My name is Jessica Sturgeon and I am the Executive Director of Education and Program Development. I work with all of our locations on everything from curriculum, behavior guidance, classroom environment to teacher training and professional development. My heart and calling belongs to our young children and ensuring their educational and spiritual development and to do this I work with teachers and leaders to maintain quality care and education.
I am looking forward to monthly blog updates as well as a monthly Parent Night to also begin partnering with you as well! These two platforms will be a way for parents to receive information on their child’s education as well as grow in their parenting skills. We face a lot as parents, I have three kids myself – ages 14, 17 and 20. It’s not easy! But it is the most rewarding and wonderful relationship and role as well!
This month, I hope you can join me at our Brooklyn Park location on Tuesday, December 6 from 6-7 pm to learn about Faith Development in Young children! We will have one of our enrichment teachers, Pastor Ric, coming to join us to teach us all about developing Faith in our children. Our Classroom Development Directors are working on this topic as well to train our teachers to continue to bring this important element to the classrooms on a daily basis with your children.
Our mission statement states:
New Creations exists to provide a safe, developmentally appropriate, and Christ-centered environment for infants through school age children. Our focus is to provide stimulating, educational, and service-learning experiences that promote each child’s social/emotional, physical and cognitive development. Our goal is to support children’s desire to be lifelong learners by preparing them for God’s future
purposes.
Our desire is to partner with you in raising the next generation. I hope you will continue to keep checking back in for these blog updates where I will share articles and new information. Please also join me monthly at our Parent Night’s to build a stronger community together!
Proverbs 22:6 says, “Train up a child in the way he should go; even when he is old he will not depart from it”. As parents, God asks us to teach them His word and to model what a relationship with God looks like. I am reading a book called, “Little Steps Big Faith: How the Science of Early Childhood Development Can Help You Grow Your Child’s Faith” by Dawn Rundman. (This book is also available at your center’s Parent Resource area!) The author looks at brain development and how the first three years of life hold a large part of development and is the best opportunity to make lasting impressions. I’m sure this information is not new to you, but have you thought about the spiritual development
during this time in addition to the academic and physical?
Through avenues like talking, reading, music and physical touch during these formative years, you can develop the foundation of Faith! Here are a few notes I took away from the book:
1. Attachment: Your love shows God’s love: meeting your child’s needs is a model of how God meet’s our needs
2. Language develops rapidly in Early childhood: think about the words of faith you want your child to hear, prayer and read the Bible and weave it all into daily interactions.
3. Beginning in infancy, meaning is made from music. By playing and singing Christian songs and prayers, you are tapping into their brain in a different capacity.
4. Children thrive in routine. Create a routine around Faith concepts: bedtime, diapering, bath time.
5. Community: we can’t do this alone! Get involved in a local church and fellowship with other parents.
6. Give yourself grace: you can’t change it all overnight. Little steps towards implementing faith regularly into your home and parenting is accomplishing a lot!
I can’t wait to talk through these things when we get together at the end of the month. Please do reach out if you want more information. I look forward to getting to know you and walking alongside of you!
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