Published February 2011: eHow Family & Relationships Child Care When You Can't Be There What Parents Need to Know When Selecting a Daycare Article Excerpt: Julie Wells, a St. Louis mother of two, removed her son from a day care when staff members fed him snacks made from peanut products despite his peanut allergy. "They knew about his allergy, and I even packed his own snacks," Wells said. "But they were too lazy to get them out." Unfortunately, Wells' story isn't unique. Day care disasters can haunt even the most careful parents. Something to which Brandy Hamann can attest. Hamann, director of Lilypad Learning Center in Collinsville, Ill., and mother of three, decided to open her own center after hearing numerous such horror stories. One mother told her that a center wasn't feeding her child adequate portions. Still another complained of irregular diaper changes, Hamann recalled. "One 18-month-old child was kicked out of a day care because he was biting," she said. "While we don't want children biting, as day care providers we have to realize that this is natural and normal -- you have to find a way to help the child find another way to express himself. But child care outside of the home is often an unavoidable option when work and financial responsibilities loom. While worst-case, or even simply bad-case, scenarios abound, plenty safe options do exist. To find suitable options for their child, it would behoove parents to dig deeper into the practices of local day cares, take safety precautions, ask friends for suggestions and trust their intuition. Read the full story here. - Shannon Philpott
Category: Newspaper Writing
Business Deal Sparked After Golf Course Quip
Published in the 1/11/11 issue of the Suburban Journals Business Deal Sparked After Golf Course Quip What began as a quip on a golf course evolved into a business transaction for Jeff Herr and Mike Ogle. One day on the links last year, Herr — owner of Cullop-Jennings Florist in Collinsville — jokingly suggested Ogle purchase his business. Herr, who owned the shop for 18 years, was kidding at first, but the two got talking and realized they were on to something. Read the rest at http://www.shannonphilpott.com
Edwardsville Woman Has Drive to Help Others
Shawn McCue, of Edwardsville, is always on the move. As a supported employment specialist for MERS/Goodwill, she's in charge of finding jobs for people in need. That means McCue is on the road a lot — driving from employer to employer looking for job leads, taking clients to training or finding them business attire for interviews. For all the hard work, McCue recently received the Local Hero Award, the nonprofit's honor for employees who go beyond the norm. Read the rest at http://www.shannonphilpott.com
A second-grader’s mission to warm Madison
A second-grader's mission to warm Madison 'I kept seeing a lot of kids without coats,' says girl When Z'Sanique Sanders, 7, told her principal she had an idea to warm up her classmates this winter, she meant business. The second-grader at Harris Accelerated Elementary School in Madison was serious about opening up her heart to the community, Principal Terrien Fennoy said. "She came to me in September and said 'I have an idea' and then she kept stopping by my office each week to remind me. She was persistent and genuinely concerned as the weather got colder," Fennoy said. Sanders' idea evolved from a wish to help her classmates into a community-wide winter coat drive called "From Our Hearts to Yours." Read the rest at http://www.shannonphilpott.com
Granite City girl scout sells 1,040 boxes of cookies
Granite City girl scout sells 1,040 boxes of cookies When Hannah Groetecke sets her mind to something, she gets the job done — even if it means carrying an order form at all times. Groetecke, a member of Girl Scout Troop 403 in Granite City, got the job done this month, selling 1,040 boxes of cookies for the Girl Scouts of Southern Illinois. Her efforts earned her a Mongoose bike, an iPod Touch, her name on the district office's plaque and recognition as one of five girls in the area deemed Super Sellers. Read the rest at http://www.shannonphilpott.com
Family Works to Remember Fallen Edwardsville Soldiers
Family Works to Remember Fallen Edwardsville Soldiers Monument Planned at City Park Doug and Jill Garbs remember their son as a "behind-the-scenes" type who aspired to serve his country as an army ranger. Spc. Ryan Garbs spent two years on secret operations as a U.S. Army Ranger before he was killed Feb. 18, 2007, in Zabul Province, Afghanistan. Ryan Garbs' story is similar to those of at least 74 other soldiers from the Edwardsville area. One fought in hand-to-hand combat during World War II, another was killed in a plane crash in North Carolina and two Hamel brothers were killed on the same day. Read the rest at http://www.shannonphilpott.com
Spock over volo, please: The language of an Italian favorite
Spock over volo, please: The language of an Italian favorite Bocce ball kindles community, family spirit Clif Dellamano II remembers playing bocce ball in the backyard with his dad as a child. It's a sport that's rich in Italian tradition and one that his family has embraced for more than 40 years. "I can't remember a time when we didn't go out in the backyard to play," Dellamano said. "For me, it's the enjoyment of being with my dad." Clif Dellamano Sr., 70, began playing when he got out of the service in 1963 and brought the sport to the Italian Fest with the help of Joe Ashmann in 1984. The tournament has evolved from a parking lot sport with 20 teams to a full-fledged event at Glidden Park each year, now with more than 65 teams. Clif Dellamano II and his cousin, Pat Dellamano now organize the event each September. Read the rest at http://www.shannonphilpott.com
Keeping Toddlers Safe
Published October 2010: ParentUSAcity.com Keeping Toddlers Safe Article Overview: Toddlers are constantly moving and exploring their surroundings, and it takes no time at all for a toddler to get into harm’s way. There’s no hotter priority for parents than finding ways to prevent the unthinkable before it happens. But the relationship between parent and child doesn’t have to be a constant struggle. [More...] Article Excerpt: As parents, we do our best to keep a close watch on our children. However, it is impossible to monitor a toddler’s every move, especially when that toddler is constantly on the move. Melissa Finley, mother of 9-year-old Emily and 3-year-old Evan, learned that in less than five minutes a toddler can ultimately put himself in a life or death situation. “The unthinkable can happen,” Finley said. “I am so cautious with my children and it happened to me.” Last summer, Finley found her 3-year-old floating in the backyard pool at her southern Illinois home, completely blue and unresponsive. “I went downstairs to fold laundry and the house seemed too quiet,” Finley said. “I got this weird feeling and asked Emily to check on her brother.” Moments later, Finley heard her daughter scream as she jumped in the water to save her brother. Finley administered CPR, and Evan responded before the paramedics arrived. It was estimated that he had been in the water for approximately three minutes. Even though the Finleys had a lock on the pool ladder, their curious and energetic 3-year-old found his way into the pool. Since the incident, Evan has recovered fully and the Finleys have installed a pool alarm that alerts both exterior and interior receivers. “If anything hits the water that weighs more than 15 pounds, the alarm goes off,” Finley said. Read the full story here.
Nonprofit Recognizes One of Its Own
Tenia Buchanan spent years shopping at Goodwill to provide necessities for her children. On a whim, she said, she applied for a job and 15 years later, as the store manager of the Fairview Heights store, she is now considered a local hero by the nonprofit. "I was a welfare recipient, a low-income parent looking for a job. When I started here, I never thought I would find myself in this position 15 years later," Buchanan said. "I've been very blessed with an opportunity of a lifetime." Buchanan's climb from store cashier at the Cahokia store to managing the Fairview Heights location took hard work and years of training, she said. It ultimately landed her the Local Hero Award, given by Lewis Chartock, CEO and President of MERS/Goodwill. Read the rest at http://www.shannonphilpott.com
Parents vs. Tweens: Survival of the Fittest?
The “tween” years have their own unique issues, as children ricochet back and forth between early childhood and beckoning adolescence. But the relationship between parent and child doesn’t have to be a constant struggle. Read more at http://www.shannonphilpott.com
Shannon Philpott-Sanders 