Dear CDA Families,
Springtime is here and we’re excited to welcome the warmth of this beautiful season with blossoms, butterflies, and memorable moments with family! It’s the perfect time to step outside, soak up the sunshine, and engage in fun activities with your little ones.
This year, Child Development Associates (CDA) is proud to celebrate its 50th anniversary! Did you know that CDA was founded by a single mom, who through her struggles became committed to helping families? That’s right, Charlene Tressler founded CDA in 1974 by opening a small child development center at a local church in Otay Mesa. Her vision of a small community preschool has grown into what is now a multiservice nonprofit agency serving over 22,000 children across its programs. CDA is one of the largest Alternative Payment Programs in the state and the largest sponsor of the Federal USDA Child Care Food Program in California.
It’s no surprise that the logo that characterizes CDA is a butterfly, which signifies the organization’s commitment to transformative growth and positive change, reflecting its core values of providing compassionate services to families and providers. In honor of our 50th anniversary and the butterfly logo, we invite you to join us in a series of family engagement activities centered around butterflies, fostering a sense of transformation, unity, and fun with family.
- Butterfly Watching: Go to parks or gardens to see colorful butterflies flying around flowers. Bring binoculars and a guidebook to learn more about them.
- Create a Butterfly Garden: You can make your backyard a butterfly paradise by planting flowers like milkweed and butterfly bushes. Watch as butterflies come to visit!
- Butterfly Life Cycle Craft: Learn about how butterflies grow by making a craft. You will need paper, markers, and pipe cleaners to make eggs, caterpillars, cocoons, and butterflies. Have everyone share their creations and discuss the transformative aspects of the butterfly’s life cycle.
- Nature Scavenger Hunt: Explore nature by searching for things like butterflies, flowers, bird nests, and interesting rocks in the park or neighborhood.
- Butterfly Storytime: Read fun books about butterflies together. “The Very Hungry Caterpillar” is a classic! Encourage sharing about transformation, growth, or unity within your family.
- Butterfly Feeding Station: Set up a dish with fruit slices and sugar water to help butterflies refuel in the garden.
- Nature Art with Found Objects: Collect leaves, twigs, and flowers during a nature walk and use them to make art like leaf rubbings or flower collages.
- Butterfly Release Ceremony: Get butterfly larvae and watch them turn into butterflies. Then, set them free in the backyard!
As we enjoy spring and celebrate CDA’s 50th anniversary, let’s remember how butterflies show change and growth. Let’s have fun with family, make lots of happy memories, and try new things together. Here’s to a season of happiness, learning, and being together!
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For individualized assistance with resources or referrals, please contact our Family Resources Team via the contact form on our workshops page: