Illinois Child Care Bureau NewsJuly – September 2014

Dear Provider:

Illinois Child Care Bureau News | July – September 2014 • 1

ICCB welcomes Yossefa Agoro of Aurora, Hattie Allen of South Holland, Dorothy Bell of Dolton, Nellie Bogan of Chicago, Debra Brown of Chicago, Yvonne Burks, of Burnham, Florestee Buss of Calumet City, Lorena Castrejon of Waukegan, Natalie Cintron of Chicago, Ariel Cribbs of Chicago, Brashaunda Dean of Chicago, Gloria Deloa of Roselle, Tatiana Dominguez of Chicago, Marsharee Doxie of Hillside, Maria Elena Estrada of Chicago, Sandra Fullerton of Loves Park, Teresa Gomez of Cicero, Linda Granger and Brittany Burt of Lynwood, Tatiana Green of Chicago, Victoria Greer of Kankakee, Annie Harris of Rock Island, Deborah Hayes of Harvey, Ciara Hearn of Rock Island, Amy Hill of Park Ridge, Beverly Hill of Harvey, Vinnie Hutcherson and Tamanika Hurdle of Calumet City, Margo Jack of Dolton, Katisha Jackson of Chicago, Remirra Jackson of Maywood, Onnie Johnson of Chicago, Ethel Johnson of Chicago, Carrie Keller of Matteson, Shaina Komin of Ingleside, Mary Jo Lippe of Homewood, Lisa M. Mack of Chicago, Tetra Magee of Markham, Doris Manning of Rockford, Sandra McClain of Waukegan, Charlotte Moats of Joliet, Anita Moore and Adriane Knight of Chicago, Maria Najera of Round Lake Beach, Maribel Ocampo of Chicago, Eleanor Oneal of Country Club Hills, Marie Prieto of Loves Park, Ackerly Reed of Rockford, Lorie Robanske of Lakemoor, Vangerla Smith of Dolton, Agata Socha of Oak Lawn, Barbara Swopes of Richton Park, Juanita Thomas of Chicago, Christina Troupe of Rockford, Shundra Walker of Calumet Park, Ivy Watkins of Chicago, Daphne Wells of Hainsville, Tanya

Wilkins of Chicago, Linda Williams of Rockford, Deshante Wright of Chicago, Yolanda Wynne of Evergreen Park. ICCB’s staff is available to assist you as you continue to develop your knowledge of good nutrition for healthy children.

Visit IllinoisChildren.com to get the update on any rate changes which will be effective July 1, 2014.

REMINDERS

Warm weather means more field trips! Call the ICCB office before leaving your home if it occurs during a meal/snack service time.

Drinking water should be readily available for the children. Provide water instead of sugary drinks when the children are thirsty.

Look for Household Eligibility Applications in the mail at the beginning of July. Please follow all the instructions and return the signed applications to the ICCB office promptly to continue to receive timely payments.

Enrollment renewal worksheets will be in the mail at the end of August. Updated enrollment forms are required and must be signed by a parent or guardian.

ICCB’s office will be closed:

✓ Friday, July 4 in observance of Independence Day

✓ Monday, September 1 in observance of Labor Day

~ Cathy, Kim, Mary, Marguerite, and Sonia

A Provider You Should Knowby Kim Klimek, Assistant Director of Provider Services and Gloria Evans, Program Advisor

Mrs. Yvette Adamus has owned and operated Little Ones Academy located in South Holland for the past 12 years. Mrs. Adamus has a Bachelor’s Degree in Business Management from Chicago State University. Early in her career she was a store manager for Aldi’s. The decision to open a day care business was the result of Mrs. Adamus realizing the day care options for the care of her daughter did not meet her standards. The decision to change careers and to open a day care home allowed Mrs. Adamus to provide better care for her own children.

Mrs. Adamus loves to work with children and teach them new things. She exposes the children to a variety of activities including swimming, paddle boating, and a visit to Fair Oaks farm. The schedule is constantly changing so

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2 • Illinois Child Care Bureau News | July – September 2014

Zucchini is part of the squash family. Squash is technically a fruit but they are commonly referred to as a vegetable. There are two major groups: summer squash and winter squash. Zucchini belongs to the summer squash family. The Italians are credited with developing what we now call zucchini. The Italian words “zucca, zucchini, and zucchine” are the singular and plural words for squash, giving rise to the name zucchini.

Whether purchasing or picking zucchini – choose fi rm, slender zucchini with a bright green color and free of wrinkled skin and soft spots. As zucchini gets longer and bigger around, it becomes tougher and develops more seeds. These larger zucchini can be shredded and used in zucchini bread, cake or cookies. For best results, fi rst scoop out seeds and pulp with the tip of a spoon.

Squash/zucchini can be eaten fresh out of the garden with or without the skin by simply rinsing well and removing the stem end. It can also be cut and steamed or baked and used in many recipes. Zucchini is best if cooked when fresh and small as it will have more moisture. Steaming produces the crispest, lease soggy vegetable. If using zucchini in a casserole recipe, it may be parboiled or steamed to remove some of the moisture.

Store fresh picked or purchased zucchini in a plastic bag in the refrigerator for up to one week for best quality. Be sure the zucchini is dry and unwashed when you put it in the bag as moisture will encourage mold and spoilage.

One medium zucchini (about 1 cup raw) has about 35 calories and is a good

source of vitamin A, C and several B vitamins. To obtain the full benefi t of fi ber contained in the squash, make certain to leave the skin intact. Zucchini also contains smaller amounts of valuable minerals such as potassium and manganese.

Celebrate ZUCCHINI

Choose My Plate

For tips on the importance of drinking water visit http://www.choosemyplate.gov/food-groups/downloads/TenTips/DGTipsheet19MakeBetterBeverage

Choices.pdf

Teach the ABC’s by using Apples to Zucchini produced by the University of IL Extension Program. Visit http://urbanext.illinois.edu/foodfun/index.cfm to watch, listen, and learn about a variety of fruits and vegetables. Try the fun activities too!

Illinois Child Care Bureau News | July – September 2014 • 3

that the activities are not repeated. Mrs. Adamus’ parents are her role models. They provided her with exposure to many interesting activities when she was a child. Now, as an adult herself, she works to assist the children in her care by following their examples. Currently, Mrs. Adamus’ parents attend all of the field trips along with the children in her care. Mrs. Adamus’ day care home is designed to expose the children to activities which they can also do at home.

Illinois Child Care Bureau Program Advisor Gloria Evans writes, “Her day care is very nice on the inside and the outdoor space is even nicer. In the summertime, her kitchen is filled with produce the children planted themselves. Her husband built a trellis to allow the grapes and blueberries to flourish. The children enjoy planting fruit, watching it grow and are amazed by the growing process. There is no need to go to a pumpkin patch to pick their pumpkin at harvest time – they just look in Mrs. Adamus’ backyard. All the flowers and vegetables are grown by the children every March from seeds and planted outside at the end of May. It is their responsibility to water them and care for the plants so they will grow.”

“Although there is a vegetable/fruit garden, there is plenty of room for the children to play outdoors. A large portion of Yvette’s backyard is paved with asphalt. She sacrificed some greenery for the benefit of children. It is big enough for her day care children to get plenty of exercise and sunshine – an important ingredient for the health of the children. The playground equipment includes 6 swings, 2 slides, plus lots of climbing space. No need to fight over bikes, skates boards, or tri-cycles because there are enough for all the children to enjoy.”

“There is room to play soccer, sand bags, tennis, and basketball. The children have made some of their own games and activities. One example is as an outdoor checker board set made from a piece of plywood which was painted by the day care children in a red and black pattern

providing the checker board look. The day care children found large pieces of stones and colored the stones black or red on the tops and yellow on the bottom to act as the checker board pieces. The outdoor checker board set is very popular with the children.”

Mrs. Adamus cares for children from 6 weeks to 13 years old. Due to word-of-mouth, Mrs. Adamus does not have to pay to advertise to fill her day care and is lucky to have all her spaces filled each year. She is grateful to own a day care business with few openings, however, finds it difficult to turn families away.

For the past two years Mrs. Adamus has had a Star Level 1 rating for day care (DCFS Quality Rating System for day care home providers). She takes classes at least once a month to remain current on day care home issues and prides herself on having more training than needed for her license. In addition, Mrs. Adamus networks with other providers in her area.

Occasionally, Mrs. Adamus takes the children grocery shopping to allow the children to select new fruits and vegetables to try when they return home. The children are excited to have a taste testing of the fruits and vegetables that they probably would have not tried if not for their peers trying it first.

In order to keep up with her food program responsibilities, Mrs. Adamus prefers to use technology and not paper menus. Currently, she uses the kids2go app on her smart phone to enter daily menus and attendance.

At times she wishes she had attained an Early Childhood Education degree rather than a business degree because it would allow her to receive a Star Level 2 rating. Mrs. Adamus stated that the most rewarding part of her career is, “Seeing the sparkle in their eyes when they learn and experience something new. She also notes “she has been blessed to have the duty of helping parents with their greatest treasures”.

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Kids2go app Record your menus and attendance in minutes by using an app on your smart phone, tablet, iPad, or Kindle. No need to wait for your computer to boot up or to rely on spotty internet service. This secure app allows you to record your menus and attendance daily. Call the Illinois Child Care Bureau office today for assistance.

The U.S. Department of Agriculture prohibits discrimination against its customers, employees, and applicants for employment on the basis of race, color, national origin, age, disability, sex, gender identity, religion, reprisal, and where applicable, political beliefs, marital status, familial or parental status, sexual orientation, or all or part of an individual’s income is derived from any public assistance program, or protected genetic information in any program or activity conducted or funded by the USDA. If you wish to file a Civil Rights program complaint of discrimination, complete the USDA Program Discrimination Complaint Form, found online at http://www.ascr.usda.gov/complaint_filing_cust.html, or at any USDA office, or call (866) 632-9992 to request the form. You may also write a letter containing all of the information requested in the form. Send your completed complaint form or letter by mail to the USDA, Director, Office of Adjudication, 1400 Independence Avenue, SW, Washington, DC 20250-9410, by fax (202) 690-7442 or email at program.intake@usda.gov. Individuals who are deaf, hard of hearing or have speech disabilities may contact USDA through the Federal Relay Service at (800) 877-8339 or (800) 845-6136 (Spanish). USDA is an equal opportunity provider and employer.

4 • Illinois Child Care Bureau News | July – September 2014

reci

pes

Heat oil in skillet while measuring oregano, pepper, and garlic powder together in a bowl. Stir.

Put the spices in the heated oil and then add the mixture of vegetables to the pan.

Stir vegetables with a wooden spoon and sauté about 5 minutes.

When the vegetables are slighty tender remove from heat.

Spoon vegetable mixture into the pita.

Top the hot vegetables with 1 ounce grated cheese.

Suggestion: Substitute green pepper, mushrooms, or onions in place of listed vegetables.

Servings: 12

Visit the University of Illinois Extension Program for more healthy recipes at https://web.extension.illinois.edu/inep/recipes/

Special thanks to University of Illinois Extension Program as well as the Utah State University Cooperative Extension.

Veggie Stuffed PitaIngredients2 medium zucchinis4 medium carrots2 cups broccoli2 TB vegetable oil½ tsp oregano¼ tsp black pepper ¼ tsp garlic powder12 mini pitas (6” whole wheat)12 oz low fat shredded cheddar cheese

InstructionsRinse zucchini, carrots, and broccoli. Peel carrots. Cut vegetables into bite-size pieces.

Place vegetables into bowl.

5-a-Day PizzaIngredients1 12 inch pizza crust2 tsp cooking oil1 cup tomato or pizza sauce1 ½ cups shredded mozzarella cheese1 cup pineapple tidbits in juice, well drained1 small zucchini, sliced thin¼ cup chopped green pepper¼ cup chopped onion

InstructionsPreheat oven to 425 degrees.Brush pizza crust with oil.Spread sauce over crust.Sprinkle with cheese and pineapple.Top with zucchini, green pepper and onion.Bake at 425 degrees for 20 – 25 minutes.Suggestion: Add lean cooked ham to the pizza

Servings: 4