Sunday's Plate

I was talking to one of our young mothers at school this past week, and she told me that she simply doesn't cook. She simply does not know how. It is all foreign to her, and everything, even the simplest thing, seems like a monstrous chore. She said her child would eat nothing she made, so I am guessing she spends a lot on fast food or pre-made foods at the grocery store. That's a shame because when parents rely on junk food as a steady diet, they are not helping their child get the best start.

I had a neighbor, a doctor, who told me that there were six year old children in Evansville with 80% blockage of the arteries because of a steady diet of fast food.

Food is a natural investment in our own bodies and the bodies of our children. It is important to increase a child's health and welfare and not damage it because of our own bad habits. In today's world obesity is a chronic problem, and obesity leads to life shortening diseases like diabetes. Type II diabetes is a gift from fast food and too much white flour, sugar, and junk. When bland is the thing we are striving for in food, an adjustment needs to be made for the sake of our health.

In the past months, I've been doing a cooking gig here on Sundays for women learning to cook. I didn't realize that cooking was so hard for some young women. So beginning today, I'm going to present the simplest recipes and cooking tips I can to help moms who are struggling to learn to make food their children will eat, enjoy the health they bring.

If you are a veteran cook, please leave your comments that are helpful and make these little lessons better for the reader.

First things first:

Square away the kitchen:

Every kitchen that is functional needs certain equipment that is easy to use, to clean and left out so that it will be used. If I had a limited budget, I would buy the following equipment:

One large heavy frying pan. This can double for many many jobs. Heavy is best because your food will not burn.

A glass 9X9 inch baker. Glass because it will last. Never put cold water in a hot glass baker.

One sturdy flat, thin, square bottomed wooden palate for cooking and stirring.

A big big whisk. That's the thing with the metal loops.

A one gallon sauce pot. This too can double for many jobs.

One good knife of medium length.

One thin, thin, thin, spatula. This can be gotten at the Dollar Store for 50 cents.

A cutting board.

A non handled rolling pin. Costs about $4.00 at Schnucks.

One glass measuring cup that measures one cup.

I don't think this will break the bank.

If you have the cash, the best piece of plug in equipment is a Cuisinart or a food processor, but you can do most things by hand if you know how.

Arrange your kitchen so that you can get to your equipment easily. This makes the desire to cook a lot broader.

Second Step: groceries.

In order to be able to cook without having to run to the store means having certain things on hand as a matter of routine. These are:

Butter - much better than margarine for your health. Buy a pound in sticks.

Oil - buy canola oil because it is good for you.

Salt - buy any kind.

Sugar - white and light brown are always good to have on hand.n These should be kept in an air tight container and placed within easy reach. Keeping sugar in the original bag is not a sanitary thing to do. Powdered sugar is nice to have if you like to bake.

Flour - buy a bag of whole wheat pastry flour and a good white flour. These flours should also be kept in an air tight container and also within easy reach.

Baking soda - Arm and Hammer.

Baking powder - any kind.

Eggs. I like brown, but any kind will do.

Milk.

Extras are always nice to have like chocolate chips, spices, nuts, flavorings, but to cook, it is not necessary if it breaks the bank.

Once your kitchen is clean, and your equipment is in place, and you have purchased your basics, it's time to cook.

Next week: easy spaghetti, salad with homemade dressing, and lightening cake.

Something for Saturday from Christine Kent

This is a note from a friend of mine at Whole Woman Village web site. Christine Kent is a natural wonder and her web site is well worth looking at. It's for women looking for a peaceful and genuine way of life.

Dear Friend,

The days are getting longer and warmer here in New Mexico. I've planted a little garden in our plaza. It's not much relative to organic gardens I've had in the past, but every garden patch we nurture, no matter how small is its own reward.

I hope you have put in a garden where you live, even if it's just a collection of herb pots on a window sill.

For our many friends in the Southern Hemisphere who are hunkering down for your cold time, I hope you have preserved your summer's bounty to enjoy during the austral winter.

Women's health has so many dimensions: physical, mental, emotional, familial, relational, social, professional and spiritual. At Whole Woman, we have historically focused on the physical aspects of prolapse and posture. However, I feel strongly that "modern" society has profoundly disenfranchised women from many of these dimensions of our lives and we are the poorer for it.

This is why at our website, the Whole Woman Village, I am providing resources for women to help them reconnect with what I call the "living arts". Food gathering, preparation and preservation, the fiber arts (spinning, weaving and sewing) have traditionally anchored women to the seasons, the health of the earth and the well-being of the family.

I am not suggesting that "a woman's place is in the home" and that she should not pursue the fulfillment of her professional potential.

Quite the contrary.

What I am suggesting is that the advertising industry has convinced us that popping some factory made concoction that comes in a plastic container into the microwave leads to happy smiling families and women who can do it all.

The advertising industry is wrong.

Good, healthy food can be made quickly and with a minimum of effort when you know how.

Children will help in the kitchen if the expectation is set that food is a family activity.
We have been taught that something as simple as baking bread is difficult and complicated and if you do it at all, it requires a bread machine.

Nonsense.

It takes about 30 minutes of hands-on time to make enough fresh, whole grain bread to feed a family for a week.

As we speak, we at Whole Woman are working on a series of short videos on food that will be in Christine's Cottage in the Village on July 1st. We are also working on a very special feature video that will air in the Village members' theater on the same date. Stay tuned.

And remember, "Change the Posture, Change the Prolapse!"

As always...best wishes,

Christine Kent
Whole Woman Inc.

Friday's Tattler

Friday was our Awards Day Celebration. It was a glorious day. The children were delightful and sat more or less quietly while we announced each and every child. We began with the Preschool and Miss Dayna called each child up front with her to give them all the awards they have won this year. Robby got the Math award, and Phoenix got a nice art award. Some of the children go awards for letters and phonemes, personality awards, behavior awards and there were some silly awards.

Next came the Kindergarten for Fours. There were tons of awards including art awards, math awards and even theatre awards. We were proud of all of them.

In the Kindergarten, Garrett won the highest award, The Gentilesse Award for good character. Emily and Isaac won the highest Academic Award and Jasmin and Kylie got the Wisdom Awards. All good stuff.

The children got to take home their "final" school work in a packet which included all their subjects.

We had a nice picnic on the playground which included hot dogs, potato salad, eggs, brownies, watermelon, pickles, chips, and a million bags of cotton candy that was made by Keith Likens. A special thanks to him. Thanks to everyone who brought something to share. We so appreciate it.

School closed at about 4:30 for the break. This was the last day for some of our children. We appreciate having had these children at the Garden School and hope to hear great things from them in the future.

See the rest of you on Thursday!

Wacky Wonderful Wednesday

Two little boys, ages 8 and 10, were excessively mischievous. They were always getting into trouble and their parents knew all about it.

If any mischief occurred in their town, the two boys were probably involved.

The boys' mother heard that a preacher in town had been successful in disciplining children, so she asked if he would speak with her boys.

The preacher agreed, but he asked to see them individually. So the mother sent the 8 year old first, in the morning, with the older boy to see the preacher in the afternoon.

The preacher, a huge man with a booming voice, sat the younger boy down and asked him sternly, 'Do you know where God is, son?'

The boy's mouth dropped open , but he made no response, sitting there wide-eyed with his mouth hanging open.

So the preacher repeated the question in an even sterner tone, 'Where is God?'

Again, the boy made no attempt to answer. The preacher raised his voice even more and shook his finger in the boy's face and bellowed, 'Where is God?'

The boy screamed and bolted from the room, ran directly home and dove into his closet, slamming the door behind him.

When his older brother found him in the closet, he asked, 'What happened?'

The younger brother, gasping for breath, replied,'We are in BIG trouble this time,' (I just LOVE reading this next line again and again:)

'GOD is missing, and they think we did it!'

Monday's Tattler

Good Morning! It's the last week of school. I can't believe that we have come so far and done so much this year. It's finally coming to a close, and I have to admit that this is one of the best years we have had. Everyone worked so hard, and we are very grateful to the children, to teachers, and to parents who have given it their all.

This week we will be winding up Geography, Science, Fine Arts, and Foreign Language.

On Friday, we will have our Awards Day program followed by a picnic. The festivities will begin promptly at 3:00 p.m. and the picnic will get underway about 3:30. Please bring your child's favorite covered dish. Details will be sent home on Monday.

Please remember to dress your child in short clothes. It will be in the mid to high eighties all week, and children suffer in long clothes on the playground. Children arriving in long clothes will be changed or sent home. Please do not send your child in pull ups. We do not allow sandals at school unless it is a swim day. Socks and athletic shoes are the most appropriate foot gear.

Children who throw their medals over the fence will lose them permanently. If they want to throw them away, that is their choice. No new medals will be issued this week.

Please sun screen your own child before he comes to school. We will sun screen in the afternoon if the day warrants it.

Have an enormously great week!

Sunday's Plate

One of the new meals children are enjoying at school is quesadillas. We are making them on chicken days, and the children are eating every single one. It's always a delight when the serving trays are empty.

When we started serving these, we tried every kind of chicken arrangement we could think of, and what we found was the best one is ground chicken. We've been buying fresh chicken breasts and roasting them in the oven with taco seasoning. Then when they are cooked through, we've been grinding them in the Cuisinart.

We bought a quesadilla maker which squeezes the whole affair nicely.

When making quesadillas, we stack a flour tortilla, about three ounces of chicken, a couple of ounces of cheese - American melts beautifully, and cheddar tastes wonderful, and Monterrey Jack is delicious and check cheese chart for your favorite - and then another flour tortilla. This can be cooked in a quesadilla maker or on a pancake griddle. When the flour tortilla is crisp, it's time to serve. We cut our quesadillas into several pie shaped pieces and serve with sour cream and salsa.

For teachers, anything goes. On quesadilla days, we slice tomatoes, green peppers, onions, and sometimes salad.

Children love these little dream pies. They are a big finger food that are swallowed down better than any sandwich.

Saturday's Surprise

Here is the new gas efficient Police Car. Love it. It is the new California force behind crime.

Wonderful Wednesdays

Some funny pics for the day.

Teaching Tuesday

I got this from Loretta. It's interesting and worth reading.

EATING FRUIT...

It's long but very informative

We all think eating fruits means just buying fruits, cutting it and just popping it into our mouths. It's not as easy as you think. It's important to know how and when to eat.

What is the correct way of eating fruits?

IT MEANS NOT EATING FRUIT AFTER YOUR MEALS! * FRUIT SHOULD BE EATEN ON AN EMPTY STOMACH.

If you eat fruit like that, it will play a major role to detoxify your system, supplying you with a great deal of energy for weight loss and other life activities.

FRUIT IS THE MOST IMPORTANT FOOD. Let's say you eat two slices of bread and then a slice of fruit. The slice of fruit is ready to go straight through the stomach into the intestines, but it is prevented from doing so.

In the meantime the whole meal rots and ferments and turns to acid.. The minute the fruit comes into contact with the food in the stomach and digestive juices, the entire mass of food begins to spoil....

So please eat your fruits on an empty stomach or before your meals! You have heard people complaining - every time I eat watermelon I burp when I eat a banana I feel like running to the toilet etc - actually all this will not arise if you eat the fruit on an empty stomach. The fruit mixes with the putrefying other food and produces gas and hence you will bloat!

Graying hair, balding, nervous outburst, and dark circles under the eyes all these will NOT happen if you take fruits on an empty stomach...

There is no such thing as some fruits, like orange and lemon are acidic, because all fruits become alkaline in our body, according to Dr. Herbert Shelton who did research on this matter. If you have mastered the correct way of eating fruits, you have the secret of beauty, longevity, health, energy, happiness and normal weight.

When you need to drink fruit juice - drink only fresh fruit juice, NOT from the cans Don't even drink juice that has been heated up. Don't eat cooked fruits because you don't get the nutrients at all. You only get to taste them. Cooking destroys all the vitamins.

But eating a whole fruit is better than drinking the juice. If you should drink the juice, drink it mouthful by mouthful slowly, because you must let it mix with your saliva before swallowing it. You can go on a 3-day fruit fast to cleanse your body. Just eat fruits and drink fruit juice throughout the 3 days and you will be surprised when your friends tell you how radiant you look!

KIWI: Tiny but mighty. This is a good source of potassium, magnesium, vitamin E & fiber Its vitamin C content is twice that of an orange.

APPLE: An apple a day keeps the doctor away? Although an apple has a low vitamin C content, it has antioxidants & flavonoids which enhances the activity of vitamin C thereby helping to lower the risks of colon cancer, heart attack & stroke.

STRAWBERRY: Protective Fruit. Strawberries have the highest total antioxidant power among major fruits & protect the body from cancer-causing, blood vessel-clogging free radicals.

ORANGE : Sweetest medicine. Taking 2-4 oranges a day may help keep colds away, lower cholesterol, prevent & dissolve kidney stones as well as lessens the risk of colon cancer.

WATERMELON: Coolest thirst quencher.. Composed of 92% water, it is also packed with a giant dose of glutathione, which helps boost our immune system. They are also a key source of lycopene - the cancer fighting oxidant. Other nutrients found in watermelon are vitamin C & Potassium.

GUAVA & PAPAYA: Top awards for vitamin C. They are the clear winners for their high vitamin C content. Guava is also rich in fiber, which helps prevent constipation. Papaya is rich in carotene; this is good for your eyes.

Monday's Tattler

This week is math week. We will spend the whole week playing math games and going over our skills. Lots of prizes this week!

It's going to be one of those iffy weeks with weather. Lots of seventies, but still shorts weather. Please dress your child for the afternoon weather not the morning weather.

This week we will try to collect our summer field trip fees. If you are not sure of your fee or what's left to pay ask Miss Judy. This fee up front allows us to plan for field trips. This year's roster will be a lot of fun. Miss Sandy is trying to arrange a trip to Scales Lake every other Wednesday! This is a place the children just love.

Please encourage your children to remember the rules. Last week we had a lot of children who decided that the rules did not apply to them, and there were a lot of medals lost. This week, we will be taking medals without warning. This is an attempt to get ready for summer. All the children know the rules because they are simple: don't make another child cry on purpose, don't disrupt the group activity with selfish behavior, and listen to what is asked and act promptly.

Please notice the new horses in the paddocks next door. We have five young horses that were born this year. There are four fillies and one colt. They are all so cute.

If you would like a couple of guinea pigs, please let Miss Judy know. They are ready to go home with some lucky boy or girl!

Have a great week!

Sunday's Plate

The word "Quiche" produces a lot of snickering from men because quiche seems to be something served at uncomfortable restaurants where the little frilly chairs are crushed into corners for intimate talks. I mean quiche doesn't seem to go with hard hats and cowboy boots. Face it; quiche is pretty feminine.

It also makes kids turn up their noses and call, "Foul ball!"

But once the initial taste test is done, most people who like scrambled eggs love quiche. Quiche is a lot like swamp soup - quiche is the place for leftovers.

The nice thing about quiche is, it's an anytime meal because you nearly always have the ingredients to make it without going to the store.

The crust is simple: 2 cups flour; 1/2 cup fat; a little salt and enough (4 TBSP) boiling water to make pie crust. Mix in a food processor, roll out, fill the biggest pie plate you have and the rest is about as easy as watching TV.

Now for the insides! What's good in a quiche? Anything left over. Last night I used a lot of mushrooms, broccoli, cheese cubes, a pound of bacon and six ounces of shredded cheese.

But any thing left over will do. Lunch meat, last week's roast, cooked bacon, a blade of ham cubed or ground, cheese, veggies of any kind, even a layer of spaghetti sauce will make a fine quiche.

You just fill the pie plate with anything you've got.

The egg part is easy. Take four, five or six eggs and mix them with milk like you are making scrambled eggs. Pour into the crust over the fillers, and then top with grated cheese or shredded cheese and bake for about forty-five minutes.

Tip: You'll get a man to eat this if there is a lot of meat like bacon or ham. Kids will eat a plainer stock - just eggs and cheese.

Quiche can be made for individual tastes in cute little single serve pie pans or muffin tins. For quick dinners, buy store bought mini pie crusts, line them up on the counter and make each one different, bake and serve.

It's marvelously nutritious if you make the crust from scratch with whole wheat pastry flour.

Something Scrumptious for Saturday!

Has anyone tried this? Got this from Edith. Think it will work?

ZIP LOCK BAG - Good tip!

We went with friends to Sweety Pies on Sunday for breakfast and sat in the patio section beside the house. We happened to notice zip lock baggies pinned to a post and a wall. The bags were half filled with water, each contained 4 pennies, and they were zipped shut. Naturally we were curious! Ms. Sweety told us that these baggies kept the flies away! So naturally we were even more curious! We actually watched some flies come in the open window, stand around on the window sill, and then fly out again. And there were no flies in the eating area! This morning I checked this out on Google. Below are comments on this fly control idea. I'm now a believer!


Zip-lock water bags

Ann Says:
I tried the ziplock bag and pennies this weekend.. I have a horse trailer. The flies were bad while I was camping. I put the baggie with pennies above the door of the LQ. NOT ONE FLY came in the trailer. The horse trailer part had many. Not sure why it works but it does!

Friday's Tattler

Lots in the hopper this week. We accomplished some good reading and writing work, and incorporated some painting into the mix. The children are all very accomplished in what they can do. We noticed a lot of creativity and nice handwriting this week. The portfolios the children are making are getting big and stuffed. These portfolios will go home with the child on awards day. Please be patient with us.

Isaac is reading "My Father's Dragon" which is a third or fourth grade level book. Worked on a word bingo, and Jasmin was our winner. Isaac did well and Emily did very well too.

We had two births in the pet room this week. We had guinea pigs born - eight. If anyone would like a young pig, we have four to give away. Guinea pigs are herd animals and need to go in pairs or they die of loneliness. Guinea pigs do not need to be caged. They are delightful in a small corner bricked in with three levels of bricks. They don't climb. They eat anything but potatoes and require a little grain. They are really nice little animals.

This week we had a little to do about wearing shorts. Shorts are mandatory for school during the hot weather. It is unsafe and hygienically unsound for children to wear winter clothes during hot and sultry days - no matter what the children prefer. To pass out or become over heated or dehydrated for "a child's taste in clothes" is a big NO at school.

Summer is quickly upon us. Please remember to get your summer fees in soon.

Have a great weekend!

Tuesday's Teacher

From Food Navigator

Avoid potential carcinogens in food, suggests government panel

By Caroline Scott-Thomas, 10-May-2010

Comment: An interesting idea. As we move farther from "store boughts" and prepared food, I feel better about what I put on the table for children. It doesn't always take a lot of work. Fresh is easier to prepare than de-frosting and opening a can.

Related topics: Organics, Food safety, Financial & Industry, Food safety and labeling

A new report from the President’s Cancer Panel has raised concerns about the levels of potential environmental carcinogens, including pesticide residues on conventionally grown food.

The report, entitled Reducing Environmental Cancer Risk: What We Can Do Now, claims that cancers resulting from environmental factors could be “grossly underestimated”, adding that there are about 80,000 commercially available artificial chemicals in use in the United States, but few of them are regulated.

In a cover letter addressed to President Obama, the panel wrote: “The Panel urges you most strongly to use the power of your office to remove the carcinogens and other toxins from our food, water, and air that needlessly increase health care costs, cripple our Nation’s productivity, and devastate American lives.”

Normally there are three people on the President’s Cancer Panel, but at the moment there are two: Dr. LaSalle Leffall, an oncologist and professor of surgery at Howard University, and Dr. Margaret Kripke, an immunologist at the M.D. Anderson Cancer Center in Houston. Both were appointed by the George W. Bush administration.

They said there is a “growing body of evidence linking environmental exposures to cancer” and that “children are far more vulnerable to environmental toxins and radiation than adults.”

That is not to say that all chemicals are carcinogenic, but that there is currently not enough evidence one way or another. The report blames a system in which chemicals are presumed to be safe unless strong evidence emerges to the contrary.

Despite uncertainties about specific chemicals, the report put forward recommendations of actions people can take to reduce their risk of exposure.

These included choosing foods grown without pesticides or chemical fertilizers and washing conventionally grown foods before consumption; eating free-range meat to avoid exposure to antibiotics, growth hormones and toxic run-off from feed lots; avoiding processed, charred and well-done meats; microwaving food in glass or ceramic containers instead of plastic; and drinking filtered tap water instead of bottled water.

However, the American Cancer Society has criticized the report, saying that it overstates the risks.

An epidemiologist for the Cancer Society Dr. Michael Thun said in a statement that the report was “unbalanced by its implication that pollution is the major cause of cancer, and by its dismissal of cancer prevention efforts aimed at the major known causes of cancer…as “focused narrowly.””

He also said that the report’s conclusion – that the effect of pollution has been “grossly underestimated” – is provocative in that it restates one side of an ongoing scientific debate as though it were fact.

However, he added that the Cancer Society does agree with some of the main points of the report, namely, that there are too many synthetic chemicals in the food chain, that many have not been adequately tested, and that children could be more susceptible to harm.

Monday's Tattler

Good Morning!

It's another weird weather week. Today cooler, but by Thursday it's going to be 87. So please watch what the kids wear.

This week our focus is on reading and writing. It's our exam week. The children will write, write, write, and read, read, read this week. We are making a portfolio for our Awards Day celebration on the 28. Parents will receive a folder of their best work on that day.

No field trips this week. We will be at school the entire week.

Please watch for pink eye, and strep. These two things are going around at a rampant rate. Please remember that strep does not always go with a fever or even a sore throat. It can go undetected because the only symptoms can be a restless and poorly behaved child. If your child is particularly "strange" and you can't put a finger on it, you might look into his mouth to see what is going on in his throat. If you are suspicious, please take him in. My grandson was one of these kids, and the strep ended up in his kidneys.

Lunch this week includes spaghetti, pork roast, pizza, chicken quesadillas, and picnic weather permitting. There is a good chance for rain every day this week.

We put in two new plum trees where it floods in the parking lot. Mr. Terry and I have a bet about those trees. If you are reading this and ask about the bet, your child will get a treasure box pass.

Have a great week!

Sunday's Plate

While my delightful daughter, Annie, was home for the weekend from Chicago, we decided on the spur of the moment to make shish kabob. We purchased about $3.00 worth of beef end cuts, and $4.00 worth of boneless chicken breasts, onions, green pepper, and giant mushrooms. It was a simple shish, and we decided that it would be an easy dinner, so a lot of the things you "could" have put on the skewer, we left off for the sake of ease.

Anne picked up a bottle of Italian dressing already made. If it had been my choice, I would have used a homemade marinade. The Italian dressing played two parts: it gave the meat great flavor, and it also tenderized the meat.

With a sharp knife, I cut the meat into pieces about 1.5 inches thick. I sliced the green peppers into long wide pieces, and I cubed the onions. The mushrooms I left whole.

Onto the skewers in patterns, I placed all the meat and vegetables. We popped the filled skewers into a 9 x13 pan and poured the salad dressing over the top and baked them for about 30 minutes at 350 degrees.

We served this with plain brown rice and asparagus.

This is a wonderful bake, broil, barbecue kind of dinner. It's easy, and cheap to make. It would work with fish, ham, left overs, pork, bacon, and any kind of vegetable that doesn't break being put on the skewer. Don't forget the marinade.

A good marinade involves sweet, sour, salty and something to bind. I usually use a base of ketchup (about 3 tablespoons) soy sauce( 1/4 cup) pepper, olive oil (1/4 cup) , balsamic vinegar(1/4) cup , and garlic.

At school I use a lot of brown sugar and ketchup and fruit juice to marinade. I add oil, pepper and salt.

Have a great Mother's Day!

Tuesday's Teacher

From The National Institute for Early Education Research (www.nieer.org), a unit of the Graduate School of Education, Rutgers University, New Brunswick, NJ, supports early childhood education policy by providing objective, nonpartisan information based on research. NIEER is supported through grants from The Pew Charitable Trusts and others.

Comment: Got this from a distributor and thought it was interesting. Of course when you do it yourself, cuts are not involved. As an independent program, we won't suffer.


"Recession Hits State Preschool Programs; More Cuts Expected Annual Survey Shows Drop in Spending Per Child"

Washington, May 4 - Preschool-age children across the country are feeling the impact of the recession as states cut back on early education programs, according to the annual survey of state-funded preschool programs.

“We are seeing a pause in the rapid increase in state preschool programs that we have seen in the last several years,” said W. Steven Barnett, co-director of the National Institute for Early Education Research (NIEER) at Rutgers University and author of the report, The State of Preschool 2009. “In some states enrollment has been cut back to the lowest levels in many years. Other states have cut funding and quality.

“The immediate future of pre-K seems much more perilous than past trends might suggest,” Barnett said. “State budgets will more fully bear the brunt of the recession in 2010 and 2011.” Looking ahead, one state, New Mexico, already has cut pre-K spending for 2011 and cuts are being considered in 11 states including Florida, Illinois, Wisconsin, New York and Arizona. In Arizona, the program may be eliminated. More cuts may be coming as state legislatures cope with budget shortfalls.

Barnett called on the Obama administration to provide incentives to encourage states to improve and expand preschool programs. “Mr. President, as a candidate you promised to guarantee access to quality, affordable, early childhood education for every child in America. Now is the time to keep that promise. A $1 billion challenge fund for preschool education, if matched dollar for dollar by the states, could increase enrollments in quality preschools by nearly a half million children,” Barnett said.

NIEER released its report at a news conference that focused on the impact of the recession on young children. Participating with Barnett were Marci Young, a project director with the Pew Center on the States, and Julia B. Isaacs, The Child and Family Policy Fellow at the Brookings Institution.

Young expressed concern for struggling state programs. “As findings in the NIEER Yearbook underscore, state-funded prekindergarten programs are facing increased challenges,” Young said. “If we want to improve our schools, Congress should add funds and incentives into the Elementary and Secondary Education Act to build on state investments and strengthen pre-K’s proven ability to prepare children for success in school and in life.”

“My recent estimate is that nearly one in seven American children, or more than 10 million children, are living with an unemployed parent,” Isaacs said. Citing studies by colleagues at Brookings, she said the recession may increase the number of children living in poverty by 5 million.

The NIEER survey ranks all states for the 08-09 school year on enrollment in state-funded preschool programs and the amount states spent per child, and reports how many of NIEER’s 10 quality benchmarks a state met.

The report showed that the average amount states spent per child, when adjusted for inflation, declined from $4,179 in 2008 to $4,143 in 2009, ending an upward trend. Real spending per child declined in 24 of 38 states with programs.

Total enrollment and spending increased, but not in every state. In nine states—Arizona, Connecticut, Delaware, Illinois, Kentucky, Maryland, Massachusetts, Missouri and Oklahoma— the percentage of children enrolled actually declined. And 12 states—Alaska, Hawaii, Idaho, Indiana, Mississippi, Montana, New Hampshire, North Dakota, Rhode Island, South Dakota, Utah and Wyoming—provided no state-funded preschool programs.

Other key findings showed modest growth in some areas and vast discrepancies between states:

· Enrollment nationally increased by more than 81,000. More than 1.2 million children attended state-funded preschool education, over 1 million at age 4.

· Total funding for state Pre-K rose to more than $5 billion. The increase in state funding was $446 million, about half the increase of the previous year.

· Twenty-three of 38 states with state-funded preschool failed to meet NIEER benchmarks for teacher qualifications and 26 failed to meet the benchmark for assistant teacher qualifications.

· Six states had programs that met fewer than half of the benchmarks for quality standards. States failing to meet most benchmarks included three of the four states with the largest number of children —California, Texas, and Florida.

· Texas sets no maximum class sizes or limits on staff-child ratios. California and Maine limit staff-child ratios but not class size. Most other states limited classes to 20 or fewer children with a teacher and an assistant.

· Oklahoma remained the only state where almost every child had the opportunity to attend a quality preschool education program at age 4.

· Oklahoma was rated as the leader of the top 10 states in the country followed by Arkansas, West Virginia, New Jersey, Maryland, Georgia, North Carolina, Illinois, Louisiana and Tennessee. The top 10 ranking is based on enrollment, quality standards, funding adequacy, and evidence of program effectiveness.

· Enrollment of 3-year-olds continued to rise, though in very small numbers. Illinois, Vermont and New Jersey were clear leaders in serving children at age 3.

“With more families facing economic hardship, publicly supported preschool is more important than ever,” Barnett said. He cited new research published in the journal Child Development showing that low family income has disproportionately more negative effects on preschool-age children than on older children and adolescents. Those effects include higher school dropout rates, lower income as adults, and greater adult health problems.

“We need to get the recession babies on a progression path so they don’t carry the scars for a lifetime,” Barnett said.

“The worst economic decline since the Great Depression has sharply reduced the ability of parents to provide for their young children,” said Barnett. “As family incomes fall, more children become eligible for and in need of state preschool programs. Yet, at the same time, state pre-K budgets are being squeezed, making it nearly impossible for them to meet the need.”

“As pure economic stimulus it is hard to beat pre-K programs,” Barnett said. “Pre-K is a high-return investment in our children’s future that will help pay for the deficits we run now. In the meantime it generates jobs in local communities, with virtually none of the money spent on imported goods or services.

“The alternative of cheap child care with low standards may reach more families, but it is bad policy, doing little to improve child development or the quality of our future workforce.”

Monday's Tattler

This week in school we are concentrating on art. It's a year's review to remind us how we do certain things in art and also demonstrate all we have learned about painting, beading, cutting and pasting, drawing, finger paints, clay etc. Should be a great week.

We will be staying at school all week - no field trips.

This week we will enjoy pizza, barbecued steak, lasagna, chicken quesadillas and picnic.

We will practice our good manners with a medal contest. Please see list of names on the front door.

Please remember that it's hot out now, and long winter clothes are uncomfortable for kids. Please remember that we do not wear sandals or jellies to school. Children must wear socks.

Have a great week!

Sunday's Plate

From Food Navigator

Cereals offer best potential for US immune-supporting ingredients

By Mike Stones, 30-Apr-2010

Comment: a bit much for a Sunday, but interesting none the less. With more kids making dinners from cereals, this might just be the ticket.

Cereals offer the best potential for growth in the immune-supporting ingredients sector, according to a new report from Danish-based research group Bio2com.

Its report, The daily defense support immune-supporting ingredients for foods and beverages 2010, focuses on consumer immune supporting nutrition, the role of individual ingredients and claims. The research covered 900 new consumer food and beverage products launched between 2008 and the first quarter of 2010. Included were ingredients with immune health potential such as pro- and prebiotics, flavonoids, carotenes and antioxidants and biotanicials.

Enriched cereals

The company’s executive director Karin Nielsen told NutraIngredients.com: “In the US market, high fibre cereal products, as for instance enriched cereals, dominate immune supporting food. They also show the biggest potential for both probiotic and prebiotic immune-health supporting ingredients.”

This reflects the work of proactive companies such as Quaker Oats (a division of food and beverage giant PepsiCo), added Nielsen.

The researchers reported surprise that interest in immune-supporting ingredients in the cereal sector did not extend to granola cereal bars.

In addition to cereals, the US fermented drinks sector also showed significant growth opportunities, said Karin.

The growth potential for prebiotic immune-supporting ingredients was identified as exceeding that of probiotic ingredients. That reflects prebiotic’s closer connection with fibres and US consumer’s higher level of recognition of this category.

Although the report identified the US as the primary growth driver of pre and probiotic immune-supporting health ingredients in the short term, in the longer term the focus of growth would switch to India where growth rates are high now but volumes are still low.

The global market for pre and probiotics is forecast to reach $20bn within the next five years with US and European markets claiming 15 per cent of the total market. The pre- and probiotic market is expected to grow about on average by 5%.

Modern probiotics

Meanwhile, Asian immune products are likely to combine modern probiotics with traditional remedies as medicinal herbs.

In the European market, the dairy sector, in the form of yogurt and fermented drinks, is strongest in probiotics immune products.

In the dairy category, colostrums enriched products are part of the claims. Dairy fractions are rich on bovine immunoglobulins and lactoferrin which have potential antibacterial or immune modulating functions and are typically marketed as enriched milks.

Saturday's Laugh...

Just a new way of looking at the modern child in the modern classroom. Thought it was funny.

Q: Are children too much in the modern world, and do they need a reprieve to just play in the sand box, have kittens in their homes, get to go next door to borrow a cup of sugar and stay for tea with a loving neighbor?

Friday's Tattler

Friday was a very special day. Our Spring Sing was darling, and the children were bright and sang with gusto. What more can you ask? Each one was cuter than the next. They sang their favorite songs they have sung through the year. Miss Amy does a magnificent job with them and we are very grateful for all she does.

The bell ringers were amazing and didn't seem to miss a note.

Austin was a wonderful cymbalist! The other instruments were done with a lot of coy fun.

Following, we had the book sale which comes from Scholastic. It was a small year, and we probably won't be allowed to do this again. We are the smallest school in the Nation who is allowed to do this. We must make a certain profit, and we failed to do this. Maybe they will give us one last chance.

Treats were wonderful. Thank you parents who brought treats to the party. It's something we can't provide ourselves - although I did manage to whip up the chocolate cheesecake! It is heartwarming to know you care.

Some of the parents took a look at all the work that has been done on the playground. It's a marvel what Miss Leigh and Miss Dayna have been able to do with a couple of dollars and some energy. We are so grateful to them.

All in all a bright and wonderful day.