CreativeCreative LearningLearning CenterCenter ExpressExpress P a r e n t N e w s l e t t e r

JUNE 2015 National Safety Month

Monthly Theme: Summer Safety

Theme of the Week Please mark all clothing, with permanent marker. We can not be responsible for lost items. Please change winter clothes for 6/1 – 6/5 Theme: Graduation/ Growing Up spring/summer clothes in your child’s cubby.

6/8 – 6/12 Theme: Ocean Creatures “No Flip Flops” 6/15- 6/19 Theme: Summer Safety Please keep in mind sneakers are the best shoes for when a 6/22-6/26 Theme: Summer Activities child is running in the playground, sneakers prevent many injuries that you see when a child wears sandals. Please put 6/29 – 7/2 Theme: Fireworks/ Independence Day shorts on the girls under skirts please.

Special Days in June: Mark Your Sunscreen/Bug Spray Calendars If you have not brought in sunscreen and bug spray for your June 6th Preschool Graduation child please do so ASAP, Thanks!

June 14th Flag Day Hand Washing!!!!!!!!!!!!!!!!!!!!!!!!

June 21st Father’s Day Parents, please try to wash your child’s hands when entering the center. If your child is old enough to do it June 21st First Day of Summer alone please remind them and walk them to the sink. This will help keep germs from entering the center in the AM. THIS IS ALSO A STAR 3 REQUIREMENT. July 3rd CENTER CLOSED Vacations Breakfast Parents, if you are eligible for one week nonpaid Parents, please make sure you have your child at Vacation; please drop me a note with the dates of your daycare by 8:00 AM to be counted for breakfast. vacation so I know to reimburse your account.

Clothing: Congratulations to our graduates! Please send in a sweatshirt for damp days.  Ophthalmologist An ophthalmologist is a medical doctor who provides eye care, such as complete eye exams, prescribing corrective lenses, diagnosing and treating eye diseases, and performing eye surgery.  Optometrist An optometrist is a health care professional who can provide complete eye exams, prescribe corrective lenses, diagnose common eye disorders, and treat selected eye diseases. Optometrists do not treat more complex eye problems or perform surgery. By Deborah Nurmi  Optician WebMD Feature An optician assembles, fits, sells, and fills prescriptions for eyeglasses. Reviewed byAlan Kozarsky, MD

It’s difficult to know if or when your child needs to see an eye care These health care providers can be found in most commercial and provider. But most experts agree that eye exams -- performed during residential areas. Some may be located in shopping malls and even regular well-child visits -- help protect your child’s vision and provide larger commercial chains. useful information about his or her eye health. Children’s eye health begins in the newborn nursery and should Four Fantastic Foods to Keep Your Eyes Health continue throughout childhood, says Michael Repka, MD, professor of ophthalmology and pediatrics at Johns Hopkins University School of Everybody knows that eating right is the way to keep your Medicine. “For many children, an evaluation by a pediatrician may be enough. But if a child has a family history of vision or eye problems or heart healthy. The good news is that the same diet has symptoms, he or she may need to have an official eye exam,” he that helps your heart is probably also good for your says. eyes. A diet low in fat and rich in fruits, vegetables and whole grains can pay benefits not only to your Recommended Related to Eye Health heart but to your eyes. The connection isn't Pterygium (Surfer's Eye) surprising: your eyes rely on tiny arteries for oxygen Pterygium (pronounced tur-IJ-ee-um) is a common eye condition that and nutrients, just as the heart relies on much larger affects people who spend a lot of time outdoors. People with pterygium arteries. Keeping those arteries healthy will help your have a growth of pink, fleshy tissue on the white of the eye. It usually eyes. Some foods stand out as particularly helpful for forms on the side closest to the nose. Pterygium is also known as eye health. Here are four you should make sure are surfer's eye because it often affects surfers. It is a noncancerous lesion part of your diet. that usually grows slowly throughout life. Or it may stop growing after a certain point. In rare cases a pterygium can continue growing until it covers... Kale. Leafy green vegetables, like kale, are high in lutein Read the Pterygium (Surfer's Eye) article > > and zeaxanthin, two nutrients found in the healthy eye that are believed to lower your risk for age- Even if there are no risk factors or family history of eye problems, related macular degeneration (AMD) and cataracts. children need their vision checked at 6 months, 3 years, and before One large study showed that women who had diets first grade. high in lutein were 23 percent less likely to develop The Importance of Eye Exams cataracts than women whose diets were low in this nutrient. Not a big fan of kale? Not to worry. Other Most states require children to have an eye exam prior to beginning dark leafy green vegetables, like spinach, romaine public school. Even if your pediatrician doesn’t see a problem, there lettuce, collards and turnip greens, also contain may be other signs that your child needs a more thorough eye exam. significant amounts of lutein and zeaxanthin. Eggs According to the Optometrists Network, the symptoms of possible are also a good source of these nutrients, as are vision problems in children include: broccoli, peas and corn. Salmon. Some studies suggest that diets rich in omega-3 fatty acid from  Poor school performance cold-water fish like salmon, tuna, sardines and halibut reduce the risk of developing eye disease  Not wanting to go to school later in life. A 2010 study from Johns Hopkins found  Difficulty paying attention that people who had a diet high in omega-3 fatty acid  Difficulty when reading and writing were much less likely to develop AMD. Oranges.  Trouble seeing information on the chalk board Oranges and all of their citrus cousins — grapefruit,  Blurry or double vision tangerines, and lemons — are high in vitamin C, an antioxidant that is critical to eye health. Scientists  Headaches or eye pain have found that your eyes need relatively high levels  Taking longer than normal to complete homework of vitamin C to function properly, and antioxidants can prevent or at least delay cataracts and AMD. Lots According to Repka, including an eye exam as part of each annual of other foods offer benefits similar to oranges, physical may be all a child ever needs. including peaches, red peppers, tomatoes and However, if your child has any symptoms of vision problems, or has strawberries. Black-eyed peas. Legumes of all kinds, family members who wear glasses, she may need to visit an eye care including black-eyed peas, kidney beans, lima beans, professional for examination. and peanuts contain zinc, an essential trace mineral There are three types of eye specialists who can provide children’s eye that is found in high concentration in the eyes. Zinc and vision care. may help protect your eyes from the damaging effects of light. Other foods high in zinc include oysters, lean red meat, poultry and fortified cereals. There are lots of other great food choices to keep your eyes healthy. Among them, the one most people think of first: carrots. Carrots are high in beta-carotene, a nutrient that helps with night vision, as are other orange-colored fruits and vegetables like sweet potatoes, apricots and cantaloupe. Making them a part of a colorful diet can help you keep your eyes healthy.