Program Newsletter - White Earth Nation

White Earth Child
Care Early Childhood
Program Newsletter
Gichi-manidoo-giizis
Great Spirit Moon
Live the Life you’ve always dreamed of.
Be fearless in the face of adversity.
Never Stop Learning.
BE TRUE TO WHO YOU ARE.
Recognize the Beauty that surrounds you.
Be the Architect of your own destiny.
This life if yours to
www.whiteearthchildcare.com
CREATE.
218-983-3285
January 2014
New Year Resolution Ideas for Families

Read at least one book to your child every night
at bedtime.

Eat at least three meals at the kitchen table
together every week.



Try a new recipe and prepare it together as a
family weekly. Take turns choosing what to
make.

Play board games together twice a month.
Plan a family fun day once a month. (Such as

going to the park, swimming, museum visits, etc.) 
When out grocery shopping, allow your children 
to pick out new fruits and vegetables to try.
They’ll be more likely to eat them.
Make washing hands a brushing teeth a priority.
Commit to drinking more water and milk.
Commit to wearing seatbelts every time you get
into your car.
Child Care Program Happenings
Our White Earth Parenting Mentor Program serves families/caregivers with children 0-5
years of age in the home. We are looking for families that would like to take part in this
program from the Communities of: White Earth, Naytahwaush, Waubun, Ogema,
Callaway, Pine Point, Elbow Lake, Mahnomen, and Rice Lake.
If you or someone you know would like to be a Benefits of joining:
part of our Parent Mentor program, please contact  Home Visits, school
Heather at 983-3285 Ext. 1228
readiness, fun activi-
ties, and learning
about your child’s development.
or Abby at 983-3285 Ext. 1408
Your Community Parent Mentor collaborates with
other programs, elders, and the local community
councils to provide traditional educational classes
and fun family events within your community.
www.whiteearthchildcare.com

Parent Advocacy
218-983-3285
2
As the coldest part of winter approaches, parents everywhere bring out their babies'
winter coats or snowsuits to keep baby warm during travel. However, thick winter coats
or snowsuits can compromise your child's car seat safety. In order for a baby car seat or
toddler booster seat to function properly, the straps need to remain tight against the
child's chest. Winter coats and snowsuits make
car seat safety difficult because they change the
way a child fits into the car seat. When the car seat
straps don't fit the child properly, there is a
chance the child could be ejected from the car
seat.
Check All Winter Coats for Car Seat Safety
It's easy to check and see whether a baby's winter
coat or infant snowsuit is too thick to be safe in a
car seat. This test will show you how thick the coat is and how much the coat will compress during a crash.
1. Take the car seat into the house.
2. Put the winter coat or snowsuit on the child.
3. Put the child in the car seat and
buckle the harness as you normally would before car travel.
Adjust the straps to the appropriate fit for your child.
4. Take the child out of the car
seat without loosening the
straps at all.
5. Take the coat off your child.
6. Put the child back in the car
seat and buckle the harnesses
again, but do not tighten the
straps.
7. If you can fit more than two
fingers under the harness at the
child’s shoulder bone, the coat
is too think and is not safe for
use with the car seat.
www.whiteearthchildcare.com
218-983-3285
3
Heat 1 teaspoon Olive Oil in a medium
skillet over medium heat. Sauté 1/2
cup thinly sliced red pepper, 1/4 cup
frozen corn, 1/4 cup black beans,
and 2 ounces diced cooked chicken 5
minutes; season with salt and pepper
to taste. Spoon chicken mixture over
1/2 cup cooked brown rice and top with
1/4 cup salsa and 2 tablespoons shredded Monterey Jack.
Red peppers contain almost 300 percent of your daily vitamin C intake.
Besides being a powerful antioxidant, vitamin C is also needed for the proper absorption of
iron. If you are iron deficient, try combining red peppers with your iron source for
maximum absorption.
Red Bell peppers are a great source of vitamin B6 and magnesium. This vitamin and
mineral combination shows a decrease in anxiety, especially related to premenstrual
symptoms. Vitamin B6 is also a natural diuretic, so try stocking up on red bell peppers to
reduce Bloating and prevent hypertension.
Red bell peppers help support healthy night vision. Red bell peppers are high in
vitamin A, which helps to support healthy eyesight, especially night vision.
Red Bell Peppers are packed with antioxidants. The combined effects of vitamin A and C
create a great antioxidant capacity, and with lycopene in the mix, the red bell pepper be
comes a top notch superfood. Lycopene is what makes tomatoes and peppers red. Red
peppers are one of the highest veggies in lycopene, which has been successfully tested in
the prevention of many cancers including prostate and lung.
Burn more calories with red bell peppers. Recent research has shown that sweet red
peppers can activate thermogenesis and increase metabolic rate. Red bell peppers do not
contain capsaicin, which is what makes peppers hot and causes us to sweat, but they do
have a mild thermogenic action that increases our metabolism without increasing our
heart rate and blood pressure like hot peppers do.
www.whiteearthchildcare.com
218-983-3285
4
From the Child Care Health Consultant:
Emily Bakken
From the Child Care Health Consultant
Make sure as your children are home during the holidays or at child care that you keep them dressed for the
safe in the cold weather.
Love Those Layers
Dressing in layers is the best way to stay warm and toasty in the cold, because you can start out with lots of
clothes to keep you warm and then peel them off once you start to heat up.
Depending on where you live and how cold it is, some kids may need more layers, some less. But if you're in
doubt, go for more layers to start — they can always come off later. (Whatever you do, always leave your
coat on — that's one layer that should stay!)
For your top half, start by putting on a long-sleeved undershirt (thermal or woolen). Then put on a turtleneck,
one or two shirts, a sweater, and a coat. If you can, pick out clothes that are made of fabrics other than cotton,
because cotton doesn't keep you very warm.
For your bottom half, put on long underwear first (thermal or woolen), then pull on a pair of heavy pants. Try
to avoid jeans or light cotton pants (like khakis), because they won't keep you very warm. They will actually
make your legs and behind colder if you fall down and get wet. Waterproof pants (like ski pants) are best.
Finish up with heavy socks and waterproof boots. If you're going to be doing a lot of trekking around, you'll
want to wear boots that have good treads for keeping you steady on snowy and icy areas.
Grab That Hat
You're all bundled up and ready to go, but are you forgetting something? Pull a hat onto your head! You'll
stay much warmer with a hat than without one — tons of body heat escapes right from your head. Scarves,
facemasks, and earmuffs are also great at covering you up so you'll stay comfortable longer.
And don't forget mittens or gloves — the waterproof kind are best if you know you'll be playing around a lot
in the snow. Keeping your hands warm and dry is important because fingers are very sensitive to the cold.
Words that can help build your Child’s Self-Esteem

I love you.

I believe you can do it.

That’s great!

Believe in yourself as I believe in you.

Good job.

Thanks for your help.

You look terrific.

You’re such a good worker.

What did you like best about today?

Don’t give up.

You are very special.

You’re so nice to be around today.

I like your smile.

Just do the best you can.

Let’s talk about you.

You’re going to be just fine.

I want to help you…

How can you/we fix it?

I’m so proud of you.

Give it your best.

I can see why you are angry.

You are what matters.

Let’s talk about it.

You made me happy.
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www.whiteearthchildcare.com
218-983-3285
Ojibwemowin
Cabin– Mitgo-waakaa’igan
Snow– Goon
Warm by the Fire– Awazo
It is Snowing– Zoogipoon
It is Cold– Gisinaa
Frostbitten– Mashkawaji
Ice– Mikwam
White– Waabishkaa
“Every Child deserves a champion: an adult who will never
give up on them, who understands the power of connection
and insists they become the best they can possibly be.”
-Rita Pierson
Katie Olsen, WECC teacher, counting in Ojibwe with the children during circle time.
www.whiteearthchildcare.com
218-983-3285
6
The “Word Gap”, what is it?
The “word gap” is a phrase that has come to represent the difference in vocabulary
amongst children from diverse backgrounds. Children from higher income families arrive
at school knowing approximately 20,000 words. Whereas, children from low income
families arrive with approximately 3,000-4,000 word vocabulary.
Why is there such a difference?
Research proves that most low income parents are worried about day to day living,
and have a hard time making literacy a priority. Unfortunately, the first five years of life is
critical to literacy, as children are developing neurologically and cognitively. If they do not
absorb the knowledge of language at this stage in life it cannot be easily remedied later
on. Think of it this way, reading a bedtime story to a child is just as important as
changing their diaper.
And what can we do about this achievement gap?

Use new and interesting words in natural conversations. Try this at mealtime, or when
presenting a new toy or material.

Use gestures and facial expressions to help children make sense of new words.

Sing with children and recite poetry and rhymes to playfully introduce vocabulary.

Talk with children and encourage children to talk with one another.

Read to children daily. Take time to go over new words.

Give children ample time to learn the meaning and uses of new words before moving
onto other words.
Americans have always believed that, at our best, we’re a land of equal opportunity; that
it doesn’t matter where you come from or who your parents are– you should have the
same chance as anyone else to live to your full potential. Closing the “word gap” will help
reduce the inequality in our society and restore a sense of mobility and possibility to
American families. All of our children deserve the chance to start life on an equal playing
field. Let’s help them succeed.
Visit talkingisteaching.org to learn more.
“Reading a bedtime story to a child is just
as important as changing a diaper.”
www.whiteearthchildcare.com
218-983-3285
7
2015 Fitness Resolutions
Our own personal trainer, Chris Holt has some fitness tips for you!
How many times have you started an exercise program and then just quit going? Well... you're not alone!
Many people start with great intentions but soon lose motivation and end up avoiding the gym altogether.
Here are 10 tips found that are useful for starting and sticking with an exercise routine!
The following 10 tips to weight reduction don't involve buying expensive foods or hiring a personal trainer.
Instead, they involve common sense.
1.
Choose activities that are fun. Exercise doesn't have to be a chore and the more fun it is, the more
likely you are to stick with it.
2.
Variety is the spice of life! Don't just find one thing and stick to it... your guaranteed to get bored
eventually. Find a couple different types of exercise that you enjoy (swimming, biking, weight training,
yoga, group exercise classes, etc.) and mix it up!
3.
Keep a record of your activities. Set small "achievable" milestones and reward yourself periodically.
Nothing motivates and keeps you going like success!
4.
Make it a lifestyle! Short-term diets and fitness kicks don't work. Lifestyle changes that become part
of your normal routine are important for long-term success.
5.
Watch the clock. Pick a time that's convenient and try to stick to it. If you get used to working out
before work or walking during your lunch hour... you're more likely to stick with it.
6.
Don't be too hard on yourself. If you miss an exercise opportunity, try to work something else in rather
than feeling down. If a lunch meeting interferes with your regular walk... go for a walk after dinner.
7.
Stay entertained. Music is a great motivator and can make exercise more fun. Make your own upbeat
music mix on your iPhone. Many people also like to watch TV or catch up on their soaps while on a
treadmill. Whatever it takes to keep up with the program.
8.
Surround yourself with supportive people. Share your activity with others who want to see you succeed
and will be encouraging. It may be a friend, family member, or neighbor. You may run with a
co-worker over lunch or find a workout partner. If you're at the gym at the same time everyday, look
for people that may have similar goals... since your schedules are the same, maybe he/she is looking
for a workout partner?
9.
Slow and steady wins the race. Don't risk injury by pushing yourself too hard too quickly. Start with
low to moderate level activities and gradually increase the duration and intensity of your workouts as
you become more fit.
10. But... don't get lazy! While pushing yourself too hard is bad... not doing enough is equally bad! There is
a fine line between staying on a plateau and providing enough stimulus so your body will grow. You
should gradually increase the amount of weight you lift, the length of your cardio exercise, etc. to keep
you moving towards your goal. If your goal is overall fitness, you should work up to exercising three or
four times per week for 30-60 minutes.
www.whiteearthchildcare.com
218-983-3285
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