Calendar Note

Please remember that all Ann Arbor Gretchen's House centers will be closed for staff work days August 27th, 28th, and 29th. This is an annual event. Staff attend in-service trainings, do team-building activities, and get their classroom spaces and record-keeping updated for fall.

ALL Gretchen's House centers will also be closed Monday, September 1st for Labor Day.

August is already upon us! Enjoy these last weeks of summer.

-- Admin

New Booster Seat Law

Have you heard about Michigan's new car safety law, effective July 1, 2008?

Children must be in a booster seat until they are 8 years old or 4’9” tall.

Children must be in a seat until they reach the age requirement or the height requirement, whichever comes first. For example:

• If your child is 8 years or older, but under 4'9" tall, the law does not apply.


• If your child is under 8 years old, but over 4'9" tall, the law does not apply.

Remember: Although it is not required by law, in both of these cases your child may be safer in a booster seat.

A bulletin from Michigan Safe Kids has more details about appropriate types of boosters for various vehicle set-ups.

For information on safely seating children of any age in your vehicle, please click here.

--Admin

"What is Your Job?"

Depending on the context, this question can elicit a variety of responses. My job at Gretchen’s House has a long list of responsibilities, but the list is longer for my job as mom. Which job is more important? It’s a rhetorical question, of course. All of us have jobs to do that wouldn’t make the cut on a resume, but we recognize their value nonetheless. But do we appreciate the value of a child’s job? What exactly is “a child’s job?”

In Child Care Information Exchange, March/April 2007, author-educator Jim Greenman presents “the child’s job” concept as a reminder for adults. “Their job is to live their lives, learn about the world, and develop into the very best people that they can be.”

How do we support our children with this important job? Greenman notes that early childhood programs are under scrutiny by “a growing national anxiety attack and obsession with school readiness… The irony is that many of these children may live to be 100 years old. Drawing from a popular expression, they will experience '40 as the new 30, 60 as the new 50.' So why does four have to be the new six? In reality the focus of good care is much broader and deeper because our programs provide the foundations for lives that extend far beyond the kindergarten year.”

The child’s job includes full development, including sensory development, communication, and discovering their bodily powers. Children have a natural desire to understand how everything works, and a need for deep connections with other people.

As adults, our job is to provide children with ample opportunities to explore the world, interact with other people, use their bodies in a variety of ways, and develop strong emotional bonds with others.

At Gretchen’s House, teachers work hard to intentionally provide an environment and activities that support children’s innate desire to make sense of the world. When a child writes on a pad of paper in the house area and tells her friend that it’s a grocery list, it doesn’t matter whether the words are distinguishable to an adult. That child is making literacy connections that lead to reading and writing later on. A boy in the block area who chooses just the right blocks to make each side of the building match is classifying and comparing attributes. Those explorations with size and shape are the foundation of math and science.

The adult-child interactions I see on the playground and in classrooms may be the most important ground work of all. Studies show that when children experience positive relationships with peers and adults in early childhood, they form positive expectations for school later on. Labeling feelings, exploring options for solving conflicts, and making connections between plans and actions are all necessary for healthy emotional development. Getting children ready for kindergarten? No, we’re not doing that. We’re getting them ready for life! And that means letting them do their jobs right now.

- H.M.

Happy 4th of July!

All Gretchen's House Centers will be closed Friday, July 4th 2008
in observance of Independence Day.

Last year, we marched in the Ann Arbor Jaycee's Parade

to celebrate 25 years of providing
quality child development programs.

We're not marching this year, but the parade is a great family event.

This year's parade starts at 10 a.m. at the corner of State and William,

then travels north on State, west on Liberty,
south on Main, and east on William.

(Complete slideshow of last year's parade photos is here.)

Infant Toddler Care

Community Playthings, manufacturer of many of the beautiful wooden fixtures you'll find at Gretchen's House centers, recently posted an article on what parents should look for as you research care Infant and Toddler center-based care. (We suggest aspiring and current teachers should look for these qualities at centers, too: a classroom and program that takes children's development into account makes it easier to meet children's needs.) The article sums up five key criteria for high-quality care: People, Place, Philosophy, Program, and Parent Involvement. Not to toot our horn, but it's reassuring to find that our program is on board with this esteemed institution's definition of good care.

Read more about it: Choosing a Child Care Facility that Fits: Like Peas in a Pod

CPR & First Aid Classes

State of Michigan child care licensing rules require that at least one staff member at a facility be certified in CPR and First Aid. At Gretchen's House, all our teaching staff have both certifications.

GH offers regular CPR & First Aid certification/renewal classes for staff. Parents or other community members are welcome to sign up. Here's the upcoming class schedule:

• Tuesday, June 3 (Initial)
• Wednesday, June 4 (CPR Renewal only)
• Wednesday, July 9 (Initial)
• Thursday, July 10 (CPR Renewal only)
• Tuesday, Aug. 12 (Initial)
• Wednesday, Aug. 13 (CPR Renewal only)

CPR certification must be renewed every year, while First Aid Certification is good for three years. If you'd like to sign up, please contact Heike Hampel.

--Admin

Top Ten Ways to Get a Teaching Job in a Tough Market

10. Show up on time for your interview, appropriately dressed. (This sounds obvious, I know, but it doesn't always happen).
9. Follow the school’s application instructions precisely.
8. Arrive prepared to answer easy questions: What are you good at? What makes you highly qualified for this job? What do you like about teaching?
7. Arrive prepared to answer tough questions: What is challenging for you? What are your weaknesses?
6. Bring a portfolio with photos or examples of your work with students.
5. Come prepared with a list of questions you have about the company or the job for which you are applying.
4. Be prepared to visit a classroom and interact with children.
3. Network. Do you know someone whose child attends the school? Someone who teaches there? Ask them to put in a good word.
2. Learn as much as you can about the school where you're applying to teach before the interview.

and our number 1 way to get a teaching job in a tough market:

1. Be willing to work as a substitute for several months. While you work, let your positive attitude and good work ethic make you indispensable to the other staff. Subbing isn’t glamorous, but if you’re good at it, you will be first in line for the next open position.

--M.D.