Hello, IDP Families!

We hope you are enjoying our new website and online communication!  We are very excited to be “going green,” and look forward to being able to put even more in our newsletter and communication with all of you.

    We have just wrapped up our unit based on the season of Fall and Halloween using the books "Leaves Leaves Leaves" by Salina Yoon, "When Autumn Falls" by Kelli Nidey and "Brooms are for Flying" by Michael Rex. We used last month's theme to help build your child's vocabulary as well as work on prepositions and answering simple wh- questions. Please continue to work on these skills at home:)

 

 Reminders:

 

-Please remember there are important centers set up for your child to try at the beginning of each class. It is EXTREMELY important that your child arrive on time so they may have an opportunity to try these centers as well as have time to "ground in" for their day through play. Morning classes begin promptly at 9am and afternoon classes at 2:00pm.

 

-With the cold weather quickly approaching please remember to pack a jacket in your child's backpack.

 

-DIAPERS, WIPES, CHANGING PAD and CLOTHES- oh my!!  Please remember these three things in your kiddos' backpack for every class time

 

-Privacy is crucial for some of our families! Kindly wait a few feet away when waiting to talk to one of our staff during drop off or pick up. 

 

-We value each and every one of our families and consider everything you say to us important however please do not interrupt if a staff member is talking to another family. If you are in a rush and need to pass on important information please just slip us a note and we will make sure your important message is passed on to all our staff:)

 

-Please send your child in supportive shoes (no crocs or sandals) so they are able to successfully particpate in our motor activites.

 

-If you child is potty training please send them in loose clothing so they are able to pull their pants up and down independently. No onsies please since this will prevent your child from being independent with this task.

 

 

Please note that our program has an “open-door” policy that encourages our parents to ask staff questions, observe their children during class time, and work collaboratively with all our staff and other service providers to provide the BEST and most appropriate curriculum and environment for our students. 

If you have questions or concerns that require additional time, please talk with any of our staff to set up a formal meeting.  J

 

Special Notes/ Parent Tips:

 

Each month, we will offer a new tip for helping improve your child’s development.  These tips may be about gross-motor skills, tactile ability, communication, social, etc. 

 

-Sensory/ Tactile Input:  To help your kiddo increase his/ her awareness and acceptance of various sensory input, you can expose your child to many different, household materials.  Try to incorporate some “messiness” in the kitchen by kneading dough for pizza/ bread, adding handfuls of flour to recipes, spreading jelly on bread with your child’s fingers, or helping to wash dishes with soapy suds.  In the bathroom, “messiness” can include rubbing shaving cream in the sink or bathtub, lightly rubbing a hairbrush or toothbrush to feel the bristles on the top of the arm, or holding toothpaste between two fingers to feel its tacky, sticky texture.There are all types of materials and items in your home you can use to help increase your child’s awareness and acceptance of various sensory-rich items.  Start with small amounts and a short time of exposure to foreign materials, and increase time and amounts as your child allows.  Be sure to praise your child’s attempts, and allow yourself to participate in the fun of getting messy and trying new things with your kiddo!  J

 

-The gift of time: When asking your child a question or asking them to complete a task remember to give them plenty of time to answer on their own before prompting them. Many of our students have a 10-20 second delay before they answer so please be patient and encourage them to be independent with these tasks.

 

-If constant drooling is a challenge for you child try using an oral massager (baby section at Toys R Us) or an electric toothbrush to help stimulate your child's oral motor muscles. Gently rubbing popsicles or other cold items on your child's lips is also a great and fun way to stimulate your child's lips!

 

-When at home try to discourage the use of bottles and pacifiers since they often discourage your child from developing their speech skills. Instead try using straw cups or a sippy cup (if your child is unable to drink from a straw) to help strength the oral motor muscles. With strong oral motor muscles your child will be talking in no time!

 

-Quick tip to boost your little one's language- NARRATE, narrate, narrate!  When you're dressing in the morning, label your body parts and the clothes that are going on them.  When you're in the kitchen, label the bowl, spoon, glass/ cup you're using.  When you're walking into school, talk about the door you open, the backpack he's wearing, and his teacher he sees. Speak slowly, identify each object by saying its name and pointing to it, and don't expect your kiddo to say anything back.  This is time for her to process the names of things, start making the connections that things have names, and hearing how you talk.  Let her take it all in without expectation of any output (unless she wants to!).