Early Childhood Family Education (ECFE)

Note the new day of the week on Fridays. 

Join the class at any time; babies and parents are always welcomed. Babies bring joy and big changes to families. This is a weekly class for infants, birth - 12 months, and their parents. All of your baby questions and insights will be discussed with a Licensed Parent Educator and other parents of little ones. There are many opportunities to connect with other parents and together you begin to find your parenting style. Your baby enjoys the other infants and you learn the traditional ECFE circle time songs as well!

Sibling care is available upon request at registration.

• Term 1 9/7/18-11/2/18 No class 10/19/18
• Term 2 11/9/18-1/11/19 No class 11/23,12/21,12/28/18
• Friday's 10:00 - 11:30 am  
• Parent Education Room 103 Sibling Care Early Childhood Room 106

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Note the New Day of the week on Fridays! This class suits toddlers between 12-30 months of age. During parent/child interaction time, parents and toddlers will participate in a variety of activities geared for the busy world of toddlers. This is followed by a brief discussion time for parents while children continue with activities. Discussion topics include ideas for separation issues, encouraging language development, and more. Class ends with a circle time of songs and movement. Parents and children do not separate in this class. Walking or crawling, all toddlers are invited!

• Fridays 8:00 - 9:30 am Early Childhood Room 106
• Term 1 9/7/18-11/2/18 No class 10/19/18
• Term 2 11/9/18-1/11/19 No class 11/23,12/21,12/28/18

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This class is designed for children from the ages of 30 months through preschool. This class focus will be on sensory integration. Let your child explore a new material each week. Help your child learn about the world around them while developing their social-emotional and fine motor skills. This class will be full of different sensory activities, which help to regulate our brains. You and your child should come prepared to get messy. Before class adjourns, the early childhood teacher and parents will have a brief discussion while children continue with activities. Parents and children do not separate in this class.

• Wednesdays 10:45 am - 12:15 pm
• Term 1 9/5/18-10/31/18 
• Early Childhood Room 106

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This class is designed for children from the ages of 30 months through preschool. Celebrate your child’s natural curiosity. Your child will be encouraged to explore, plan and create with help from you and our staff . Give your child the opportunity to tap into their imagination and begin to understand how things work. Before class adjourns, the early childhood teacher and parents will have a brief discussion while children continue with activities. Parents and children do not separate in this class.

• Wednesday 10:45 am - 12:15 pm
• Term 2 11/7/18-1/16/19 No class 12/26/18
• Early Childhood Room 106

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This is a small group class for dads, moms or other primary caregivers and the children they care for. This parenting class will focus on supporting caregivers in strengthening their parenting skills, increasing children’s social skills, preventing and addressing behavior problems in children below the age of 8. The Incredible Years Curriculum is an evidence based curriculum focusing on building social emotional skills in children and parents. The class is taught in conjunction with staff from Hiawatha Valley Mental Health Center. For additional information about this class or to talk about registering, contact Ann Riebel at 494-0916.

• Monday 12/24/18, 12/31/18 8:30-10:30 am
• Term 1 and 2 9/10/18-1/14/19 No class 11/5/18
• Early Childhood Room 106

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CRAFT is a multi-county project that is coming to Winona that provides support, education, and outreach to pregnant women and those who have young children. ECFE is partnering with CRAFT to provide support for families that have chemical health concerns. The goal of the class is to provide support for mothers in the area of parent education, sobriety support, housing support, safety, employment and mental health support. Referrals can be made to the program by contacting Caitlin Callahan (CRAFT) at 507-252-6985 or Ann Riebel (ECFE) at 494-0916.

• Tuesday 1/1/19 11:30 am - 1:30 pm
• Term 1 9/4/18-10/30/18
• Term 2 11/6/18-1/15/19 No class 12/25/18
• Early Childhood Room 106

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Growing Together will focus on supporting both children and parents in the skills needed to be successful to learn within groups. Children and parents will practice age-appropriate skills during the parent-child time. When parents and children separate, children will have the opportunity to practice the social-emotional skills needed to be ready for operating in a group. Parent Discussion will focus on how to support your children in multiple settings and how to prepare yourself for your child’s next step in education. Contact Ann Riebel at 494-0916 with questions about the class.

• Wednesday 8 - 10 am
• Term 1 9/5/18-10/31/18
• Term 2 11/7/18-1/16/19 No class 12/26/18

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We will be basing our Term 1 class off of Bee Wilson’s First Bite: How We Learn to Eat. Rich in scientific and historical research on how our eating habits and tastes develop, this books also helps us learn what we can do to raise children who eat well. We will also explore related books, articles, films, and other tools to develop our own understanding of how to nourish our children. These resources will guide us in investigating how young children’s health, behavior, sleeping patterns, and routines interact with food choices and mealtime schedules. While this book will determine our planned curriculum, we will dedicate time as needed to discuss early childhood behavior and development, and to support each other in parenting challenges and successes as a class.

• Monday 11:30 am - 1:30 pm OR 5:15 pm - 7:15 pm
• Term 1 9/10/18-10/29/18

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In Making Children Mind without Losing Yours, Dr. Kevin Leman shares his parenting advice in a simple game plan that any parent can follow. Join us for a discussion that revolves around raising respectful, well-behaved kids who make good choices now and in the long haul.

• Tuesday Term 1 9/11/18-10/30/18 
• Thursday Term 1 9/6/18-11/1/18 No class 10/18/18
• 8 - 10 am Early Childhood Room 106

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Our book for Term 2 is Parenting from the Inside Out How a Deeper Self-Understanding Can Help You Raise Children Who Thrive, by Daniel J. Siegel (child psychiatrist), M.D., and Mary Hartzell (early childhood expert), M.Ed. This book will help us explore how (and how much) our childhood experiences shape the way we parent. We will review how the relationships we form with our children directly impact their brain development. We will learn about and discuss the authors’ step-by-step guide to developing a deeper understanding of our own life stories, in order to raise more compassionate and resilient children.

• Monday
• Term 2 11/12/18-1/14/19 No class 12/24/18, 12/31/18
• 11:30 am - 1:30 pm No class 11/26/18 or 5:15 pm - 7:15 pm

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Gary Chapman and Ross Campbell guide parents through a discussion how each child expresses and receives love through one of 5 different communication styles. Your love language may be totally different from that of your child. While you are doing all you can to show your child love, he may be hearing it as something completely opposite. Discover your child’s primary language and learn what you can do to effectively convey unconditional feelings of respect, affection, and commitment that will resonate in your child’s emotions and behavior.

• Term 2 Tuesday 11/6/18-1/15/19 No class 12/25/18, 1/1/19
• Thursday 11/8/18-1/17/19 No Class 11/22/18, 12/27/18 8-10 am
• Early Childhood Room 106

REGISTER

ECFE offers classes and activities for parents and their children from birth to age five. The program offers guidance and support for families from licensed early childhood and parent educators. You will also find support and friendship from other parents of small children. In addition, your child will learn through play and develop social skills along the way.

Separating Classes:
All our classes begin with parent child activities where parents and children play together in the early childhood room. Parents then move on to the Parent Education room, facilitated by a licensed parent educator, to meet other parents and discuss issues related to parenting. The children stay in the classroom with a licensed early childhood educator to enjoy a variety of age appropriate activities. Your child will make new friends, enjoy art activities, music, gym time and a snack.

Non-separating Classes:
In our baby and toddler classes, parents do not separate from their children. The baby group is held in the parent education room and the toddler group is held in the early childhood room.

The program encourages positive parental interactions that affect how children develop and learn. Research has shown that ECFE programs involving parents with their children are more effective than programs focusing exclusively on children. In addition, children whose parents are more involved in their early education are more likely to be successful in school.

ECFE is located at Goodview Elementary School. The address is 5100 West 9th Street in Winona.

Yes, fees are on a sliding scale based on a family's income. No one will be turned away due to inabiliity to pay.

YES! ECFE has a PTA/Parent Advisory Council that works with staff on program planning, development and special events. The PTA also sponsors special events like a fall color run and winter family dance.