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As expert early childhood educators, we believe that literacy is one of the most important skills
that children can acquire during their early years. It lays the foundation for success in all areas
of life, and it is never too early to start fostering a love of reading and communication in young
children.

At New Creations, we are dedicated to promoting early childhood literacy in a variety of ways.
We believe that by working together with parents, we can create an environment that
encourages children to read, write, and communicate from a young age.

Fostering literacy skills starts in our circle time and extends to every part of our classrooms. Children are exposed to a print rich environment through bible verses, visual schedules and daily routines, and a wide variety of reading materials that can be explored independently or through interactive experiences with our amazing teachers. 

In our classrooms children develop comprehension skills, expand their vocabulary and ability to communicate, and are able to explore and extend their knowledge of different places, concepts, and ideas.

We also know how important the school to home connection is and we promote early literacy by encouraging parents to make reading WITH their child part of their daily routine! Reading with your child vs reading to your child might look like:

• Exploring the entire book before beginning to actually read. Encourage your child to name parts of the book that they might know. Young children may explore by opening and closing books or turning pages. Already you’ve given them brand new vocabulary!
• Talk about the pictures with your child. Make guesses about what will happen or see if they recognize anything familiar in the book.
• When you are reading, stop often to ask questions about the story or characters. Most children are EXPERTS at this step. Encourage them to speak their observations and questions, and help them expand on their thoughts.
• Forget about the words! Use the pictures to make up your own story! Ask your child what they want to happen next. If it is a favorite book that you don’t think you can read even ONE more time, encourage your child to tell you the story in their own words!
• Be silly with the books! Use silly voices, act it out, or have your child give input on how they want the story to go! Most of all, HAVE FUN. Engaging in reading WITH your child is the biggest indicator of a love of reading later on in life! 

If you want more suggestions or tips, talk with our children’s book experts, located conveniently in your child’s classroom! You are guaranteed to find at least one new book to read with your child by talking to New Creations staff.

Promoting literacy starting at birth means we are giving children the tools they need to succeed in school and in life. We believe that by fostering a love of reading from a young age, children will be better equipped to communicate, learn, and explore the world around them.

I love goals! I love setting goals and thinking of the steps to get there. This can be anything from
reading a book to meal planning to cleaning to career paths. Because of this, I love January. It is fun for
me to think of what I may accomplish in the next year. However, what tends to happen is I pick too
many goals – or a goal that is not achievable and I set myself up to fail. I tend to be an all or nothing
person and once I see the path slipping, I give up.

This can apply to our parenting. We are hard on ourselves as parents and see our weaknesses as
failures. I will often times wake up saying today I will not ….fill in the blank or I will…fill in the blank.
With this black and white thinking or all or nothing, we are not allowing for mistakes. I am beginning to
learn that my kids learn more from my mistakes and short comings than they do if everything were to be
perfect. When I tell the kids we aren’t going to have screen time, I won’t yell and we will go to the park
every day…. They will see my weaknesses. BUT! When I forget and we don’t make it to the park and I go
to them afterwards and apologize, seeking forgiveness – they are learning that they are not defined by
their short comings. They are a human with a sinful nature. They will see the gift of forgiveness and
humility. This will set them up not only for future relationships but with their ultimate relationship with
God.

I am learning that small steps in the right direction are better than large leaps in the wrong direction.
So, with our topic of Classroom Management this month, for our families, we want to challenge you to
look at your routines. Don’t wake up and say, today I’m going to make home cooked meals, pray before
each one, go to the park, spend one on one time with each child with all smiles and singing. Instead,
pick one thing. A habit takes at least three weeks to set as routine. This means, we should choose one
thing to implement and stick with it until it becomes routine. Then you can always add another.
I’m hoping we can encourage and remind each other that our small steps matter! This article from
Focus on the Family had some great ideas for small steps: 8 Small Resolutions That Can Change Your
Family – Focus on the Family. I hope you can find something here or one of your own and make solid
routines that help strengthen your family. I would love to hear from you! Please send me an email with
things that have worked for you so I can pass it on to others! jessica@newcreationschildcare.com
Don’t forget!

On January 31, we will be offering a class about challenging behaviors. We hope more of you will join us
to hear from the Center for Inclusive Childcare (CICC) on Seven Common Reasons for Challenging
Behavior. “Behaviors that challenge adults occur in many forms during the early childhood years. These
behaviors may limit a child’s ability to learn, grow, and interact successfully with the world around them.
This session will discuss the seven most common reasons for challenging behavior. When we are able to
understand the why behind the behavior we can successfully develop and implement strategies that
provide lasting success for young children and for you as parents.”
Please plan to join us at our Brooklyn Park location from 6pm-7pm. Childcare is full for toddlers and
preschool but we have limited spots available for infants. Please sign up here: January 2023 Parent Night
– Google Forms

Our first parent night was a success! Thank you to Pastor Ric and his wife Laura for coming out to share
with us about faith development in our young children. We all left the evening encouraged to take small
steps forward in building faith into our day to day lives at home, no matter what age children we have.

Our training topic for December is art. Our Classroom Development Directors are working with our
teachers this month to ensure quality art materials are out and accessible for children to engage with
throughout the day as well as finding new ways to implement easels into their day-to-day art stations.
Art is such an important part of our curriculum as it allows children to express themselves as well as
improve motor skills, be creative and recognize colors, textures and use a variety of materials. Your
children bring home art projects regularly and you can encourage more skills by talking to them about
their work. Ask them to tell you about their picture and why they used the colors or materials they did.
Displaying some of their work at home also builds your relationship with your child and gives them
confidence in their self and their work. You can also extend learning at home by talking about
illustrations in books, discussing art out in public or in your home. It is also important that children have
materials at home that they can use to create and express themselves. Creating together can be a fun
way to engage with one another and talk about how we are alike and different. You should visit our
Instagram page at newcreations.mn for fun ideas of projects to do together at home!

With the holidays coming, we will not be holding a parent night in December. We hope you can all join
your centers for their Christmas Programs and holiday parties. The children have been working hard on
practicing for this fun presentation! This is a great time to get together as a community and celebrate
the birth of our Lord and Savior. I’m sure you’ve already seen many art projects come home and will
continue to see more! Ask your child’s teacher or Directors for more ideas of fun art projects you can do
at home as a family.

On January 31, we will be offering a class about challenging behaviors. We hope more of you will join us
to hear from the Center for Inclusive Childcare (CICC) on Seven Common Reasons for Challenging
Behavior. “Behaviors that challenge adults occur in many forms during the early childhood years. These
behaviors may limit a child’s ability to learn, grow, and interact successfully with the world around them.
This session will discuss the seven most common reasons for challenging behavior. When we are able to understand the why behind the behavior we can successfully develop and implement strategies that provide lasting success for young children and for you as parents.”

Please plan to join us at our Brooklyn Park location from 6pm-7pm. Childcare is provided for a limited
number of families. Please sign up here: January 2023 Parent Night – Google Forms

We are praying for each of you during this holiday season!

Parent Resources for Early Childhood Faith Development

Infant Bible Stories

My name is Jessica Sturgeon and I am the Executive Director of Education and Program Development. I
work with all of our locations on everything from curriculum, behavior guidance, classroom environment
to teacher training and professional development. My heart and calling belongs to our young children
and ensuring their educational and spiritual development and to do this I work with teachers and
leaders to maintain quality care and education.

I am looking forward to monthly blog updates as well as a monthly Parent Night to also begin partnering
with you as well! These two platforms will be a way for parents to receive information on their child’s
education as well as grow in their parenting skills. We face a lot as parents, I have three kids myself –
ages 14, 17 and 20. It’s not easy! But it is the most rewarding and wonderful relationship and role as
well!

This month, I hope you can join me at our Brooklyn Park location on Tuesday, December 6 from 6-7 pm
to learn about Faith Development in Young children! We will have one of our enrichment teachers,
Pastor Ric, coming to join us to teach us all about developing Faith in our children. Our Classroom
Development Directors are working on this topic as well to train our teachers to continue to bring this
important element to the classrooms on a daily basis with your children.

Our mission statement states:

New Creations exists to provide a safe, developmentally appropriate, and Christ-centered environment for infants through school age children. Our focus is to provide stimulating, educational, and service-learning experiences that promote each child’s social/emotional, physical and cognitive development. Our goal is to support children’s desire to be lifelong learners by preparing them for God’s future
purposes.

Our desire is to partner with you in raising the next generation. I hope you will continue to keep
checking back in for these blog updates where I will share articles and new information. Please also join
me monthly at our Parent Night’s to build a stronger community together!

Proverbs 22:6 says, “Train up a child in the way he should go; even when he is old he will not depart
from it”. As parents, God asks us to teach them His word and to model what a relationship with God
looks like. I am reading a book called, “Little Steps Big Faith: How the Science of Early Childhood
Development Can Help You Grow Your Child’s Faith” by Dawn Rundman. (This book is also available at
your center’s Parent Resource area!) The author looks at brain development and how the first three
years of life hold a large part of development and is the best opportunity to make lasting impressions.
I’m sure this information is not new to you, but have you thought about the spiritual development
during this time in addition to the academic and physical?

Through avenues like talking, reading, music and physical touch during these formative years, you can
develop the foundation of Faith! Here are a few notes I took away from the book:

1. Attachment: Your love shows God’s love: meeting your child’s needs is a model of how God
meet’s our needs
2. Language develops rapidly in Early childhood: think about the words of faith you want your child
to hear, prayer and read the Bible and weave it all into daily interactions.
3. Beginning in infancy, meaning is made from music. By playing and singing Christian songs and
prayers, you are tapping into their brain in a different capacity.

4. Children thrive in routine. Create a routine around Faith concepts: bedtime, diapering, bath
time.
5. Community: we can’t do this alone! Get involved in a local church and fellowship with other
parents.
6. Give yourself grace: you can’t change it all overnight. Little steps towards implementing faith
regularly into your home and parenting is accomplishing a lot!

I can’t wait to talk through these things when we get together at the end of the month. Please do reach
out if you want more information. I look forward to getting to know you and walking alongside of you!

The past year has presented us all with many challenges. One of the most significant of those challenges has been the way that the pandemic has changed our children’s school and education routines. Finally, there is light at the end of the tunnel. As COVID-19 slows and businesses begin to reopen, parents are increasingly making the right choice by placing their children in Early Childhood Education programs. These programs are crucial in helping return normalcy to their children’s lives, and in empowering members of our nation’s workforce to return to offices, businesses, factories, restaurants and retail spaces.

Preschools, Child Care Centers, and School Age Programs provide opportunities for children to experience socialization and interaction in an educational atmosphere; something that has been greatly lacking for so many children over this past year. Children gain mastery of the skills of sharing, cooperation, paying attention in a group setting, and contributing to a community of learning. Children also gain confidence and pride in their earliest academic achievements. Art projects, early reading and writing, and motor-skill enhancement are all areas of concentration in Early Childhood Education Centers.

Another important benefit of including children in Early Childhood Education environments is that it provides children with a chance to experience interaction with diverse groups of children and teachers. Children and teachers of different races and nationalities learn to appreciate the differences and similarities between themselves and others. This gives children an early start at becoming familiar with the types of multicultural experiences that are increasingly represented in our elementary schools and communities.

Emerging as a central priority for many families, is Early Childhood Education’s capacity to nurture and enrich the spiritual lives of children. During the pandemic, the staff of New Creations Child Care and Learning Centers have worked tirelessly to create a clean, safe, developmentally appropriate, Christ-centered environment for their students. New Creations is setting its students up to be lifelong learners by preparing them for God’s future purpose.

Simply put, whether an Early Childhood Education Center, Church Preschool Program, or School Age Program, children are better equipped for kindergarten and beyond if they are given a chance to experience regularly scheduled, organized interactions with peer groups.

As COVID-19 slows and we all begin to return to more traditional workplace settings, we see that enrollment numbers are growing quickly. Parents are turning to Early Childhood Education Programs like New Creations as their preferred option for introducing children to their first educational experiences.

You know you love your child. But how can you make sure your child knows it? So many parents wonder about their child’s love language. Since young children can’t yet verbalize their love language, determining the love language of a young child requires some educated guesswork. Explore the subject of love with your child for a week or so until you can discover what he or she perceives as love.

Discover your child’s love language:
1. Affirming words: words of affection and endearment, praise and encouragement.
2. Acts of service: services for your child that they see as valuable.
3. Quality time: focused, undivided attention, being together.
4. Gifts: giving and receiving of undeserved gifts.
5. Physical touch: hugs, cuddles, kisses and pats on the back.

It is important to note that for small children spending quality time with them is one of the best ways you can show them you love them. Quality time is a parent’s gift of presence to a child. It conveys this message: “You are important. I like being with you.” It makes the child feel that he is the most important person in the world to the parent. He feels truly loved because he has his parent all to himself.

You can take action and show your love by participating in their favorite activities, have uninterrupted one-on-one time, or even just be near as they play. Create special moments together and make eye contact as you engage in that quality time.

1 Cor. 13:13 “And now these three remain: faith, hope and love. But the greatest of these is love.”

During these two weeks leading up to Valentine’s Day, show your love for your kids individually by cutting out hearts large enough to write something you love about them. Tape a new heart each day to their bedroom door or bathroom mirror, or set it at their seat at the breakfast table. A simple gesture like this will be sure to set the tone of love to their day.

Try making a fun Valentine’s Day dessert that the whole family will enjoy. Chocolate fondue is easy and will satisfy everyone’s sweet tooth! There’s an endless variety of treats to choose from to dip in chocolate. Celebrate your love while you indulge in the sweetness.

Any way you choose to show your love, remember to do it with the commandment to love one another as Jesus has loved you (John 15:12).

The New Year brings anticipation, wonder, desire to better ourselves… But if you’re not in to setting unrealistic resolutions that usually fail within weeks, we have a couple easy ways to improve current habits that can be joyfully incorporated into our lives without feeling like a resolution.

Health: Exercise With Your Kids
We love practicing Yoga with the kids here at New Creations. There are many benefits to children participating in a physical activity that strengthens their bodies and eases their minds.

By practicing yoga poses, children can learn how to exercise, develop confidence, and concentrate better. Yoga promotes physical strength because kids learn to use all of their muscles in new ways. The act of practicing poses encourages children to clear their mind and focus on the effort. And because children encounter emotional, social, and physical challenges or conflicts, a dedicated and intentional yoga practice that includes breathing techniques, behavioral guidelines, and physical postures can be incredibly valuable for them. Try practicing some poses with your kids!

Nutrition: Healthy Chicken Nuggets
Quick and easy meals are what every parent longs for; however, it isn’t always the healthiest option. Swap out processed foods for homemade. If your kids love chicken nuggets, you’ll have to try this delicious, easy recipe.

Homemade Chicken Nuggets

What you’ll need:
1 lb chicken breast
½ cup Panko Bread Crumbs
½ cup all purpose flour
½-1 tsp McCormick’s Garlic and Herb seasoning
Pinch of salt
1 egg (or ¼ cup light olive oil)

Turn your stove top to a medium/medium-high heat. Add a few Tbl of olive oil. Let the pan get hot. In the meantime, create an assembly line of your chicken breasts (cut to your size preference), a bowl of flour, a bowl for the beaten egg (or oil), then the Panko with seasoning and salt.

Pat the chicken dry with a paper towel
Roll the chicken in the flour
Dip in egg wash (or oil)
Heavily coat the chicken in the panko mixture

Gently lay the chicken in the hot pan (laying away from you to avoid any splatter) to fry. Let cook for 3-5 minutes on each side, checking for a golden brown crust. Serve with your favorite healthy sides! Guaranteed to be a new favorite.

Fun: Family Activities to Get You Through the Winter
Winter can feel very long, so get out there and enjoy the cold. Explore Ice Castles in Minnesota! Ice Castles is an awe-inspiring, must-see winter phenomenon. The experience is built using hundreds of thousands of icicles hand-placed by professional ice artists. The castles include breathtaking LED-lit sculptures, frozen thrones, ice-carved tunnels, slides, fountains and much more. They’ll be open in New Brighton from January 17 – February 17. There’s a fee for adults but kids 0-3 are free!

Enjoy a family-fun day snow tubing at Wild Mountain! They do recommend that guests be 42” tall, but it’s entirely up to the parents whether their child can enjoy the activity safely. They have smaller tubes for smaller children. There’s a fee and 2 or 3 hour limit.

Head down to Edina for a beautiful skate in the park! Centennial Lakes Park features a 10-acre lake that is groomed daily during the winter for ice skating. Spread out over three main ponds connected by narrow, meandering canals, the rink gives skaters a unique skating experience.

However you choose to enhance yourself and your family this year, be intentional of the choices you make and enjoy the ride. “In the end, it’s not the years in your life that count. It’s the life in your years.” – Abraham Lincoln

Here’s to a happy, safe and blessed New Year!

With a new year, comes a brand new opportunity for growth within ourselves and change in our lives. Is there anything you’re set to do more/less of, change a circumstance, quit a bad habit, or start a new one as your resolution? Try getting your kids involved and have them dream up their own resolutions for this next year. This is a great way to teach goals and self-discipline as they work toward them.

This year I really want to:
I really need to:
I want to be better at:
I want to learn how to:
I want to try:

Another way to grow in the year 2020 is to create a prayer board. Every day of the week you will pray specifically for someone or something. Imagine your kids becoming prayer warriors and what that can do for their faith, self-worth, love for others and overall joy.

If you’re planning to celebrate with your kids, here are a few fun ideas for the party:

• Create a photo booth with props
• Make noise-maker crafts. Paint popsicle sticks and glue craft bells to them; or tape two cups together with a few beads to bounce around inside.
• Cut open a kitchen garbage bag and string/tape it to the walls and ceiling. Fill it with balloons and confetti. Pull it down at “midnight” and celebrate with noise-makers and music.
• Play games. Glow-in-the-dark necklace or bracelet bottle-toss, NYE Bingo, and checkers are a few of our favorites.
• Make festive Hors d’oeuvres together.
• Cheers champagne flutes filled with plain or bubbly juice.
• Invite your friends over and celebrate!

Midnight is late to stay awake most days of the week. If you or your kids can’t stay up to watch the ball drop, have a “Noon” Year’s Eve party! Netflix has 10 short New Year’s Eve countdown shows for children that can be played by parents at any hour. If you don’t have Netflix, you can try it for free for 30 days. Otherwise, YouTube has many options to choose from as well. This one plays a countdown with celebration fireworks.

Have fun reminiscing about your year in review! Talk about the best times of your family vacation, a favorite place you went to, the funniest moment of the year, the best food you ate, and all of the other fun memories you shared together.

Have a happy and blessed New Year!

Christmas is a special time to celebrate the magical season by spreading Christmas cheer and performing acts of kindness to people in our community; and whether you encourage that Santa is real or make-believe, Jesus remains the reason for this holy season.

Some traditions to help keep the focus on Jesus can be doing an Advent calendar, setting up a Nativity Scene, reading Christmas books, singing Jesus-centered Christmas songs, and giving, not receiving. Starting these traditions now when our children are young, encourages the emphasis on the true meaning of Christmas and will last as traditions for generations to come.

Another fun way to really make it all about Jesus is to create a real birthday celebration! Make cupcakes, blow out a candle and celebrate Him! Take the time to teach the story of Jesus’ birth by reading the scriptures together.

If there’s two things you do this season, make sure to do things that celebrate Jesus, and make sure to do things that celebrate His love.

A summary of His birth:

Almost 2,000 years ago a young woman from the town of Nazareth named Mary was visited by an angel named Gabriel. Gabriel told the Jewish woman that she would have a son named Jesus and that he would be the Son of God. At this time, Mary was engaged to her soon-to-be husband Joseph. When told, Joseph he was hurt and confused because he did not believe Mary. The angel Gabriel visited Joseph and told him that Mary would be pregnant from the Lord and that she would have a son named Jesus who would save the people from their sins. 

Mary and Joseph had to travel to Bethlehem because of an order from the Roman emperor that a census, or record, of all people, be taken in their hometown. After traveling pregnant on a donkey for several days, Mary and Joseph arrived in Bethlehem and were told that there were no places to stay. The inns were full. Seeing that Mary was due at any moment, an owner of an inn told Joseph that they could stay in his stable. 

Mary and Joseph settled down on the hay in a stable with animals sleeping. Mary went into labor and Jesus was born in the stable. The only place for the sleeping baby to rest was most likely in the animals trough, known as the manger. 

During this time, an angel appeared to shepherds who were watching their flocks in the fields near Bethlehem. The angel told them the good news of the birth of the Savior and Messiah, Jesus Christ. The shepherds immediately went to find baby Jesus, which the angels told them they would find sleeping in the manger. 

After some time, three wise men, also known as magi, saw the brilliant star in that sky that rested over where Jesus was born. The three wise men traveled from a far eastern country to find the new king. During the wise mens’ trip, Herod the king of Judah met with the wise men and told them to come back and let him know where the baby king was so that he could go worship him as well. The wise men continued to Bethlehem and found Jesus right where the star pointed. They knelt and worshiped the Savior and gave him gifts of gold, frankincense, and myrrh. They then traveled back home a different way knowing that King Herod was not intending to worship Jesus but that he planned to kill the baby.

What an amazing gift. God sent his Son for us. We are so in awe of His love and grace.

Happy birthday, Jesus!