Early Head Start News Early Head Start, serving Kootenai, Bonner, and Shoshone Counties in Idaho, is a program of Jannus

June 2016

Our Mission: *To promote healthy pregnancies & healthy babies;

*Enhance the development of very young children; *Promote healthy

families.”

Make it a Salad Summer! By Lisa Haley With the long days and hot afternoons, summer is a great time to serve a cool salad for dinner. Don’t think your children will eat salads? Here are some tips to make them irresistible. Try it Chopped. This is a great way to get in those foods that may not be your little ones’ favorites. Take all your salad ingredients and chop them into small pieces. Toss with dressing and serve. Try it Wrapped. Set out large lettuce leaves, such as Bibb or Romaine. Let your child spoon the rest of the salad ingredients into a leaf, wrap it up and enjoy. Try it All Shook up. Put the salad ingredients into a small jar with a tight-fitting lid. Screw the top on, and have your child shake it all up. Take the lid off and serve. Try it Separated. Instead of tossing the salad ingredients all together, lay them out decoratively on a plate or platter. Let your child help you create some food “artwork”. Then let them choose what parts of the picture they would like to eat.

I SPY!

The flowers are

blooming!

See if you and your child

can count 5 flowers

hiding throughout the

newsletter.

1 2, 3….go!

In this Issue:

Make it a Salad

Summer

Preventing Tick Bites

I Spy:

Policy Council

Elections

Special Thank You

Contact Us

Celebrations, Center

Events, and

Birthdays

Preventing Tick Bites and Tick-Borne Illnesses by Adam Marfice

While it is a good idea to take preventive measures against ticks year round, be extra careful in warmer months (May-October) when ticks are more active.

Avoid Direct Contact with Ticks

Walk in the center of trails, rather than through brush.

Control the brush around your home.

Avoid wooded and bushy areas with high grass and leaves.

Find and Remove Ticks from your Body

Wear light colored, tightly woven clothing which will make the dark colored ticks more noticeable.

Tuck your pant legs into socks or boots and your shirt into your pants.

Conduct a full-body tick check using a mirror to view all parts of your body upon return from tick-infested areas. Parents should check their children. Look for ticks under arms, in ears, inside the belly button, and especially wherever hair is present.

Examine gear and pets. Tumbling clothes in a dryer on the highest heat for one hour may help kill any unseen ticks.

How to Remove a Tick

If you find a tick attached to your skin, there is no need to panic. Prompt and proper removal of the tick is important to prevent possible disease transmission.

Use fine-tipped tweezers and protect your fingers with a paper towel or latex gloves. Avoid removing the tick with your finger nails.

Grasp the tick as close to the skin surface as possible and pull upward with steady, even pressure. Don’t twist or jerk the tick; this can cause parts of the tick to break off and remain in the skin. If this happens, remove what you can with the tweezers. If you are unable to remove all of the tick, leave it alone and let the skin heal.

After removing the tick, thoroughly disinfect.

Follow-Up

If you begin to experience a rash or fever within several weeks of removing a tick, see you your doctor. Be sure to tell the doctor about your recent tick bite, when the bit occurred, and where you most likely acquired the tick.

Thank You Westwood Gardens!

Your generous contribution helped make our playground beautiful. Our families will enjoy growing vegetables and flowers throughout the summer.

Chrystal (32 mo.) paints. Kariah (35 mo.) and Kyson (17 mo.) sit together on a

rocking chair.

Marcus W. (22 mo.) finger paints with dad.

Policy Council Elections

Policy Council member recruitment and elections are now underway. Policy Council is one of the most important parts of our Early Head Start program because we depend on parent and community

participation to plan and deliver a quality program. We will be electing Parent and Community Representatives for the 2016/2017 program year, which begins July 1st. Recruiting candidates for

consideration will take place from May 23rd to June 3rd. Voting will take place June 6th through the 14th. Those who are elected will be notified the following week.

Frequently Asked Questions:

What is Policy Council? Policy Council is the group of parents and community members that assist Early

Head Start staff and the Board of Directors in making decisions about the planning and quality of the

Early Head Start program. Policy Council membership is made up of 51% parents and 49% community

members.

Who can join Policy Council? You can join Policy Council if you are enrolled with EHS, a former EHS parent

or an interested community member. Current members who have served less than 3 years are also

eligible to run.

What kind of experience is needed to be a member of Policy Council? All that is needed is an interest in

children and families and a willingness to serve. EHS provides training during the regular meetings so you

“learn as you go.”

Who do I talk to if I’m interested? Let your Family Consultant know if you are interested and she will have

you fill out a Volunteer Application. The Center Manager will contact you, answer any of your questions

and tell you how the voting process works and will assist you in writing a short biography for the ballot.

Will I be responsible for any expenses if I join Policy Council? No. We will reimburse you for child care and

mileage if you have the need. We also provide child care at the meeting site if you do not have a child

care provider of your own.

How does voting take place? All parents get an opportunity to vote for a policy council candidate. Voting

takes place during program activities and your Family Consultant will bring a ballot to home visits.

What are the benefits of Policy Council? It’s a great place to meet other parents and share thoughts and

ideas. It’s a way to help create and EHS program that supports the needs of infants, toddlers, and their

families. This benefits the whole community. Policy council is a chance to learn new skills and to develop

the talents you already have! Volunteer experience is valued by employers it looks great on a resume!

The next Policy Council Meeting will take place on June 27, 2016 10:00-12:00. All are welcome to attend!

Nichole (23 mo.) and sister Ava draw with chalk.

News & Upcoming Events

Contact Us EHS Coeur d’Alene

411 N. 15th Suite 200

Coeur d’Alene, ID

83814

208-765-6955

EHS Sandpoint

137 McGhee Rd.

Sandpoint, ID 83864

208-263-2569

EHS Lakeland

14790 N. Kimo Ct.

Rathdrum, ID 83858

208-712-3152

EHS Shoshone

208-446-4158 or

208-784-5581

DJ enjoys playing in the

dirt.

Genevieve (23 mo.) holds a

flower she planted.

Ophelia (15 mo.) colors

with crayons.

Mom (Mikayla) shows

London (25 mo.) how

to blow bubbles.

Everett (20 mo.) enjoys

blueberries at playgroup.

Celebrations: Chris and Kim D. have completed all 10 sessions

of the ABC Intervention!

Congratulations to Circle of Security Graduates!

Pictured Left to right: Erin A. (Co-facilator),

Brachel and daughter Inara, Tamera and

daughter Keiara, Courtney and children Kyson

and Kariah, Brenda H. (Facilitator) and Mari N.

Birthday Celebrations

Inara R. turns 1 on May 29

Abigail P. turns 1 on June 3

Genevieve G. turns 2 on June 4

Schyler Rawlings turns 3 on June 6

Michael D-F. turns 2 on June 10

Jenalee D. turns 2 on June 10

Hunter T. turns 3 on June 12

Sophia T. turns 2 on June 14

Rebecca B. turns 1 on June 14

London H. turns 2 on June 16

Hayley W. turns 3 on June 16

Patrick H. turns 3 on June 25

David G. turns 2 on June 26

Jaxon S. turns 2 on June 30

Center Events: Circle of Security Parent Support Group:

Thursday, June 23, 6:00-7:00 at Lakeland

Center. (Taxis, gas stipends and childcare will

be provided upon request)

Hunter (33 mo.) helps out

in the garden.