Community Service Project

To help the senior residents of Lexington Health Care Center in Chicago Ridge celebrate Christmas and meet a practical need, the children in Ms. Bennett's classroom collected athletic socks and turned them into snowmen. All together, they made over 75 snowmen to distribute. "The children not only have fun," said Ms. Bennett. "They also gain fine motor skills rolling the socks to form the parts of the snowmen." With so many nursing home residents alone at the holidays, giving a small gift reminds them of God's love and care.

Food Collection

Our 3 and 4 year olds collected cans of food for a local food pantry during the month of November. A total of 57 cans were donated. Children designed special labels for the canned goods to share the message of God's love. The children also learned counting and sorting skills in the process.

It's Thanksgiving!

Thanks be to God for His indescribable gift! At this season, we give thanks for all those who have prayed for us and contributed toward the ministry of Lutheran Day Nursery. This year, we have faced the challenge of reduced Preschool For All funding, the recession, lower enrollment and increased expenses. But through it all, God is faithful and He has helped us overcome each obstacle by faith.

We are grateful for our excellent staff that has shown incredible grace in the midst of a stressful time. Each day, our classroom and support staff comes to work ready to give 100% to the children.

We are grateful for energetic and creative families that are committed to helping Lutheran Day remain a place of excellence by volunteering ideas and time.

Finally, we are grateful to God for sustaining Lutheran Day Nursery from its beginning in 1911. God has been with us for 99 years, and we know that God will continue to bless the work of Lutheran Day through His people.

Landscape Transformation

On October 23, 2010, more than 10 parents and community volunteers gathered at Lutheran Day to transform the gardens bordering the front of our property. Using funds raised from our caramel apple sale, the parents—led by landscaper and parent Brian Shea—planted prairie grasses, flower bulbs, evergreens and native shrubs. In addition, the swing set was given a fresh coat of paint and all the playground equipment was cleaned using a power washer. Come next Spring, the garden will be bursting with new color and beauty. Thank you parents!

2010 Annual Meeting

The Annual Meeting of the Lutheran Day Nursery Association will be held on Wednesday, December 8, 2010, at 1802 N. Fairfield Ave. The evening will begin with a meal, followed by the business of the Nursery. Items on the agenda include the election of officers and looking ahead to our 100^th Anniversary celebration. If you are interested in participating, please contact Rev. Bruce Ray, Executive Director, at ldn1802@sbcglobal.net or at 773-486-4222.

We Teach Compassion

A child is never too young to learn empathy and compassion for people in need. That's part of the philosophy of the Lutheran Day During the month of November, the 4-year-old children took on a project to collect cans of soup to give to a local food pantry. Ms. Paulette Bennett and Ms. Janet Zambrano, their teachers, talked to the children about caring for people in need--even people they did not personally know.

"I believe community service is an attitude that children need to learn long before they are in high school," said Ms. Bennett. "You don't have to teach children to be selfish--that comes naturally. What they need to learn is feeling concern for others." The children collected 50 cans of soup for the hungry. In the process, they also learned counting and sorting skills. They also wrote a message of encouragement on each can. The children have now decided to take on another project. During the month of December, they plan to collect 75 pairs of socks for the elderly residents of Lexington Health Care Center in Chicago Ridge, IL.

Rev. Bruce Ray, the center's Executive Director, noted, "With young children, we often concentrate on academic skills to prepare them for success in school. However, we cannot afford to neglect the life skills that will enable our children to contribute to the health of our community." These 4-year-olds have gotten a head start.