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Child care used to be a way to make a few extra dollars.  This is true for my teenage daughters and many of her friends throughout their teenage years.  But to woman like myself, who owns and operates a child care business from our homes, it’s a profession.

Many of us get started in the business of caring simple as a way to stay at home with our own children and enabling us to contribute to the household income.  But as the years move on and our children grow up, we find ourselves remaining in the child care field making it our career choice as we continue to care for children.  For others, it can be a stepping stone to other opportunities in the future.   No matter what the reason we chose to be in the business of caring for children, we do consider ourselves as business owners and professionals in our field.

As with each business in the community, there is a different quality of care available depending upon the education levels, years of experience as well as if a child care provider chooses to become licensed to do care within their community or not.   The business of child care is a unique one and varies from each caregiver as well as each location and state to state where regulations differ among each other.  It is important to look at these aspects when choosing a child care for your little ones.

Recognizing that the child care is a business and that it is vital to those working within the community is an important piece to those working in the field as professionals.  Without the business of child care professionals providing this service to the community, parents would have a difficult time going to work every day or returning to school to better their own careers.   It’s necessary to recognize that child care as an important aspect of any thriving community and that we are professionals.

As the years have gone by, my girls would say to me, “Mom, we are in middle school now, are you going to quit doing child care?”  I thought about it and rather than quitting I continued my education by earning a Masters in Early Childhood Education.  Still the years past.  I remained in the business.  Again, my daughters asked me as they entered high school when I was going to quit doing child care.  Now my oldest daughter is in college and my youngest just graduated in May and yet I continue to do child care in my home.

Each one of these times would have been a good time to transition into something else, but yet I continue to do child care.  How long will I remain in this field?  I am not sure. As long as I continue to grow, not only professionally but personally, I will continue my career as a child care professional.  That is what you should do in any career that you choose to enter.  Right?

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Summer Colds in Child Care

Summer colds occur frequently in preschoolers because of exposure to air conditioning, airplane travel and summer camp playmates.  In fact the viruses that can cause a summer cold are estimated to cause millions of summer colds each year.  Colleen Shamberger, RN, is a school nurse in Saratoga Springs, New York, and the mother of three children.  As a school nurse, Shamberger advises and counsels parents and school staff on childhood illnesses and the management and control of infections and communicable diseases.  In this interview, Shamberger discusses how to prevent and treat summer colds in daycare centers.

OwnADaycare: In young children, how do we recognize and treat a summer cold versus allergies?

Colleen Shamberger, RN: Children can get up to 12 colds a year and while they are more common in fall and winter, summer colds occur more frequently than you think. Some of the typical signs and symptoms of a cold are runny nose, stuffy nose, sore throat, fever and body aches.  Like a cold, allergy symptoms can also include a runny nose and stuffy nose; however the main difference with allergies is the itching of the eyes.

Children’s Advil has made it easy to learn more about summer colds and how to treat them at www.ChildrensAdvilSolutions.com.

OwnADaycare: What are the most effective ways to treat a child’s fever?

Colleen Shamberger, RN: First, you want to make sure you don’t over dress your child or cover him or her with heavy blankets. Overheating can actually increase fever.  You should also encourage your child to drink plenty of fluids as well to avoid dehydration.

If your child is extremely miserable with a fever and you want to provide some relief you have a couple of choices. One is children’s acetaminophen and one is children’s ibuprofen.  I personally think Children’s Advil, which contains the active ingredient ibuprofen, is often a more effective way to reduce a child’s fever.  It lasts 6 to 8 hours and has a faster time to relief.

OwnADaycare: What are the best ways child care providers can prevent summer colds and to reduce the spread of illness in daycare?

Colleen Shamberger, RN: There are a number of preventative measures child care providers can take to reduce the risk of summer colds and reduce the spread of illness in daycare.  Most importantly, make sure you and the children under your care wash your hands frequently with soap and warm water.  Use hand sanitizer if soap and water are not available. You also want children to drink plenty of fluids to prevent dehydration. I also recommend you spend time outside as much as possible because an air conditioned environment can pose virus sharing risks and increase the likelihood of a child catching a cold.

OwnADaycare: What can you do for a child with a summer cold who can’t sleep at night?

Colleen Shamberger, RN: First, I recommend providing supportive care. Look to elevate the child’s head with an extra pillow and consider putting a humidifier in the child’s room.

For children between the ages of two and 11 who have a fever or aches and pains associated with a summer a cold, I would recommend Children’s Advil. Children’s Advil helps reduce fever and relieve the minor aches and pains associated with common cold and because it also lasts up to 8 hours it’s a great option at night for children. As always, if you have questions contact your doctor.

OwnADaycare: What are the different types of pediatric pain medications currently available?

Colleen Shamberger, RN: This year in particular it’s confusing for parents to know what pediatric medications to use because of the recent recalls of many of the over-the-counter products for children.  Children’s Advil is not part of the recall and is currently available nationwide.

OwnADaycare: What is difference between pediatric acetaminophen and pediatric ibuprofen?

Colleen Shamberger, RN: Pediatric ibuprofen, the active ingredient in Children’s Advil, reduces fever faster than pediatric acetaminophen, the active in Children’s Tylenol. Children’s Advil also lasts up to 8 hours.

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In today’s economic climate, finding quality childcare at a low price is a necessity, but it is also a challenge. For single parents and families in which both parents work, childcare is a necessity. But what do you do if you’re unemployed or can’t afford child care services? A childcare co-op is a good, affordable alternative to sending your child to a child care center or hiring a daycare provider.

What is a Child Care Co-op?

Child care or babysitting co-ops (cooperatives) are alternative child care situations in which participants exchange time and services rather than money. Some child care co-ops are formed from small groups of friends or neighbors, or some may be organized by groups of families that are unfamiliar with each other.

Some child care co-ops use a point system. Members start with a set amount of points and then points are deducted or added based upon your use or contribution. For example, your co-op system may decide that one point is equal to 30 minutes of child care per child. Your co-op may start with 50 points. When your child uses the service points are deducted. Likewise, when you take care of a child, points are added to your total.

How to Organize a Child Care Co-Op

To begin setting up a co-op, first talk to family and neighbors to see who has children and who would be interested in participating in the child care co-op. Once you have established a member’s list, hold a meeting to find out what hours people are available and their expectations of the co-op. The most important thing to consider when setting up a child care co-op is establishing leadership and setting up a clear agreement that everyone follows. One person should be the secretary or secretary duties should be rotated to manage scheduling and keep track of hours and points.

Little and Galik in their article titled “Child Care Co-op: An Alternative for At-home Mothers” [Children Today, 1984] suggests that by asking the following questions, your co-op will run smoothly and more effectively:

• What will you expect from a care provider?
• May parents bring along children of friends who are not members?
• What is the policy for cancellations?
• What rule violations will constitute grounds for being expelled from the co-op?
• How will rules be established and changed?
• How many children may a caregiver manage at once?
• Should sitters be able to shop or run errands with the children?
• How many hours (or points) in debt may a member be before being refused a caregiver? They suggest that any member who does not use the co-op for three months should drop out. Many co-ops have a long waiting list.
• Are child care hours limited to daytime? Or are evening, overnight and weekend hours permitted?
• What hours are off-limits for telephone calls?
• How often will members have group meetings?

As your child care co-op becomes more established you will lose and gain members over time. Be sure to continually advertise your child care co-op the same way you would a child daycare center in your local community in order to sustain an abundant waiting list and keep enrollment steady. This is an excellent child care solution during tough economic times.

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Influenza is a disease commonly called as flu. In this condition, a person experiences an abrupt start of fever. He also suffers from sore throat, cough, body aches including headache. When children are affected by this disease, they also experience diarrhea, dehydration and nausea.

There are two common types of flu namely the seasonal flu and the pandemic flu.

Seasonal Flu

• Occurs at a certain duration (annually, summer, winter)
• In the U.S., 36,000 people suffering from this disease die per year.
• Antiviral are available in the market
• Vaccine is available
• Symptoms are fever, muscular pain, coughing, runny nose
• Can lead to a complication called pneumonia which is the usual cause of deaths
• Just gives minor impact on world economy and society

Pandemic Flu

• Very rare
• Just occurred about three times in the 20th century
• Last occurrence is 1968
• Antivirals are limited
• Vaccine is unavailable in the start of the pandemic flu
• Deaths are high. In the U.S in 1918, approximately 500,000 people died.
• Symptoms are more severe
• Leads to complications more often
• Potential threat for the world economy and society

Here are some suggestions in attending to this kind of disease.

• Wash your hands often with soap and lukewarm water. This should be done for about 15 to 20 seconds. Children should be supervised and aided to guarantee proper hand washing. Washing your hand after wiping your nose or other people’s nose is very important.

• A regular check-up of the restrooms should be done in order to make sure that clean towels and soap are always available.

• When a child, staff or a volunteer is believed to have acquired flu, he or she should not go to the day care.

• When you or the children sneeze or cough, make sure that you cover your mouth. This is done in order to prevent flu from spreading and affecting other people. If a restroom is not available at the moment, wash your hands clean using your hand sanitizer or your isopropyl alcohol.

• To prevent the occurrence of disease most especially in pregnant women and children at a very young age (from 6 months to 59 months), they should get a flu shot.

• It is advised that you have your own utensils when you eat or drink. Sharing of glasses, spoons and forks also means the sharing of saliva which allows the spread of the disease.

• Make sure that door handles and other commonly used surfaces in the area are clean. Frequently wipe or clean them using disinfectants and cleaning solvents.

• When there is an outbreak of flu, day care facilities is suggested to remain open.

See: How to start a childcare service

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There are five ways to help you decide on a child care center of high quality.

1. Starting looking early for a center for child care center will be helpful since it takes ample time to be able to find the right option, whether you are counting into child care in other person’s home or a commercial daycare center.

2. Making calls to seek for information on child care and for child care options in your place that will fit your demands and needs. Child care experts and centers with Child care Resource and Referral Child Care Resource and Referral (CCR&R) in your locality can give reliable and adequate information. The latter can also help regarding the requirements for licensing in your area, complaints and licensing violations, and programs on financial assistance and qualifications for it.

3. Visiting the child care centers under consideration and seek for quality indicators. The guidelines in finding the indicators include the following:
• Know the adult-to-child ratio because it is important for your child. Every child has a ratio limit according to his or her age, that is, younger children need smaller adult-to-child ratio specifically not exceeding 1:4. In addition, older children like four-year-olds can make it with 1:10.
• Find out for the group size aside from adult-to-child ratio. Consider the group size that will be more safe and calm for your child. Which of the two following examples, which have similar adult-to-child ratio, is better: a group consisting of twenty three-year olds with four adults or a group of ten three-year olds with two adults?
• Seek for the qualifications involving special training in handling children from the caregivers of the child care center because such qualifications will be helpful for your child’s learning. Also, ask if the caregivers attend skills improvement activities like workshops.
• Inquire about the length of stay of caregivers have spent at the center and how long they have been rendering their service. Transitions from one caregiver to another bring about difficulties for the child and also wastes up the time for his or her learning.
• Make sure that the child care center has their accreditation from nationally distinguished bodies in the field like the National Association for Family Child Care (NAFCC) National Association for the Education of Young Children (NAEYC).

4. Choosing wisely from your child care options by remembering the important details obtained about each center including the advantages and disadvantages of choosing them.

5. Preparing for the new start since the partnership between you and the child care provider has just started. Some elements necessary for staying immersed with the care of your child and for showing how concerned you are with his or her learning includes the following.
• regular checks about the learning process of the child
• volunteering for the center when you have your free time
• allotting time for important occasions like birthdays
• joining special child care center events

See: How to start a childcare service

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Choosing the right child care provider is crucial. It is indeed important to know all the options available for such service. There are four providers that can be considered in your options.

1. Relatives, Neighbors and Friends. This option is usually called “Kith and Kin” in which closer people are chosen to be the care provider for the child, usually takes place in the home of the child or of the care provider. Parents can choose to allot their time by scheduling their work and child care.

People, specifically parents, find this option advantageous because of different reasons. They think that relatives and friends will provide more sincere and secure care for their child. Also, they believe that these people will instill good family values to their child. Constraints like tight schedule and budget, problems on transportation sometimes lead parents to choose this kind of option.

Regulations in this kind of child care differ from state to state. Criminal history screening like child abuse checks, clearances, and minimal safety and health trainings are sometimes required by some. However, many have no strict regulations on this child care option.

2. Family Child Care. Child care provider’s home is the setting for this option. Sometimes, parents seek for referrals from trusted friends before availing of this. Parents find this beneficial for their child because of the environment that is home-like it offers and smaller number of children in it.

Compared to the option earlier described, states are stricter when it comes to regulation. Requirements are necessary like conformation to certain set standards on safety, nutrition and health; trainings before child care and alongside with it; passing certain inspections; and checking of criminal records.

3. Home-based Caregivers. In this child care option, caregivers stay in the home of the child to be taken care of. Examples of caregivers are housekeepers and nannies. Parents having several children find this more practical because one caregiver manage to handle them. They also find this option better because it is more convenient and they have more control on the safety, security, and caring to their child.

Some states apply minimal regulation on this type of child care, especially the placement agencies for home-based caregivers. Some also require subsidies for the caregivers, and also checking of criminal records, securing of clearances, and undergoing safety and health trainings. But most of the states do not pose regulations for this option.

4. Child Care Centers. Centers providing this type of child care cater to a much larger number of children. Parents who choose this kind of care believe that there is a higher level of safety and dependability because of greater state inspections and regulations and the integrity of the center. They also believe that learning will be better facilitated by greater number of staff, equipments, space and organization of activities.

Licensing, which depends on the state, is required to child care centers based on safety and health standards.

When it comes to evaluation of the child care provider your child is into, there are a set of criteria you should consider to gauge its quality. The criteria are listed below.

For general evaluation:
• practices on discipline
• enjoyment of children
• fulfillment of children’s needs for comfort
• license and conformation with regulations
• openness to surprise parent visits
• suitability of your child

For the evaluation of the caregivers:
• interest on caring for the children
• ability to reach out to the child’s level
• amiability
• quick accommodation of the needs of children
• safety skills like first aid, CPR, and others.
• education and training
• ability to cope with varying interest of children
• openness to questions and readiness to answer such
• reporting of the child’s progress
• openness to parents’ involvement
• acceptable staff-child ratio, whose standard is set by local experts

For the setting evaluation:
• conducive atmosphere
• manageability and safety of area and equipment
• enough space for all the activities

For the evaluation of activities:
• balance of activities
• appropriateness of activities to different age groups
• supply and safety of equipments

See: How to start a child care service

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