Our families have been collecting and sending in bottle caps this summer and our children are busy exploring their different properties – material, shape, color, size, and more.
They are collaborating a design and format for their summer project. We can’t wait to see what they come up with!
Friday was our first weekly Water Play Day of the summer. The children (and teachers!) were all so happy and engaged in wet, wonderful play. Bubbles, ice blocks the children had made previously out of milk cartons and containers, scrub-a-dub-dub tubs, boating, blocks, and of course sprinklers and hoses. Enjoy these joyful pictures from the day!
Meet Ms. Jaime in the Young Explorers’ (2.5-3.5 year old) classroom! Her teaching partner says that Jamie is a joy to work with – and that everyone should hear her read aloud voice. “It’s the best!”
Jamie, what is one of your favorite moments from working with the children?
One little girl is really interested in learning to write letters. She asks me to show her how to write a specific letter and then she tries to do it. Her determination and excitement excites me!
What is your favorite time of the day at the center?
When I first arrive in the morning, the children all run up to me and give me a hug, show me their hair, or what’s on their shirt – just their excitement about life makes me happy!
What are some of your favorite things about King’s Daughters?
I have worked in the childcare field for 12 years and I’ve been at the center for almost six months. This is my favorite experience. I love the environment and all the little things KDCDC does for the children and their families. I love working here because I really do feel like I’m making a difference in the lives of these children.
What do you do for fun when you’re not at King’s Daughters?
When I’m not at KDCDC, I am usually hanging out with my husband and daughter, Ariella. We love going to the park and being outside or sitting at home playing. Family time is really important to us and I take advantage of every moment I get to spend with them!
This week we celebrated the NAEYC Week of the Young Child by enjoying some special
events. We had special music and movement time with Ms.Julie. We
also had a wonderful visit from Mobley’s Veterinarians including Dr.
Parsons, Ms. Rachel and our favorite new friend “Pete” the dog.
We then enjoyed “Fun Friday” with some outside fun. We created some
“Street Art” that was inspired from the artists in Florence, Italy and
had Popsicle party! The truth is we celebrate the young child every day at
KDCDC!!
At King’s Daughters, we know that establishing a strong foundation of love for reading and books is essential to our children’s success in school and life beyond the center. We plant books in every nook and cranny that we can to help children make the connection between text and play (and real life).
We stock our libraries with board books and picture books in the classroom and maintain lending libraries for our families and staff to enjoy – including several titles in Spanish!
Many of our books (and shelving!) were purchased through grant monies from the United Way and their program, Read to Succeed, and from other local foundations like the Dollar General Literacy Foundation and the Dan and Margaret Maddox Charitable Fund. We’re so grateful for their dedication to children’s literacy – as well as to the many, many individuals who bring books for our children on a regular basis!
Check out some of the awesome ways we set up books for our children to discover!
We are participating in a local fundraising tournament to raise funds to expand our program to serve more families with toddlers in our community! You can make donations during the tournament at www.kdcdc.org or watch our progress at https://nashville.bfg.org/bracket!
We’ve been overjoyed to welcome toddlers along with our infants this year at King’s Daughters. Families have loved the program as well – so much so that our wait list has stayed full since we opened!
Our toddler program is all about discovery – investigating the world and interacting with others. We follow our children’s lead and interests while helping make sure they meet developmentally appropriate physical, social/emotional, cognitive, language, and milestones.
When scrolling through the pictures, it’s no surprise that our toddlers love their classroom, and their teachers (Ms. Melinda and Ms. Lynn), and their incredible outdoor space!
We are participating in a local fundraising tournament to raise funds to open a second toddler room to serve more families with toddlers in our community! You can make donations during the tournament at www.kdcdc.org or https://nashville.bfg.org/bracket!
Twice a year, we’re thrilled to invite the Nashville Public Library’s Bringing Books to Life program to the center for our preschool and pre-K children.
Before they visit, Bringing Books to Life provides kits about the featured story as well as the book and CD for our classroom listening centers. The librarian comes a week before to read the story which helps prepare the children for the puppet show the program brings the next week.
This month, Librarian Emily came and read several Aesop fables including one of our favorites, The Lion and The Mouse by Jerry Pinkney (here’s a YouTube read aloud
with the amazing illustrations!).
The following week, the Bringing Books to Life puppet troupe brought literature-based marionette puppet show, created by Nashville Public Library staff. They use amazing handmade puppets to bring the books Ms. Emily shared with the children to life with music. Watching the children engage in the stories and experience the magic of performance in the center is amazing!
Bringing Books to Life offers many resources for teachers as well as families – check out their page for future workshops and recommended reading! We’re grateful for our partnership with Nashville Public Library and their commitment to sharing and inspiring our children’s love for literacy and imagination.
We’re overjoyed to welcome infants to King’s Daughters Child Development Center!
Our infant room in the new Louise Odom Children’s Center is staffed by two caretakers and a third “floater” who comes and helps out as needed. Ms. LaTonya (pictured above), Ms. Jonda, and Ms. Susan (pictured below) develop special bonds with the babies, fostering trust in others and allowing our babies to feel safe and loved while their families are at work or school. We’re especially grateful to our generous supporters, like the Joe C. Davis Foundation, whose financial gifts and grants make our work possible.
Our infant room is equipped with bright, colorful objects for our little friends to examine and hold. Infants achieve the special physical milestones of sitting up, crawling, and pulling to stand during their time in this room… and some even begin walking on their own! It’s such a pleasure to see these little people gain the physical capabilities to explore their surroundings.
We’re so proud and honored to offer an environment full of love and wonder for these precious little ones!
At a recent board meeting, we asked our Board of Directors to take pictures around the center of some of their favorite things that we do with our children and families. We loved their responses and we are so grateful for their support! Join them in supporting our children, families, and staff by donating today to King’s Daughters through The Big Payback. Donate here TODAY to help us win prizes and build Millie’s Garden!
King's Daughters Child Development Center 