October Overview

Hello Families, Partners, and LTI Community

Here is your October Blog. 

All Community News & Highlights:

·     ZUMBA!! Families and staff had a blast at our Zumba Party, led by Alejandra Picollo, sponsored by Lucile Packard Foundation.  All of the dancers said, “More please!” We hope to host more Zumba at Mercy Street, and stay tuned for more Zumba in Sunnyale. 

Leyla Excites the Crowd

Sharmila Dances with Grace

 ·  Volunteers make their fitness teaching debut! Congratulations to Leyla Jurado Romani and Sharmila Gopinathan who have been certified in Zumba (Leyla) and Bombay Jam (Sharmila). Each gave a demonstration of their style at our Zumba party and the class loved them both. Their enthusiasm is contagious and we can’t wait to put some classes on our schedule.(Stay tuned!) 

·    A Big Thank You to TaeKwon Kids! 10 LTI kids were awarded the opportunity to take a three class intro to TaeKwonDo. While they learned exercises, they also learned important lessons about following rules, taking turns, and above all, RESPECT!  We love TaeKwonKids and the wonderful benefit that comes from children building confidence in their growing bodies. Please go check them out! Taekwonkids.net 

·    Rancho San Antonio Hike Gets Families Outdoors –14 parents and 20 children packed strollers and lunches and headed out to Deer Hollow Farm for a morning walk in nature. 

·    Infant Massage Gives New Moms Tools for Relaxation – Thank you to Community Coordinator Hadas Keppel for her wonderful Infant Massage Series for pre-crawlers. 10 moms with their babies attended the class – please let us know if you practice the techniques at home, and how your baby responds!.

Did you know that newborns have limited capacity for self-soothing? They usually need help calming down from a trusted caregiver. Things like massage and your calm presence help babies calm down.

·    How Does Our Garden Grow? A combination of over 100 parents and children came to our Community Garden Fall Planting Party at New World CDC to find out! Kids planted seedlings, seeds and flowers.  They also decorated the new “pumpkin & scarecrow patch” and learned about how ladybugs help the garden. Come to our next Fall Planting event at Mercy Street on October 15 from 10-12 (during our Play and Learn time). No Registration required.

·    Another SEEDS Class Ends with Parents Ready to Teach their Kids- SEEDS in Sunnyvale ended and now a new group of parents is ready to take the lead in improving literacy and language development with their child. Parents are always looking to us for more learning opportunities for their children, but children learn so much from you! Please see our calendars for SEEDS, Triple P and other great classes coming soon.

·    SEEDS Pilot Program Helps Home Childcare Providers Create Literacy-Rich Environments – Speaking of SEEDS, our FIRST 5 LTI staff is working with licensed home childcare providers in Santa Clara County to train them in SEEDS techniques and coach them in helping to implement the skills with the children they care for. Providers are also receiving a stipend to help purchase materials needed to enrich their childcare environment. Some children spend a large majority of their time in daycare. We want to support making that time rich in learning opportunities.

·    The Culinary Dude Gets Kids in the Kitchen – Scott “The Culinary Dude” Davis came to a recent volunteer meeting and showed us how to 1. Get kids involved in cooking so that they might be more likely to try different foods (like veggies!) 2. Reduce food waste – using more of the fruit/vegetable 3. Make recipes your own. Kids got to cut fruits and veggies with a butter knife (a great way to keep them with you and busy so you can get your cooking done), and then we made fruit kabobs.

Next, Scott met with recipients of our J&P Organics Produce Box Program. Scott took the week’s worth of fruits and vegetables and showed families lots of unique ways to use everything in the box, while reducing waste.

If you want to see Scott in person, you can find him here: http://theculinarydude.com/

·         Halloween Costume Exchange Gets Kids Ready to Celebrate – Thanks to all those who participated in our Costume Exchange. Miraculously, everyone who came found a new costume for their child! We also still have costumes left for purchase at Mercy Street for $5. See you at the party on October 27^th!

Coming in October (and beyond)

·         New Book Study Group – Community Worker Yadira Rios is holding a monthly book group based on Gerald Newmark’s book, How to Raise Emotionally Healthy Kids. This group for Spanish speakers will happen on the first Monday of every month at Mercy. This is the book that comes in the Kit for New Parents. Want to host a group in English? Please contact us at 650-967-4813 or MercyStreetFRC@gmail.com

·         Mandarin Play and Learn Comes to Cupertino – Community Worker Julia Zhu is starting a 4-week Play and Learn in Cupertino for Mandarin Speakers. We are so excited to finally have a Mandarin language offering for our Cupertino community. Starts Thursday 10/18 from 10:00-12:00. See Cupertino page for details. No registration required, first 15 children get a spot.

·         3^rd Annual Halloween Party- The time has come again for kids to dress up and have some Halloween Fun at New World CDC in Sunnyvale. The party is Saturday October 27 from 3:00-5:00pm. We will again have our costume parade (starting at 3:30), photos of your child, and lots of fun arts & crafts. This is a candy-free event, so leave the trick or treat bags at home, and come join the fun. Please register. See city pages for details.

 ·         From our partners at the City of Sunnyvale: Baby Behaviors, Wednesday, November 14, 6:30 – 8:30 pm, Columbia Neighborhood Center, 785 Morse Ave., Sunnyvale. Instructor: Rebecca Tam, Registered Dietician, Public Health Nutritionist/Breastfeeding Coordinator at the Santa Clara County Public Health Department

• Learn how to communicate with babies more effectively, recognize when the best time to interact with the baby is, and how to react to the signals that the baby is trying to tell you. Understand the various states babies go through and how to react to them (crying, alert, irritable, drowsy, etc)
• Recognize baby cues and signals (“I am hungry!”, “I need a break.”, “Play with me!”)
• Learn how to improve the quality of baby sleep time

·         More Play and Learn! You’ve asked and we have listened – and most importantly, new volunteers have heard the call and decided to offer more Play and Learn.

  -- *New -- Tuesday mornings at Mercy Street, with volunteers Tracy, Thao and Candice. 10-11:30am. Limited to the first 15 children/30 people, families are limited to ONE play and learn class per week at ANY of our centers.
 --*Returning – Mondays at Escuela are BACK at a new time - 4:00-5:30. Join volunteers Woomi and Einat. Limited to 13 children/26 people. English.

 -- Returning -- Sunnyvale Play and Learn starts October 16 (Tuesdays) from 10-11:30am, no registration required, limited to the first 8 children. Week-to-week format allows for more people to participate.

·         Intro to Bombay Jam – for adults 12 and over. This will be at the Mercy Street FRC main classroom on Wednesday, November 14 at 7-8 pm.  No childcare provided, but if your child can play quietly with you supervising, they may stay in the room. Registration is required and space is limited to the first 6 people. This is an experiment to see how a fitness class works in this space without childcare. If it works, we will have classes in the new year for $5 each. 

Outreach

Where have we been?

Each month, you'll find all of our dedicated Community Workers at a variety of places such as the libraries, preschools, and faith-based organizations. Here are some highlights of places we've been to and special events we will be attending. We welcome volunteers who wish to help us outreach, and suggestions for events where we can reach families with young children. 

·         Ana Moreno and Lily from the HealthTrust went out into the community and outreach on Medi-cal.

·         Hadas Keppel and volunteers Archana and Sharmila went to two Sunnyvale library's Story times on September 5 and September 13 and met over 14 new people.

·         In West San Jose, our continually successful Mommy & Me at Westgate helped us to find 25 new families.

·        In Cupertino, Nancy & Julia attended the Stories for 3’s and met 8 new families. The returning families were happy to see that we’re back at the library sharing new information on upcoming classes and events with them.

·        In Mountain View, Brandy Vanderheiden met 42 adults with 26 children at the Mountain View Art & Wine Festival, many of whom had newborns and attended our Infant Massage class.

·        Across the region, Yadira Rios has been contacting home childcare providers to familiarize them with our services.

Upcoming outreach events

Here's where to find us next! If you are available to help share information at the table, please contact Nancy Doan at 650-967-4813 or nancydoan5@gmail.com

Mountain View

·         Ana Moreno and fellow Medi-cal Application Assistant, Lily Lai will be outreaching to help people register for health insurance for children on 10/02 and 10/16. They will be outreaching to Rengstorff Community Center's Preschool classes during drop off & pick up, El Camino Hospital Mom's group, and other places in the area.

·         Do you have a suggestion for a great location to go for finding more people who need health insurance for their children? Please be in touch 650-967-4813.

·         Did you know we have regular hours every Tuesday from 10-2 and other times by appointment? We also offer services in Spanish, Mandarin and Vietnamese.

Cupertino

·         Stories for 3's at the Cupertino Library on October 24 from 10:15-11:30am.

West San Jose

·         Mommy & Me & Daddies Too. Community Workers Julia Zhu and Nancy Doan and along with several volunteers will be at the Westgate Mall on Wednesday, October 10 from 10:00 - 12:00pm at the Westgate Mall. We will have a crafts table.

Mountain View

See below for classes at our TWO Mountain View Centers. Note: the Escuela FRC is partially funded by the City of Mountain View and is for Mountain View Residents only.

News

·         See October Overview for news and upcoming events in all cities.

Mercy Street FRC Classes:

For a complete description of our classes, go here

Please register with The Mercy St FRC, at mercystreetfrc@gmail.com, or by calling 650-967-4813

New/Limited Time Classes & Events

3^rd Annual Halloween Party (Sunnyvale)
Date: Saturday, October 27

Time: 3:00pm - 5:00pm

Address: New World CDC, 730 East Homestead, Sunnyvale, CA

Notes: Our most popular event of the year. Costume parade, photo booth, crafts and FUN! A candy-free, healthy Halloween event. Please register.

Fall Planting Party 

Date: Monday, October 15

Time: 10:00am - 12:00pm

Address: 748 Mercy Street, Mountain View

Notes: Families and friends are all invited to come to our Fall Planting Party to learn and play. Help plant seasonal vegetables and plants. Find out where good food comes from and learn about eating healthy foods. Stories, Songs, Crafts, and plant the crops. Wear closed-toed shoes and sun protection. No registration necessary. This will happen during our regular Monday Play and Learn – class size limit is not in effect for this event. All welcome.

Monthly Book Study Group (Spanish) – How to Raise Emotionally Healthy Kids

Date: First Monday of every month (October 1)

Time: 10:00am - 12:00pm

Address: 748 Mercy St, Mountain View

Notes:  Book is provided free in our New Parent Kits. Please speak to Yadira Rios, group facilitator in advance in case there is anything you should know. Group is in Spanish

Bombay Jam® (Intro)

Date: Wednesday, November 14

Time: 7:00pm - 8:00pm

Address: 748 Mercy Street, Mountain View

Notes: No childcare provided, but if your child can play quietly by herself with you supervising, they can stay in the room. Space is limited to 6 people, registration required.

Please register with The Mercy St FRC, at mercystreetfrc@gmail.com, or by calling 650-967-4813

Ongoing Classes at Mercy Street FRC

Play & Learn

Led by Volunteers Sharmila & Yuko

Date: Mondays

Time: 10:00am - 12:00pm

Address: 748 Mercy St, Mountain View

Notes: This class is first come, first served for the first 15 children/30 people (due to the classroom size, for safety reasons). Plan to arrive at least 15 minutes early (or 30 to secure a spot) – it will most likely fill each week. If you arrive before 10am and do not get a spot, you will receive priority entrance for the next week if you arrive before 10 the following week. (Limit 5 for priority entrance).English with Japanese available. This class will change its time to 10:30am-12:00pm starting in November.

Play & Learn – New!

Led by Volunteers Tracy, Candice and Thao

Date: Tuesdays

Time: 10:00am – 11:30 am

Address: 748 Mercy St, Mountain View

Notes: No registration required, but class will be limited to the first 15 children / 30 people who enter per class. Please plan to arrive on time and stay until the end. In English, with Vietnamese and Korean available.

Play & Learn (Spanish)

Led by Yadira Rios

Date: Wednesdays

Time: 10:00am - 12:00 pm

Address: 748 Mercy St, Mountain View

Notes: No registration required, but class will be limited to the first 15 children / 30 people who enter per class. Please plan to arrive on time and stay until the end. For Spanish speaking families only.

Play & Learn (Japanese)

Led by Volunteers Yuko Fujimoto

Date: Fridays, ongoing

Time: 10:15am - 11:45 am

Address: 748 Mercy St, Mountain View

Notes: No registration required, but class will be limited to the first 15 children / 30 people who enter per class. Please plan to arrive on time and stay until the end. In Japanese with English available. All are welcome.

Family Day Arts Enrichment

Led by Volunteers Lu & Diane

Date: Saturday, October 20 (usually the third Saturday of the month)

Time: 11:30am - 1:00pm

Address: 748 Mercy Street, Mountain View

Notes: For all caregivers & children. Registration Required. Class will be limited to the first 15 children / 30 people who enter per class. Please plan to arrive on time and stay until the end. Spanish available.

Cafecito (Spanish)

Led by Ana Moreno

Date: Monthly, first Friday of the month. October 5

Time: 10:00am – 12:00pm

Address: 748 Mercy St, Mountain View

Notes: Monthly gathering for Spanish speaking moms to share, drink coffee/tea, and connect. Childcare provided. Want a class in English or another language? Please contact us for more information.

ESCUELA FRC Classes:
All classes are currently ongoing and no registration is required. Questions? Call 650-967-4813. This FRC is partially funded by the City of Mountain View. Classes at Escuela FRC are for Mountain View residents only.

Play & Learn

Led by Volunteers Woomi & Einat

Date: Mondays

Time: 4:00pm - 6:00pm

Address: 260 Escuela Ave, Mountain View (behind Senior Center)

Notes: Class is back! No registration required, but class will be limited to the first 13 families / 26 people who enter per class. Please plan to arrive on time and stay until the end.

Play & Learn (Spanish)

Led by staff member Yadira Rios

Date: Tuesdays 

Time: 9:30am - 11:00am

Address: 260 Escuela Ave, Mountain View (behind Senior Center)

Notes: No registration required, but class will be limited to the first 13 families / 26 people who enter per class. Please plan to arrive on time and stay until the end. For Spanish speaking families only.

Play & Learn (Spanish)

Led by Volunteer Margarita and Staff Ana Moreno

Date: Thursdays

Time: 10:00am - 12:00pm

Address: 260 Escuela Ave, Mountain View (behind Senior Center)

Notes: No registration required, but class will be limited to the first 13 families / 26 people who enter per class. Please plan to arrive on time and stay until the end. Spanish speaking families only.

Sunnyvale

News

·         See October Overview for news and upcoming events in all cities.

Sunnyvale Classes & Events:

Play and Learn

Led by Julia Zhu and volunteer Archana S.

Date: Tuesdays, October 16 – December 11

Time: 10:00am – 11:30am

Address: Caring Hearts FRC 645 W. Fremont Ave, Sunnyvale, CA

Notes: This class is first come, first served for the first 8 children/16 people (due to the classroom size, for safety reasons). Plan to arrive at least 15 minutes early (or 30 to secure a spot) – it will most likely fill each week. If you arrive before 10am and do not get a spot, you will receive priority entrance for the next week if you arrive before 10 the following week. (Limit 3 for priority entrance)

3^rd Annual Halloween Party (Sunnyvale)

Date: Saturday, October 27

Time: 3:00pm - 5:00pm

Address: New World CDC, 730 East Homestead, Sunnyvale, CA

Notes: Our most popular event of the year. Costume parade, photo booth, crafts and FUN! A candy-free, healthy Halloween event. Please Register.

Music and Play

Date: Thursdays, November 8 – December 13

Address: Caring Hearts FRC 645 W. Fremont Ave, Sunnyvale, CA

Time: 9:30am – 10:30am

Notes: Class is full.  

Triple P – Positive Parenting Program

Led by Hadas Keppel

Date: Tuesday Oct 2, Thursday Oct 4, Tuesday Oct 9

Time: 10:00am - 12:00pm

Address: Caring Hearts FRC 645 W. Fremont Ave, Sunnyvale, CA

Notes: 3 Session class. Class is full.

Baby Behaviors (From our partners at the City of Sunnyvale)

Led by Rebecca Tam, Registered Dietitian, Public Health Nutritionist/Breastfeeding Coordinator for the Santa Clara County Public Health Department

Date: Wednesday Nov 14

Time: 6:30pm – 8:30pm

Address: Columbia Neighborhood Center, 785 Morse Ave, Sunnyvale.

Notes: This is not a FIRST 5 program. To attend, please contact City of Sunnyvale Youth & Family Services Office at 408-730-7807 or 408-790-7805. This workshop is for adults only, no childcare available.