daycare

This post was originally featured on the CareLuLu Parents blog

Every child grows up with a dream of what they will become when they enter the working world. From Kindergarten, we learn about adult life through Career Days, Take your Child to Work Days, and of course, our families and neighbors. For me, it wasn’t the parents in my classroom telling us about their careers, but the teachers who I looked up to the most.

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This post was originally featured on the CareLuLu Parents blog

One of the most beautiful relationships in life is that of a child and his or her grandparent. Unfortunately, many children these days miss out on this special relationship due a diverse range of factors, including distance, and early loss of their grandparents. For nearly 25 years, Merritt Academy in Fairfax, Virginia has provided students with a unique opportunity to develop a special relationship with a “grandfriend” through our Seniors and Students Together Intergenerational Program.

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This post was originally featured on the CareLuLu parent blog.

I

always had passion for learning and exploration.  These two personal traits often got me in trouble with my elders, when I was a child.  As I got older, the spontaneity of my actions had to change to conform to the responsibility of the adult world; however, the love of that curiosity stuck with me till this day. 

I started child care because I believe every child needs a safe, nurturing and a challenging environment where they can learn and explore.  Few of the preschools and child care programs that I visited prior to opening Kiddie Academy of Ashburn were run with a primary focus on business.  It bothered me a little bit not because it was wrong, but because the focus has shifted from quality and personal care to enrollment by the numbers. I remind myself and my management team and staff every day that we are here for the children and their families, and our passion for what we do should never cease. Indeed, the impression we leave on these children is what is going to form and shape their future.  What an extraordinary feeling, but also what a great responsibility!

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J ust when you think you’re all set to welcome the newest addition to your child care program, little Susie’s mom chimes in, “I forgot to mention. Susie is deathly allergic to nuts. Can you accommodate her?”

Before you start madly examining the floor of your child care center or home for peanut shell remnants, or begin throwing everything in your snack cupboard out, know you aren’t alone in addressing nut allergies. With 1 in every 13 children under the age of 18 having a life threatening allergy to nuts in the US today, it’s inevitable that at some point you are going to have a Susie walk through your door.

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There are lots of fun experiments and projects you can do with children in the classroom that are informative, creative, fun, or all three!

Dance, Raisins, Dance!

Want to demonstrate the principles of density to children? All you need is clear soda, a clear container, and some raisins!

Fill the container halfway with a clear soda of your choosing, and drop in a few raisins (just make sure they have room to move).

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Facebook is the world’s most popular social networking website with over a billion users worldwide. If you’re not using it to reach prospective parents and engage with currently enrolled families, you’re missing out. The benefits of using Facebook are countless for all businesses, but as discussed in our earlier blog post, it’s especially true for child care and preschool programs because of your target audience: mothers with children under 5 are the most active users of social media.

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In honor of the Week of the Young Child, we are thrilled to announce our partnership with the DC Public Library in support of the Sing, Talk, and Read early literacy campaign! It’s never too early to set children on the path to success. As a professional early childhood educator, you understand the importance of imparting early literacy practices starting at birth to better prepare babies and children for success later down the road.

The Sing, Talk & Read DC initiative, led by the DC Public Library, shows parents and caregivers how to make singing, talking and reading to their very young children a part of their day, every day.

You can watch us discuss the campaign on Let’s Talk Live (NewsChannel8) and offer examples of how you can turn your everyday routine into a fun learning opportunity.

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Going “green” and becoming more sustainable has grown to become an attractive and popular trend for many companies and organizations. Not only is it great for the environment, but those things that are harmful to the environment can also be unsafe for children. When preparing your center for child care, going “green” is likely the last thing to cross your mind.  However, making sure that you are conscious of things like wall paints, pest control practices and cleaning supplies is important.

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As much as we try to protect our children, studies show that more than half will experience bullying at some point in their lives. Bullying can take place as early as preschool and as a teacher or director, it is important that you take actions early on in order to prevent bullying. In this post, we’ll discuss bullying: how to recognize it, prevent it, and what to do if bullying does occur at your preschool.

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Some of the kids in your care may be transitioning to kindergarten in the near future, what should you do? Kindergarten can be a big transition for little ones, especially if they are going from a private center or an even smaller family home to a public school. They are leaving everyone that has become familiar to them behind and have to learn how to cope with the higher demands that come along with being a kindergartener. Here are some ways to assist you as a provider in guiding them along the way:

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