25 Sep Especially for Parents: Intellect, then academics
Every child is, by nature, an intellectual being--a curious, sense-making person, who is continuously seeking to understand his or her physical and social environments. ...
EFC Parent Blog
28 Aug Staff Spotlight: Sue Smith
Sue Smith has worked for Especially for Children - Edina/Edinborough since August of 1987, making her the teacher with the second-longest tenure in the company! Tell us a bit about yourself… My husband Steve and I celebrated our 40th anniversary this year! We have lived in Edina for many years...
28 Jul Great, growing gardens!
The gardens at our schools are transforming before our eyes. It has been a wonderful experience for the children to plant, water, weed, observe, cook and taste! We've had some special visitors in our gardens including many bugs and even some baby bunnies! Check out...
27 Jun Staff Spotlight: Lynn Livingston
Lynn Livingston has worked for Especially for Children - Eden Prairie since November of 1989, making her one of our longest-term teaching staff! Read more about Lynn below. Tell us a bit about yourself… I grew up in Bloomington and live in Chanhassen. My mom and sister...
31 May Spring In-service Training Highlights: Healthy Foods and STEM
We'd like to share with you a few highlights from our spring in-service training. In our first session, Marna Canterbury, Director of Community Health at the Lakeview Health Foundation, discussed some of the hesitations children have about trying new foods (e.g. How will it feel in my...
02 May Math and Music: A Great Combination
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30 Mar Staff Spotlight: Bernie Busch
Bernie Busch, EFC Edina/W 70th Street Bernie Busch joined Especially for Children 26 years ago and currently teaches preschool at EFC’s Edina/W 70th location. We are so appreciative of his dedication to the field of early childhood education and his positive attitude. Read more about Bernie...
25 Feb Staff Spotlight: Alexi Olchefski
My name is Alexi. I have lived in Inver Grove Heights for a majority of my life. My mom had me at a young age, and when she was starting college, she needed to find a child care center that she could trust. She was...
26 Jan Staff Spotlight: Kathy Brotten
Kathy Brotten, EFC Circle Pines Kathy started her career at EFC in 1980 at the Brooklyn Park center. She met her husband Dean in 1983 at a softball game. They married shortly afterwards. Dean retired a few years ago and they enjoy as much time as...
29 Dec Critical Thinking, Complex Conversation
The real focus in the preschool years should be not just on vocabulary and reading, but on talking and listening. ERIKA CHRISTAKIS, The Atlantic In this month's Especially for Parents article, we discussed the core values of our curriculum and goals at Especially for Children. We touched on the...
30 Nov Just for fun…
If you need some inspiration to get the family moving this winter, check out this fun video of a toddler breakdancing with his dad. What a fun way to spend a cold afternoon! ...
20 Oct ParentFurther Resources: Children’s Books
The ParentFurther website offers resources on a variety of parenting topics. It also provides a list of meaningful children's books that tie to Search Institute’s research on family strengths and relationships. If you are looking for some new books for your family's library, this is...
29 Jul What is Executive Function?
Posted at 18:36h in brain development, child development, emotional development, social skills 0 Comments
Learn more about executive function in this video from the Center on the Developing Child at Harvard University: Get resources on how you can support executive function/self-regulation in your child here. ...
29 Jun Social Development: Compassion and Empathy
Posted at 14:30h in child care, child development, emotional development, friendship, social skills 0 Comments
"Children may be born with the predisposition for learning how to have positive relationships with others. But if and how that predisposition is developed depends on their experience with others...
29 May Encouraging investigation and discovery at home
Check out the video below for easy ways to incorporate science, math, investigation and discovery at home. ...