CHAC/FIRST 5 Presents: Your
March Overview
Greetings Families, Partners, and LTI Community
April is here, and we are
finally getting some much needed rain. In between showers, have you been
showing your children the budding trees and flowers? Have you noticed together
how the birds are singing? What kinds of outdoor fun do you enjoy as a family?
Bike rides? Hikes? Shoreline Lake? Parks? Rancho San Antonio? So much to do. We
hope you enjoy each moment.
Here’s this month’s news
Mercy’s
presentation on brain & body development was a huge success. Presenters Maddi Pascua MA, ATR and
Melissa Kelley MA MFTI gave so much great information that was practical and
useful that everyone agreed they must have a part 2! Stay tuned for an
announcement for the next presentation, and thank you to all who attended.
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We look forward to
watching our garden grow!
New
Services Coming to our Centers in April. CHAC is proud to announce the launch of the VIEW program
as a wonderful addition to our FIRST 5 programming.
VIEW is a program that
helps families find new ways of managing stress and challenges by using the
latest developments in neuroscience. There has been a lot of research that has
come out, especially in the last 10 years, about the brain and nervous system,
and what happens when we are stressed.
For example, when we
have chronic stress, it feels the same to our brain as a life threat, so
signals go out for fight, flight or freeze, while other things like learning,
organizing, and reasoning are less available. Body systems like digestion might
slow down to help the body prepare to protect itself, and circulation will
focus on big muscles and lungs rather than fingers and toes (are your fingers
and toes often cold?)
Long term stress is
especially problematic because the body does not completely relax in between
stressful events. This puts a very big strain on the body and especially on
young, developing systems.
So what does this mean? Fatigue,
short-temper, getting sick often, and even things like depression or anxiety
can result. Children might be having behavior problems in school, like hitting,
meltdowns, or difficulty separating. These things in turn can increase the
anxiety and tension in the home.
VIEW offers
consultations to help identify ways for you and your child to deal with stress
in a completely different way. Some of the techniques we use are similar to
those used in occupational therapy to help with sensory integration and nervous
system settling. Other things are simple tools we can give you to practice at
home to identify stress differently and change the way you relate to the
signals your body gives you to notify you about stress levels.
We also offer
therapeutic services in which we work with a child or adult (or both together)
to actively help reduce the stress over time. This is great support for making
long-term changes. It is especially beneficial when there has been a specific
trauma, including anything from a difficult birth, surgeries, falls, moves,
separations from caregivers (including adoptions), or anything that caused
stress in the family.
Coming this summer, we
will offer group classes to learn about combating stress, as well as social
skills groups for young children.
If you are interested in
speaking to one of our staff about a FREE 30 minute consultation, please
contact Brandy at 650-967-4813. Please note this program is not funded by FIRST
5. Sessions with one of our highly skilled clinicians start at $95 per hour. A
sliding scale is available for families in need.
Check out this article
about sensitive children. If it sounds familiar, the VIEW program could be for
you. http://goodmenproject.com/featured-content/warm-words-strong-arms-hold-sensitive-child-kt/
Community
Worker Francisco Hernandez featured on FIRST 5 Website. A year ago, Francisco Hernandez was
bringing his daughter to classes at FIRST 5 in West San Jose and volunteering
for the program. FIRST 5 captured this great moment with his daughter. Now
Francisco is one of our staff Community Workers, teaching classes and building
connections with families and especially other fathers. If you know a father
who would be interested in joining Francisco’s group for dads in Sunnyvale, you
can contact him at 650-967-4813 or FHernandez.chac@gmail.com. See more information on the class
for fathers below.
New!
Father’s Group starts this month in Sunnyvale. Community Worker Francisco Hernandez
will lead Spanish speaking dads on Tuesday and Thursday evenings starting 4/29
from 6:30pm-8:30pm. They will gather to talk about being a dad and learn about
their child’s development. Dads will meet through June 10.
[updated information] Registration required. Call 650-967-4813 for more
information and registration.
SEEDS/SIEMBRA
Class teaches parents how to help their kids with language and reading skills
from birth. Did you know from the first time you
give your child a soft book (and they put it in their mouth), you have
introduced them to reading? Learn about the link between your close connection
and your child’s lifelong love of reading and learning in this 5-week class.
Children will have separate literacy and learning activities in the same room.
At Vargas Elementary, Room 15. Starts April 4 from 9:00am-11:00am. In Spanish. Please
register by April 1.
Want to learn more about
early literacy and the word gap? Watch this powerful 5 minute video:
http://www.upworthy.com/why-talking-to-babies-is-an-investment-worth-making-dont-believe-me-watch-and-learn?c=ufb1
Here are some key things
we liked:
- "If we really want to make a change, preschool is too late. It really begins with parent talk age 0-3"
- "Keep talking to them even if they're not talking back,”
- “TV doesn't work."
First
Mercy Street FRC “I’m Ready for Kindergarten” class graduates with fanfare and fun. Community Worker Jeanette Santana,
lead CCP/Teacher Guadalupe Romo, along with teachers Alejandra and Lina Rappaport. said that children grew a lot in the 8 week period. “Many of them were
separating from their parents for the first time. It’s normal that they would
be upset in the beginning, but after the third week, all of them were relaxed
and enjoying the class.” Parents are always surprised by how much their
children can do on their own. This class is a great opportunity to see what is
possible for their children at their stage of development, and to give them
appropriate challenges so that they can stretch themselves. Congratulations to
the children, parents and teachers for a wonderful class.
Volunteering
at Mercy Street is FUN!
Do you have some free time to volunteer? Friends or grandparents who have time
during the day to help? We have a wide variety of volunteer activities
available, from preparing art projects for classes to assisting in classes,
office work and outreach. It really does take a village to support our young
people. Come to our next volunteer meeting Monday April 7 from 10-11:30 to hear
more, or contact Volunteer Coordinator, Nancy Doan at 650-967-4813.
Registration required by April 4 (childcare available).
We are continuing our
tradition of offering gratitude each month. There are a lot of reasons to
express and model gratitude to our children. Here is a fun link with pictures
that show some of the benefits of giving thanks. http://www.huffingtonpost.com/2012/11/22/gratitude-healthy-benefits_n_2147182.html.
This month we’d like to thank Summer Winds, Home
Depot and Lowes for their generous donations of materials for our garden and
planting party. We are so grateful to organizations that support the important
work we do. Thanks too to our FRC Administrator, Ana Valle, for developing relationships with these stores an acquiring so many wonderful donations. THANK YOU!!
Holidays
and Scheduled Closings:
Here is a list of
upcoming days we will be closed and class cancelations. Please watch our
calendars for unexpected closings, such as teacher illness.
4/7 – 4/11 Spring Break
in Mountain View. All classes canceled at Mercy and Escuela
4/14 – 4/18 Spring Break
in Sunnyvale and Cupertino. All classes canceled at Vargas and Canon Music
5/7 – Volunteer meeting
– Wednesday Play and Learn at Mercy is canceled
What’s NEW for April?
Mountain View
Science
Kids Coming Soon to Mountain View!
Thursdays, from May 1 to June 19, 10:00am-11:30am. Get your lab coats ready – Science Kids will be coming to Mountain View on
Thursdays starting in May. Class is for children ages 3-5 (sorry, no siblings). Includes basics of numbers, shapes &
colors; the world around us; science skills: measuring and more. Cost is $25
for the series. Space is limited to the first 15 children/30 people. By Aliza
Savransky. 8 weeks. (Lab coats not required) ;)
Sunnyvale
Bombay
Jam: Thursdays throughout March, 4:00pm-5:00pm. Cost $1 per person. Join this fun filled Bollywood dance
inspired class for adults and children (must be supervised by an adult). Easy
to learn, great exercise and infectiously fun. Please wear comfortable clothing
and shoes that will work with carpet. All attendees must sign a waiver prior to
participating. No registration required.
Science
Kids: Thursdays, 10:00am-11:30am. February 27- April 3. Science exploration for preschoolers
ages 3-5. Includes basics of numbers, shapes & colors; the world around us;
science skills: measuring and more. This class is first come, first served for
the first 14 children/28 people (due to the classroom size, for safety
reasons).By Aliza Savransky. 6 weeks. Fee is $3 per child per class to cover
supplies, or buy the whole series by the first class and get 1 class free ($15
for the series) Cash or checks made out to CHAC. Drop-ins only if space
available at 10am. If you buy a series, you must arrive by 10:00am or you lose
your space (sorry, no refunds). Series passes are not transferrable.
Movetrition
– with a Twist: Fridays, 2:00pm – 3:30pm. March 7 – April 11 (6 weeks). Movetrition is a health program that
teaches nutrition through movement. This is Movetrition with a twist - parents
will also learn positive parenting skill building throughout the class. For
more information call 650-967-4813 or email mercystreetfrc@gmail.com. No registration required. Space is
limited to first 15 families each week.
Did
you know about our FIRST 5 partners in Sunnyvale?
Find calendars for the
FIRST 5 FRC at Fairwood Elementary here http://www.first5kids.org/frc/fairwood
Cupertino
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Volunteers Needed! Do
you have a few hours a week you that you can spare? Do you want to give
back to your community? Do you want to make an impact in the lives of
young children and their families? Do you want to expand your knowledge
of early childhood development? Do you have expert knowledge that you can teach to our families? Come join our team. If you are interested and/or want more information on our fabulous volunteer program, please send an email to Nancy Doan at nancydoan5@gmail.com. Thanks for considering – the success of our program depends on Volunteers! Together we make the difference.
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Volunteer Network! CHAC/FIRST 5 Volunteers, stay connected on all our volunteer news, updates, training opportunities, and more! You can take part in our Facebook Volunteer Group. Find us by typing "nancydoan5@gmail.com" in the search bar or click
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Feedback: Do you have comments that you would like to send the staff? Please send us a note to:mercystreetfrc@gmail.com
