Eat Buffalo Wild Wings® on April 8th! ChildCareGroup Receives 10%

BUFFALO WILD WINGS
4140 Lemmon Ave.
Dallas, TX 75219
click here for directions

Help us kick off the Week of the Young Child with delicious food, and help raise money for ChildCareGroup!

EAT WINGS. RAISE FUNDS. IT PAYS.

On April 8th, Buffalo Wild Wings® will donate 10% of all pre-taxed food sales (less alcohol and promotional discounts) from any Guest that presents this fundraising ticket. (If you forget to print the ticket, be sure to let them know that you’re there to support ChildCareGroup!)

DOWNLOAD FUNDRAISING TICKET

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Thank you for supporting ChildCareGroup and the Week of the Young Child!

Your old stuff can help at-risk children: Schedule a pick-up today!

We’re excited to announce our new donation program! Through a partnership with National Recycling Solutions, ChildCareGroup is able to turn your gently-used items into cash to support our early childhood programs.

Here’s How you Can Help:

Your donation will be picked up (rain or shine) between 9:00 a.m. and dark. You do not need to be home.

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Proceeds from donation sales will support the programs and services offered by ChildCareGroup, which touches the lives of more than 45,000 children each year.

Watch your mailbox for this postcard!
(click image to enlarge)

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Other ways to get involved:
(Collection bins and promotional materials will be provided by NRS)

• Host a donation drive at your office (one-time, monthly, quarterly, annually or for a holiday).
• Bring gently used items to your volunteer projects at ChildCareGroup.
• Host a metal collection bin at your office parking lot year-round.

For more information, please call (214) 905-3550.

Remember ChildCareGroup on North Texas Giving Day: Thursday, September 19

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7:00 a.m. – midnight
Donations of $25+ will be matched.

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National research shows a $7 return on investment
for every $1 spent on quality early childhood education.
Your investment goes further at ChildCareGroup!

The mission of ChildCareGroup is
to promote, deliver and expand
the best early care and education programs
  for children, parents and early childhood professionals.

ChildCareGroup.org

ChildCareGroup has a new look!

ChildCareGroup’s mission is to promote, deliver and expand
the best early care and education programs
for children, parents and early childhood professionals.

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As our community’s trusted source for the best early care and education programs for children, parents and early childhood providers, ChildCareGroup sought a new look that would encompass our strong history as well as our vision to lift two generations from poverty through quality early care and education.

We were pleased to be able to work with noted strategic marketing/branding firm MEplusYOU (formerly imc2) to help us bring forth our vision.

The alignment of our logo, mission and tagline exemplifies our belief and vision for our organization.  Our new logo combines the image of a book and an enthusiastic child, to represent an eagerness to learn and emphasizes that a life of achievement starts with early education. Our tagline, “Nurturing the great in every child,” references our belief that children learn best in the context of relationships, and that there is greatness and potential in every child.

Where we’ve been – 112 Years in Early Education
ChildCareGroup was founded at the turn of the century by caring and civic-minded people concerned about the appalling conditions in which many poor children were living.  In 1901, three organizations, the Clara Chaison Free Kindergarten and Training School; the Free Kindergarten Association; and the Dallas Free Kindergarten and Industrial Association joined forces to create what is known today as ChildCareGroup, to provide day care and kindergarten for the children of the women who worked in Dallas’ cotton mills. By 1903, there were a total of 350 children enrolled in the consolidated Dallas Free Kindergarten and Industrial Association programs, with many more on waiting lists.

In 2012, ChildCareGroup touched the lives of nearly 46,000 children, parents, and early childhood providers in Dallas County alone.

We teach young children.

We train early childhood professionals.

We assist families.

Our agency has grown over the years to include comprehensive evidence-based programs and services for children, parents, and early childhood professionals.  We are excited about the future and look forward to sharing our journey with you.

Thank you for your continued support of our mission and programs!

Tori Mannes
CEO/President

ChildCareGroup honors Alliance Data and Najiyyah Crayton at Annual Meeting

ChildCareGroup held its Annual Meeting on January 16, 2013 to recognize people who made a significant impact on our organization in 2012 and to introduce the slate of officers and new Board of Trustees for 2013.

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Special Presentation
Landauer ChildCareGroup Center

 Students from Landauer ChildCareGroup Center perform their favorite songs for guests.

 

Guest Speaker
Todd Williams
Executive Director, Commit!

Todd Williams delivered a powerful message about the importance of working together to improve education in Dallas. The ChildCareGroup Board of Trustees voted unanimously to sign the Partnership Agreement to join Commit!, Dallas County’s education reform initiative.
 

Corporate Volunteer of the Year
Alliance Data

Tori Mannes, CCG President; Becky Dunn, Anderson ChildCareGroup Center; Aimee Fisher, Alliance Data; and Don Shipman, 2012 Board Chair

 

Individual Volunteer of the Year
Najiyyah Crayton

Tori Mannes, CCG President; Vanessa Maxey, Bock ChildCareGroup Center; Najiyyah Crayton; and Don Shipman, 2012 Board Chair

 

Introduction of the 2013 Board Chair
Dotti Reeder

Don Shipman, 2012 Board Chair, passes the gavel to 2013 Board Chair Dotti Reeder of JP Morgan Securities.

 

Outgoing Trustees
Todd Bright, Tyrone James, Patricia Delgadillo

Introduction of 2013 New Trustees
Matt Coscia, Rick Ligon, Aaron Miller, Leigh Mundinger, Sharon Popham, Kirstine Rogers

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 On behalf of everyone at ChildCareGroup, thank you to our community volunteers and supporters. We could not deliver our early care and school readiness education programs without you!

www.childcaregroup.org

Happy #GivingTuesday! Turn your gifts into investments at ChildCareGroup.

 

We have a day for giving thanks. We have two for getting deals. (Black Friday and Cyber Monday) …Now we have a day for giving back!

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DONATE NOW!

By giving to ChildCareGroup, you invest in the future of our city.

ChildCareGroup positively impacts two generations of the same family, by offering quality early childhood education to children of low-income, working parents.

We help the parents break the cycle of poverty in their family by giving them the opportunity to seek employment while their children spend several hours a day in an enriching, active environment. In addition, we significantly impact the children by providing a safe, nurturing, educational and therapeutic setting that helps transform their future.

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DONATE NOW!

 #GivingTuesday™ is a campaign to create a national day of giving at the start of the annual holiday season. It celebrates and encourages charitable activities that support nonprofit organizations.

THANK YOU FOR SUPPORTING CHILDCAREGROUP!

Three Core Concepts in Early Development, by the Center on the Developing Child at Harvard University

Thank you to the National Scientific Council on the Developing Child and the Center on the Developing Child at Harvard University for developing this outstanding three-part video series, which depicts how advances in neuroscience, molecular biology, and genomics now give us a much better understanding of how early experiences are built into our bodies and brains, for better or for worse.

Healthy development in the early years provides the building blocks for educational achievement, economic productivity, responsible citizenship, lifelong health, strong communities, and successful parenting of the next generation. 

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1. Experiences Build Brain Architecture
(by the Center on the Developing Child at Harvard University)

“The basic architecture of the brain is constructed through a process that begins early in life and continues into adulthood.”

2. Serve & Return Interaction Shapes Brain Circuitry
(by the Center on the Developing Child at Harvard University)

“One of the most essential experiences in shaping the architecture of the developing brain is “serve and return” interaction between children and significant adults in their lives.”

3. Toxic Stress Derails Healthy Development
(by the Center on the Developing Child at Harvard University)

“Without caring adults to buffer children, the unrelenting stress caused by extreme poverty, neglect, abuse, or severe maternal depression can weaken the architecture of the developing brain, with long-term consequences for learning, behavior, and both physical and mental health.”

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How ChildCareGroup Addresses these Early Development Needs:

Our early care and school readiness education programs at ChildCareGroup emphasize the importance of early learning. CCG classrooms operate at a lower teacher/student ratio to ensure that each child gets adequate interaction time. While in our classrooms, children remain with a constant caregiver up to three years, to develop a healthy relationship between the child, caregiver and parent. Volunteers also assist with cognitive and socialization skills, by reading to children and helping with educational activities in the classroom.

In addition, we work with parents to become highly involved partners in their child’s education. Our early literacy programs encourage parents to read with their children at home and assist their children with science projects and other early learning opportunities to develop their growing brains.

ChildCareGroup’s Donation Page: Get Up and Give! North Texas Giving Day!

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CLICK HERE TO DONATE NOW!

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Thank you for helping us touch the lives of more than 27,000 at-risk children in Dallas and Southeast Texas.

• $25 will provide three new books for libraries in our early care and Kindergarten readiness education centers.
• $60 will provide diapers for a month for an infant in our care.
• $160 will provide one week of care and Kindergarten readiness education for a preschooler.
• $250 will underwrite the 24 hours of continuing education training that caregivers must earn each year.

CLICK HERE TO DONATE NOW!

Get Up and Give! to ChildCareGroup on September 13

On September 13, 2012, from 7 a.m. to midnight, ChildCareGroup is participating in the “Get Up and Give! North Texas Giving Day”.

Every donation $25 and above will be matched if given to us through DonorBridgeTX.org.

It’s easy! Here’s what to do on September 13:
• Visit DonorBridgeTX.org anytime between 7 a.m. and midnight
• Search for ChildCareGroup
• Click “Donate Now”
• Every donation $25 and above will be matched!

We need your help with spreading the word!
Will you please take a few minutes to invite 10 of your friends, family and coworkers to participate? Here is a sample email.

This is an exciting opportunity for ChildCareGroup to receive matching funds for programs that are critical to thousands of children and parents right here in Dallas, and we can’t do it without your help!

Where do the dollars go?  

• $25 will provide three new books for libraries in our early care and Kindergarten readiness centers.
• $6o will provide diapers for a month for an infant in our care.
• $160 will provide one week of care and education for a preschooler, so they have a better chance to start Kindergarten ahead of their peers.
• $250 will provide the 24 hours of continuing education training that caregivers must earn each year.

Thanks for your support!!!

URGENT: The Importance of Safety Procedures when Transporting Young Children

UPDATE FOR PARENTS: Join the Child Care Aware Parent Network for a webinar on Wednesday, August 1 at 7:00 p.m.! Disasters in cars happen quickly- the inside temperature of a car can rise 20 degrees within the first ten minutes! Learn some heatstroke prevention tips as we join Lorrie Walker and Kristie Reeves for an hour-long webinar on Transportation Safety Month. REGISTER NOW

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The soaring Texas temperatures pose a deadly threat to children who are left in vehicles. This weekend we were given a heartbreaking reminder when a Dallas child lost his life after being left in a van following a field trip.

This tragic loss of life is preventable! On September 1, 2009 Senate Bill 572, or “Jacob’s Law,” went into effect, mandating two hours of transportation safety training annually for all child care employees who transport children under the age of 9. 

ChildCareGroup offers ongoing Transportation Safety Training to child care providers. For more information, visit our online training calendar, or CLICK HERE to register for our upcoming training on August 14.

In addition, ChildCareGroup has developed a two hour training DVD and a curriculum CD for providers to fulfill the requirements of this training mandate. Nationally recommended practices and basic safety information are incorporated into the training materials. For more information, CLICK HERE.

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Important Transportation Safety Tips:
Providers, please take this opportunity to remind your staff of the basic things to remember when planning field trips and transporting children.

• Before taking children on any trip away from the facility, prepare them for what will be happening. Talk about where they will be going, how they will get there, and what adults will be going with them.
• Review safety information from the mandated Transportation Safety Training.
• If it has been a while since the children have traveled anywhere, or if there are several new children to the group, it can help to have a practice for loading and unloading, and checking attendance to ensure that both children and adults know the routines.
• Be sure to post any field trip information for parents 48 hours in advance. List the location, date, and estimated time of departure and return. Be sure that required permission forms are in place for each child, and a roster of children’s names is prepared ahead of time.
• Take time to plan the route the vehicle will take to and from the site. Make sure there is a copy of this plan on file at the facility as well as a copy with the driver.
• ALWAYS remember to have a procedure for checking children in and out of the vehicles. Search in the vehicle to ensure that no children are left, and do a head count before and after transporting children.

For more information about Transportation Safety Training, please CLICK HERE.