CASY Family Newsletter

New Year's Day ~ Monday, January 1st

Monday, January 15th ~ in observance of Martin Luther King Jr. Day

The start of a new year is a great time to help your children focus on forming good habits. Making New Year's resolutions can be a fun way to do this! Click here for more!

Martin Luther King Jr. Day honors the famous American civil rights leader who dedicated his life to achieving equality for people of all colors. Although few kids question a day off from school, some may wonder why there's an entire holiday devoted to one man. It's because Dr. King's message of peace and justice touched many Americans. The national holiday that commemorates him is a time to learn history and reflect on valuable teachings that are still meaningful today.

Wondering how to start the conversation? Here are the facts on the Martin Luther King Jr. holiday (or MLK Day) and its cultural significance, in terms simple enough for kids.

Jan. 31 is National Inspire Your Heart with Art Day. Interested in learning ten ways toward inspiration? Look no further!

Life-sized portraits!

Try this fun art project with any age child!

Click here for details.

If you’ve ever read any of Victoria Kann’s Pinkalicious books or if you’ve started watching the new PBS KIDS series PINKALICIOUS & PETERRIFIC, you know that Pinkalicious and her little brother Peter are all about art. They are constantly using their imaginations — creating inventive crafts, summoning imaginary unicorns and dragons, and painting absolutely everything pink! (Don’t worry. Their parents are cool with it.)

These two characters show us that when kids explore their creativity, it leads to lots and lots of fun. But did you know that it can also lead to other important benefits throughout their lives? It’s true! Research shows that participating in art activities like music, painting, drawing and dramatic play is associated with better academic outcomes, including higher reading, writing, science and math scores. It also gives children practice with self-expression, which is great for emotional health and happiness in general.

And here’s the best news of all: Even though getting your kids into art can be invaluable to their development, it doesn’t have to be expensive for you!

Here are some simple, low-cost ways to make art a part of your family’s everyday life. Pick a few to try today, and then get ready to paint the town pink (or green, or blue, or whatever colors your children choose).

These 50 winter crafts and activities are a great way to have fun over the holiday break. You’ll find plenty of ways to practice reading, writing, art, math, and science skills! Plus, we’ve added a few indoor activities to help your family get moving if the weather’s too cold for outdoor games.

Whether you’re looking for games to build your toddler’s language skills, or games to keep the young ones busy, here are some great play ideas for your infant or toddler.

“I want a turn! When’s it going to be my turn?”

If you’re like me, you hear this constantly with your kids. My kids are learning how to share, and part of sharing is learning how to wait for a turn. Instead of getting what they want right away, I remind them to be patient while waiting for their turn. From sharing a new toy, trying out a new activity, picking which game to play, or simply wanting my undivided attention, my kids take lots of turns!

Whether with family at home or with peers at preschool or on a playdate, children need to learn how to take turns. Taking turns strengthens communication and creative problem solving skills and helps kids learn more about empathy and patience.

Read more here.

Being a kid presents lots of opportunities for frustration. It’s normal and expected that children feel frustrated when things don’t go their way.

"After all, children are in a constant state of growth, learning, and tackling new challenges, all while having limited control over their daily lives."

As a parent and a professional working with families, I've learned that the trickiest part of frustration can be knowing how to deal with it. Kids’ frustration can lead to grumpiness and difficult behaviors, leaving caregivers feeling overwhelmed and frustrated. It can be hard to know what to do in these moments.

Fortunately, there are strategies you can teach your child to help them manage their frustration when it arises. Coping tools can help with the intense feelings, making it easier to talk things out and move on.

Here are some simple activities that may help your child cope when they’re frustrated.

It’s fun to read as a family, and reading with your children is important for their development, but finding books that are just right for your child can be a challenge. Luckily, you can find a variety of free children’s books if you know where to look!

In addition to your local library, these programs and websites are perfect for finding free books for kids to read. Some are free print books you can get by mail or in-person pick-up, while others are e-books that your kids can read online.

If your family is more interested in audiobooks, check out this round-up of free audiobooks for kids. You can also find free story time videos to watch as a family.

Click here for more information.

Seeing your baby's first tooth is an exciting milestone! Most little ones will get their first (primary) teeth around 6 months of age, though tiny teeth can emerge as early as 3 months.

Did you know that cavities can develop as soon as your baby has teeth? Since baby teeth will eventually fall out, it might not seem all that important to take good care of them. But as it turns out, your child's first teeth are essential to the health of their permanent teeth—and the foundation for lifelong health.

These are just some of the reasons to take extra-good care of your child's first (primary) teeth. Read on to learn more.

Do you have the espresso machine firing at all hours? Are the bags under your eyes carrying luxury bags of their own? Does your baby seem to have a knack for crying right as you enter REM sleep?

Parents are often told that having a baby means sacrificing sleep. But hearing advanced warnings and actually dealing with a baby who rarely sleeps at night are two different things. In this article, we’ll dive into what’s considered “normal” sleep for babies, address some common sleep problems and offer advice on how to help your little one sleep better so you can finally catch more z’s yourself.

Read more here.

This event is open to families in Wayne, Union, Henry, Fayette and Rush counties

❄️❄️❄️Stay warm, stay safe. Call 2-1-1 to find warming centers open in your community. Indiana 211 community navigators are available 24/7 and can provide you with updated locations and hours of warmings centers in your area. Call 2-1-1 or click here. ❄️❄️❄️

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.