Kid's Directory 2024/2025 Resource Guide

IS YOUR KIDDO 8-12 YEARS OLD? THEY MAY QUALIFY FOR A 3 TO 4 VISIT STUDY Arkansas Children's Nutrition Center is seeking volunteers for a study examining the effects of stevia-sweetened beverages on the weight gain of children aged 8 to 12 years.

For more information call us at (501) 364-3309 or email us at ACNCSTUDIES@ARCHILDRENS.ORG 2 • Find us online at KidCentralAR.com

School for Dance 3 Years Running Voted One of Arkansas's Top Rated Dance Schools

NOW ENROLLING! | Classes for Children & Adults Expert Faculty | State-of-the-Art Facilities Flexible Schedule | Affordable Tuition | Age Appropriate Instruction | CLASSES START AUGUST 26TH!

C o m m u n i t y C a s t Ages Auditions

Carmen, Nutcracker Spectacular Romeo & Juliet, A Midsummer Night’s Dream!

Incredible Performance Opportunities!

Open Auditions - August 16-25 All Welcome!

Perform at Robinson Center and AMFA 2 productions with live music by ASO!

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OUR ADVERTISERS Arkansas Better Beginnings..................................... 5, 47 Arkansas Childrens Hospital, Nutrition...........................2 Arkansas Childrens Hospital, Research........................ 42 Arkansas Innovation Hub............................................. 23 Arkansas Military and First Responders Academy.........................43, 44, 45, 46 Arkansas Office of Child Support.................................. 42 Arkansas Outdoor School............................................. 20 Arkansas Skatium......................................................... 21 Arkansas Soccer Club.................................................... 39 Arkansas Rising Soccer................................................. 23 Ballet Arkansas.................................................................3 Barksdale Federal Credit Union................................... 23 Celebrity Attractions...................................................... 48 Central Arkansas Library Ststems................................. 21 Central Arkansas Pediatric Dentistry...............................8 Dancers’ Corner........................................................14,15 Fancyful Parties............................................................. 37 Girls Scouts.................................................................... 37 Grow Learning Centre................................................... 38 Jacksonville Parks & Recreation......................... 7, 12, 38 Jax's Gym.........................................................................9 Legacy Christian Academy...................................... 18, 19 Little Rock Zoo............................................................... 22 Miki the Monkey.......................................................... 22 Old Statehouse Museum............................................. 16 Salon Jadore ................................................................ 36 Shuffles & Ballet II........................................................ 12 St. Joseph Farmstead.....................................................16 Tasha Teaches Spanish.................................................. 37 The Decker School......................................................... 16 The Painted Pig............................................................. 13 UCA Reynolds Performance Hall.................................. 17

PLUS Publisher's Letter.............................................................6 Girls On The Run........................................................... 10 Resources for Educators & Families.............................. 24 Empowering Teachers.................................................. 33 Kids Eat Free.................................................................. 35 Fashion Finds................................................................ 40

Published by Kid’s Directory, LLC A KD Consulting Company Information: (501) 975-6776 team@kidcentralar.com KidCentralAR.com

This Directory is copyrighted and no part may be reproduced without permission of the publisher.

Play to learn

LITERACY

Research tells us children learn best when they’re having fun. Quality early educators lead children to literacy through songs, rhymes and stories. Dramatic play allows children to use their imaginations to develop their own stories.

WORD

play

Word play is an open-ended opportunity for learning through play. What is a group of zebras called? A group of porcupines? Do you know? Peak your child’s curiosity.

Word play leads to discovery of words for collections of animals. Some group names describe the animal or it’s behavior. Some seem just plain silly!

Preschoolers might enjoy time with you doing something as grownup as researching for more group names or visit the zoo to see animal groups in person.

The more you talk about and research animals, the more new words and animal facts parents and children learn.

Awareness of animals and cultures outside of their daily lives also helps build social skills.

Children in quality child care have probably had the opportunity to learn a lot about animals. If your child is new to naming animals, there are dozens of animal books available to borrow at the library.

If you have a baby or toddler, you might want to you borrow A School of Fish by Sarah Creese from a library.

Toddlers will enjoy the touch and feel parts of the board book, silly illustrations and rhyming text.

Visit the literacy section of our Family Resource Library for a list of great books for any age.

School of Fish

R S P

Learning fun inspired by A School of Fish

by Sarah Creese

Game Pieces 1. Make game pieces from recycled paper envelopes or any blank paper available.

2. Cut and fold like our example.

3. On the outside, write the letter the animal name starts with.

4. On the inside, write the group and animal name.

It’s that easy. See the next page for twelve examples to get started.

P

A Parcel of Penguins

See Bring Books to Life for more ideas to extend the fun and learning of books.

Click here to visit our Resource Library. You’ll find activities and tips to help you prepare your child for life.

We encourage you to visit our Family Resource Library for tips, activities and book recommendations that make learning fun.

Visit our website to find star-rated quality early educators who partner with families to help children prepare for school with age-appropriate and positive learning experiences.

ARBetterBeginnings.com • 1-501-682-8590

Scan the code below to get free fun literacy activities for learning at home in our Family Resource Library Also en Español.

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Girls on the Run of Central Arkansas Fall Season Registration Opens Soon

Girls on the Run of Central Arkansas registration for the fall season is opening August 5th! Girls on the Run is a physical activity-based, positive youth development program that inspires girls in 3rd through 5th grade to be joyful, healthy and confident.

GOTR Central Arkansas has inspired girls in this community for 10 years and has impacted the lives of more than 1100 girls. This season, Girls on the Run will be offered at ten locations. We are excited to be returning to the Hilary Rodham Clinton Children’s Library and have teams in North Little Rock (North Heights Recreation Center) and Conway (McGee Center) for the first time! To see all our locations go to: www.gotrcentralark.org/locations.

Participants will engage in a life-changing program with research-based lessons that use dynamic discussions and fun running games to teach life skills. The first version of the new Girls on the Run curriculum suite is Hello, Superstar! With its fun, empowering theme, this version helps girls develop the confidence to be themselves, love themselves, and encourage others to do the same. During the season, participants learn to embrace and celebrate what makes them special. The season will culminate with a 5K event on November 24, 2024, that brings together family, friends and community members to celebrate the girls’ growth throughout the season.

The program fee for the fall season is $225, and financial assistance is available to any girl who wishes to participate. The program fee includes the ten-week program, a program t-shirt, a new season-specific keepsake item, registration for the end-ofseason 5K event, and a 5K t-shirt. More information about the program and registration can be found on the Girls on the Run of Central Arkansas website at www. gotrcentralark.org.

For ALL Girls- Believe in yourself. Lift a teammate up when they feel challenged.

Celebrate each other's differences. This is what we do at Girls on the Run. It is not just an after-school program – it’s a community of belonging and empowerment that inspires and impacts participants, coaches, and communities for life.

Volunteers, donors and sponsors are needed to support Girls on the Run mission 10 • Find us online at KidCentralAR.com

in the central Arkansas community. If you would like to join us in empowering girls to meet their limitless potential, email, call or register on our website! (email: kathleen.vanlierop@girlsontherun.org) Volunteer Coaches lead the way! Great leaders with big hearts transform communities. Specifically, at GOTR, our coaches empower girls during their most formative years and serve as positive role models. Girls on the Run of Central Arkansas council will provide volunteer coaches with the necessary training support, resources, and materials to facilitate a successful season. Additionally, coaches do not need to have volunteer experience or consider themselves runners to lead our program.

For more information about coaching visit our website www.gotrcentralark.org or call Council Director Kathleen Van Lierop at (501)519-7739.

About Girls on the Run: Based in Charlotte, N.C., Girls on the Run is a nonprofit organization with local Councils in all 50 states. Founded in 1996 with 13 girls, Girls on the Run has now served over 2 million girls. Over the course of the program, girls in 3rd-8th grade develop social, emotional and physical skills to successfully navigate life experiences.

The program culminates with girls positively impacting their communities through a service project and being physically and emotionally prepared to complete a celebratory 5K event. With the largest 5K series by number of events in the world, Girls on the Run hosts more than 330 5Ks per year. Girls on the Run is included as a top research-based program in a Social-Emotional Learning Guide developed by researchers at Harvard University and has been recognized by the National Afterschool Association (NAA) as one of the most influential after-school programs. Girls on the Run is offered in more than 13,000 locations across the US. Visit gotrcentralark.org to learn how to get involved in your community.

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JANUARY 24 2025

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ADULTS $10 | CHILDREN $5

For more information, to register a class or buy tickets: uca.edu/publicappearances/mainstage Email: reynolds@uca.edu Call: 501-450-3265

FEBRUARY 28 2025 10:00 AM & 12:00 PM

Reynolds

PERFORMANCE HALL

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YOUTH ACCOUNTS!

Join our Barksdale Buddies!

bfcu.org | 800-647-2328 Federally Insured By NCUA.

A PLACE FOR EVERYONE TO PLAY all ages and skill levels Recreational REGISTRTION JULY 1-31 Arkansassrising.org

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Princess Parties FANCYFUL.COM

Be a Girl Scout.

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AUGUST IS CHILD SUPPORT AWARENESS MONTH

Painting a Brighter Future for Our Children

SCAN HERE For more information about child support

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44 • Find us online at KidCentralAR.com FREE TUITION | FREE UNIFORMS | FREE LAPTOPS

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Kindergarten

READINESS

Kick off kindergarten readiness for 2025 at your house this summer with the free Getting Ready for Kindergarten Calendar. The yearlong, week-by-week guide helps children learn literacy and math basics and creative activities help them develop the fine motor control needed to hold a pencil correctly and use scissors – essential skills for kindergarten.

Suggested reading helps children learn to deal with change, and develop problem-solving and social skills.

Visit our website to find star-rated early care and education providers who help children prepare for kindergarten through age-appropriate and positive learning experiences.

Getting Ready for Kindergarten A calendar of family activities | August – July

Scan the code below to find the Getting Ready for Kindergarten Calendar and more.

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Robinson center

501.244.8800 • Celebrityattractions.com

blueylive.com

@OfficialBlueyTV #BlueysBigPlay

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