The holiday season is generally hard on the wallet, but wonderful presents don’t have to be expensive. In fact, often times, gifts that my kids love the most are those that don’t cost much! Plus, they are the kind of toys you don’t need to worry about being sold out. So, you can easily find these fun stocking stuffers for kids at the store, even close to Christmas! Here are some ideas for stocking stuffers that won’t break your wallet:

In today’s post, we’ll discuss child care during coronavirus (COVID-19).

Undoubtedly, many parents (and child care providers) are worried about the coronavirus (COVID-19) outbreak right now. At CareLuLu, we work with thousands of families to help them find great daycare and preschool programs, and we’re getting tons of questions.

So, we thought we’d prepare a guide to daycare during coronavirus.

This guide includes tips on how to find child care during closures (no, not all daycares are closed!) Also, we’ll provide answers to questions many parents are asking themselves.

Before we go any further:

For parents who are essential workers and need to find care and can’t read the full post, click here to find emergency child care near you.

This guide is mostly designed for parents, but if you’re a child care business owner, preschool director or teacher, we also wrote a guide for you. Read it here: Coronavirus In Daycare: What Should Child Care Providers Do?

Now:

As a parent of an infant, toddler or preschooler, there’s a lot on your mind right now. Maybe you’re struggling to find child care while many facilities are closed because of coronavirus. Or, maybe you’re wondering if it’s safe to send your baby to daycare during COVID-19.

Here are the questions we’ll answer in this post:

The importance of reading to babies is proven. From the time children begin to use natural sounds, to cooing, up until they utter a few syllables. Reading books to babies is key to brain development!

While the first 12 months of a baby’s life are the most exciting, they can also be the most challenging! Especially for first-time parents, who may not be experienced but want nothing but the best for their precious little ones.

Parents sometimes wonder what books to read to an infant who seems like they can’t yet understand. At CareLuLu, where we help parents find the best daycare and preschool for their child, we often get this question:

What are the best baby books for infants 0 to 12-month-old?

So, we searched for the best books for babies with a variety of contents that every new parent should have. We listed “baby’s first words” books and ABC books (the basics). We also included board books (sturdy, thick pages) and picture books (beautiful illustrations and colors).

In no particular order, we listed bestsellers with great reviews from real moms and dads, just like you. The list was prepared based on the quality of the content, but also the materials which are important for infants.

Summer will be here before you know it and if you’re like most parents, you’re probably thinking about the best summer camp for your children. While you still have some time, you shouldn’t wait too long because many camps are already full. Most parents freak out when thinking about summer camp research, but have you thought about child care and preschool summer camp?

I know what you’re going to say:

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You may have that a co-op can help you reduce child care costs, but many parents don’t really know how to answer the question, what is a co-op preschool.

By now, you’ve probably heard that the cost of child care and preschool is exorbitant. So much so that according to the Economic Policy Institute’s latest report, “high quality care is out of reach for working families”. The cost of daycare and preschool for a 4 year-old is around $19,000/year in DC (the most expensive in the US) and infant care in a center costs about $24,000/year!

So, the question is: would you like to pay less for preschool? Read on to learn about co-op daycare and preschool options, and how they can help you reduce child care costs.

Recent research from the same German behavioral scientists who brought us Männergarten suggests that children are born with an innate fascination for sharp objects, self-destruct buttons, and hazardous nooks and crannies.

OK, it’s a joke!

They probably don’t feel the need to allocate research funding to something that everyone knows is true 🙂

More seriously though: what can you do about your child’s safety?

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As a child, I pretended that I was a teacher and told everyone I was going to be a teacher one day.  As life would have it, I ended up obtaining a business education and working in the financial accounting and auditing world for 15 years.

When I became a parent, I found out how challenging it was to find reliable high quality child care. 

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One of the things parents look for when evaluating a child care provider, whether it’s a child care center, preschool or home daycare, is the discipline policy. After all, we all know that our toddler or preschooler is going to misbehave at some point. So it’s important to know what happens when a child misbehaves at daycare.

I know what you’re thinking:

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We’ve already been to Italy (for the Reggio Emilia approach and Montessori philosophy) so the next stop on our tour of preschool philosophies is Stuttgart, Germany!

This is where the Waldorf-Astoria Cigarette Company organized the first school based on Rudolf Steiner’s pedagogy in 1919. The educational approach is most commonly referred the “Waldorf” philosophy, although “Steiner” is also used.

So what is a Waldorf school?

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Did you know that the U.S. Department of Defense has the best regulated child care program in the country? We heard they are developing a 5-level “daycare sick child warning system” called “DEFCOUGH” based on the “DEFCON” system they developed during the cold war.

It goes something like this:

• DEFCOUGH 5: All quiet on the health front. Your child is eating normally and you try your best to build up their immune system with a balanced diet.
• DEFCOUGH 4: Early warning signs encountered, typically a cough or a runny nose. Take preemptive action such as an extra Vitamin C.
• DEFCOUGH 3: Daycare is no longer an option. Medic! Request a fly-by from a relative, babysitters, or neighbor to care for your child, because they’re too sick for daycare.
• DEFCOUGH 2: Request for fly-by negative. One or both parents need to request time off work to care for your child.
• DEFCOUGH 1: Request(s) for time off negative. Crisis imminent!

OK, DEFCOUGH is a joke, but the crisis scenario is all too real for working parents with children in daycare.

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