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Day of Caring
Ready to Take on Kindergarten
First Day Jitters
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Day of Caring

On September 11, volunteers from across the Lehigh Valley will participate in the United Way's Day of Caring. Volunteer efforts help non-profit agencies provide more effective services to people in need. This year, LVCC will welcome volunteers from Kistler O'Brien Fire Protection, Avantor Performance Materials, National Penn Bank, C&S Wholesale Grocers, and Lehigh County Office of Children & Youth.

If your company would like to volunteer, sign up at the Volunteer Center of the Lehigh Valley.

Give Lehigh Valley children the highest quality early education available. Our future depends on tomorrow's leaders.

 infant

Click Here to Make a Donation

Ready to Take on Kindergarten
A pre-K student attending the Summer Kindergarten Readiness Program at LVCC on Union Blvd. counts on his fingers as his teacher, Ms. Dana, listens.
A colorful stack of building blocks tumbled to the floor, followed by delightful laughter. Lively discussion radiated from a table of girls playing word games. The sounds of learning continued throughout the summer at Lehigh Valley Children's Centers.
 
During a free 10-day Summer Kindergarten Readiness Program, 45 children from Allentown and Bethlehem practiced important readiness skills to build confidence and make a smooth transition to Kindergarten. 


In three classrooms, teachers worked with small groups of 15 children about to enter Kindergarten this fall. Class activities promoted social interaction, fine motor skills, letter recognition, counting and following directions.


Classes were led by highly qualified teachers for children whose families were income eligible.


This program was funded by a grant from Pennsylvania's Office of Child Development and Early Learning. 


First Day Jitters
 
A new Kindergartner settles in at LVCC at Western Salisbury.
The first day of school can be scary. A new environment, new faces-it's a lot for a five year old to experience. 

Pam Schaeffer, center director of LVCC at Western Salisbury, has seen plenty of emotional Kindergartners in her 21 years at LVCC. LVCC provides child care in Western Salisbury Elementary School for families with children in half-day Kindergarten, in addition to before- and after-school programs for children in first through fifth grade.

 

"Sometimes children become upset," Pam comments. "They miss mom or dad."

 

How to ease separation anxiety? Here are a few tips.

 

  1. Describe what will happen on the first day of school. Share some memories of your school days.
  2. Your child will need plenty of rest the night before. Adjusting to an earlier bedtime a few days in advance will help in the transition.
  3. Send a family picture along in your child's backpack for a little reminder of home.
  4. When dropping off your child, Pam suggests saying a quick goodbye. The tears stop as soon as the teacher engages the child in a class activity.

 

"This year we had a group of children that attended early learning centers prior to Kindergarten, which gave them an advantage," Pam adds. "They arrived happy and eager to learn."

Lehigh Valley Children's Centers provides high quality early education and child care to promote healthy child development, meet the needs of families, and encourage children to discover the joy of learning.

LVCConline.org