CASY Family Newsletter

Contact the non-emergency number for your local law enforcement.

Being loaded down with textbooks, gym equipment and school supplies can make backpacks heavy and hard to wear. If they're not worn properly, backpacks may cause back, neck and shoulder pain in children and teens. While backpacks have not been shown to cause scoliosis or long-term problems, it's never too early to start good habits that can decrease back strain and pain.

Use these tips to choose the best school backpack for your child.

If your child is having anxiety or difficulty transitioning to first grade--or kindergarten, or really any grade for that matter--you can establish your own comforting routine to start your child’s day on a positive note. A comforting routine could involve singing a couple of verses of your child’s favorite song, reciting a poem, or telling a story Developing a routine like this can benefit both you and your child. Click here for some other helpful tips to assist your child in his or her adjustment to school.

We need Indiana’s children to become lifelong learners who are able to think critically, solve complex problems, work collaboratively, make informed decisions, and contribute meaningfully to their communities through economic and civic engagement. Success in each of these areas is tied to their ability to learn. And the ability to learn relates directly to their ability to read.

Building literacy and language skills starts in infancy and continue for years, switching from learning to read to reading to learn. It is encouraging to see our state launching important new efforts in support of early literacy. There are also many steps we can take to prepare our youngest Hoosiers so that they enter school with a love of books and reading. Read more here.

Add Some True Stories & Fun Facts to Family Reading Time

Reading together is a part of many families’ day. At bedtime, before naps, during wake-up… books help create calm, connected routines. Books also give us great chances to help little ones learn. A lot of the time, our choices may involve silly characters or made-up stories. Those fiction books are delightful and fun for sure, but they aren’t the only option!

Breaking away from fanciful tales with nonfiction books lets you share your interests with your child – and nurture their curiosities. From amazing animals to interesting places and people, books that focus on facts help children build interests. Your child will enjoy seeing real photos. They also love to listen to your excitement as you describe details. Reading nonfiction books with your child helps build their reading skills. It also increases vocabulary and shows that they can enjoy all types of books.

You can add true stories and facts to reading at any age! Check out this age-based guide for using nonfiction to help your child learn at any age.

When you help children feel seen, heard, and loved, you’re building a sense of safety and security—and confidence—that will last a lifetime.

Together with children, watch the video below, which focuses on adult-child bonds and celebrates the special pride parents and caregivers have for their children.

Tell children what you think is wonderful about them.

Then, on a second viewing, sing along together and move around in any way you like.

And…end with a hug!

It’s a skill we all strive for, and your toddler is beginning to search for his own meaning in this great, big world.

Later in life, he may find it via some of the world’s great philosophers, but today, he’s figuring out who he is and how he fits into life’s bigger picture with the people he loves and in the routines he’s familiar with. Read more here.

Here’s a fun way to capture some of that wondrous splash of color from your flower garden on paper. Experiment with different flowers and leaves. Parsley and marigolds had the most vivid results!

What you’ll need: flowers, paper, wax paper, and a pounding object (tree cookie or small stone).

Families, teachers and children are better together. That’s why the Child Care Resource and Referral Network is proud to serve as a navigator for families, expertly assisting them in finding high-quality child care and connecting them with additional opportunities to meet their needs.

For personalized support in finding a child care program that best meets your family's needs,

contact CASY, Child Care Resource and Referral, Family Engagement Specialists

at 800-886-3952 and choose option 2.

You can also complete the referral request form by clicking here.

Our Family Engagement Specialists will follow up with you by the next business day when you submit the online form.

Email: ccrr@casyonline.org
Website: http://casyonline.org/
Location: 1101 South 13th Street, Terre Haute, IN, USA
Phone: 800-886-3952
Facebook: https://www.facebook.com/CASY.Inc