December 2018 Newsletter

November Newsletter 2018
November 8, 2018
The First 1100 Days Luncheon
March 13, 2019
Newsletter – December 2018
SPARK is the hub of a valuable wheel. An education initiative of Fox Valley United Way, SPARK (Strong, Prepared and Ready for Kindergarten) connects underserved Aurora, Illinois, families with early education and childcare opportunities that prepare their young children for success in school and life.
Play.Learn.Connect. Family Resource Center at VNA Healthcare
If you have visited the second floor at VNA Healthcare on Highland Avenue, you may have noticed that it looks quite different from a typical waiting room. There are a lot of good things happening in this space!
VNA and SPARK staff have worked in partnership to transform the space into a Family Resource Center. The goal is to create a family friendly space in which children can engage in fun and child appropriate activities and parents can be supported by SPARK staff and volunteers to learn more about early childhood resources in the Aurora community. As one parent described, “it’s a one stop shop.” Wait time has become more meaningful as parents learn about community resources and receive valuable parental support.
The transformation of this space into a Family Resource Center was made possible by generous grants from the Robert R. McCormick FoundationDunham FundGustafson Family Foundation Fund of the DuPage Foundation and the Community Foundation of the Fox River Valley.
If you are interested in becoming a SPARK Volunteer, please contact us atspark@foxvalleyunitedway.org. Our volunteers receive early childhood training to ensure they have the knowledge and confidence to support our families and children. They are also trained to conduct developmental screenings for children birth to 5 years old.
SPARK Calendar
Our SPARK monthly calendar will introduce a monthly book from the Mind in the Making book collection. Each book will be accompanied with an activity that fosters the Seven Essentials Life Skills.
About Mind in the Making
Mind in the Making, a program of the Bezos Family Foundation, is an unprecedented effort to share the science of children’s learning with the general public, families and professionals who work with children and families.
Mind in the Making has partnered with First Book, a nonprofit social enterprise that provides books and educational materials for educators serving children in need, to curate a groundbreaking Mind in the Making Book Collection that combines children’s books with tips for building The Seven Essential Life Skills Every Child Needs (HarperCollins, 2010) by Ellen Galinsky
To learn more about the Seven Essential Life Skills Every Child Needs visithttp://mindinthemaking.org/7-essential-skills/
To learn more about the Mind in the Making Book Collection by visitinghttp://mindinthemaking.org/firstbook/
Let’s Talk About Shapes!
The holiday season is a great time to talk to your kids about shapes. Christmas, Hanukkah, and Kwanzaa are celebrations that are full of different shapes from evergreen trees to candles. It gives the perfect opportunity to talk about shapes that you may not usually see during the year!
You can have a Christmas tree scavenger hunt looking for all different shaped ornaments. Or, you can talk about the shapes of candles and candle holders for Hanukkah and Kwanzaa. No matter what you celebrate this holiday season you can make it a fun and easy learning experience for you little one! Remember talking is teaching!
Keep Young Children Safe in the Car
IEL has revised its tip sheet Keep Young Children Safe in the Car to align to the latest rules regarding car safety seats and positioning young children’s seats when transporting them in vehicles. This tip sheet is available in SpanishPolishKorean,Simplified ChineseArabic, and French.
Playful Learning Aurora
What is Playful Learning?
 A collaborative project that transforms everyday spaces where families work, play, and live into opportunities for learning.
 We need your help to identify sites and customize installations to meet the needs of children and families in your community.
December 19th, 2018
5:00-7:00pm
Santori Public Library | 101 S. River Street Aurora
Space is limited. Dinner provided. Child care will be available.
To reserve your spot, please email Nataly at barreran@metrofamily.org or
call 630-294-9993.
Technology and Your Young Child
 How much technology is too much?
 What effects does technology have on young children?
 As a parent what can I do?
Registration is REQUIRED, please call 630-896-4636 x104 or register online at (https://www.sparkaurora.org/event/technology-and-your-young-child/)
Free Childcare will be provided
***All who register will be entered into a raffle
Tecnologia y Sus Niños Pequeños
 Cuanta tecnologia es demasiada?
 Que efectos puede tener la tecnologia en sus hijos?
 Como padre, que puedo hacer?
Necesita REGISTRARSE, por favor llame al 630-896-4636 x104 o en internet aqui
(https://www.sparkaurora.org/event/tecnologia-y-sus-ninos-pequenos/)
Proveemos cuidado de niños gratis
***Todos que registran particparon en un a rifa
Community Meeting
REMINDER WE DON’T MEET IN DECEMBER AND OUR JANUARY MEETING THE 5th WEDNESDAY
Come join us for our monthly
Community Meeting
When: Wednesday January 30th
9:30-11:30am.
Where: Santori Public Library
101 S. River St. Aurora

Leave a Reply