ECFE PTA Sock Hop: Spread the Word

The Early Childhood Family Education PTA is holding a Sock Hop fundraiser on Saturday, April 21, from 6-8 p.m. at Goodview School. The Sock Hop will include a variety of dance music for pre-K kids and their older siblings--plus dance lights, refreshments, a cake walk, and a silent auction. Admission is $3 per person or $12 per family at the door. All proceeds will support the many activities of the ECFE PTA. This year the ECFE PTA has helped to organize a literacy fair as well as sponsoring infant CPR training, a presentation on nutrition for small children, the Winona Area Family Events Calendar, Gym Nights, as well as other activities promoting strong families.

Please help to spread the word to your group or organization. For more information or for flyers to distribute, please call ECFE at 494-0913.

Study: Early Child Care Linked To Increases In Vocabulary, Some Problem Behaviors In Fifth And Sixth Grades

From a recent study that appears in the March/April 2007 issue of Child Development (summary from Science Daily.com):

The most recent analysis of a long-term NIH-funded study found that children who received higher quality child care before entering kindergarten had better vocabulary scores in the fifth grade than did children who received lower quality care.

The study authors also found that the more time children spent in center-based care before kindergarten, the more likely their sixth grade teachers were to report such problem behaviors as "gets in many fights," "disobedient at school," and "argues a lot."

However, the researchers cautioned that the increase in vocabulary and problem behaviors was small, and that parenting quality was a much more important predictor of child development than was type, quantity, or quality, of child care.

Read the rest of the article at ScienceDaily.

Family Fun Day, April 14

Come celebrate the Week of the Young Child at FAMILY FUN DAY, Saturday, April 14, 10 am-1 pm at the Winona Senior High Concourse. Performances by area preschools, kids' activities, and resource booths. This annual event is fun and free admission for all!!

Ready to Learn Backpacks Given Out at Early Childhood Screening

The Winona Early Childhood Initiative has teamed up with the Early Childhood Screening Team to give kids another reason to get ready to learn--bright red backpacks filled with crayons, wikki stiks, rhyming books, and the ever-popular blunt-tipped scissors.

Each child who attends Early Childhood Screening (scheduled through Winona Community Education) receives the goody-filled backpack at the end of his or her appointment. The backpacks are designed to be fun for kids, but more importantly, to give them opportunities to practice skills that all three to five year olds need to know to be ready for kindergarten.

"This has been a great way of getting materials into the hands of kids and their parents," said Lezlea Dahlke, WECI Co-coordinator and Winona Children's Librarian. "We wanted to to a project that would be fun for kids and reach a lot of families. It's been great working with the Screening team because they know so much about encouraging kids to get excited about learning."

For more information about Early Childhood Screening, contact Winona Community Education at 507-494-0900.