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In this newsletter you will find a book and activities to extend your child’s learning at home. This month’s newsletter will focus on the Program of Studies topic of Families. Parts of this topic include people, homes, and food.
Important Dates
Visit the FCPS 2026-27 News and Calendars page for more information.
Outstanding Employee Nominations
Early Childhood Identification & Services Outstanding Employee Awards Nomination 2026-2027
We Want to Hear From You!
Nominations are open October 12 - November 13, 2026.
Let someone at the Child Find and Early Childhood Resource Centers know that you appreciate them. This could be an amazing Teacher, Administrator, Psychologist, Social Worker, Speech Pathologist, or Occupational/Physical therapist who has supported your child. This person may have an amazing attitude, a collaborative spirit, or go above and beyond to support your child and family. Please help us to celebrate the fantastic work happening all around us!
Use this link to share and we will let the employee read your kind words: https://tinyurl.com/FCPSAwards2627
If your child’s teacher works at a local school, you can complete the form and we will forward that information to the right school.
Thank you for helping us recognize the hard work FCPS teachers and staff do for your children every day!
Community Peers
Children aged 3-4 by September 30th (birthday after 9/30/2026) may be eligible to attend preschool classes at an FCPS elementary school thanks to FCPS Community Peers.
The Community Peer program provides an opportunity for preschoolers with all abilities to work and play on a regular basis. Selected community peers attend as peer models in an early childhood special education classroom to promote social, academic, and language development.
Community Peers must be fully potty trained and not currently receiving FCPS special education services. Parents are responsible for providing transportation and meals for their child while attending the school site. Days and hours vary based on location, with half-day and full-day options for FCPS staff that may be available based on program availability at select schools.
Please complete this form if you are interested in having your child attend as a community peer.
Book: Thank You Omu by Oge Mora
This book celebrates community and the power of sharing. Omu cooks a delicious stew, attracting neighbors to her door. She shares the stew with each of them, leaving her with an empty pot. Her kindness is repaid with a community potluck feast.
Key Vocabulary
When new words are paired with a child-friendly definition, young children benefit from exposure to advanced vocabulary. In this book, advanced vocabulary words include: scrumptious, delicious, wafted, and exclaimed. A child-friendly definition of “scrumptious” could be “yummy” or “something you feel excited to eat.”
Questions
Who came to eat Omu’s stew?
How did Omu make her friends feel when she shared her stew with them?
How did Omu feel when her friends shared food with her?
What food makes you feel hungry when you smell it?
What are some things that you can share?
Oge Mora-Inspired Collage Art:
Activity: Oge Mora illustrated the book using cut-paper collages. Give your child child-safe scissors, glue sticks, and colorful scrap paper, old magazines, or tissue paper.
Task: Have them cut or tear shapes to design their own "Community Meal Pot" or a plate filled with their favorite scrumptious foods.
Vocabulary Link: Define scrumptious as "yummy, or something you feel excited to eat."
Story Link
Click or type in the link below to watch or listen to the story!
https://tinyurl.com/msc6s55e
Home Connections
Silly Soup
Pretend to cook soup with your child using a pot, spoon, and objects found around your home (cotton balls, small toys, pom poms, pieces of yarn). Include objects targeting initial sounds (ex. /b/ blocks). Your child can stir the soup, scoop out objects, label, practice sounds, or sort. Before “cooking”, you can make a plan with your child and write a “recipe” together with steps. This activity can be adapted to support your child’s unique strengths and needs, including following directions, making and following through on plans, sequencing, expressive language skills, counting, and more!
Conversations at Meals:
While enjoying these activities, keep the conversation going using the target vocabulary:
Exclaimed: "When Omu’s neighbors tasted the stew, they exclaimed how good it was! That means they spoke out loudly and happily. Can you exclaim 'Yum!'?"
Delicious: "We are making a delicious dinner tonight. What makes a meal delicious to you?"
Making My Family
Support your child in identifying members of their family using family photos, videos, or, for family members who live nearby, during family gatherings. At home, your child can represent the people in their family in many ways. They can use different toys to represent people in their family. Using materials like Legos or blocks, they can build family members. You can support your child as they draw members of their family in a family portrait. Together, label and count the number of people in their family.
Additional Books
The Family Book by Todd Parr: Simple descriptions representing many families.
Hair Love by Matthew A. Cherry: Zuri’s dad does her hair for a special day.
Who Takes Care of You? By Hannah Elliot: Family members care for each other in many ways.
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