The past two months have also found us traveling to local farms for field trips. In September we ventured to Snell’s Family Farm for some apple picking and traveled to Harris Farm for pumpkin picking in October. The children really enjoyed getting out to a new and exciting place for some outdoor fun.

We are very excited about some changes we have made here at our site with the help of the 5210 Let’s Go! Program and CHCC. With their help we have instituted some great changes in our daily curriculum that reinforce healthy eating and physical activity. The children have adapted very successfully to every change, and we have seen many positive outcomes as a result.

Fall has kept us busy here at the Saco Center! The staff and children have participated in two great causes these past two months. We collected 866 cans for Cans for a Cure! All of the money collected was donated towards finding a cure for cancer. We also set donation boxes throughout our center to collect items for the Patriot Riders program that will put together holiday food baskets for local veterans.

The Saco Center has been in full swing here for the fall season! We recently enjoyed a field trip to Pumpkin Valley Farm where we picked pumpkins in the pumpkin patch, played on the playground and some of us even ventured into the corn maze!

We also took part in a Scholastic Book Fair during the month of October with great results. Many, many books were purchased, and we were able to earn some great rewards for our center.

The Saco Center has also been working collaboratively with the Coastal Healthy Communities Coalition and the 5-2-1-0 program. Through these two organizations we have been awarded grants for improving our physical and educational activities at Toddle Inn. We were able to add to our gym equipment and promote healthier lifestyles for all of the families that we serve.

We look forward to the upcoming holiday season and have plans in full swing for our annual Thanksgiving Family Feast!

The end of 2010 was a busy one for us. We celebrated with holiday parties, a PJ/Polar Express Day and a visit from Santa himself. So much fun was had by all!

Welcome to the New Year! We continue to move forward with the goals we set in the fall. As of the first of the year our center is television free. We are working towards the goal of no more than 2 hours of recreational screen time per day for all children. We are also piloting a breakfast program that offers a healthy choice to start the day for all children.

The coming year brings many new and exciting things to the Saco Center. We look forward to an upcoming bookfair, changes to our gym, many snowy days outside and a planned outside walking route in the spring.