childcare

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:

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.

For many full-time working parents, whose children are in daycare for long stretches of the day, your child’s activities are somewhat of a mystery. How can you know what your little one has been up to? The best way to know is to get involved. However, parent involvement in daycare can feel a bit scary. Fear not, this guide is here to help!

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 your children. When looking for childcare, things like wall paints, pest control practices and cleaning supplies are likely the last to cross your mind.  However, making sure that your center of choice is conscious of these things is important.

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For years, parents have debated what seems like a simple enough question: is daycare bad for kids? Unfortunately, there is still no definitive on the long-term effects of daycare, but there are steps parents can take to give their children the best daycare experience.

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Provider appreciation day is here Friday! Founded in 1996, Provider Appreciation Day is a good way to show your child’s caregivers and teachers just how much you appreciate them. Being a teacher takes a lot of effort, and many of them see your child more than you do. This May, you can show your child’s teachers how much you appreciate their efforts.

Some parents don’t quite know which teacher to buy gifts for or who to show their appreciation towards: lead teacher, assistant teacher, preschool director, and the list goes on! The best rule of thumb, to avoid hurting any feelings, is to get all of your child’s teachers something. You can always do something extra special for a teacher that has had a significant impact on your child and their education. Below are some ideas for what to do for your child care provider on their special day.

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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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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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As a working parent you probably rely on child care for your children. But don’t you sometimes wish your kids could do more extra-curricular activities? Getting your kids to day care and yourself to and from work seems hard enough, let alone planning for any additional evening enrichment. Luckily, we have some tips for how to strike a balance:

1. Look for child care that already offers enrichment activities.
Some daycares incorporate enrichment activities like dance, music, sports and technology into their program whereby kids can enjoy an activity without leaving the child care facilities. Be sure to ask when you are interviewing child care providers if these and other services are available. Most child care providers offer some sort of extracurricular activities as part of the curriculum. Others, however, might offer these classes at an additional cost because they invite outside companies to lead these special classes.

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ne of the things I’ve learned in my years of working at a preschool and having my own as well as clients’ kids go to preschools is that many children do not sleep well in a daycare or preschool.  The last thing you want is to be away from your child for hours and then have to pick up a cranky overtired kid. Plus, if they do not sleep well during the day, they are more likely to sleep poorly at night. There are several ways to help your child sleep better and to help your child care provider help your child sleep better so you can pick up a happy, well-rested camper!

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