Owners of daycare centers, family daycares, and preschools are feeling the effects of our declining economy.  While every childcare business is different news articles state that daycare enrollment rates have decreased as unemployment increases. This causes childcare center owners to lay off staff or cut staff hours and reduce services.

OwnADaycare asked childcare center owners and daycare business owners about how the economy affects daycare businesses to shed some light on the reality of the situation. Responses varied:

“The primary effect of a declining economy on child care providers is declining enrollment.  Child care providers who were once full, and in some cases with a waiting list, now have to spend additional time and energy marketing their schools to maintain enrollment.  Additionally, controlling costs without sacrificing high-quality programs and faculty is vital to remaining profitable.  Schools should ensure that they remain involved in their communities and look for innovative ways to be the first preschool thought of by local parents,” says Joseph Schumacher, CEO of Goddard Systems, Inc.
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Autism is a huge issue that may affect many daycare providers or those that own childcare centers.  Diane Van Driesen, Director of Autism Services for the Wawa Eden House, clarifies autism spectrum disorder and describes special services for autistic children. Van Driesen also provides advice for parents of autistic children who are searching for child care and for daycare providers who care for autistic children.

OwnADaycare: Must autistic children go to schools for children with special needs or can they attend a “traditional” daycare or preschool?

Van Driesen: Typical preschools are rarely prepared to offer a child with autism the support and therapy he/she needs to progress. For very young children on the autism spectrum, social settings may be extremely challenging. Children with autism may not learn through imitation (one of the basic difficulties inherent in autism), so just being around typical peers usually is not enough to learn social skills. In addition, the noise, physical interaction and high level of expectation in a typical preschool may be overwhelming.

Even with a one-on-one support at school, a child with autism may have a difficult time with behavioral and/or sensory challenges, such as circle time, sharing, and so forth. Teachers without specific training may not know how to help your child manage his or her behaviors. Also, typical preschool programs are not set up to provide the kind of intensive therapeutic programs so often recommended by professionals.   When preparing to send your child to preschool I highly recommend that you discuss preschool options with the professionals that evaluate and provide services to your child and family.  When making decisions about preschools for your child, there is “one size fits all”; each child will have individual needs and preschool programming should reflect these individual needs. Read the rest of this entry »

Autism is a huge issue that may affect many daycare providers or those that own childcare centers.  Diane Van Driesen, Director of Autism Services for the Wawa Eden House, clarifies autism spectrum disorder and describes special services for autistic children. Van Driesen also provides advice for parents of autistic children who are searching for child care and for daycare providers who care for autistic children.

OwnADaycare: What is autism? How and when is it diagnosed?

Van Driesen: Autism is a complex, lifelong developmental disability that affects a child’s ability to communicate, understand language, play, and relate to others.  Autism is considered a “spectrum disorder” meaning that its symptoms and behaviors can present itself in a variety of combinations from mild to severe.  Children with autism process and respond to information in unique ways.

Among the early signs and symptoms that parents and Pediatricians look for to alert them that a child needs further evaluation for autism include: Read the rest of this entry »

Spring is a marvelous season. The birds are chirping, flowers are blooming, and the air is crisp with renewal and hope. Daycare providers can enhance their curriculum with story-time books and activities that celebrate the spring season.

Spring Art Activity
Eggshell Tulips*
You will need: Eggshells, pipe cleaners, tempura paint, markers, and glue

Clean and dry eggshell halves. Let children decorate the eggshells using tempura paint and let them dry overnight. The next day, children can add details to the tulips using markers. Shape the end of a green pipe cleaner into a small spiral shape and glue the spiral part of the eggshell.

Spring Cognitive Activity
Duck Sorting Activity

Duck sorting teaches young children both classification and counting. For this activity you will need to cut both large and small ducks out of yellow construction paper. You can use a template or draw them freehand. You will also need two containers. Ask the children to sort ducks into large and small, placing the small ducks in one container and large ducks in another. Next, ask the children to count the total number of small ducks and the total number of large ducks. Ask them which number is larger. Read the rest of this entry »

St Patrick’s Day is a holiday during which many parts of the world celebrate St Patrick, the Patron Saint of Ireland, with a large feast.  St Patrick’s Day is celebrated on March 17.

Introduce children to St. Patrick. Discuss the significance St. Patrick’s Day’s popular symbols: the four leaf clover, leprechauns, blarney stone, rainbows, and the pot of gold.

St. Patrick’s Day is a great time for daycare providers to enhance their curriculum with story-time books and activities that celebrate Irish history.

Consider the following reading lists and resources for free St. Patrick’s Day worksheets, coloring pages, and handwriting practice sheets for your child care center:

Reading List

St Patrick’s Day Board and Picture Books

St. Patrick’s Day Countdown by Salina Yoon [Price Stern Sloan, 2006] Read the rest of this entry »

Experts agree that introducing children to foreign languages should begin as early as possible. The earlier, the better!

Teaching young children foreign languages a huge topic and one that many daycare providers or those that own childcare centers debate.  In our interview with Myelita Melton, CEO of SpeakEasy Communications, Inc, and author of the SpeakEasy Spanish™ series, Melton explains the importance of teaching foreign language to young children.

OwnADaycare: What is an appropriate age to begin learning foreign languages?

Melton: Experts agree that introducing children to second and third languages as early as possible is best. The earlier a child is exposed to another language the greater the likelihood that the child will become truly proficient in the language. Some suggest that waiting until age 10 or later is too late to develop true fluency.
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Preschool teachers and daycare providers can help children learn to recognize and write the letter S through fun activities that support clear learning objectives.

Learning Objectives

• The students will identify the letter S.
• The students make and recognize the S sound.
• The students will learn to trace and write upper and lower case Ss.
• The students will identify objects that begin with the letter S.
• The students will participate in Spider, Spider Finger Play.
• The students will make strawberry pops.
• The students will listen to books that feature the letter S.

Handwriting and Alphabet Recognition

Introduce the children to the letter S along with simple objects that begin with the letter S. Create a colorful letter S poster board that presents both the upper and lower case S. Include pictures of objects cut from magazines that begin with the letter D. For example: Squirrel, saw, skunk, star, snail, snow, sand, sugar, slipper, shoe, seashell, strawberry, scale, snake, shirt, spider, seal, and sandwich. Read the rest of this entry »

Early learning goals for preschool age children involve creative development.

According to Art and Creative Development for Young Children by Schirrmacher and Fox [Delmar Cengage Learning, 2008], “Creative expression fosters emotional development and positive mental health by validating the uniqueness of the individual…Creativity fosters success and mastery since there is no one right way involved…children feel worthy and confident knowing that they can have an effect on their environment”.

Preschool teachers and daycare providers have the opportunity to foster creative development in young children by providing art activities that explore media and materials and encourage imagination.

Crayon Melt Art is an outstanding illustration of a creative activity that provides the opportunity for expression and promotes spontaneity in material usage. It is also a great way to introduce children to textured materials.

This lesson contains the materials list, preparation instructions and procedures for this activity. The age appropriate learning objectives and a sample of the simple supporting verbal cues necessary to encourage participation and support learning are also included.

Crayon Melt Art Materials List Read the rest of this entry »

Spring is the season of the year between winter and summer when the weather becomes warmer and plants revive and popularly considered to comprise March, April, and May, according to the American Heritage Dictionary of the English Language. Spring is a great time for daycare providers to enhance their curriculum with story-time books and activities that celebrate the spring season.

Consider the following reading lists and resources for free Spring worksheets, coloring pages, and handwriting practice sheets for your child care center:

Reading List

Spring Board and Picture Books Baby-Age 3

Spring by Geurda Muller [Floris Books, 1994]

God Made Spring: A Really Woolly & Friends Fuzzy, Shiny Flap Book by Beatrix Potter [ThomasNelson, 2008]

Spring by Maria Rius [Barron’s Educational Series, 1998]

Guess How Much I Love You in the Spring by Sam McBratney and Anita Jeram [Walker Books, 2009]

Spring: Seasons Board Book by Chris L. Demarest [Red Wagon, 1997] Read the rest of this entry »

Preschool teachers and daycare providers can help children learn to recognize and write the letter D through fun activities that support clear learning objectives.

Learning Objectives

• The students will identify the letter D.
• The students make and recognize the D sound.
• The students will learn to trace and write upper and lower case D’s.
• The students will identify objects that begin with the letter D.
• The students will participate in Five Little Ducks finger play.
• The students will make cinnamon donuts.
• The students will listen to books that feature the letter D.

Handwriting and Alphabet Recognition

Introduce the children to the letter D along with simple objects that begin with the letter d. Create a colorful letter D poster board that presents both the upper and lower case D. Include pictures of objects cut from magazines that begin with the letter D. For example: Duck, dice, dog, door, dragon, dinosaur, daisy, dove, drum, dolphin, donkey, doll, dime, dad, and deer.
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