Newsletters?

[SunflowerMama]

Who does a newsletter? How often do you pass it out? What do you include?

I think I'm going to start a monthly newsletter and work on it over nap to distribute tonight and then the 1st of each month.

I'm thinking about including birthdays, curriculum themes or special notes, any relevant parent notices, one healthy kid-friendly recipe, monthly drive info (I'm thinking about doing a monthly drive for a local organization...food, clothing, pet shelter supplies, etc.), and then maybe a few other items.

I was just wondering how often those that do these do them and what sort of info you include. Any info would be great.

**I don't do daily or weekly notes anymore so this would cover any info I would write on those.

[lil angels]

I put one out every 2-3 months. I include special days (blue day, show and tell,ect.) I put any paid holidays that are coming up and vacation days. And reminders like summer is coming make sure your child has swim cloths here for the sprinkeler, and no flip flops for the back yard, thanks to everyone who has been paying on time or things like please keep your shoes on the rug by the door if there has been a prob with things like that. It seems if I do more than that the parents don't read them anyway. I am wasting my time. Good Luck there are lots of people that do them every month.

[wdmmom]

I do newsletters via email. We went "green" awhile back. I encourage parents to provide an email address and check it often for updates.

I usually send a mass email once a month with important dates to remember, days we are doing particular activities, announcements, birthdays, etc.

[Pammie]

I do a monthly newsletter that I call my "Daycare Doodles". It goes home via backpack or diaperbag express on the last weekday of the month, for the next month.

I do one page of what our learning focus goals are for the month, notices of roster changes, cubbie clean-outs, etc. I also put reminders of upcoming days that daycare will be closed (a few months ahead).

The second page is a calendar page that lists special days for the month (birthdays, pj days, holidays, etc. as well as days that daycare will be closed that month, parents nights out, etc) If we're working using curriculum themes, those are noted. Each day has the lunch entree listed.

[NiNi.R.]

My newsletter is made up of 4 different sections and I pass it out at the begging of the month.

Letter to the Parents- This is where I include what we plan to do for the upcoming month, curriculum plans, anything new changing at daycare.

Dates to remember- This is where I post important dates. Such as Childcare payment due dates, close dates, etc.

Happy Birthday!- This section obviously states any of the children's birthdays for the month. I only have 7 kids and 2 of them have the same birthday month so on months where there are no birthdays I title it "A friendly reminder." I will then either copy and paste a section from my handbook to help refresh parents memories or remind them how many of my paid sick/vacation time is left.

Misc. Section- I use this section to advertise. For example, our local Head Start Home Visitor was doing recruitment so I put the information here. This month I also had an opening so I announced it in this section to help spread the word a bit. On months I don't have a whole lot to advertise I just place some type of clip art.

I also print off the blank calendars from abcteach.com

http://www.abcteach.com/directory/seasonalmonths/

I attach these to the newsletters with all the important dates on it and such. I also hang an identical one on the bulletin board in the entry way. If any changes come up I will post a note next to the calendar by the door. This way parents have no excuse for not knowing or remembering what days are pay days, close days, paid holidays, etc.

Handing out a newsletter has been the best thing I've done to help keep up the communication between my DCP and I.

[WImom]

I do a newsletter once a month. I include new children, birthday's, day's I'm closed, our cirriculum for the month as well as a little section about what we did the month before.

I also do a monthly lunch menu that I attach to the newsletter.

[Blackcat31]

On the first of each month I send home a calendar page for that month. It has our activity schedules, our menu, my closed days, kid's birthdays, book order due dates, State Assistance signing dates/co-pay due dates. That is all I give.

No one ever read the newletters or simply left them in the kids' baskets until I cleaned a years worth out. I am also the type to just tell a parent the things I need them to know so I stopped with the newletters and just do a calendar page. I even supplied each family with a magnet that advertises my business so they can use it to hang the calendar on the fridge.

Seems the easiest route....atleast for me.