A Very Beary Good Time at SPC

KIDS HONOR THEIR GRANDPARENTS WITH A TEDDY BEAR PICNIC DURING NATIONAL GRANDPARENT DAY EVENT AT ST. PHILIP’S COLLEGE THIS WEEK

St. Philip’s College celebrates student success this week with a traditional event where the guests of honor include beloved grandparents, cherished teddy bears, awesome parents and tasty bag lunches.

The St. Philip’s College Grandparent’s Day observance is a time of diversity organized for kids by the team from the college’s Child Development Center. That business unit operates as a department within the college’s Division of Health Sciences to serve the children of students and employees. This year’s event takes place Sept. 7 at 11 a.m. in the center at 2207 Wyoming Dr.

“It's not necessarily at the level of a Christmas holiday or a Halloween in the consciousness of children, grandparents and parents, but it’s close,” said center staff member Aileen Hartfield. “A bear picnic is very neutral. There is no cultural or age bias for a teddy bear picnic for grandparents. National Grandparents Day falls during the second Monday in September. This year, Sept. 9 is the official day and we celebrate it the Friday before, because grandparents can never be thanked enough. My parents helped me with my daughter and I've got grandchildren, so I know this. The teddy bears are out early for the extended grandparent’s day at St. Philip’s College as our kids’ way of saying thanks to our grandparents. I've seen several (bears) in the classrooms and I’ve got mine set on my desk already. The power of suggestion to celebrate and honor is in the minds of the kids already. The 3-5 year-olds know we are doing this and they are definitely ready and know what to expect. We tell them their parents and grandparents are coming by,” said Hartfield.

To celebrate Grandparent’s Day, the kids have an outdoor picnic where event partner Parent Child Incorporated provides sandwiches and fruit cups for the lunch that day, explained Hartfield. The center has about 30 kids enrolled this year, and generally fewer on Fridays that see fewer children as fewer parents are attending school on campus on Fridays. Hence the intimate ceremony, said Hartfield.

“We have children who do not come to child care on that day---based on the parent’s class schedule, but parents can come in with their kids just for that activity, based on the event we are having.” said Hartfield. “We've been doing this for years, and it’s great for diversity and honoring family. Parents dropping off their kids for the first time realize we are not just a day care, they are not just playing all day, they are doing traditional events with different cultures as well. All kids bring a teddy bear, and all kinds of bears show up. They can bring a stuffed animal if they do not have a bear. We have a little girl who likes pink flamingos and one has the pig from Moana. Whatever makes the baby happy, we go with that,” Hartfield said.

The St. Philip's College Child Development Center is the only center accredited by the National Association for the Education of Young Children within the Eastside San Antonio 78203 zip code––a widely recognized mark of high quality. Also certified by Texas Rising Star, the St. Philip's College Child Development Center is a department within the college’s Division of Health Sciences. The center, located at 2207 E. Wyoming St., is open from 7:30 a.m.–4:30 p.m. for students and 7:30 a.m.-5:30 p.m. for faculty, staff and community-rate families Mondays–Fridays in the fall and spring semesters. The center serves children 18 months–to–five years of age, and the center team is currently accepting names for fall childcare enrollment. Services are available to students, faculty, staff and community members. Contact the center staff at (210) 486–2500 or visit the St. Philip’s College Child Development Center online for details.