2024 Thanksgiving Boxes

Common Ground Childcare is working with Cornerstones to gather Thanksgiving boxes for Reston Families in need! 

What's a Thanksgiving Box? Each one is fully stocked with everything needed to make a complete Thanksgiving dinner for a family. No person should ever have to go hungry, especially in a time of giving and gratitude. Let's show gratitude for our good fortune by sharing it with our community!

HERE IS THE LINK TO OUR SIGNUP GENIUS

If you would like to help us build these Thanksgiving Boxes, there are a couple of different ways to sign up!

>You can choose to help your child's class by purchasing certain items. Each class with decorate and pack one box, while our School Aged Program will build all of the additional boxes donated through individual items and cash donations!
> You can build your OWN box as a family

ALL ITEMS AND BOXES MUST BE BROUGHT TO COMMON GROUND CHILDCARE CENTER BY FRIDAY, NOVEMBER 15TH, BY THE END OF THE DAY. 

That will ensure that we have enough time to organize them and fill in any missing pieces before drop off on Wednesday, November 20th.

Do you know someone in your family or neighborhood who would like to sign up to donate a Thanksgiving box?

Encourage them to sign up! There are hundreds of families who are struggling to provide for their families this year… we want to help as many people as we can every way we can.


Common Ground Childcare: sign-up here

Read More

September Family Dinner Night - MOD PIZZA

OUR FIRST FAMILY DINNER NIGHT OF THE SCHOOL YEAR IS ON THE BOOKS!

On Tuesday, September 26th, Our local MOD PIZZA in Reston, VA will be hosting an all day fundraiser for our school!

All pizzas (and other scrumptious things) sold to customers who show our flyer will earn us 25% of their purchase.

THIS MEANS ANYONE YOU SHARE THE FLYER WITH CAN SUPPORT COMMON GROUND CHILDCARE! Please pass it along to friends, neighbors, coworkers, anyone who loves a good time and may not want to cook on a busy Tuesday.

YOU CAN ALSO ORDER ONLINE WITH THE CODE: MODGIVES25

Forget Taco Tuesday, Mod Pizza has delicious options for your most limited eaters!!

You can get your pizza or salad any way you like. We have had kids just order the pizza crust with olive oil and rosemary!

They offer gluten-friendly and cauliflower crusts.

They offer little cakes that are SO AMAZING they do not need a name.

Check out their menu here!

You can do takeout, but you can also dine-in! Many families from Common Ground take these nights as an opportunity to dine with other CG friends. Dinner out with littles is a lot more fun when they have a whole host of friends they get to see out side of the classroom.

WHO KNOWS? Maybe your child will see another kid trying a pizza they’ve never had before, and get curious! Trying new foods is much more likely to happen with peers than parents.

Hope to see you there! Post your favorite pizza order in the comments!! And no haters ;) we love everyone at Common Ground, even people like me who dig the pineapple/jalapeno combo.

Read More

Stuffy Sleepover at the BOOK FAIR

 
 

ON MONDAY 28TH, WE ARE HOSTING ANOTHER STUFFY SLEEPOVER!!

What is a Stuffy Sleepover? We are glad you asked!

Kids bring their favorite toy. It can be a stuffed animal, a doll, an action-figure, an excavator! They leave them in the loving care of our teachers for a night of music, books, and awesome activities. Kids can watch their favorite toys play with their best friends’ favorite toys from either Facebook Live or YouTube.

Basically, it is a heartfelt way for kids to be together without BEING together.

We had seen them before, Scrawl Books does an especially fun series of them featuring amazing children’s authors.

They are ridiculous fun for everyone involved. CHECK OUT OUR VIDEOS FROM THAT NIGHT ON OUR YOUTUBE CHANNEL

STUFFY SLEEPOVER VIDEOS

OUR THEME THIS TIME IS FALL FUN! We will be doing Autumn crafts, reading Autumn books, and singing fun songs that may or may not be Autumn themed, but DEFINITELY sing-a-long-worthy!!

Then, in the morning, all our stuffed animals will board the Common Ground bus and be returned to their best friends with stories to tell and goodies to share.

 

Sign Up Right Here!

$30.00 Donation to our COMMON GROUND GIVING TUESDAY Campaign gets you a ticket for the stuffy sleepover! It includes the goodie-bags, the fun, the live-videos, and more surprises!

Then you can drop your stuffed animal off on Monday the 28th AT THE BOOK FAIR and it can be picked up on Tuesday, November 29th!

The money raised will go towards necessary educational initiatives at Common Ground Childcare.

This is our favorite way to be with you, even when we are apart! Thank you so much for being a part of our community.


Miss LJ


Read More

2022 Thanksgiving Boxes - Let's make the holidays bright!

Common Ground Childcare and St. Anne's Episcopal Church are working with Cornerstones to gather Thanksgiving boxes for Reston Families in need! 

What's a Thanksgiving Box? Each one is fully stocked with everything needed to make a complete Thanksgiving dinner for a family. No person should ever have to go hungry, especially in a time of giving and gratitude. Let's show gratitude for our good fortune by sharing it with our community!

HERE IS THE LINK TO OUR SIGNUP GENIUS

If you would like to help us build these Thanksgiving Boxes, there are a couple of different ways to sign up!

>You can choose to help your child's class by purchasing certain items
> You can build your OWN box as a family

ALL ITEMS AND BOXES MUST BE BROUGHT TO COMMON GROUND CHILDCARE CENTER BY TUESDAY, NOVEMBER 8TH, BY THE END OF THE DAY. 

That will ensure that we have enough time to organize them and fill in any missing pieces before drop off on Thursday, November 10th.

Do you know someone in your family or neighborhood who would like to sign up to donate a Thanksgiving box?

Encourage them to sign up with either Common Ground Childcare or St. Anne’s Episcopal Church! There are hundreds of families who are struggling to provide for their families this year… we want to help as many people as we can every way we can.


Common Ground Childcare: sign-up here

St. Anne’s Episcopal Church: sign-up here

Read More

Mod Pizza Fundraiser -- Pizza Your Way!

(* NOTICE * Date updated!)

On Tuesday, February 22nd, Mod Pizza will be hosting a fundraiser for us ALL DAY LONG!

Where: The Mod Pizza in the Plaza America Shopping Center: 11642 Plaza America Drive, Reston VA 20190

When: Tuesday, February 22nd from 10:30AM-10:00PM

What: A fundraiser where you get your delicious, fully customized pizza, and your school gets 20% of what you pay!

How: You an order in store, through the Mod Pizza App, or directly on the website! Whether or not you do sit in or carry out, it counts! If you are ordering online, make sure to use the code MODF2789. If you are ordering in person make sure to show this flyer! Please note: ordering through apps like UberEats, DoorDash, etc WILL NOT COUNT toward the fundraiser!

Why: Mod Pizza has a pizza for everyone. Each pizza is lovingly created with your preferences, style, and dietary needs in mind! It is fun and scrumptious for the whole family! Which is why it is absolutely perfect for a Common Ground Community Fundraiser. Help us celebrate our 50th Birthday this year by helping us earn funding for our mission to lift early childhood educators up and provide living wages!

PRINTABLE/SHAREABLE FLYER

Read More

SIGN UP FOR OUR FALL FUN STUFFY SLEEPOVER!!

 
 

ON MONDAY NOVEMBER 28th, WE ARE HOSTING ANOTHER STUFFY SLEEPOVER AT THE BOOK FAIR!!

What is a Stuffy Sleepover? We are glad you asked!

The Stuffy Sleepover kicks off our Book Fair and our Giving Tuesday Campaign. Kids bring their favorite toy. It can be a stuffed animal, a doll, an action-figure, an excavator! They leave them in the loving care of Miss LJ, Mr. Josh, Miss Janette, Miss Liz, and Miss Victoria for a night of music, books, and awesome activities at the Book Fair. Kids can watch their favorite toys play with their best friends’ favorite toys from either Facebook Live or YouTube. Then their favorite friend will ready for pick up at our BOOK FAIR!

Basically, it is a heartfelt way for kids to be together without BEING together.

We had seen them before, Scrawl Books does an especially fun series of them featuring amazing children’s authors.

They are ridiculous fun for everyone involved. CHECK OUT OUR VIDEOS FROM THAT NIGHT ON OUR YOUTUBE CHANNEL

STUFFY SLEEPOVER VIDEOS

OUR THEME THIS TIME IS FALL FUN! We will be doing Autumn crafts, reading Autumn books, and singing fun songs that may or may not be Autumn themed, but DEFINITELY sing-a-long-worthy!!

Then, in the morning, all our stuffed animals will board the Common Ground bus and be returned to their best friends with stories to tell and goodies to share.

 

Sign Up Right Here!

$30.00 Donation to our COMMON GROUND GIVING TUESDAY Campaign gets you a ticket for the stuffy sleepover! It includes the goodie-bags, the fun, the live-videos, and more surprises!

Then you can drop your stuffed animal off on Monday the 28th at the center. It will “sleepover” that night at the Book Fair, then be picked up by your child the next morning.

The money raised will go towards necessary educational initiatives at Common Ground Childcare as part of our Giving Tuesday Campaign.

This is our favorite way to be with you, even when we are apart! Thank you so much for being a part of our community.


 
 
Read More

Thanksgiving Boxes - Let's make the holidays bright!

Common Ground Childcare and St. Anne's Episcopal Church are working with Cornerstones to gather Thanksgiving boxes for Reston Families in need! 

What's a Thanksgiving Box? Each one is fully stocked with everything needed to make a complete Thanksgiving dinner for a family. No person should ever have to go hungry, especially in a time of giving and gratitude. Let's show gratitude for our good fortune by sharing it with our community!

HERE IS THE LINK TO OUR SIGNUP GENIUS

If you would like to help us build these Thanksgiving Boxes, there are a couple of different ways to sign up!

>You can choose to help your child's class by purchasing certain items
> You can build your OWN box as a family

ALL ITEMS AND BOXES MUST BE BROUGHT TO COMMON GROUND CHILDCARE CENTER BY TUESDAY, NOVEMBER 16TH, BY THE END OF THE DAY. 

Do you know someone in your family or neighborhood who would like to sign up for a Thanksgiving box?

Encourage them to sign up with either Common Ground Childcare or St. Anne’s Episcopal Church! There are hundreds of families who are struggling to provide for their families this year… we want to help as many people as we can every way we can.


Common Ground Childcare: sign-up here

St. Anne’s Episcopal Church: sign-up here

Read More

Curious? -- Little Caesar's Pizza Kit Review!!

WE ARE DOING A FUNDRAISER FOR DELICIOUS LITTLE CAESAR’S PIZZA KITS UNTIL JULY 7TH AND THE REVIEWS ARE IN!!

Are you intrigued about getting these for your next movie night, but unsure if your kids would be interested? Well GOOD NEWS!! One of our Rising Stars families came back with a STELLAR REVIEW about the “build your own mini pizza kit” and I think the pictures speak for themselves…

These are easy peasy for toddlers to participate with. They cook up really nicely, they are easily shared, and did you know that a child is much more likely to try a food that they helped to prepare? It’s true!

Have you tried any of these kits? Do you have pictures from your family gathering?? Feel free to share them with us! We would love to see all the ways that these little “party in a box” pizzas add to your memories.

Anyone can buy them and support us! Share THIS LINK or THIS FLYER on your social media, with your office, with your fam! Anyone who buys a mouth-watering pizza, breadsticks, cheese bread, or cookie kit with our link earns us money!

PIZZA PIZZA!!

-Your CG Family

Read More

FUNdraiser: Little Caesar's Pizza Kit

Our next fundraiser helps you plan your next movie night!!

We are partnering with Little Caesar’s to sell pizza kits from JUNE 7TH to JULY 7TH. I honestly think this is the most family-friendly food fundraiser we have done yet.

  • Kids can help you create your perfect pizza! They can spread the sauce, sprinkle the cheese, add the ingredients. Did you know that kids are more likely to try foods they help prepare? You can reward them with a scrumptious cookie they also baked themselves!

  • These are frozen! They keep for any occasion. Movie nights! Birthdays! Rainy days when you don’t feel like cooking. Rough days when you want to see a smile. Have a perfect memory stored away for when you need it most.

  • Anyone can buy them and support us! Share THIS LINK or THIS FLYER on your social media, with your office, with your fam! Anyone who buys a mouth-watering pizza, breadsticks, cheese bread, or cookie kit with our link earns us money!

This fundraiser is completely online and runs 24/7! The Pizza Kits get delivered right to your door, so it’s simple, easy, perfect. I will personally be trying out the personal combo kit. Six tiny perfect pizzas for 20 bucks is almost too good to be true, and it means we can have grandparents over one sunny Saturday afternoon.

Thank you so much for supporting our school every day. We have a lot of fun and try to make these fundraisers a win for everyone. But we couldn’t do all we do (and have a blast doing it!) without your love.

Have any questions? Email LJ DONNELL!

- Your CG Family

Read More

De-Clutter and Support Your School!

Spring Cleaning is such a transformative experience.

Who knew that thinning a bookshelf or tackling that front hall closet you avoid could feel so powerful? At the beginning of the COVID-19 pandemic I channeled my anxiety into cleaning and reorganizing the house. I set out to conquer “the creep” that tends to take over corners and closets during the daily bustle of kids and jobs. I wanted my home office back! I wanted to not feel guilty about buying new workout clothes! I wanted to feel like we were moving forward in an uncertain time.

The world is opening again, and rather than “going back to normal,” most of us have embraced the fact that it will be a WHOLE NEW ERA. A totally new definition of normal.
The best way to make that “new normal” a WAY BETTER normal than to start out with an old favorite, Spring Cleaning.

Here at Common Ground, we are doing just that! We are emptying our old storage units and thinning out our book collections (have no fear! We support child literacy more than ever before, we just don’t need 18 copies of “The Foot Book” floating around in the back of our closets).

What will we do with all this STUFF? Some of it is quite beloved and well taken care of, some of it is barely used but we certainly do not need it taking up space.

On our quest to REDUCE, REUSE, RECYCLE, we found a company called FUNDrive. Their incredible business model encourages groups of people and schools like us to get together and collect gently used items to donate!

Our drop-off date is not until June 5th, but ‘Spring Cleaning’ is happening as we speak! Save up those donation items and you will only have to do one drop-off.

Instead of trying to find different places to donate all of your myriad items, just bring them straight to us.

1. The donations will cost you nothing! 

2. You are giving your house a spruce up!

3. You are helping your community recycle perfectly fine items instead of creating waste, and offering quality goods to people at more affordable prices.

4. You are helping your school by helping us raise funds through no cost to you.

Fund Drive Logo.png

We are looking to raise $1000 by cleaning out your closets and cabinets of GENTLY USED items. Help us get to our goal by helping us collect AT LEAST 120 full 33 gallon size bags and 100 small boxes. (there is no limit! I think we can blast through that number, but let's have a baseline) Ask your friends, neighbors and coworkers to do the same and make your pledge today! 

DATES TO DROP OFF ITEMS:

  • Friday, June 4th from 7:45 AM-6:00 PM

  • Saturday, June 5th from 8:00AM-12:00PM

  • Drop off will be at Common Ground Childcare: 1700 Wainwright Drive, Ste 2, Reston VA 20190.

ITEM PICK UP DATES:

  • TBD: If there are enough people interested in this, we may schedule a “pick up” for items before our time slot on June 5th.

  • If you need help with lifting bags/boxes, please let us know: lj@commongroundchildcare.org

    **IF NONE OF THE ABOVE DATES WORK FOR YOU: Please contact LJ Donnell: 703.498.9073/lj@commongroundchildcare.org. We will find a way to help you, store your things, et cetera.

SAVE THE DATE (June 4th and 5th). SAVE YOUR STUFF (clothes, accessories, small household items, books). SAVE THE WORLD (every little bit counts).

Love Love Love,

LJ and your Common Ground Family

Read More

Friends of CG Fridays: Kona Ice of North Fairfax!

Kona+Ice+Logo.jpg

Kona Ice of North Fairfax Facebook Page

Order “Kurbside” from Steve and Natalia of North Fairfax

Booking Requests for Kona Ice in Fairfax County

Kona Ice

We do not have enough nice things to say about our Local Kona Ice Truck heroes, Steve and Natalia Hammond. Whenever we need them to make an event more magical (or just a hot day cooler) they show up ready to help us celebrate. Natalia even drives the truck herself over to see us in our parking lot to make sure we get the best care!

What is Kona Ice?

Kona Ice is a MOBILE DESSERT FOOD TRUCK that serves shaved ice in a variety of technicolor flavors! You can find them at events, you can invite them to YOUR event, and you can order curbside deliciousness from your local truck! We cannot get enough of it over here.

We have a lot of children and teachers with varying allergies, and Kona Ice makes sure we can include EVERYONE! They are Gluten-Free, Fat-Free, Nut-Free, Dairy-Free, Lactose-Free. No GMO’s, No HFC’s. You can even get sugar-free if you need to! It really makes everyone smile, which is our goal here at Common Ground, and why we treasure Steve and Natalia’s steadfast commitment to customer joy!

We are writing about them TODAY specifically because, on this first truly warm Friday of Spring here at Common Ground, they came to celebrate with us!! They helped us make sure every and teacher got a tasty treat and did not break the bank! If there is a better way to ring in Spring break, I haven’t seen it yet… We hope to have them over many times this summer to make our camp days extra special.

Natalia, you are an absolute gem, we loved having you today and so appreciate all you and Steve do for us!

Help us support them! Look into booking a Kona-Ice truck for any of your socially distant activities, and recommend them to anyone around who could use a treat with a smile-guarantee.

Love Love Love,

Your CG Family

Read More

Birthday at CG: Book Fair

One of the best events that can happen at any school is A BOOK FAIR!! What is a more wholesome way to support your school than to get kids excited about reading?

This CG Birthday Book Fair is being hosted by our local friends SCRAWL BOOKS and it is COMPLETELY ONLINE! Which means it goes 24/7 from Monday, April 12th to Monday, April 19th. You can shop together at home. You can share with your friends and family all over and help them find their new favorite book WHILE earning money for our educator support funds.

All week we will be featuring books with recorded readings, so check out our Facebook and YouTube to see which books our kids like best!

We also have wish lists for each classroom as well as the weekly Summer Camp themes, so check those out as well if you would like to directly support your classroom!

OUR BOOK FAIR IS LIVE! CLICK HERE!!

How does it work? Simple! You can see our recommended book lists on our Book Fair site HERE, but you can also just go to https://www.scrawlbooks.com/ and shop ANYWHERE on the site!

How do we get credit? Easy. Read the instructions below. These are also available on the Book Fair webpage.

Checkout:

Checkout as you normally would, but please note the following:

1. Use COUPON CODE: In order for Common Ground to receive credit for your purchase, you must use COMMONGROUND.   

2. SHIPPING METHOD: Choose Common Ground Book Fair.

3. ORDER COMMENTS: Note the name of the student and grade where books will be delivered. If your books are presents and you want them held in the library for pickup please make a note of that (wrapping on book fair orders is not available). Families with multiple children are asked to choose one classroom for order delivery OR place separate orders for each child.

Delivery:

All books purchased through the Common Ground School Book Fair will be delivered to the classroom specified in the order comments, 1-2 weeks after the Book Fair ends.  


Please let us know if you have any questions. We are so excited to do this with our favorite local bookstore! Supporting us in the Book Fair is also supporting them, which is amazing, especially during the pandemic.

HURRAY BOOKFAIR!

— Mrs. LJ and your CG Family

P.S. Do you want MORE recommendations? We wrote a fantastic Earth Day post HERE with ten amazing Biology/Environmental books for clever youngsters.

Read More

Birthday at CG: Our SPRING STUFFY SLEEPOVER!

Image 11-30-20 at 1.24 PM.jpg
 
 

April is our Birthday Month! And to give it a GRAND FINALE, we are hosting another SUPER POPULAR SPRING STUFFY SLEEPOVER!

What is a Stuffy Sleepover? We are glad you asked!

Kids bring their favorite toy. It can be a stuffed animal, a doll, an action-figure, an excavator! They leave them in the loving care of our teachers for a night of music, books, and awesome activities. Kids can watch their favorite toys play with their best friends’ favorite toys from either Facebook Live or YouTube.

Basically, it is a heartfelt way for kids to be together without BEING together.

We had seen them before, Scrawl Books does an especially fun series of them featuring amazing children’s authors.

They are ridiculous fun for everyone involved. CHECK OUT OUR VIDEOS FROM THAT NIGHT ON OUR YOUTUBE CHANNEL

STUFFY SLEEPOVER VIDEOS

On Friday, April 30th, the stuffies will come into Common Ground for a night of fun! This time, we are going to have our Mr. Josh sing-a-long around a CAMP FIRE! We will roast marshmallows, look at the stars, and read books about Spring. We will play outside, eat delicious snacks, and make something delightful for our kids at home. After that, we will camp out under the stars and dream of adventures with our Common Ground Family.

Our Featured Author is the warm-hearted, endlessly talented Andrea Lamont.

We will be reading her book “The Magic Friendship Rock,” a lovely story about imagination, art, and the absolute magic of friendship. The stuffys will bring home a copy of this book along with some other fun story-themed surprises to share with their friends.

The next morning on the First of May we will take all the stuffed animals (and other friends) home on the Common Ground Bus with a delightful goodie bag to share with their kiddo to remind them of all the fun things they did the night before.

Does this sound amazing? It does to us too. We could barely wait until Spring to party with all our magnificent stuffy friends again!

 

Sign Up Right Here!

$30.00 Donation to our COMMON GROUND BIRTHDAY Campaign gets you a ticket for the stuffy sleepover! It includes the goodie-bags, the fun, the live-videos, and more surprises!

Then you can drop your stuffed animal off on Thursday the 29th or Friday the 30th at the center (we will email you with the details when you register!) and it will be delivered home via the Common Ground Bus!

The money raised will go towards necessary educational initiatives at Common Ground Childcare.


In the spirit of OUR BIRTHDAY, since we cannot all BE together, at least we can celebrate together.



Miss LJ

Read More

Friends of CG Fridays!: SCRAWL BOOKS (With Exciting Upcoming Events!)

Scrawl Books over in Reston Town Center is a fabulous gem on Reston’s “Shop Local” Crown.

When I found out they were putting in a little bookstore right on the corner of Reston Town Center, I was absolutely delighted. It is within reasonable “Lunch Break” walking distance. It has an amazing selection, and whatever they don’t have they’re willing to order. They support local authors.


MOST IMPORTANTLY, their events promote early literacy and support several wonderful causes. In short? They’re just Good people. Good people doing Good things. And we love having friends like that.

When we contacted them a few years back to do live readings in their store, they were so supportive! They not only let us swipe their stuffy sleepover idea, but they donated items for the stuffy goodie bags!!

On Friday, March 26th, they’re actually doing their own Stuffed Animal Sleepover featuring Children’s Author Ethan Berlin! Children drop off their stuffies for a night of amazing activities, including a reading by Ethan Berlin himself of his new book I am not a Dog Toy.
Sign Up
Here if you are interested.

And now, they are going to be doing a BOOK FAIR WITH US in April to celebrate Common Ground Childcare’s 49th Birthday.

Book Fair Scrawl Books.png

When: April 12th to April 19th (LINK INCOMING, STAY TUNED). It is an online bookfair, so it goes 24/7 that entire week!

Where: Scrawl Books will have a page for us on their website, so we will post the link for that when it’s available.

How: We will have recommended books and classroom wishlists on our special link, but you can buy any of the books on the site once you have clicked through! It is not just for kids, stock up on your adult summer reading too!

Why:
- Books are brain food:
For our birthday, we are promoting early literacy, consistent literacy, holistic literacy. Reading is good for everyone of every age, no matter what style of book you’re reading. Pick books out for you, your kids, your friends, your family, your school. Pick books out to donate to charity, or for your child’s classroom.
- #ShopLocal: You will be supporting a local business! Scrawl Books is a Reston treasure, and supporting them is supporting your whole town.
- Fundraiser Time: Scrawl books will keep track of how many books are purchased during our book fair and Common Ground will get a percentage of the proceeds! Is there a better birthday present that?

The Pandemic has hit all of our local businesses hard. Right now Scrawl Books is open for curbside pick up and delivery, and we hope that our Covid-19 numbers will go down and enough people will become vaccinated that we can all be together again. Until then, Scrawl Books has agreed to do live online readings for our classrooms on Wednesdays. They are partnering with us and supporting our school. The very least we can do is talk about how wonderful they are, and recommend them every chance we get.

THANK YOU, SCRAWL BOOKS!!

Love Love Love,

LJ and your Common Ground Family

Read More
Common Ground Common Ground

Saturday Hours!? Yes PLEASE! (at least for one day)

Spring has sprung, and if you’re anything like me, it means that you have torn your house apart in an effort to clean up from a year of being at home. Also if you’re like me, it means that you haven’t quite gotten all the way through putting it back together again. Yet, unlike me, you have a valid excuse - kiddos at home - as to why you haven’t found the time to get it together.

That’s where Common Ground comes in! We are happy to announce that we will be open for 5 hours on Saturday, March 20th for our very first “Spring Clean Saturday!”

Bring your kids to enjoy a fun day at Common Ground from 9:30am to 2:30pm on Saturday, March 20th! We will have pizza, play outside, if weather allows, we will get out the moon bounce, and we are looking at some other fun treats!

This event is FREE for all currently attending families! We are asking for a $25 donation per child if you wish to contribute something, as this event kicks off Common Ground’s Birthday Celebration! Please donate through the PayPal Giving Fund linked here.

I got the idea when I was chatting with Miss LJ while she was in the car on her way to her parents house with the kids, so that her husband could “reset” their house for the week. With everyone really living in their homes during the pandemic, this seemed like a great way that Common Ground could give back to our families!

We hope that you enjoy this little gift from us, and if it goes well, we will do it again!

-Miss Liz and the Common Ground Team

SIGN UP HERE:

Read More
Events and Fundraisers, Life Common Ground Events and Fundraisers, Life Common Ground

MABEL'S LABELS -- The Perfect Gift For ANYONE on your List (Including You!)

The Holidays are upon us and, let’s face it… after the year we have all had, we really want to make sure that we finish 2020 off in style and start fresh in January.

That’s why Common Ground has paired up with MABELS LABELS! These labels are tough, beautiful, clear, and, when necessary, waterproof! Add a little touch of magic to your gift wrapping and holiday cards this year. Get cute water bottle labels for your kid that leaves it all so that it can be returned! (Is that “kid” you? Because that’s okay, I forget everything too.)

Because we are a daycare, we label EVERYTHING. Labels help with pre-literacy in young children, so we try to label EVERYTHING in the classroom. Labels help avoid confusion with jackets, school supplies, and beloved toys. MOST IMPORTANTLY, labels help avoid confusion with medicines, allergens, and chemicals so that there are fewer mistakes. This is especially important with personal items like masks and water bottles!!

But labels do not have to be utilitarian. They can instantly make any room a PINTEREST APPROVED room! Check out the ingredient labels below!! If you have a friend or family member that has everything, pick them out a little something that will give PIZAZZ to that everything! For example, I am absolutely going to purchase the potted plant labels below for my husband to give a little pop of color to his inside winter garden.

If you have multiple children in sports or school, having name tags can help you out when you are in a hurry, or even let your kids be helpful by giving them an extra reminder which things are theirs.

THE IDENTITY BRACELETS AND ALLERGY LABELS ARE KEY. They are clear, concise, and have bright, eye-grabbing colors to keep their safety notes top-of-mind.

So if you are already shopping, stop on by our Mabel’s Labels Fundraiser Page! Make sure you search “Common Ground (Reston)” and then away you go! Check out some of their amazing products below (you can click on the pictures!). Get a lot of your shopping out of the way, and we get 20% of the sales at the same time!

Happy Labeling! Show us pictures of your lovely Pinterest house when you’re done!

Read More

Your Time + Saving You Money = $20 Donation

 
BLOG BANNER.png
 

When we talk about the Common Ground Community feeling like a family, we’re not joking! Once a part of Common Ground, always a part of Common Ground!

121219610_10221445694265609_5325792716291924407_o.jpg

Jacob Ayubi is about as connected to Common Ground as someone can get! His mother, Miss Najiba, was a teacher at our center for over 35 years and all four of his kids (he and his wife, Meghan, have a son and triplet daughters!) have attended as well! So when Jacob found out that his company, State Farm, had a charitable giving initiative, he reached out to make sure Common Ground was on their list for the following giving cycle in 2021.

Jacob didn’t stop there though! For our Giving Tuesday campaign, “Give Funds, Give Time”, Jacob has offered to give Common Ground $20 for every person who gets an insurance quote from him. So the gift of a few minutes of your time could save you money, give back to our center, and it’s pretty easy too!

  1. First: Fill out the form at the bottom of this post

  2. Second: Visit Jacob’s Site here: https://jacobsf.com

And that’s it! Jacob will take care of making the donation to Common Ground. Easy as PIE! And just like pie, a lot of small pieces add up to make an even greater whole!

Read More

#GiveFundsGiveTime: The Stuffy Sleepover!

 
Stuffy Sleepover Banner.png
 

As our big #GivingTuesday #GiveFundsGiveTime Fundraiser,

Common Ground Childcare Presents:

DRUMROLL PLEASE!!


OUR STUPENDOUS STUFFY SLEEPOVER!

stuffy sleepover.JPG

Our favorite local bookstore Scrawl Books runs a stuffed animal sleepover for kiddos around Reston, and we fell in love with the idea, so we are trying it out for ourselves.
Covid-19 makes it impossible for kids to hang out with their friends en-mass, which means the tried-and-true Sleepovers and Lock-Ins are out for the foreseeable future. So let your kiddos best fluffy friends hang out together for them!

On Tuesday, November 24th, the stuffies will come into Common Ground for a night of fun! We will sing songs with the famous Mr. Josh! We will give the stuffies a swim lesson courtesy of Goldfish Swim School. We will dance and play games with Ms. LJ! At bedtime we will make sure all our furry friends brush their teeth, snuggle down, and get a bedtime story. We will read with The Magnificent Wayne Truax, local author of Mouse, the Man and the MGB. The best part? Your kiddos will get to see all of this in action, and laugh along with us from the safety of their homes.

The next morning, the Stuffies will pack up, get their amazing goodie bags (including their OWN copy of Mouse, the Man, and the MGB!), board the Common Ground bus, and will be delivered to their kiddos safe and sound and full of adventures.

 

Sign Up Right Here!

$30.00 Donation to our Campaign gets you a ticket for the stuffy sleepover! It includes the goodie-bags, the fun, the live-videos, and more surprises!

Then you can drop your stuffed animal off on Monday or Tuesday at the center (we will email you with the details when you register!) and it will be delivered home via the Common Ground Bus!

The money raised will go towards necessary educational initiatives at Common Ground Childcare.


In the spirit of #GiveFundsGiveTime, give your kids a chance to be together, especially while apart.



Miss LJ

Read More

#GiveFundsGiveTime Campaign Begins!

#GiveFundsGiveTime.png

Let’s face it folks…

THE COVID-19 PANDEMIC IS EXHAUSTING.

Having time, energy, and money could sometimes be hard at the end of a normal work/school week.

We are running a marathon of enduring loss and fear. Our reserves are stretched, our patience thin. We can sometimes feel paralyzed by indecision and terrible fatigue, unsure of how to maintain JOY in our own households when the world looks so different.

Giving Tuesday Logo.jpg

Giving Tuesday is on Tuesday, December 1st this year, and if you’re like us, you feel tapped out.

Our children cannot see their friends, we cannot see our family, a lot of us have had our salaries cut or jobs furloughed. What can one person give when so many buckets are empty?

“GIVING” is a muscle too. It can be overworked and injured. We can see all of the NEED in the world, all the work that needs to be done, and the distance between here and there can seem daunting.

You don’t start working a muscle by running a marathon or lifting 500 lbs. You start by walking a mile. And then another. You lift that 5lb weight until you can lift 10lbs, 15lbs, and so forth.

And so, my friends, I come to my point.

This year, for Giving Tuesday, Common Ground Childcare is running our #GiveTimeGiveFunds campaign.

We are asking for a pledge time OR funds OR both, and we are asking you to give slowly, with care, and with self-forgiveness if it feels too small. No act of kindness is too small.

IMG_7826.JPG

GIVE FUNDS
This one is easy - we will have plenty of opportunities for you to give money to Common Ground!

Our MAJOR EVENT of the #GiveFundsGiveTime campaign is THE STUFFY SLEEPOVER!! It is a fundraiser we set up to give back to the community, especially those kiddos who are missing their friends and holiday fun.

GIVE TIME

Our most precious commodity, the one we are most adamant to protect, and the one we are often the least efficient with.
NO JUDGEMENTS HERE! During the COVID-19 pandemic I have personally felt like there is endless need, and I still end up doom scrolling on my phone for an unacceptable amount of time each day.

Even in normal circumstances is exceptionally hard to manage something as subjective and intangible as Time, especially when so many important things (and people) seem to have pressing need

Common Ground’s BIG ASK this run-up to Giving Tuesday? Build up those Giving-Time muscles.

We want you to pledge what you think you can do each day for just two weeks!

We are pledging 5 minutes a day until December 1st, and we are only asking for you to do the same.

Do you think you can do more than that? GREAT! Pledge it! We want to see what our community is capable of, because we know it is incredible!

What can you do in five minutes? CHECK OUT OUR FACEBOOK, INSTAGRAM for ideas every single day!

You would be amazed at what you could do in five minutes for:

  • Children

  • Family

  • Neighborhood

  • Environment

  • Coworkers

  • Community

  • Yourself

  • Causes

We will be talking about one of these each day until December 1st! Please share your ideas, your struggles, your triumphs! In this time of social distancing, seeing your pictures and stories makes us all feel united.

Use our #GiveFundsGiveTime hashtag so we can see the impact of everyone doing “just” five minutes a day.


On December 1st we will look back and see what incredible things we can do in two weeks. Just like you, I know it will be humbling, wholesome, significant.

Get out there and #GIVE!

— Ms. LJ

Read More

FUNdraiser: Chipotle

HELLO TEACHERS, PARENTS, STUDENTS, AND OTHER SUPPORTERS OF GOOD TIMES AND GOOD CAUSES!

It is rare to get such an easy win-win-win as a Chipotle Fundraiser. Your family gets a delightful meal that satisfies even the pickiest eater, your school gets much needed support for their classroom curriculum supplies fund, and your local Chipotle gets business in a time of great upheaval.

HERE IS THE MOST IMPORTANT PART. The orders do not have to be from people who go to the school! They can be from your friends, family, coworkers, neighbors, ANYONE. AS LONG AS THEY SHOW THEM THE FLYER BETWEEN 5-9PM THE NIGHT OF NOVEMBER 17TH WE GET 33% OF THE SALES.

FLYER is here. SPANISH FLYER is here

FLYER is here. SPANISH FLYER is here

WHAT: Common Ground’s Awesome Chipotle Dinner Fundraiser
WHERE: The CHIPOTLE at 12152 Sunset Hills Rd Reston, VA 20190 (next to the Target)
WHEN: November 17th from 5:00PM from 9:00PM
HOW: You order Chipotle from our local Sunset Hills location between 5-9PM. You can do carry out, you can do delivery from their app, you can order in store! You can order food for one or food for one hundred, all of it counts toward our fundraiser!
For Carry Out and Store Orders: SHOW THEM THIS FLYER AT CHECKOUT. On your phone is perfectly fine.
For Chipotle Delivery via App or Website: PLEASE USE THIS CODE - N8AZX3W - IN THE PROMO CODE LINE.
(If you have any questions on this please feel free to contact LJ Donnell the day of the event.)

Read More