Knox WeCare Daycare
Safe, caring, & quality Christian childcare

It’s that time of year again!!  The sun is shining, flowers blossoming, and the staff and families of Knox Daycare preparing themselves for yet another beautiful spring season, not to mention the exciting summer months right around the corner.

Here at Knox Daycare we constantly witness God’s miracles as he blesses us with a group of amazing families and children to interact and care for each and every day.  I could not ask for a better way to spend my time then with the hard-working and devoted staff, the outstanding families, and the wonderful children that come through these doors each morning.  We are honored to be a part of your lives and what a blessing it is to be entrusted with influencing children as they learn and grow in God’s love.

Daycare Updates

Infant Room – We welcome new staff member Emily Powell.  Lead teacher Brie and Emily have brought many new and fresh ideas for making our infant program even better.  We also welcome our new babies Myla, Elliott, and Mackenzie.

Toddler Room – We welcome new staff member Madison O’Brien.  Madison comes to us with previous daycare experience and is working along with Lead teacher Chloe organizing the toddler room..

Two’s Room – Lead teacher Paul is busy attending Creative Curriculum training and incorporating the new program in the Two’s room.

Preschool Room – Preschool teacher/director Stephanie continues to focus on Creative Curriculum with the children.  We welcome new staff member Martha Andrews who brings much daycare experience working with preschool age programs.  We also welcome new student Tamia.

School-Age Program – Lead teacher/assistant director Brie is working hard to implement Creative Curriculum into the school-age program and has planned a fun and exciting summer for the students including field trips to the Cedar Rapids Public Library, the Children’s Museum, and the Old Creamery Theatre.

As always we thank our kitchen staff, Barb and Katherine for their continued work of providing our staff and children with nutritious meals and snacks.  And a big thank you to our floaters Natalie and Sarah and we welcome our new floater Colleen who comes to us with much childcare experience.

Center Wide

Thank you to Sara Lee Bakery for donating honey Wheat Bread and Whole Wheat buns to supplement our grocery expenses and improve the nutrition of our staff, families, and children.  Their continued support is greatly appreciated.

During the evenings of May 9-10, the staff will be attending professional training workshops.

Teacher Appreciation Week is May 14-18.  We appreciate everything our wonderful staff does for us.  Please don’t forget to thank all the teachers for their outstanding dedication and care over the last year!!

Sarah Castelein has resigned as Director of the Daycare to take another position.

In the last ten months, Sarah has accomplished many things. She brought the Daycare into full certification with DHS, increased enrollment by nearly 30%, dramatically improved the meal program, and secured outside funding and donations for capital improvements that needed to be made.

We are very sorry to see Sarah leave but wish her luck in her new endeavors.

We are happy to announce that after a thorough search process which included interviews with three very excellent and qualified candidates, Stephanie Gourley has been appointed as the new Director of Knox WeCare Daycare.

Stephanie recently re-joined our staff a number of weeks ago, working with our preschool program. However, Stephanie has actually been involved with the Daycare in a number of different capacities, since June of 2002, when she began working here as a high school student.

After completing her bachelor’s degree in education from Mount Mercy in 2009, Stephanie taught eighth grade for the last year and a half at Regis Middle School.

Stephanie has a passion for education, caring for children, and working with parents. We feel very fortunate that she was available to return to Knox at this time and look forward to her leadership as director of the daycare.

I have always been fascinated by St. Patrick and his parable of the Shamrock to teach the doctrine of the Holy Trinity.

The shamrock is an intriguing plant with three separate leaflets emerging from one stem.  This design lends itself well to many comparisons.  One of the comparison which stands in the forefront of my mind is that the shamrock reminds me of the Whole Child.

During February many of our Day Care parents participated in our “Children Are Dear To Our Hearts” celebration.  One Valentine we received states “We love the teachers and staff because they love our child.  They care for every part of our son—mind, body, and soul.”

Knox WeCare Day Care, as a mission of Knox Presbyterian Church, is uniquely empowered to provide quality care for the whole child.  So, as spring approaches and you see shamrocks popping up here and there, take a moment to reflect on the message of St. Patrick and say a prayer for WeCare Day Care as we endeavor to nurture those in our care in mind, body, and soul.

Infant Room

We welcome new teacher Beverly Wellner.  She comes to WeCare with over eighteen years in Early Childhood Infant Room experience.  We welcome new infants Ezekiel, Nierrah, and Isabel.

Toddler Room

We welcome back Kara Toms to our staff.  We also welcome new toddlers Jordan and Liam.

Twos Room

We welcome Paul Partridge as our new Lead Teacher.

Preschool

We welcome back Stephanie Gourley to the Preschool Program.

We currently have one Infant Room opening.

~Sarah

At Knox WeCare Day Care “Children are Dear to our Hearts.”  This message now greets our families as they walk into the building.  Please take a moment to read the “Heartfelt” messages celebrating the loving care the staff provides daily! This care is present in so many ways; a child experiencing separation anxiety is snuggled in his special blanket as the staff person speaks soothingly to him.  A child joyfully shares art work with a teacher and the teacher proudly displays it on the wall.  A child whose family is experiencing difficulties anxiously shares their struggles and the teacher takes the time to listen.

Time, what a rare commodity.  So many parents are unable to take time and listen. We are fortunate enough to spend up to ten hours a day with the children we serve.  We strive to provide loving guidance and celebrate learning opportunities every day.

I invite each of you to take the time to participate in our shared mission and volunteer at the Day Care.

~Sarah

The Day Care has started the New Year with excitement! Our QECE grant supplies and equipment have been arriving and the Preschoolers are enjoying new and meaningful experiences. The teachers are busy setting goals and creating new lesson plans for the year and some of our children are preparing to move to new rooms!

Infant Room – We welcome new infants Lennon, Clarence, and Jaxson!

Toddler Room – The teachers are focusing on language development with a new Nursery Rhyme themed curriculum!

Twos Room – The teacher is implementing a Creative Curriculum especially created for two year olds.

Preschool – We welcome new students Braedon and Traevon! The Preschoolers enjoyed attending “Happy Feet Two” over the holiday as a special gift from an anonymous donor! They also are busy working on letter recognition and communication skills with several new programs for 2012!

Center-Wide – Knox WeCare Day Care is happy to announce a new nationally recognized Music Enrichment Program, KinderMusik. This program is being offered for ages two-five years olds during regular Day Care hours. If you would like information about KinderMusik, please call the Day Care at 378-4456.

~Sarah

Fall is one of my favorite times of the year, with the leaves changing color and the fruits of our labors ready for harvesting!  In the Day Care we are celebrating the season with apples, pumpkins, leaves, scarecrows and more.

We are also reaping the benefits of our labors with a full license and increased enrollment.  It is a wonderful thing to have parents choose to entrust us with their most precious gifts; their children.

Many of the staff have completed the Healthy Footsteps Training Program and the Center has been awarded two complete curriculum kits to implement this nutrition and physical activity curriculum into our Two’s and Preschool Program.

We are also having a Day Care Fund Raising Spaghetti Dinner on November 12^th here at the church.  It will be from 5:00 to 7:00 PM.  We are asking church members to donate desserts and to bring their families and enjoy spaghetti, salad, garlic bread and dessert with us.  The cost is $6.00 per adult–$20.00 per family.

Infant Room – Chani Andrews has moved back to the infant room!  We welcome newborn babies Elliott and Lennon; both children will be joining us after the 1^st of the year.

Toddler Room – We welcome new Toddler Dylan.

Two’s Room – Samantha DeKlotz is busy implementing the Healthy Footsteps Program.

Preschool Program – Preschool teacher Pat Whitlock has returned from The Iowa AEYC Annual Institute Training in Des Moines .  She brought back many excellent ideas and materials for the Preschool Program.  Paul Partridge is busy incorporating the Healthy Footsteps Program into the daily Creative Curriculum.

School-Age Program – We welcome new student Collin.

As always, we welcome your involvement in the Day Care Mission.  Please join us for our Spaghetti Dinner and hear about our recent accomplishments and future goals.

~Sarah

The daycare staff has been busy implementing their fall activities and programs.  Please stop by and witness the improvements and activities of the children and staff!

Center-wide:  We had our yearly licensing visit and have been awarded a full license.

We began participation in Healthy Footsteps, a state nutrition and physical activity curriculum program.

We also began participating in a Quality environment Assessment program with HACAP.  Both these programs serve to improve both the quality of staff interactions with the children and the physical environment for the children.

The Day Care staff and families have been very busy with the transition from Summer to Fall!  We have experienced many changes with our summer staff departing and many of our preschoolers heading off to Kindergarten.

We have many new faces now including new staff and children.

Infant Room: Kara Toms is now on maternity leave.  We welcome a new staff person, Brandi Davis.  Brandi is a Certified Nursing Assistant and has a strong background in child care.  We also welcome new infant Aiden.

Toddler Room: We are excited to welcome back Chani Andrews as our lead teacher.  We also welcome new toddlers Roman and Nathan.

Two’s Room: We welcome back Patrick from summer vacation and new student Chase.

Preschool Room: We welcome back Paul Partridge and our new certified preschool teacher Patricia Whitlock.  Our Preschool Program is now following the CREATIVE  CURRICULUM!  We welcome new students Seth, Luke, Laina and Shyann.

School Age Program: We welcome former Knox WeCare Day Care student Morgan Holtz to our staff!  We also welcome new students Alyssa, Shayla, Kaylah, Cody, and Joshua.

Center-Wide: We are participating in a canned food drive in coordination with Kirkwood Community College and Campbell Foods.  Please feel free to bring canned goods to donate.  The red and white container for donations is by the door to the Preschool Entrance.

Summer is rapidly coming to a close as we busily prepare our daycare families for the new school year.  This is a time of transition.  We are transitioning children up to the next room, many of our Preschool children are going off to school for the first time, and our School Age Summer Camp is coming to an end.  Our daycare teachers are developing their school year programs and welcoming new children to their rooms.  It is “Off to School” time!

While I accept the concept of the “Off to School” kick-off for the traditional school year, I celebrate that learning does not have a season at Knox WeCare Daycare.  We instill a love of learning that lasts a lifetime!  We are early childhood specialists; we develop and guide emerging learning skills daily…  We help form each child’s concept of authority, learning, and the world around them.  We create an environment where the children learn that the world is an interesting, loving and safe place.  It is a place where they belong and, equally important, a place where they can succeed.

Updates:

Infant Room—We welcome new infants Sydney and Dieon.  Stephanie and Kara have been busy creating a nurturing and comforting environment for our infants.

Toddler room—We welcome new toddler D.J.  The toddlers have been creating a lot of fun toilet paper tube animals.  Their 3-D elephants are especially charming.  Stop by and see their large colorful zoo animal display!

Twos Room—We welcome new two year old Teddy!  The two year olds cooled off during our recent heat wave by creating larger than life Sand Snowflakes!

Preschool Room—We welcome new Preschooler Jisa.  The preschoolers have been enjoying their Summer Fun themed curriculum.  They have recently created many summer art projects including: torn paper watermelons, pink lemonade sugar prints, and “Shades of My Favorite Color” murals.  All of them expanded their cooking skills while making refreshing Lemon Shake-Ups and delicious Baggie Vanilla Ice Cream!

School Age Room—The School Agers have had a lot of fun miniature golfing, swimming, touring the Cedar Rapids Art Museum and the Czech Museum.  During their “Christmas in July” week they baked yummy Christmas cookies for the whole daycare!  Thank you school agers!

Center Wide News:

Thank you to the President’s Fund of the Greater Cedar Rapids Foundation for awarding Knox WeCare Daycare a $3, 519.20 grant!  The grant monies are being used to replace our cribs so we will comply with new safety regulations.

Our playground is now a safer place to play with six new inches of pea gravel!  Thank you to Kings Construction and Martin Marietta Aggregates.  Thank you also to Rockwell’s REACT Center for donating two desktop computers, two printers, and a laptop computer to enable our daycare children to have early access to technology!

We are truly blessed to have such great community support for Knox WeCare Daycare!

Knox WeCare Daycare has a new and more nutritious menu!  The families have been very excited and grateful for this positive change in their children’s diet.  If you would like to join us for a delicious snack or meal and lead us in prayer please call the Daycare at (319) 378-4456 to make arrangements.  The children love to entertain!

“We hold these truths to be self-evident, that all men are created equal, that they are endowed by their Creator with certain unalienable rights that among these are Life, Liberty and the Pursuit of Happiness.” The Preamble to the Declaration of Independence is meaningful for both Americans of the past and the future.  This historical phrase embodies the responsibility of Early childhood professionals.  We are entrusted to provide children with necessary tools to achieve their fullest potential in their pursuit of life, liberty and happiness.  This is a concept I reflect upon this time of the year.  And, watching the rapid growth and change of the Day Care over the last two months, I imagine that our forefathers worked with the strength of purpose and adaptability I witness in the staff, children and families of Knox WeCare Day Care.  Daily I see parents struggle with rising gas and grocery prices, work place stress and fatigue and am inspired and encouraged that we are on the right path as parents share kind words and demonstrate support for the staff as we work together to advance the quality of care we provide for their children.

Infant Room – We welcome new staff member Stephanie Nelson.  Stephanie brings to our team an Early Childhood Development Associates Degree and a strong background in licensed Centers.  We also welcome new infants Sophia and Sydney.

Toddler Room – Donna is working to ease the transition of children from the Infant Room to the Toddler Room.  She also has been providing new sensory and art experiences that have been wonderful judging from the very messy hands of the Toddlers!

Twos Room – Samantha has transformed the Twos Room with new organizational and room arrangement techniques.  It is working well and the children have responded with more involved and independent learning experiences.

Preschool Room – We welcome new students Dequan and Octayvean.  The Preschoolers are beginning a series on Virtues, featuring several of our Founding Fathers and eagerly anticipating field trips!

School Age Room – We welcome new students Ian.  The School Agers have really enjoyed our summer program so far, including a trip to The Old Creamery Theater to see a production of “If You Give A Mouse A Cookie.”

Center Wide – Thank you to Sara Lee Bakery for donating Whole Grain Bread and Whole Wheat Buns to supplement our grocery expenses and improve the nutrition of our children.  Their continued support is greatly appreciated.

Thank you to Cheryl Anderson for her cash donation toward our Play Ground Pea Gravel Fund.  We need to build our Pea Gravel depth by 3-6 inches to comply with DHS Safety Standards.  We are gratefully accepting donations.  If you are called to assist with this project please contact Sarah Castelein at 378-4456.

Thank you to Rockwell React Center for their donation of computers for the children.  It is a great blessing to be able to provide the children with up to date technology.

In the next few weeks we will be unveiling our new menu. This is in response to parent requests and a responsibility to improve the health and nutrition of the children under our care.  Please stop by the parent information board and review our exciting and nutritious meals and snacks.

Please join us as we continue to joyfully nurture the spiritual, social, emotional, intellectual, physical development of the children entrusted to our care.