REMINDERS
• Keep those Dan’s grocery receipts coming in to raise money for BECEP!
• Return your Seuss Socks for the clothesline!
• Parent/Teacher Conferences Thursday, March 4th and Tuesday, March 9th from 4pm-7:45pm.
• There will be no preschool classes on Monday, March 15th due to Staff Development.

BLIZZARD OF BOOKS AT BECEP!
Thank you to all the parents who helped make the Blizzard of Books Reading Challenge a success! We hope you and your child enjoyed making cookies together in celebration of all the books you read together!

THANK YOU TO OUR BLANKET MAKERS!
Thank you to the following parents/grandparents who volunteered and made Tie Blankets for BECEP: Angela Murtaugh, Kassie Schaff, Stephanie, Avery and Amanda Reule, Miranda Wolt and Peggy Grosz. Your time and talent are appreciated!

NEED SOME IDEAS TO KEEP YOUR LITTLE ONES BUSY INDOORS THIS WINTER?
Amber Frederickson, BECEP Early Intervention Physical Therapist was on Studio 701 in January. Check us out on Facebook if you missed the show: www.facebook.com/becepei. If you have concerns about how your child is moving (sitting, crawling, walking) and they are under the age of 3, Early Intervention can evaluate, or Right Track can screen and provide ideas to promote development. Anyone can refer, you may also refer for a friend or relative. Call 328-8985 to start the process for either birth to three programs.

LAST CHANCE TO REGISTER AT BECEP!
If your child will be going to Kindergarten in the fall, you can get them registered until March 12th at the BECEP @ Richholt location during normal office hours. Parents need to provide a copy of a current utility bill with your name and address on it to prove boundary of the elementary school. You will fill out a School District form and answer a question about busing. That’s it! It takes about 5 minutes!

EARLY HEAD START
Did you know that BECEP also has an Early Head Start Program serving families and children prenatally to age three? The Program is designed to provide early support to families of infants and toddlers in their home. Family group activities are also provided twice a month. The Program will enhance your child’s development through healthy beginnings and caring relationships. Early Head Start offers an individualized curriculum that will transition your child into pre-school with success! If you or someone you know is interested in this program, you can contact the BECEP office at 323-4400.

COMMUNITY FRIENDS PROGRAM AT BECEP
BECEP has openings for 4-year-olds in the Community Friends program for the 2021-2022 school year. This is a tuition based, ½ day preschool program, for students who demonstrate age-appropriate skills. Tuition costs are $100/month for 4 half days a week and $50/month for 2 half days a week. Grant options may be available to assist with tuition and busing. Please call BECEP at 701-323-4400 to schedule a screening. A limited number of spots are available.

CLOSET 701
Did you know that Heavens Helpers Soup Kitchen now has a secondhand store located at 919 East Main Ave in Bismarck? If you need clothing or other items, you can visit the Closet and they can help you with your needs. There is no cost. They are open Mondays and Thursdays from 9am-noon, Wednesdays from 9am-4pm and Saturdays from 9am-11am. You can also follow them on Facebook.

FREE VIRTUAL CLASSES FOR PARENTS
The following are several opportunities for free classes and resources through NDSU Extension Services.
Parenting in a Pandemic-A webinar series designed to build on parents’ strengths, deliver practical strategies and reinforce our connections during challenging times. Sessions are once a month on Wednesday evening from 7-8pm. Get the kids to bed and join each month!
• March 24th: Screen time during COVID-19: Three supportive insights from the research to guide your parenting today.
• April 28th: Parenting in a Pandemic: Setting limits and avoiding power struggles.
• May 26th: Loosen But Don’t Let Go: Helping teens cope with COVID.
Register at www.ag.ndsu.edu/pen or call NDSU Barnes County Extension 701-845-8528.

Your Money, Your Goals-4 sessions on Mondays in March from 12-1pm. Sessions cover Setting Goals, Behind on Bills, Getting through the Month and Dealing with Debt. Pre-registration required at www.tinyurl.com/21YourMoneyYourGoals Registration closes one week prior to each individual session. Materials will be sent out once registration has closed.

Community Support Group-Does someone you love struggle with drug or alcohol abuse? This group provides training for family members and friends concerned about their loved ones who live with a substance abuse disorder. Incentives provided when completing 3 or more sessions. Tuesdays starting March 2nd-May 18th from 8pm-9:30pm. Call 667-3342 or email jacey.p.wanner@ndsu.edu

Eating Smart, Being Active-9 sessions, Tuesday evenings starting in April (more information coming soon)

GREETINGS GAME
The goal of this game is to be delightful and silly. When your child arrives home from school, begin by shaking the child’s hand and saying, “It’s wonderful to see you”. Next, give a handshake to the child’s foot, commenting, “It is wonderful to meet you, Mr. or Ms. Foot”. Shake your child’s elbow, knee, pinky finger earlobe, hair, thumbs, and nose. Any body part will do! (Taken from Conscious Discipline, “I Love You Rituals”)

PLAY PLANS TO BUILD SOCIAL EMOTIONAL SKILLS
One easy (and interesting) way to increase your child’s Social- Emotional Skills is with Play Plans. Play Plans are simply your child planning out their play before it happens. This helps your child plan, build initiative, and makes their play more purposeful. You can help your child make play plans before they go to preschool, or before they play at home by asking simple questions like:
• What are you going to play with today?
• What are you going to make?
• How will you make it?
• Who are you going to play with today?
• Who are you going to say hi to at school?
• What rules will you remember today?
Hopefully this will also provide interesting conversation and for you and your child!

CONSCIOUS DISCIPLINE SKILL#5-POSITIVE INTENT
The skill of assuming positive intent, allows us to see the best in others. What we offer to others, we experience in ourselves. When we define children positively, we hold them in high esteem. Start out by assuming that your child’s motives are positive. Instead of assuming your child is bad or trying to make your life difficult, you can shift your perception. Thinking positively creates teaching moments by transforming resistance into cooperation. Children cannot behave differently until they are seen differently.
Formula for Positive Intent
Step 1: State the child’s positive intention, usually by completing the sentence, “You wanted________”.
**This builds security and cooperation.
Step 2: State for the child the skill she/he used in obtaining what they wanted. Describe the action without judgments, usually by completing the sentence, “So you_____”.
**This builds consciousness.
Step 3: State for the child the skills/he is missing. This would usually be, “You didn’t know what else to do” or “You know the words to use to ____”.
**This builds a positive concept.
Step 4: State the limit. “You may not_____. It hurts. (is hurtful, is not safe)”.
**This sets the limit and shows the child how his/her actions impact others.