Did you know that most kids prefer cherry flavored jelly beans over any other flavor, or that the majority are willing to do extra chores for extra candy?

Easter is a wonderful time of year for bonding with your children, taking great pictures and, of course, eating as much candy as possible. Stuck on what to do for Easter with your children? Here are some ideas for keeping your Easter fun and stress-free!

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

By using surprisingly simple daily practices, you can put your child on the path to success! Learn how singing, talking and reading with your little one now, will help them later in school.

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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It’s that time of the year and if you are anything like me, you’re thinking about exotic vacations and fun getaways in the sun!  Before you schedule your next trip though, you have to answer the big question: How will you entertain the kids?

The good news is that a family vacation does not have to mean a visit to Disneyland or a trip to your in-laws. You can take a nice adult vacation that your kids will love too by staying at a resort with on-site child care.

Before you drop-off the kiddies, make sure you know the following information:

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If you were an insufferable goodie-two shoes as I was as a girl, you would have given anything to be allowed in the room at this hallowed tete-a-tete to hear yourself heaped with laurels and praise by your admiring teacher and proudly and whole-heartedly endorsed by your modest parents.

But as a mom, praise (while lovely) is not really what you are there for. Here are some tips I received from friends as I prepared for my first parent teacher conference.

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T ypically, preschools describe themselves as either “play-based” (also known as child-centered and developmentally appropriate) or “academic” (also known as teacher-directed and traditional). Most early education philosophies fall into one of these two categories. What’s the difference and which one’s better?

Child-Centered / Play-based / Developmentally Appropriate

The most common teaching philosophy is child-centered and based on play, whereby children do activities of their choosing. In a fairly unstructured program, children learn at their own pace. They can select from several activities and can play alone or in small groups. The whole group often comes together for songs, stories, or other “circle time” activities. Doing activities based on children’s interests develops their love for school, builds creativity, and increases motivation to try new things. Play-based programs have a lot of unstructured hands-on play, group story-time, and themed activities. This approach typically helps children develop their social skills including communication, sharing, empathy, and listening. I’ve discussed examples of specific child-centered philosophies in my earlier post here.

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W oo-hoo!! CareLuLu goes nationwide to help parents across the country find great child care and preschool that fits your family’s needs! It’s easy, fast, and free! Don’t spend hours on the phone or searching the web, use CareLuLu to find information about child care centers and home-based daycares, all in one place.

Now through February 28^th help us spread the word about our free nationwide service for a chance to win $100! To enter the giveaway, use the Rafflecopter contest below.

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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, whether you’re a parent or a teacher, it’s critical to support physical fitness for preschool children and instill healthy lifestyle habits early on so that children may continue these habits as they grow.

Today is the National Preschool Fitness Day and in light of this, I’d like to take the opportunity to highlight a few child care centers that offer great fitness programs.

Kiddie Academy of Gainesville is a child care center where Health and Nutrition are part of the curriculum and where children spend two hours outside daily. The center has an indoor gym and a soccer enrichment program.

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D id you know that your child’s best learning happens through their everyday routines, experiences, and conversations? In fact, researchers found that the amount of language children hear in the first three years of their life plays an important role in their future learning abilities. The power of simply talking with your child can make all the difference.

Families that have children in child care often ask me how they can create opportunities for developing their child’s communication skills when they aren’t with their child all day.  I share that their daily routines provide ample opportunities to enhance their child’s communication skills, as well as provide meaningful interactions with their child.

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In many places across the U.S., winter is in full force. Don’t let the snow keep you and your little ones indoors. The winter wonderland outside your front door is the perfect play environment for rumbustious little rascals. You can add some structure to your playtime with these three great snow day activities.

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Montessori, Waldorf, Reggio Emilia, High-Scope, Bank Street… what in the world do these names all mean!? Most likely you’ve never come across such terms, unless of course… you started looking for a preschool! If all these early education approaches got your head spinning, this “Preschool Teaching Philosophies” blog series is for you!

In this first post, we’ll give an overview of five common preschool philosophies. Later in the series, we’ll have a specific post on each one and provide more details to help you understand the differences and decide on a program that works best for you and your child.

Teaching philosophies explain how a school approaches learning, which in turn might shed light on whether your preschooler will do well with that particular learning method or in that particular environment. So what preschool learning approaches are there?

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