Newsletter: November 2024, #2
Hello Common Ground Community,
We have a lot to be Thankful for this season, mainly YOU, our wonderful families and community members! We have a lot of exciting news to share, hence the second newsletter this month! But first, we would like to take a moment to share our appreciation and gratitude in how you have all stepped up to help with both our fundraiser for Miss Mimi and our Thanksgiving Boxes for Cornerstones. Both were wonderful successes!
Teacher Bonus Fund
We are happy to announce that we used reserve funds to go ahead and pay our teachers their bonuses prior to Black Friday shopping. We are still accepting pledges for the bonus fund to pay back those reserves. As a reminder, teachers and staff are not allowed to accept any gifts from families that are not hand made/home baked. The best way to show your appreciation is through a donation to the bonus fund. Please make your pledges here: https://commongroundchildcare.org/teacher-bonus-fund
As a reminder, donations do not need to be made immediately, you are able to spread them out between 2024 and 2025.
Thanksgiving Week - Closed Wednesday, Thursday, and Friday
Thank you for letting us know your attendance plans for next week! This is incredibly helpful, as it allows us to not waste either food or funds during times where we may have lower than normal enrollment. To help us plan for December, please utilize the absence form to let us know if you are taking any time off in the coming month.
https://commongroundchildcare.org/absence
If you are remaining in town, we suggest heading over to the Town Center Holiday Parade! It was ranked as one USA Today’s top ten holiday parades in the country in 2022 and we are currently raked number 6 this year! You can vote here: https://10best.usatoday.com/awards/travel/best-holiday-parade-2024/leaderboard/
New Years Eve-Eve Party
We had a great 2024 here at Common Ground and are excited for an incredible 2025! We will be hosting our second annual New Years Eve (eve) party here at Common Ground on Monday, December 30th from 5 to 6pm with a 5:45pm “Ball Drop”!
If you didn’t attend last year, imagine Times Square at New Years Eve, but on a mini scale, here at Common Ground! We will have music, dancing, and professional lights (courtesy of Liz’s husband and his professional lighting gear!). If you did attend last year, use your imagination to remember it like a mini Times Square!
To attend, you just pick up your child(ren) and head on over to the grass patch to join the party! We will have New Years hats, noisemakers, and an apple juice toast when we do our countdown ball drop!
Common Ground will close at 4pm on New Years Eve proper, so please plan accordingly.
Mimi Fundraiser Update
Mimi’s situation highlighted the fact that Common Ground needed a way to help employees when emergencies arise. Our community mobilized and though the gofundme and the yard sale, we raised a little over $7000 to help support Miss Mimi in her time of need. We have distributed $7000 to Miss Mimi.
With the remainder (about $300), we are excited to announce the creation of an Employee Assistance Fund at Common Ground Childcare, designed to provide financial support to our team members during times of unforeseen emergencies or personal tragedies. This fund reflects our commitment to fostering a supportive and compassionate workplace, ensuring that our staff have a safety net when faced with unexpected hardships, such as medical emergencies, natural disasters, or other significant challenges. We recognize the vital role each of you plays in our community, and this initiative is one way we can come together to take care of one another in difficult times.
This fund will be accessed through application and the vote of an independent committee made up of parents, teachers, and board members, that will be created with each application we recieve.
Lead Testing - Waiting List
We want to inform our families about our commitment to ensuring safe, clean drinking water for all children at Common Ground Childcare. As required under Virginia Code 22.1-289.057, licensed child care centers must conduct water quality testing to identify any potential lead contamination. We are currently on the waiting list for the grant that covers this testing, and we will keep you updated on the timeline once we receive more information regarding when our water test will be conducted and when we can expect results.
We want to reassure you that, given our building was constructed after the 1986 lead ban, it is unlikely that we have any lead contamination in our water. However, we are committed to meeting this requirement to maintain transparency and the highest standards of health and safety for your children. Thank you for your continued support and trust!
Tuition Increase
Please check your brightwheel documents to see the increase in tuition for current families that goes into effect on February 1. If you child moves classrooms between December 1 and February 1, you will be charged the new tuition rate for that room.
We have published our external tuition rates on the website here.