Family Fun Event – Planning Meeting Notes

Agenda & Meeting Context

• Purpose of meeting: Plan the annual late-summer Family Fun / Back-to-School Event (outdoors, birth-to-5 focus)

• Historical background: have repeated the event “for the last ten years,” looking to introduce fresh ideas while retaining proven elements

• Core constraints:

  • Hot August weather ⇒ need shade, water play, food-safety awareness

  • Limited staff/volunteer bandwidth ⇒ stations must be simple to run

  • Must integrate Parents as Teachers (PAT) philosophy: every station should invite parent–child interaction and model low-cost activities families can replicate at home

Meal Plan & Food Logistics

• Main entrée decision:

  • Subs used the past two years; concerns about food-safety (mayonnaise, heat, lack of coolers)

  • Final choice: PIZZA (hot food tolerates heat better; reduces botulism risk)

• Sides & add-ons:

  • Cookies – Sam’s Club, minimal mess

  • Produce – pre-cut apple slices & carrot sticks preferred (easy, minimal prep); cucumbers & broccoli as alternatives

  • Ranch dressing – large jug already in stock

  • Lettuce mix for vegan salad option; families can self-serve salad with pizza

• Vegan accommodation:

  • Standing vegan family attends yearly; salad, lettuce, carrots, apple slices will meet needs

  • Cheese and ranch kept separate to preserve vegan option

• Serving equipment:

  • Several inflatable “baby-pool” coolers available for produce & ranch; can double as lawn/water activity later

  • Staffer will bring blow-up cooler trays

• Food transport cautionary tale: spilled bourbon-chicken incident → no more open pans in cars

• Serving team: two volunteers minimum; avoid diverting educators from activity stations

• Event time for dinner: families begin eating shortly after start (see timeline below)

Dietary Safety & Ethical Considerations

• Ethical duty to prevent food-borne illness (botulism/salmonella)

• Inclusive practice: reasonable accommodation for vegan attendees without over-extending resources (parallel to gluten, allergy discussion)

• Avoid popcorn (choking hazard for 0-5; snow-cones chosen instead)

Refreshments & Treats

• Snow-cone/icy station: preferred over popcorn for safety & novelty; uses existing open juice syrups and cups

• Popsicles likely still in freezer – optional secondary frozen treat

Partner / Vendor Invitations

• Current confirmations: Library, Charitable Union, Home-Visiting Programs (Parents as Teachers, Early On), Health Department (WIC, Wellness Wagon)

• Pending / to-invite: Alternatives, Sprout Urban Farms (free veggies), NFP (Nurse–Family Partnership)

• Capacity: space for ≈10 more partner tables; staff to text or email Sue with any new invites

Event Layout & Station Map (proposed)

(Additional partners such as Early On often bring their own sensory bin – staff will request non-choking materials → no water beads.)

Giveaways / Take-Home Materials

1. Event tote/bag (holds all items)

2. Book (title TBD – decision after confirming reader; historically Jane Yolen titles in stock)

3. Sensory bag (from Kim’s station)

4. Pair of movement scarves (to accompany PAT Kleenex-box activity)

5. Sidewalk-chalk sticks – 2 per child; order more if inventory low

6. Optional: long bubble wand (if bulk order of $(6\text{ wands} = 3.74\,\$)$ via A-Ma-zon / Mertens ED supply)

Supplies & Purchasing Notes

• Need bulk pizza order (flavors, quantities TBD once RSVP numbers in)

• Apple & carrot packs: check Sam’s Club; if unavailable, order individual packs from Gordon’s

• Produce cutting back-up plan: Kim willing to slice apples morning-of; soak in citrus water $\text{(H}_2\text{O} + \text{lemon/lime juice)}$ to prevent browning

• Check bubble solution, wands, pipe-cleaners in storage; replace as needed

• Scarves: verify “Make Music First” stash; otherwise order cheap nylon scarves (4 per family)

• Chalk Walk: Cortnee

• Snow-cone ice & syrup inventory; confirm freezer space

• Boombox: locate rescued high-output speaker; ensure power source/extension cord

Music & Audio

• Continuous child-friendly playlist (Sammy CD, Pat Palmer rhythm tracks, etc.) on boombox

• MC: Marcel to make periodic announcements (welcome, rotations, story-time call, thank-yous)

• Mic needed; avoid phone-only Bluetooth (spotty)

Promotion, Survey & Data Collection

• Flyer due next-day (Sue to finish by Tuesday a.m.) – share digital & print; post to Facebook

• Fast-Five Survey (existing translated version reused):

  • Which services used? (playgroups, home visits, etc.)

  • Favorite aspect of program

  • Suggested improvements

  • Space for testimonial – families may write what they’d tell a friend

• Goal: tie survey responses to future marketing & grant reporting

Event Timeline (Day-of)

Staffing Matrix & Commitments

• Cortnee → Chalk Walk + Bubble monitoring proximity

• Oli → Obstacle course (setup help promised)

• Liz → Water/Sensory zone (sprinkler, baby pools)

• Theresa & Jackie → PAT activity prep/table; Jackie assisting

• Kim → Sensory-bag make-&-take; provides blow-up coolers

• Marcel → MC, Fatherhood table, Story reader, Parachute play

• Zoe → Registration backup, pre-story finger-plays, possible second activity TBD

• Bao → Lead Registration/Survey (multilingual)

• Sue → Overall coordination, flyers, purchasing authority

Open Questions & Action Items

• [ ] Sue: finalize & send flyer; post on social media

• [ ] Sue: confirm pizza order details & quantity after RSVP window

• [ ] Kim: inventory/price sensory-bag materials; list purchases by Friday

• [ ] Sue: verify bubble solution, chalk count, order long bubble wands $\leq 4\,$ packs if needed

• [ ] Liz: test sprinkler hydrant & water-table integrity; supply towels?

• [ ] Theresa/Jackie: pull scarf materials, print PAT handouts, generate QR code packet

• [ ] Marcel: confirm availability, prepare storybook & parachute

• [ ] Partner invites: team to send any additional contacts to Sue (space for ≈$10$ more tables)

• [ ] Music: locate boombox, compile upbeat playlist

• [ ] Survey: ensure enough printed copies + clipboards; extra pens

Ethical, Practical & Educational Significance

• Promotes healthy, low-cost play ideas parents can replicate (e.g.

  • Sensory bags/bottles

  • Kleenex-box scarf pull for object permanence & fine-motor development

  • Bubble play for oral-motor & visual tracking

  • Chalk & obstacle course for gross motor & creativity)

• Reinforces community resource network: health dept., library, fatherhood, early childhood programs

• Inclusive design (vegan options, non-choking snacks, water play warning) fosters equitable access

• Continues data-driven improvement via multilingual survey

Key Dates

• Flyer released: $\text{Tues.\, July}~11$ (next morning)

• Materials purchase deadline: $\text{Fri.\, July}~14$

• Bubble wand online order delivers by $\text{July }24$ if placed immediately

• Car-seat distribution postponed (orders not open until $\text{Aug }30$)

• Event Day: $\text{Thu., Aug }5\ (4:30\,–\,6:00)$ (date inferred; confirm)

“These notes synthesize every decision point, rationale, and assignment discussed, ready for distribution to the full team.”