolate and crunching on a cookie. Please register with the South End Best Start Hub. Carole Brunet Hub Coordinator A special Thank you to our Communication Committee… Frank Mahon, James Suchoplas, Heather Margerison,Marnie Managhan, Sandie Manitowabi, Elizabeth Hamilton, Vickie St.Denis, Andrea Villeseche, Carole Brunet, Brandy Mergeart, Janene Parr, Tammy Veevers and Karrie Yake Did you know that the Aboriginal Daycare used to be our Toy Library, now known as our Best Start Hubs. Did you know that Jubilee Heritage Family Resources grew from a dream by the Sudbury Women’s Centre and the Association of United Ukrainian Canadians. St. Francis Daycare Welcome Danlinda to our Infant Program at ST. Francis Daycare. Her years of experience with the infants at our St. Albert site, has given her knowledge that she has agreed to share and mentor with us as we begin our new journey with our expansion at St. Francis. Her nurturing ways, her gift of music and love for the children has complemented our program. How wonderful is it to be able to mentor each other within our own agency! Carole Brunet-St. Francis Daycare A Welcome Change Early in the summer the educators at the main site were asked to plan and design an eco-friendly playground for the side yard. With the help of Pierre Harrison of Play, Learn, Think we met and discussed what we would like to see in the play-yard. The children’s likes, needs and wants were taken into consideration. A plan was developed and work has begun. The first step which was cleaning out and taking down of the old shed is completed. Pierre and Rob Longarini (our handy man) have started on the storage shed part of the climber. Also included in the new playground will be a water feature, bike path, teeter-totter, seating area and a climbing wall. The playground will be constructed of all natural materials as much as possible. The completion date will be early spring when the final touches will be added. Jubilee will be closed on Dec. 24th at 5:30 until January 2nd 2013 Please register for our Family Christmas PARTY on December 8th ehamilton@ccrconnect.ca N National Children’s Day Nov. 20th 2012 Hi everyone from Jubilee Heritage Family Resources! Hope you enjoyed your Back Care presentation. Our names are Melissa and Ryan and we are third year nursing students from Laurentian University here with Jubilee for the months of November and January for our community clinical placement. We have started touring our way through the different daycares and hubs, so you can expect a visit from us in the near future. Also, if you have any ideas for us in terms of teaching at one of the sites, we are more than willing to put something together. Lastly, just wanted to thank everyone for being welcoming and making us feel like a part of the Jubilee Family. See you soon! Planning is Key!! The Board of Directors strive to implement and follow policies, bylaws and recommendations. This is done with great care and in the best interests of the organization. However, like any important endeavour, this cannot be successful without careful planning. It is through such planning that great ideas, like this very newsletter, originate. Every year, the Board takes part in a Strategic Planning session in order to review our accomplishments, assess the needs of the organization, and set our goals for the year. In the past, these goals have ranged from enhancing communication to keeping up with changes in the childcare field. This year, our focus is to build on our accomplishments, while keeping up with the positive momentum we have been experiencing. First, while communication remains strong among all levels of the organization, we continue to look for new ways to reach out to staff, clients, and the general public. Secondly, we have decided to review our Board processes and use this information to assess our various functions. Thirdly, we are looking forward to developing a long-range plan that predicts future trends to adapt to ongoing changes and ensure financial stability. Finally, we recognize the strong relationships that Jubilee has with its community partners within the City of Greater Sudbury. It is one of our goals to continue building on these relationships to further enhance Jubilee's presence within the community. In the end, our goal is always the same; to provide affordable, high quality, anti-bias learning environments that support the needs of children and their families in the community. A goal as important as this can be met in a number of different ways, but in order to truly be successful.....this, of course, takes careful planning. James Suchoplas Board Chair Did you know that our West End and South End Best Start Hubs serviced approximately 1045 children and 842 adults in 2012. The number of times they visited our Hubs is, 13,772 for children and 10,585 for adults. Once again, on behalf of the Communication Committee, I would like to thank the Board, Management and Staff for their continued support with moving our organization toward ongoing effective communication at all levels. Two years ago the Board set a goal to improve communication within the organization. This will be an ongoing goal however we should be proud of what has been accomplished to date. As Julie Denomme has reminded us during her two very enjoyable presentations on communication, there are many aspects to this art. She has given us the opportunity to reflect on our own communication skills and think about how we interact with others. Through the following statements we can further reflect on our own communication skills as we perfect our own ability in this area. 1. “The single biggest problem in COMMUNICATION is the illusion that it has taken place.” ~George Bernard Shaw 2. “COMMUNICATION - the human connection - is the key to personal and career success.” ~Paul J. Meyer 3. “Good COMMUNICATION does not mean that you have to speak in perfectly formed sentences and paragraphs. It isn't about slickness. Simple and clear go a long way.” ~John Kotter 4. “The most important thing in COMMUNICATION is to HEAR what isn't being said.” ~Peter Drucker 5. “We have two ears and one mouth so that we can listen twice as much as we speak.” ~Epictetus 6. "Developing excellent COMMUNICATION skills is absolutely essential to effective leadership. The leader must be able to share knowledge and ideas to transmit a sense of urgency and enthusiasm to others. If a leader can't get a message across clearly and motivate others to act on it, then having a message doesn't even matter." ~Gilbert Amelio, President and CEO of National Semiconductor Corp. 7. “Civilization grew in the beginning from the minute that we had COMMUNICATION – particularly, communication by sea that enabled people to get inspiration and ideas from each other and to exchange basic raw materials.” ~Thor Heyerdahl 8. “Deep LISTENING is miraculous for both listener and speaker. When someone receives us with openhearted, non-judging, intensely interested listening, our spirits expand.” ~Sue Patton Thoele 9. “COMMUNICATION works for those who work at it.” ~John Powell 10 “COMMUNICATION leads to community, that is, to understanding intimacy and mutual valuing.” ~Rollo May As we enter the holiday season I would like to communicate the following to everyone at Jubilee Heritage Family Resources: Thank you for everything you do for Jubilee. Never doubt that you have and will continue to make a difference in the lives of every person that you touch, both adult and child. The Sudbury community is a better place because of you. Frank Mahon Communication Committee Chair Here's a great Science idea that a staff member at St. Albert’s found on Pinterest! We have made quite a few of them at our site and the children really enjoy them. You will Need: Cut up Pipe cleaners Magnet Clear bottle Cut up pipe cleaners. Use magnetic wands to draw the pipe cleaners up the side of the bottle. Apple Crisp Minutes to Prepare: 20 Minutes to Cook: 30 Number of Servings: 15 Ingredients 4 cups cooking apples, sliced 1/3 cup flour 1 cup oatmeal, uncooked 1/2 cup packed brown sugar 1 tsp cinnamon 1/3 cup melted butter Directions National Children’s Day Nov. 20th 2012 Peel apples; slice into 13x9 buttered pan. Combine dry ingredients into bowl. Mix melted butter with dry ingredients until crumbly. Sprinkle crumb mixture over apples. Bake at 350 degrees for about 1/2 hour or until apples are tender. Enjoy…From the Macleod Site Finding That Special Place It was early May and I was pushing a three-month old baby girl about the west end of Sudbury. I had heard (somewhere) about this place called The Best Start Hub. I looked up the address and was on a mission to find it. After half an hour of walking, I arrived at the front door of the Jubilee Heritage Daycare on Apple Grove. I knocked on the front door and was greeted by a woman with a warm smile and a gentle personality. She regretted to inform me that I was not at ‘The Hub’ and looked genuinely disappointed that I was at the wrong place for a playgroup. I remember leaving disheartened but also with the feeling that I had arrived at a special place. It wasn’t until years later that I found myself back at that front door (and I’m pretty sure, I was looking at that same warm smile) registering my two children for childcare at a place that was indeed very special. I have two incredible children who mean the world to me. The idea of leaving them with people I didn’t know was an incredible challenge, but one I needed to embrace. The staff at Jubilee reassured me that I was making the right decision leaving my most prized possessions in their care. Throughout that year, I watched my children flourish under the care of the Jubilee staff. It was not hard to find evidence, that indeed, I had made the right decision. For example, one day that first week, I arrived to pick up my son from the toddler room and he was sitting on the floor with an educator playing. I wasn’t sure who was learning more, the educator or my son. The two of them looked so engaged in what they were doing it warmed my heart. On another day, I arrived to find an educator dancing with so much enthusiasm that she was out of breath. The kids were smiling ear to ear and so was she! I loved how all of the staff took the time getting to know my children. It amazed me how everyone greeted my children by name and with genuine affection. As the school year came to an end, so did our time at the main site. (Our adventures at the MacLeod site have just begun!) My children were very sad to say good-bye to the children and staff. I wanted to thank everyone for the amazing care they gave my children, but I found it hard to do so because there were so many people who had touched their lives and influenced their development. On their very last day, they came home with the most amazing treasures. My daughter proudly showed me her diploma and framed ‘graduation’ photo. It is a beautiful picture of her in a gown and cap, she is nestled against a tree, wearing the proudest smile I’ve ever seen. Next, my son sat me down on the couch to show me his new book. I snuggled up with him as we flipped through an incredibly touching scrapbook that displayed his learning and adventures at Jubilee. Both his educators wrote little letters to him, demonstrating once again how they had taken the time to get to know him. I couldn’t help but get teary eyed as my children proudly showed me their new treasures. Today, they are prominently displayed in our living room. I love looking at them, knowing that these treasures reflect such a happy and positive time in their lives. So, thank you Jubilee. Thank you for taking such amazing care of my most prized possessions. Tammy Veevers