ChildCareGroup honored by United Way

ChildCareGroup was recently recognized by United Way of Metropolitan Dallas for exceptional contribution in 2011.

(From left to right, Betsy Edmondson, Tori Mannes, Lori Carey, Wendy Ogren and Gail Surles at the United Way awards presentation.)

Lori Carey, representing ChildCareGroup, received the “Top Speaker” award for the highest number of United Way presentations delivered, highlighting the impact of United Ways partnership on the at-risk children and families we serve.

Additionally, ChildCareGroup was recognized as an “Outstanding Supporter” for overall participation in “Days of Caring”, speaking engagements, facility tours and information fairs. CLICK HERE to view “Days of Caring” hosted at our Centers.

ChildCareGroup is proud to be a United Way service provider.

Small Business Success Training: Funded by Citi

With generous funding and support from Citi Community Development, ChildCareGroup provides exemplary business training for owners and directors of family child care homes and child development centers. 

Through a proven small business training curriculum developed by the Kauffman Foundation specifically for child care businesses, we have equipped more than 450 participants with improved skills to enhance and grow their businesses since the program’s inception. 

During the Small Business Success course, participants attend seven 4-hour training sessions providing them with 28 clock hours of business specific topics including:

• Writing a Business Plan
• Pricing and Profitability
• Financial Management
• Banking for Small Businesses
• Marketing and Advertising
• Writing a Parent Handbook
• Evaluating the Competitive Marketplace

 

Here is what participants had to say:

“I loved each of the trainers.  Providing free trainings to the child care workforce is imperative to the improvement of quality child care in our community.  Thank you!”

“This is a great program.  I know training in this area of child care is often put aside for new providers starting a business.  This class shows how important the process is to a profitable business.”

“This was really an awesome class, very informative and helpful.  There were a lot of suggestions we walked away with.  This was not just a way to get [required training] hours but it taught us how to start and be successful in our business.”  

“This is a wonderful educational tool.  I have learned so much.  I feel confident in expanding my business.”

“This class was excellent and informative.  Thanks for allowing me to be a part of this training.  I learned a lot.”

“I believe that this program is excellent and is needed for those engaged in child care.  Your service is priceless.”

 

THANK YOU CITI COMMUNITY DEVELOPMENT!

United Way Day of Caring: TI at Bock

A fantastic group from the HR Department at Texas Instruments visited our Bock Child Development Center for a United Way Day of Caring.

Everyone had a great time! The volunteers did snowman crafts with the children, read favorite books and sang silly songs (with hand motions, of course!).  Take a moment to watch the fun-filled slideshow below.

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THANK YOU TEXAS INSTRUMENTS!

No more 12th grade of high school?

That’s exactly what former DISD superintendent, Linus Wright, is suggesting in his bold plan for restructuring public education. Instead, he would like to see emphasis on early childhood education…

Dallas Morning News
Thursday, January 19, 2012
by Steve Blow

“In its place, Wright would like to see that money spent at the other end of the process — on early childhood education, particularly for low-income and limited-English children. “You can accomplish so much more there,” he said.

A middle-class child starts first grade with a spoken vocabulary of 2,000 to 4,000 words, but a child born into poverty may have only 400 words. And he said that’s a deficit that schools almost never overcome.

Wright believes the only solution is to start sooner with those children, at age 3. And it could be done economically because you wouldn’t have to use degreed teachers.

Research shows that child care providers with proper training are fully capable of offering the academic foundation that children need, he said.”

To read the full article, click here.

A Special Moment…at Landauer

This message was sent to us from Tonjia Grimble, Early Childhood Center Manager at our Landauer Child Development Center. We hope it brings a smile to your face!

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As I was walking into Landauer this morning, one of our children began calling my name to come to his car. He was excited to show me something and rushed his mother to open the trunk. As the trunk opened, we saw his Science Project. He was clapping his hands with excitement! 

He handed his bag and blanket to his mom, so he could carry his poster board project in all by himself. Now picture this: The poster board was bigger than him. He was working so hard to bring it in and wanted no help from anyone, because he was so proud of his project. When we got in the building, he went straight to his classroom to show it to his friends. Everyone was excited to see it and began showing their projects to each other.

What we witnessed happening next was wonderful. Each child began telling each other about their project and what it meant to be short or tall. Conversations like, “My dad is taller than my mom.” “When I get bigger, I will be taller than my mom, too.” It was so much fun to watch them share what they had learned, and I was very proud to be their “Principal”. (That is what they call me, sometimes.)

I hope this makes a great start to your day like it did mine!
Tonjia

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Here are some other photos from the Landauer Science Fair, going on this week!

 

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CCG Annual Meeting

ChildCareGroup held its Annual Meeting on January 11, 2012, to recognize people who made a significant impact on our organization in 2011 and to introduce the slate of officers and new Board of Trustees  for 2012.

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Outgoing Trustees:
Becky Bright (not pictured)
Charlie Chen
Sandra Estess
Brett Levy (not pictured)

Charlie Chen with Betsy Edmondson, 2011 Board Chair.

Sandra Estess with Betsy Edmondson, 2011 Board Chair.

Collaborative Partners:
Laurie Larrea, Workforce Solutions Greater Dallas
Wanda Smith, Head Start of Greater Dallas

 Tori Mannes, CCG President, Shari Anderson, VP of CCA, Laurie Larrea, President Workforce Solutions Greater Dallas, and Betsy Edmondson, 2011 Board Chair.

Tori Mannes, President CCG, Wendy Ogren, VP of Program Services, Wanda Smith, Head Start of Greater Dallas, and Betsy Edmondson, 2011 Board Chair.

Child Care Advocates:
Senator Florence Shapiro (not pictured)
Senator Royce West (not pictured)

 

Volunteer of the Year:
Montgomery Coscia Greilich

Tori Mannes, President CCG, Joy Campbell, MLK Center Manager, Carlie Thomas and Matt Coscia, Montgomery Coscia Greilich, and Betsy Edmondson, 2011 Board Chair.

Friends of ChildCareGroup
Pam Merritt (not pictured)
Kirstine Rogers

Tori Mannes, President CCG, Kirstine Rogers and Betsy Edmondson, 2011 Board Chair.

Introduction of 2012 Board of Trustees Chair:
Don Shipman

Betsy Edmondson, 2011 Board Chair, passed the gavel to Don Shipman, 2012 Board Chair.

Introduction of new 2012 Trustees:
Dr. John Anderson
Elizabeth Malone
Mandisa Price

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We are so thankful for each person represented at the meeting. Our Board of Trustees and community partners play a vital role in our organization and with their continued support and dedication we are looking forward to a fantastic 2012!

Happy Holidays!

Here at ChildCareGroup, the holidays are definitely happy. We have been overwhelmed by the generosity of our friends in the community. Here are just a few examples…

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ANDERSON
CHILD DEVELOPMENT CENTER

Alliance Data officially adopted our Anderson Child Development Center and hosted a holiday party. CLICK HERE to view pictures. We are so thankful for companies who invest in our centers long-term. (Find out more about our Adopt-a-Center Program.)

 

LANDAUER
CHILD DEVELOPMENT CENTER

Santa Claus made an appearance at our Landauer Child Development Center! Each child received a new stuffed animal, donated by Nationwide associates (distributed by United Way of Metropolitan Dallas), as well as adorable new pajamas donated by the Dallas Woman’s Forum.

The children were excited to see Santa!

    

Nap time with the new stuffed animals AND new pajamas.

 

BOCK
CHILD DEVELOPMENT CENTER

Ernst & Young volunteers came to our Bock Child Development Center and did some much needed yard work. Thanks for making Bock a welcoming place this holiday season!

In addition, the Highland Park HiLite Group adopted each child and purchased gifts from their holiday wish lists.

 

MLK
CHILD DEVELOPMENT CENTER

Our MLK Child Development Center was thrilled to get a donation from Montgomery Coscia Greilich LLP to purchase toys! A parent dressed as Santa Claus and passed them out to the children.

Children in Room 6 decided it was better to give this holiday season. They conducted a food drive and donated items to the S.M. Wright Foundation. What a sweet reminder that this season is about giving, rather than receiving!

 

UMC
CHILD DEVELOPMENT CENTER 

 Parent participation is something we value and highly encourage at our child development centers. During the holidays at UMC, we had several outstanding parent volunteers. We cannot thank them enough!

Maria worked hard to collect toys for the children.

Mr. and Mrs. Murillo each contributed to the festivities. Elizabeth planned the holiday program and Sandro dressed as Santa Claus for the occasion!  

 

TOY DONATIONS

Thanks to some very generous groups, we were able to give a toy to every child at our Centers.

Dallas Academy Student Council

Motion Industries, Inc.

Rebel Rousers Dance Club 

 

THANK YOU!
Without the kindness of the people listed above, we could not have provided these special gifts and activities for our children.

Happy holidays from all of us at ChildCareGroup!

Teach for America at ChildCareGroup: Gillian

Hello! My name is Gillian and I am a Teach for America corps member. I was given the exciting opportunity to teach at ChildCareGroup’s Landauer Child Development Center. Here’s what is going on this week…

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Greetings from Room 3!

November was busy here at Landauer! With Thanksgiving and our exciting thematic unit, “Inside and Outside Me”, we have enjoyed each and every day. Highlights from this month have included a series of science experiments to learn more about our bodies. To start, we explored our five senses. We experimented with a variety of different textures, smells, tastes and sounds to see how we can use our senses to touch, taste, smell, hear and see. Another science experiment taught us about germs. We used green glitter paint to show us how germs can be found anywhere, especially our hands! We also learned the importance of washing our hands to protect us from the germs that make us sick! Our latest science experiment taught us about digestion. We experimented with bread, oil and water in ziploc baggies to see how the stomach breaks down the food. Although we all agreed that it was “nasty”, we learned a great deal about how our bodies work each and every day. Science experiments have become one of our favorite things to do at school!

Although every day seems to have wonderful “ah-ha” moments for the kids, one thing was especially powerful for me this month. It happened during a case management meeting where I was able to share with a mother the great successes that her daughter has had this year. For not having been in preschool, this particular 4-year-old, Kaliah, has become a leader in the class and has inspired other students to do the same. One morning I wanted to try out a new assessment for Kaliah during Circle Time. In order to gauge her readiness to read, I wanted to share with the class new vocabulary words and how we can spell them using our sounds from the alphabet. Question after question, Kaliah was answering (and spelling!) every vocabulary word. Mind you, this young girl has not been in preschool for more than 6 weeks. During the activity, I had to work hard to push back the tears because this little girl has worked so hard the last 6 weeks to show me that she is ready and wanting to read on her own.

I think the greatest lesson that I have learned from these young ones is that we can never underestimate their brilliance. Yes, they may do silly things from time to time, but also work so hard to learn academic and life skills that seem effortless to us as adults. I have found that my students have relished their mastery of our “brain games” and have found great pride in teaching their friends who may not have all the skills just yet. Furthermore, many students are learning two languages at the same time! Talk about hard work! Despite such challenges, my students have completely exceeded my already high expectations as a teacher. Each day brings me great joy to set even higher expectations together as a class and indulge in the wonderful world of learning.

Needless to say, I am infinitely thankful for the opportunity to be a teacher for ChildCareGroup at Landauer. My outstanding co-teacher, Ms. Maria, and my 17 exceptionally bright 3-5 year-olds have become family to me. As a family, we are committed to learning, loving, and laughing as we explore the world around us. I feel incredibly blessed to be part of this family and I know that the best has yet to come!

From all the scholars in Room 3, we wish you very happy holidays!

Message from CEO: Tori Mannes

Volunteers play a key role in the success of any nonprofit organization, and that is certainly true at ChildCareGroup!

On Thursday I had the privilege of joining Tonjia Grady Grimble, Center Manager of our Landauer ChildCareGroup Center, at the annual holiday party hosted by Dallas Woman’s Forum. 

Dallas Woman’s Forum was founded in 1906 and is committed to the support of  charitable and educational projects and the preservation of a historical landmark (The Alexander Mansion). The Dallas Woman’s Forum has included ChildCareGroup’s Landauer Center as a beneficiary for the past six years, and during that time the organization has provided an abundance of volunteer service, resources and support for the children and families we serve.

The Dallas Woman’s Forum members warmly welcomed Tonjia and me to their party, and I was touched by their enthusiastic expressions of support for our Landauer Center and the children there. I am so grateful to the generous and service-minded women of this organization. Their commitment to the Landauer Center makes an enormous difference to our children and their families, and to our staff.

Thank you for supporting ChildCareGroup!
Tori Mannes

Representatives from the Landauer Parent Advisory Committee on a visit to the Alexandar Mansion. (Pictured left to right: Tori Mannes, Tiffany Green, Jasnique VanAuwelaer, Tonjia Grady Gimble and Katrina Lopez)

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ChildCareGroup’s Landauer Center is proud to be a beneficiary of the Dallas Woman’s Forum’s 2011 Holiday Home Tour at the Alexander Mansion. Now in its fourth year, this exceptional tour is complete with a boutique and holiday café.

Holiday Home Tour, Boutique and Holiday Café Dates:
Thursday through Sunday, December 8 – 11
11 a.m. to 4 p.m.

Find more details HERE
Buy Holiday Home Tour tickets online HERE

ChildCareGroup Recognized by Texas Workforce Commission

Each year an award ceremony is conducted at the Texas Workforce Commission as part of their annual conference, highlighting top state performers. This year, ChildCareGroup’s Child Care Assistance Program won three awards:

• “Overall Best in Class” in the Large Board Category for meeting performance and increasing efficiencies to serve more children, and
• “Most Improved Performance” for both Dallas and Southeast Texas contracts, as compared to last fiscal years data and increased efficiencies to serve more children.   

This is an outstanding achievement and would not have been possible without the hard work of our staff and the staff of Workforce Solutions Greater Dallas. ChildCareGroup served more than 30,000 children last year between both contracts.  Thanks to our staff and their desire to make our community a better place to live, we have made a noticeable difference!