preschool

Let’s face it. Small business ownership is not easy, especially a child care business. It takes commitment, perseverance, intelligence and hard work.

Lots of hard work.

You have to be willing to change with the times, pay attention to your market and adapt when necessary. Small businesses that go under tend to do so because they get “stuck in a rut” or are unable to change quickly enough to meet the new demands of their customers.

However, running a child care business is different.

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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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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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Last Friday was the National Preschool Fitness Day and in light of that, I’d like to encourage you to explore the First Lady’s Let’s Move! initiative.

Let’s Move offers free training and resources for child care providers. Learn more about simple steps you can take to help children in your program learn habits that prevent childhood obesity and can keep them healthy for life. You can even become a recognized child care and early education provider by successfully meeting the five Let’s Move! Child Care goals – physical activity, screen time, food, beverages, and infant feeding.

To become a recognized provider get started here.

Did you know that more than half of obese children become overweight by the time they’re 2? Did you also know that roughly one in five children is overweight by their 6^th birthday? Given such high statistics, as the director of an early education program, it’s critical that you support physical fitness for preschoolers and instill healthy lifestyle habits early on so that children may continue these habits as they grow.

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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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