Sunshine News

Sustaining consistent routines can be a challenge even in the most predictable of times, but routines can also very helpful for maintaining a sense of control, even in times of change.  Children thrive on routines.  They look forward to participating in “now/next” predictions and quickly become masterful at initiating next-steps in the day themselves.  We

Music has always been an important part of the curriculum at Sunshine Academy. We believe in the value of musical literacy as an essential part of education, not just for the support it provides to other domains of learning, such as math, language and socio-emotional development, but also for its capacity to enable children to

Adequate sleep is critical for healthy development in young children.  Good sleep habits correlate with improved attention, better memory retention, more consistent emotional regulation, better listening skills, improved balance and muscle coordination, and better physical health. Inadequate sleep correlates with an increase in injuries, hypertension, obesity and depression, among many other disorders.    The American

Please note that there is community support for parents under stress. We encourage you to seek out resources before you need them so that you have a plan for how to respond to the sometimes overwhelming emotions that can arise with unexpected events. The phone number for the parental stress hotline is 1-800-632-8188. Parents Helping

   Children develop the basics of socio-emotional learning in their earliest years. How the adults around them act among themselves and interact with them strongly influences their sense of trust, self-esteem, confidence, friendliness, persistence, patience, and ability to recognize and manage their emotions. Strategies that have a positive influence on socio-emotional learning include the following:

We are pleased to announce that we are opening a kindergarten classroom at Sunshine Academy North to accommodate 10 children.  The teachers are Haley Bettinson, who is licensed to teach Pre-K through grade 2 in Massachusetts and has three years of experience teaching in the public schools, as well as Tessa Hansen, who has worked

Welcome Spring with your child at any of these amazing nature programs being offered in the Greater Boston area. You can learn how maple syrup is made at any of three events on Saturday, March 7.  From 8:45 am to 1 pm, Drumlin Farm sponsors a Sap to Syrup Farmers Breakfast (massaudubon.org).  From 10 am

Early childhood is a time of foundational growth in children’s physical abilities. To support your child’s core strength, balance, coordination, sensory integration, planning sense, flexibility and fitness, please keep in mind the following basic lifestyle choices that influence how your child develops and interacts with the world: · Avoid “Container Baby Syndrome”: Babies who go from

The diverse cultural origins of the families and teachers in our school benefit all of us and strengthen us as a community. Interaction with people of differing perspectives, social experiences and language abilities helps educate all of us and leads to our greater understanding of the human experience. Across our three schools are representatives from

Young children actively engage in exploring math concepts as early as infancy. Research conducted by Elizabeth Spelke at the Harvard Laboratory for Developmental Studies demonstrates that children as young as six months can distinguish quantities as they observe objects around them. Some studies suggest that even newborns have number sense (www.mathematicalbrain.com/reviews.html). As children engage with

We are very proud to announce that we received our re-accreditation report from the National Association for the Education of Young Children (NAEYC) in October, and it showed that our assessors passed us on each of the ten standards and gave us a perfect score (100%+) on five of the standards (relationships, curriculum, family engagement,

As flu season begins, please review our illness policies (Parent Handbook, page 31) and note that we will send home any child with a fever, diarrhea, unexplained rash or other symptoms at the discretion of the director. Children must remain home for a full school day fever-free without the aid of medications and must no

As we start the new school year, we want to invite you to participate in your child’s classroom experience. The upcoming Meet-and-Greets start a conversation about expectations and routines. Please use the time to meet fellow parents, communicate concerns and coordinate on common goals for the children. Please also feel free to schedule Parent-Teacher Conferences

   Many of our classrooms are exploring Art in August in preparation for our annual Stepping Up Day Art Show. You, too, can create an art space for your child with basic materials such as paper, crayons, markers, colored pencils, paint, chalk and clay. For sculpture and collage work, you can add glue, contact paper,

Summertime brings lots of great family-friendly events to Brookline and the Greater Boston area. Please check out some of our favorites. The Farmers Market on Centre Street in Brookline has begun and is operating every Thursday through November from 1:30 pm until dusk. Brookline Recreation’s Free Summer Concert Series begins July 10 at 6 pm

Each summer, in July and August, our Pre-K children have an amazing opportunity to work with David Hanft on our Young Composers music curriculum. Along with regular music classes, Pre-K children work in small groups with David to write and record their very own musical compositions. If your child is participating in Young Composers, you

As the weather gets warmer, our outdoor playtimes undergo a change. We like to use outdoor time for nature exploration, longer walks and soon-to-come water play. Please coordinate with your child’s teachers on the following outdoor precautions so that your child can participate safely in these activities. · Please bring in sunblock, a sunhat and extra

You can enjoy the great outdoors and celebrate spring with your child through many upcoming Boston-area events and activities. On Saturday, April 27th are the annual Charles River Clean Up from 9 am to noon at multiple sites along the river (www.crwa.org/charles-river-cleanup); the State Volunteer Day at the Audubon Wildlife Sanctuaries from 9 am to

The three Sunshine Academy schools are currently the only early education centers in Brookline that are accredited with the National Association for the Education of Young Children (https://families.naeyc.org/find-quality-child-care). Cambridge, Boston and other surrounding communities have a much higher percentage of NAEYC-accredited programs, and the goal of achieving accreditation is much more of an expected norm

The Brookline community is a great place to live and work and is very supportive of your children and the work we do with them. We’d like to thank the Parks and Open Space Division for the amazing parks throughout town and for their continuous maintenance of the parks. Thanks also to the Public Libraries

The diverse cultural origins of the families and teachers in our school benefits all of us by broadening our understanding of language, religion, politics and worldview. Across our schools are people from more than twenty countries speaking languages that include Chinese, Japanese, Korean, Hindi, Telugu, Kannada, Nepali, Arabic, Farsi, Hebrew, Turkish, Greek, Armenian, Russian, German,

Throughout the holiday season, toy marketers and manufacturers will be pushing digital media, electronics, toys with media tie-ins and many other materials detrimental to child development.  Toys and materials with far greater cognitive and social benefits are those that promote face-to-face social interactions, verbal interchange, independent storytelling and sensory exploration. Our favorites include:   Infants:

Fall is an ideal time to teach children about healthy food and enjoy family food activities together.  Fresh apples, pumpkins, winter squash, sweet potatoes, apple cider and many other fall foods are the basis for fun cooking activities we are doing in our classrooms and you can do at home too.  When children help cook

  As flu season begins, please review our illness policies (Parent Handbook, page 31) and note that we will send home any child with a fever, diarrhea, unexplained rash or other symptoms at the discretion of the director. Children must remain home for a full school day fever-free without the aid of medications and must

As we start the new school year, we want to remind you of systems we have in place for you to participate in setting goals for your child and communicating concerns.  The upcoming Meet-and-Greets start a conversation about expectations and classroom routines. Please use the time to meet fellow parents, communicate concerns and coordinate with

Over the next month, there will be many changes throughout the school as we graduate ten children into kindergarten, transition others into the next classroom, and welcome new children into the school. Transitions are an ideal opportunity for supporting and modeling socio-emotional skills in children. As you prepare your child for his or her next

Each summer, in July and August, our Pre-K children have an amazing opportunity to work with David Hanft on our Young Composers music curriculum. Along with regular music classes, Pre-K children work in small groups with David to compose and record their very own musical compositions. If your child is participating in Young Composers, you

The Screen Time Action Network Conference on April 20-21 at Wheelock College brought together pediatricians, child development experts, teachers, directors, family counselors and technology developers for discussions about the effects of screen use on children, especially young children. The most exciting news that came from the discussions is that parents can be very effective in

You can enjoy the great outdoors and celebrate spring with your child through many upcoming Boston-area events and activities. On Saturday, April 28, are the annual Charles River Clean Up from 9 am to noon at multiple sites along the river (crwa.org); the Work for Wildlife Day at the Audubon Wildlife Sanctuaries from 9 am

The American Academy of Pediatrics and American Academy of Sleep Medicine endorsed sleep guidelines in 2016 that include the following recommendations: Infants 4-12 months old should sleep 12 to 16 hours per 24 hours; Children 1-2 years of age should sleep 11 to 14 hours per 24 hours; Children 3-5 years of age should sleep

Consistent routines are essential for young children to develop a sense of predictability in their lives and greater control over their day-to-day transitions.  When children know through consistent experience what to expect, they engage less frequently in challenging behaviors such as tantrums, acts of aggression, back-talk and crying.  They look forward to participating in “now/next”

With the start of the new year, we wanted to take a moment to reflect on the potential of the Sunshine community to support each other more effectively and set an example for the children about the positive potential of social relationships. Below is our wish list for the coming year to enable all of

While electronic toys, computer games and movie character tie-ins consistently top the toy list “must haves” of the season, please keep in mind while holiday shopping that solitary, passive activities are detrimental to children’s development. Toys and materials that promote children’s own imagination, social interaction, verbal interchange, independent storytelling and sensory exploration provide children with

As flu season begins, please take time to review our illness policies (Parent Handbook, page 31) and note that we will send home any child with a fever, diarrhea, unexplained rash or other symptoms at the discretion of the director. Children must remain home for 24 hours fever-free without the aid of medications and must

Most of our classrooms this month are focusing on the fall season as we explore changing weather, leaves, pumpkins, apples, harvest foods and other outdoor fun. As we do, it is helpful to remind ourselves of the importance of the natural world in children’s lives. The amount of time that children spend outside has been

As we start the new school year, we want to remind you of the systems we have in place for you to participate in setting goals for your child and communicating with your child’s teachers about his or her learning. The upcoming Meet-and-Greets start a conversation about expectations for classroom and learning goals appropriate for

Over the next month, there will be many changes throughout the school as we graduate fourteen children into kindergarten, transition others into the next classroom, and welcome new children into the school. Transitions are an ideal opportunity for supporting and modeling socio-emotional skills in children. As you prepare your child for his or her next

Early childhood is a time of foundational growth in children’s physical abilities. To support your child’s core strength, balance, coordination, sensory integration, planning sense, flexibility and fitness, please keep in mind the following basic lifestyle choices that influence how your child develops and interacts with the world: – Avoid “Container Baby Syndrome”: Babies who go

Check out the Farmers Market on Center Street in Brookline every Thursday through November from 1:30 pm until dusk. The Dragon Boat Festival is June 10-11 with boat races both days and activities along the Charles River on Sunday noon to 5 pm (bostondragonboat.org); the Chinatown Main Street Festival is July 8 from 10-6 in

Thank you very much to everyone who contributed to the Brookline Food Pantry fundraiser. Parents and teachers raised $8,758 which we matched for a total $17,516 donation to the pantry. We also collected three large bags of toiletry items which we will deliver this week.  We are immensely proud of our wonderful community. For information

You can enjoy the great outdoors and celebrate spring with your child through many upcoming Boston-area events and activities. On Saturday, April 22 from 9 to 11 am, the Trustees of Reservations is celebrating Earth Day at the World’s End site in Hingham with activities and tours of their nature preserve (www.thetrustees.org). On Saturday, April

As children grow and develop, there is a wide range of what is considered normal for the emergence and mastery of different skills. We can support the differences by varying teaching strategies, grouping or partnering children or modeling appropriate behaviors. On occasion, however, we have seen indications of more serious developmental delays. When we do,

Sunshine Academy in Washington Square has installed a massive solar array of 110 photovoltaic panels on our flat roof for an estimated electrical generation capacity of 35.2 kilowatts of green energy. This solar array is unique in that the system is 100% ballasted (or weighted) on the roof so that no penetrations of the rooftop

What can music do for young children? Quite a lot, according to a large and growing body of research on early childhood music education. Musicians and music teachers emphasize the enhancement to human life and enjoyment that music can bring regardless of other benefits, yet the other benefits are considerable too. Take language ability.  Research

The diverse cultural origins of the families and teachers in our school community  benefits all of us and is one of many gifts we are grateful for in our lives. Interaction with people of differing perspectives, social experiences and language abilities helps educate all of us and leads to our greater understanding of the human

Fall is an ideal time to teach children about healthy food and enjoy family food activities together.  Fresh apples, pumpkins, winter squash, sweet potatoes, apple cider and many other fall foods are the basis for fun cooking activities we are doing in the classroom and you can do at home too.  When children help cook

Please review the illness policies for the school (Parent Handbook, page 31) and note that we will send home any child with a fever, diarrhea, unexplained rash, conjunctivitis and other symptoms at the discretion of the director. Your child must remain home for 24 hours fever-free without the aid of medications, and must no longer

As we start the new school year, we want to remind you of the systems we have in place for you to participate in setting goals for your child and communicating with your child’s teachers about his or her learning. The upcoming Meet-and-Greets start a conversation about expectations for the classroom and learning goals appropriate

Sunshine Academy is currently enrolling for Fall 2018 and Winter 2019. Please call today to apply or tour.

Researchers at Harvard School of Public Health have released new resources for parents and teachers to help teach children about good nutrition, exercise and healthy life choices. Please see their websites http://eatwellandkeepmoving.org/Home/Parents and http://foodandfun.org/ for resources in English, Spanish and Chinese about sugars, fats, whole grains, exercise, hydration, screen time limits and other topics. There

Water play is a wonderful activity for young children, not only to stay cool in hot summer weather but also as a learning activity. Through water play, children learn about buoyancy, gravity, absorbency, evaporation, reflection, surface tension, paths of least resistance, wave motion, temperature and many other concepts.  We are fortunate to have our own

Each summer, in July and August, our Pre-K children have an amazing opportunity to work with David Hanft on our Young Composers music curriculum. Along with regular music classes, Pre-K children work in small groups with David to compose and record their own musical compositions. Favorites from past years include “I Like to Sing at

Children develop the basics of socio-emotional learning in their earliest years. Prior to age five, children develop their sense of trust, self-esteem, confidence and friendliness toward others. Their basic interactional patterns become much more difficult to influence from their early elementary years onward. It is important, therefore, to establish as early as possible strong emotional

Thank you very much to everyone who contributed to the Brookline Food Pantry. Parents and teachers raised an astounding $7,913 which we are matching for a total $15,826 donation to the pantry. Every penny donated goes directly toward the purchase of food for families who demonstrate financial need. For information about the pantry and its

[vc_row][vc_column][vc_column_text h1_css=”{.vc_customizer_1541087536569}” h2_css=”{.vc_customizer_1541087536570}” h3_css=”{.vc_customizer_1541087536572}” h4_css=”{.vc_customizer_1541087536573}” h5_css=”{.vc_customizer_1541087536575}” h6_css=”{.vc_customizer_1541087536576}” p_css=”{.vc_customizer_1541087536576}” link_css=”{.vc_customizer_1541087536578}” list_css=”{.vc_customizer_1541087536579}”]Sunshine Academy has rebuilt Sunshine Park at United Parish Church (210 Harvard Street) with a new climbing structure, water play elements, a sandbox, infant and preschool swings and plenty of open space. The park reopened on Friday, April 1st, 2016 for exclusive use by Sunshine Academy

Brookline, March 25, 2016 – Sunshine Academy, located at 302 Harvard Street in Brookline, has earned NAEYC re-accreditation for an additional five years.  Sunshine Academy was one of the first early childhood programs to earn accreditation from the National Association for the Education of Young Children (NAEYC) – the nation’s leading organization of early childhood

Sunshine Academy’s Spring Music Shows will take place June 14 – 16, 2016. Outlined below are the schedules and dates for the different Sunshine Academy locations. Washington Square June 14, 2016 Please join us in the PreK classrooms on Tuesday, June 14th for our winter music workshop and show. 4:45 – 5:15 – Infant/Toddler Music Workshop

New Website Sunshine Academy has a new look on-line with a re-engineered website to meet your needs. Through the website, you can now: Use a mobile device to view all parts of the page and all pages of the site; Download events and school holidays to iCal or Google calendars; Download the monthly menu and

Physical Movement and Self-Regulation When children have regular opportunities to experience a broad range of physical movements, they tend to have an easier time regulating their emotions and moderating their responses.

Reading for Vocabulary Development Children’s earliest years (zero to three) are critical for vocabulary development and, by extension, later school success.

Parent Advisory Board meetings for March are scheduled for March 22, 23 and 24. Click through to see the details of your location.