| COMMUNITY PARTNERS |
New 2009 Community Partners
A.W. Perry
Devine & Pearson
G.T. Reilly & Company
Keezer Sportswear
Press Family Foundation
Shred King
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Annual Fund News |
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Board Announces Success with Annual Fund Goals:
100% Board Participation and over $20,000 received to date.
Volunteers Effie Lee, Erin Barata, Claire Joyce, and Allison Bayramshian (front) of State Street Global Services Group
help with annual appeal mailing.
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| UNITED WAY Community Support Fund Expands Emergency Assistance |
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SSDCS recieves added funds for needy families in Weymouth & Randolph
In response to the current financial crisis and the increased calls for assistance in the region, the United Way has expanded the Special Fund for Emergency Financial Assistance, now known as the Community Support Fund, to provide direct assistance to families in crisis. SSDCS, a United Way partner agency, received a 40% increase in funds available for direct fuel, food, and housing assistance to families in Weymouth, Randolph and surrounding communities.
Grants made by the Community Support Fund are aimed at resolving temporary emergency situations for working families and enabling a return to self-reliance.
For more information call Kim Legere at (781) 331-8505 x 228.
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| Family Day Care by the Numbers! |
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Our Family Day Care team has 237 combined years of experience, 4 providers have been in operation for over 20 years.
Each day we allow 114 South Shore parents to work full time while we care for 76 infants and toddlers in 21 licensed day care homes located in 7 South Shore towns.
Each week our homes provide over 3800 hours of child care including 1140 diaper changings!
Each year over 59,280 meals are served, we conduct 819 home visits and our providers complete 420 hours of training.
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| CELEBRATING STAFF |
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Hard work makes dream a reality for Esther Louis
If you visit SSDCS's Donovan Extended Day program at pick-up time the first thing you'll notice is the number of parents that greet Director Esther Louis with a warm hello and a hug.
Esther has the uncanny ability to make each person, child or adult, feel as though they are the most important person in the world. Parents feel valued and know their children are well cared for, as if by a trusted family member.
Esther is no stranger to the role of caregiver. Growing up in a family of political refugees from Haiti, she lost her mother to cancer in her early teens. Esther stepped in as caregiver to her younger sister and father, who is now legally blind.
She began working for SSDCS part time in 2003, climbing quickly through the ranks to the full time job of Center Director.
Despite family economic pressures-Esther is about to realize her goal of becoming a college graduate. After two years as a SSDCS employee Esther qualified for an EEC Early Education Scholarship and for the past three years Esther has juggled her job with school and family responsibilities. Next fall Esther will graduate with a degree in elementary education from Bridgewater State College. SSDCS is proud to support such a wonderful role model and teacher. | |
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| VOLUME ONE ISSUE TWO |
FEBRUARY 2009 |
Dear Friends,
Constellations is South Shore Day Care Services' quarterly email newsletter. Past news can be viewed at www.ssdcs.org .
Thanks for reading and please forward to your friends!
Director of Program Resource Development
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| Blue Cross Blue Shield Honors Michelle Carson |
Board President is Volunteer of the Year
Blue Cross Blue Shield of Massachusetts recently selected associate Michelle Carson, SSDCS Board President, as the Blue Crew Volunteer of the Year, recognizing her dedication and extraordinary commitment to the community.
In addition to her leadership role at South Shore Day Care, Michelle has been a volunteer mentor to students at the Madison Park High School in Boston for nine years. She also serves on the Board of South Shore Support, a non-profit agency providing services to individuals with disabilities.
Michelle and Blue Cross CEO Cleve Killingsworth are pictured above at the award ceremony hosted at the Granite Links Golf Club in Quincy. BCBS of MA made a donation of $2,500 to South Shore Day Care in honor of Michelle. | |
| Valentine Tradition Continues |
Local Legislators receive homemade thank you
If you received a handmade Valentine in the mail this month you have many secret admirers. For the past 16 years friends and donors who support South Shore Day Care programs have received a colorful Valentine crafted by children in our afterschool programs with the message "Thank you for being our friend!".
This year students created over 400 Valentine hearts and volunteers stuffed and mailed the greetings to our friends across the state and country.
State Senators Brian Joyce and Michael Morrissey and State Representatives Bruce Ayers and Joseph Driscoll with SSDCS Executive Director, Sheri Adlin.
On Friday, February 6th, members of the South Shore legislative delegation were honored at a breakfast hosted by Quincy Mutual at their historic building in downtown Quincy. South Shore Day Care Board members, Steve Briggs of Quincy Mutual and Bruce Haas of Hingham, welcomed legislators and thanked them for their leadership on issues of importance to children and families in our community. State Senators and Representatives were surprised with heart shaped placemats handcrafted by the children in our Weymouth Afterschool Center. |
| Family Day Care News |
Providers gather for multi-cultural dinner
Seated (from left): Social Worker Cheryl Drago and providers Peggy Proto, Mary Davis, Barbara Long, and Cheryl Pollack.
Standing (from left): Director of Early Education Nancy Fredericks, and providers Susan Huang, Lydia Manuel, Tina Mata, and Marie Paul. Family Day Care Coordinator Stephanie Gorse, provider Gladys Aziz (and son Hamzah), SSDCS Executive Director Sheri Adlin and provider Rukhsana Anjum.
FDC providers came together in December for a multi-cultural meal. Favorite ethnic recipes from China, Costa Rica, the Dominican Republic, Haiti, Ireland, Israel, Pakistan, Poland, Peurto Rico, Scotland and Spain reflected the many cultural origins of the team.
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| STARS Program News |
Design It! Club takes flight
Brandon Campbell, Gabe Cordero, Alex Seto and Andrew Domiguez get ready to launch their Design-It! gliders.
Paper gliders sailed by Principal Deranian's head as she rounded the corner by the water fountain. A command of "HOLD" was too late to stop the planes mid-air. She smiled and continued on her way, unfazed by the boys airborne toys.
The fifth and sixth graders in the Young Extended Day program knew they had full permission to launch gliders in the hall outside the school office. They had spent the previous 6 weeks designing and experimenting with several types of spinning and gliding toys as part of the STARS Design-It! Engineering Club.
The Design-It! Curriculum, developed by the Center for Science Education and the National Center for Out-of School Time, comprises 14 engineering design projects aligned with the latest research in the field of science education. Students build simple models using readily available materials and, through collaboration in small groups, share skills and problem solve to improve on the design. The boys ended their project with a friendly competition over who's design could fly straight for at least 10 feet....without hitting the Principal. |
| Community Partners |
| Randolph Public Schools & SSDCS partner for Family Literacy Evening
"Write On" was the theme of the Randolph Extended Day program's RISE (Reading Is So Exciting) event at the Young Elementary School on the evening of February 10. Over 140 children and families met for dinner, storytelling and a parent workshop designed to foster writing skills in school age children.
The program was organized by Tara El Naggar, Education Coordinator for SSDCS, and Cheryl Wrin, Literacy Coordinator for Randolph Schools. | |
South Shore Day Care Services, Inc.
200 Middle Street
East Weymouth, MA 02189
Mission Statement: SSDCS provides comprehensive early education and youth programs, using a family support approach, that enhance the development of children from economically and culturally diverse families through collaboration with parents, schools and communities. | |
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