The Bloomingdale Family Program

One of our community partners, Columbia Community Service (CSS) offered us a table at NYC KidFest, an annual vibrant music and arts event uptown. Thanks, Aisha, our development associate and outreach coordinator, for being on hand and sharing about Bloomingdale!

Familias de Bloomingdale: los menús para la próxima semana ya están disponibles en nuestro sitio web:

El rincón de la cocina - Bloomingdale Family Program Menús semanales en la esquina de la cocina para el salón de clases preescolar en The Bloomingdale Family Program

Bloomingdale families: the menus for next week are now available on our website:

Kitchen Corner - Bloomingdale Family Program Weekly menus for the preschool classrooms at The Bloomingdale Family Program. Nutritious and balanced meals for young children.

Calling all alumni and staff, sign up today for our Annual Alumni Photo Event! June 28 and June 29 2026!

https://forms.gle/hvHRS9h5a7icZ7x86

https://www.fda.gov/safety/recalls-market-withdrawals-safety-alerts/clover-hill-dairy-expands-recall-include-all-clover-hill-dairy-brand-cheese-due-possible-health-risk

Clover Hill Dairy Expands Recall to Include All Clover Hill Dairy Brand Cheese Due to Possible Health Risk June 18, 2026 - Clover Hill Dairy of Mechanicsville, Maryland is expanding their recall to include all Clover Hill Dairy brand cheese because it has the potential to be contaminated with Listeria monocytogenes, an organism which can cause serious and sometimes fatal infections in young children, f

FDA recall of formula:

NARA ORGANICS RECALLS ALL LOTS OF NARA INFANT FORMULA BECAUSE OF POSSIBLE HEALTH RISK Nara Organics of New York, NY, is voluntarily recalling all lots of Nara Organics Powdered Infant Formula currently on the market out of an abundance of caution due to the potential risk of Clostridium botulinum contamination. Infant botulism is a rare but potentially fatal illness that presents a s

Council Member Gale A. Brewer We’ll be taking the first orders of the season for my annual summertime Fresh Food for Seniors program starting a week from Monday, 6/29–7/2 at my District Office (12–5 pm, 563 Columbus) for the first pickup on 7/15 at the Goddard Riverside Older Adult Center (593 Columbus) from 1–3 pm.

Once again, $10 cash, paid two weeks in advance, will yield a bag of fresh produce worth about $15 from local farmers. Our other pickup sites (call them for their ordering process!):

DOROT, 171 West 85th Street, 917-441-3723
NCJW Council Lifetime Learning, 241 West 72nd Street, 212-687-5030 ext. 481/468
Lincoln House Outreach, 303 West 66th Street, 212-875-8958
Bloomingdale Aging in Place (limited to BAIP members), 212-842-8831 ext. 20 (no charge for membership)

A new alumni profile:

Takuma Comes to Visit - Bloomingdale Family Program Alumni update Takuma was a student with us in 2003 and he returned to Japan at age 4. He remembered us and came to visit with his family.

Harvard Graduate School of Education Harvard's Graduate School of Education series on early literacy:
Ep. 5 Practical Insights for Families on Supporting Language & Literacy
Key Takeaways
1. Early language development lays the foundation for later reading and writing.
Children’s vocabulary and oral language skills help set the stage for reading comprehension. Even when children can decode words accurately, they need to know what those words mean and how ideas connect to understand what they read.

2. The quality of talk matters, not just the quantity.
The conversation emphasized that supporting language development is not simply about talking more. It is about creating back-and-forth exchanges where children are being talked with, not just talked to. These interactions give children opportunities to respond, extend their thinking, and practice using language in increasingly complex ways.

3. “Decontextualized talk” helps children build vocabulary, critical thinking, and academic language.
Meredith highlighted the importance of conversations that move beyond the here and now. Talking about past experiences, future plans, predictions, explanations, pretend scenarios, and abstract ideas can help children build vocabulary, use more complex sentences, and develop the kinds of language they will encounter in school.

4. Everyday routines are powerful opportunities for language growth.
Families do not need a special curriculum or separate activity to support children’s language development. Mealtime, bath time, car rides, errands, and other daily routines can all become moments for rich conversation. The goal is to build on what families are already doing and stretch those interactions in small, meaningful ways.

5. Shared reading is most powerful when it becomes interactive.
Books introduce children to new words, ideas, places, and experiences they may not encounter in everyday life. Families and educators can deepen the reading experience by asking open-ended questions, connecting the story to a child’s life, inviting predictions, talking about how characters feel, and encouraging children to retell stories in their own words.

The last day of NYC Kidsfest!
https://www.nyckidsfest.org/