CASY Family Newsletter
October 2023
The CASY office will be closed Monday, October 9th in observance of Columbus Day
Simple Ways to Entertain & Boost Your Baby's Development at Home
Looking for new ways to entertain and play with your young child? Thankfully, all you need is loving attention and some basic household items.
Try these time-tested activities, suggested by age, and let the fun happen!
Nature as Stress Relief for Kids
How nature can provide stress relief for kids
Nature play, or time spent in nature, boasts many benefits. One study of school children in Colorado and Maryland showed that access to natural areas — for elementary and high school students — is associated with reduced stress, increased focus and competence, and the ability to form supportive social groups. Time spent outdoors also:
- Gets kids moving (exercise is also associated with decreased stress and anxiety),
- Promotes creativity,
- Increases confidence as kids learn to push their own boundaries and take healthy risks,
- And gives them time to think and reflect.
Shake the Paint
Highly Active Art for Kids!
This project is all about the energy you put into the process. Perfect for active kids! Just follow these simple instructions!
Easy Fall Sensory Bags
Teacher Tips for Practicing With Striving Readers at Home
Your striving reader will be tearing through books in no time
When your pre-teen striving readers need a little extra support in reading fluency and comprehension, finding the right approach to take in order to spark a lifelong love of reading makes all the difference. The good news is, it is absolutely doable when you’re reading at home!
Follow these tips from Kris Hart, an experienced teacher and library media specialist in Iowa, to encourage reading.
Your Child’s First Phone: Are They Ready?
Deciding when to give your child their first phone can be a source of anxiety. Smartphones, in particular, offer a portal to the internet, apps and social media.
You may not feel your child is ready for that much access to the digital world. Yet, you may want to get your child a phone for the basics: having a way to contact you when they're traveling between school, after-school activities or different households. Click here for more information.
It Matters Now, It Will Matter Forever
For young children, social and emotional health is a protective factor. They can use their social and emotional skills to bounce back from daily hassles and frustrations. Socially and emotionally healthy children can make friends, ask for help, express their feelings, and enjoy life. They know how to wait for a turn. They can try again when their block buildings fall down. They are willing to try new foods or learn a new game.
The Devereux Center for Resilient Children recognizes three within (internal) protective factors in young children that contribute to their resilience and social and emotional health: Initiative, Self-Regulation, and Attachment/Relationships. The adults in children’s lives, especially their parents/families, are so important in helping them develop each of these protective factors. It’s even more important for parents/families to understand the impact of doing so. What a child does now can give you a glimpse of what they will do later in life.
From the Scholastic Bookshelf: How to Talk to Kids About Empathy
Help your child build successful relationships by showing them the world through someone else’s eyes.
“Empathy” is a big word for a deep feeling. Imagining what another person is going through takes effort and practice. Stopping to put themselves in someone else’s shoes is a big request, but it’s an essential first step in kids understanding others, helping them in times of need, and creating lasting connections.
Teaching your child what empathy is, and how to be empathetic, is crucial as they develop their earliest interpersonal relationships in school and beyond. As your child befriends peers dealing with situations different from their own, you have the opportunity as a parent to help your child carefully consider their reactions to others’ challenges. Read more here.
October Awarenesses
October is Sudden Infant Death Syndrome (SIDS) Awareness Month.
October is National Bullying Prevention Month
Upcoming Events
Greene County
Henry County
Johnson County
Monroe County
Statewide Resources
Supporting the whole family
Families, teachers and children are better together. That’s why the Child Care Resource and Referral Network is proud to serve as a navigator for families, expertly assisting them in finding high-quality child care and connecting them with additional opportunities to meet their needs.
For personalized support in finding a child care program that best meets your family's needs,
contact CASY, Child Care Resource and Referral, Family Engagement Specialists
at 800-886-3952 and choose option 2.
You can also complete the referral request form by clicking here.
Our Family Engagement Specialists will follow up with you by the next business day when you submit the online form.
Click below to find your county's CCDF Eligibility Office
Stay Connected
Email: ccrr@casyonline.org
Website: http://casyonline.org/
Location: 1101 South 13th Street, Terre Haute, IN, USA
Phone: 800-886-3952
Facebook: https://www.facebook.com/CASY.Inc