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If you are a caretaker or a parent of a young child, you want to ensure that the children in your care have a basic understanding of etiquette and manners. When it comes to manners, most parents are concerned with development in the areas of meeting and greeting others, public behavior, and table manners. Let’s focus on those areas for children in the age range of 3 to 5.

In terms of meeting and greeting others, development within this age range varies depending on the temperament of the child. At this age it is ok to cue the child. In other words, a child can be reminded to extend his or her hand and to greet others and say “Hi, my name is”. Children however should never be forced to shake hands or to hug or kiss people they do not feel comfortable with.

Acceptable public behavior includes being able to use indoor voices, to sit quietly in a restaurant and entertaining himself while the adults are eating or talking. Children in this age range can also be expected to walk around in public places without running ahead of the parent or grabbing everything they see. The best way to manage public behaviors is to explain what is expected of the child when they are in public. For example, you may say, “We are going to a restaurant. While we are there you are expected to wait patiently for your food and to use your indoor voice”. Manners for public behavior are still developing and children aged 3 to 5 need lots of practice in this area.
When it comes to table manners, children this age should be “caught” rather than taught. Poor table manners require both direct and indirect teaching. Basic table manners should be suggested. For example you might say, “See how we use a napkin to wipe our face so our shirt won’t get dirty?” Role modeling is the way to teach table manners indirectly. Parents should use proper table manners and say please and thank you. If children don’t see you modeling this behavior, the chances are they won’t practice them. Remember that table manners and fine motor skills are still developing at this age.  Depending on the food served, children in this age range can eat with fingers when utensils are clumsy.

It is also important to remember that poor manners should not receive positive attention. Rather than lecturing or reprimanding a child for bad behavior, correct the behavior by suggesting a better way to act.  Point out positive and appropriate actions to reinforce good behavior. For example you might say, “I was so pleased when we went to the doctor’s office and you sat patiently and quietly”.

Overall, role modeling is the best teacher when it comes to manners in general and is a part of the daycare job. Model good manners by being courteous to others. Offer help when appropriate, hold the door, and pick up dropped items.  By demonstrating good manners everyday through your own behavior, you are naturally setting your child up for a lifetime of good manners.

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• Guest Blogger Louise Roberts on the Power of Words in Daycare Part 2 Tweet Tweet Continued from The Power of Words in Daycare...

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I always encourage trying however realizing that unless your child is really ready you may be doing loads of work for little reward. Potty training is supposed to be a positive transition in life something that is filled with personal reward and satisfaction. Never should it be frustrating or punishing for both parents and child.

When a child is ready to potty train you will know. A ready child can usually be fully trained within a 3 day, fully committed period (perhaps still with a naptime/bedtime diaper as the exception). During these 3 days be prepared to let your child wear ONLY underwear/panties and that he/she might get wet. Consistency is key and being ok with accidents for the first few weeks is also really important. Be prepared to be doing tons of laundry. This is ok. Be prepared to wash floors. That’s ok, it’s just pee and it does clean. The only way your child is going to learn and this to be an efficient training process is if they are allowed to have accidents. They learn this way. Your children (children in general) they DON’T like being wet, especially with pee. If they are not minding it then they are NOT ready.

Parents will say they have been potty training for that past 2 weeks/month/few months/year. That is not training, that means the child was not ready and constancy is not there. That’s playing not potty training. Again, it should not take more than a long weekend, of being at home completely dedicated to the cause.

Of course, when this is established and your child at home (after the 3 consistent days) is successful I will continue here being diligent. This is a partnership and I have found this is the best way of doing it. Most children are concrete learners (especially this age) they are pretty black and white right now so they need to understand the process and know that you are going to help them follow through.

Lastly, it’s OK if they are not ready yet. Again, this process is supposed to be a positive one. It’s exciting that we can go on the toilet and wear big boy/girl underwear. Negativity creates anxieties and regression and it’s never good during this process.

Pull-up opinion:

To me a pull-up is a diaper. It does the same job as a diaper and it (on a whole) hinders the process. They are fine for nap/night time/ and *maybe* long trips but not in replacement of underwear/panties.

Good luck, remember…they will not being going to High school in a Diaper, so this too shall pass.

Louise

My name is Louise Roberts, owner of Louise’s Day Home. I have been happily married to my high school sweetheart for almost 14 years.  I have 5 amazing kids. My mother has run a daycare for over 25 years.  So my passion for childcare has come quite honestly. In high school I did my work experience in a Daycare Centre achieving top scores and Honor’s while doing so. I did marry and have my first child young and started my Day home ASAP. I have been doing this ever since. Meanwhile, I ran and facilitated an early literacy preschool program in my community called the Magic Carpet Ride for 5 years. Through this opportunity I was able take and participate in variety workshops, courses and programs all preschool relevant.

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Being creative with the activities for your daycare proves to be the hardest task for daycare owners. This challenge is multiplied by the age range catered by your daycare business because for every age, there is an appropriate activity to achieve a certain milestone. Of course the aim of your daycare center is the imparting of knowledge but you must also remember that the knowledge that you give should be appropriate for the mental age of the children enrolled to your center. Another thing to consider is the fun factor of the learning activities because research shows that children learn more when they are having fun.

It is also imperative that it is more important that the children are the ones enjoying rather than you. Keeping them busy will work as an advantage to you because it can buy you time to tend to your other needs. As you go on with your planned activities, it may feel like it is gradually becoming a routine. Read on to learn some few tips to juggle things up without compromising the children’s learning experience.

Every daycare facilitator must know the value of play time. Through play, the children can develop their creativity and socials skills as well. A structured set-up will bring order to your daycare but don’t forget to be flexible and versatile for the children not to lose interest in learning.

Theme based daycare centers are fast growing popularity because they are hip and fun which the children like. There are plenty of daycare center themes to choose from. For starters, try to play with colors, seasons, holidays, animals, etc as the central object for your theme. These themes may also be the guide for your activites such as a safari drawing contest, a Christmas card making activity, etc.

Acting is also beneficial for the children. Start by giving them a general scenario and give them freedom on how they would like to continue the story. Providing them with costumes and props may further improve this activity. Giving this kinds of activities is a great way of breaking the daycare routine and, not to mention, will boost the children’s creativity.

Totally dried up your creative juices? Why not ask the children what they would like to do for the day for a change? Assign one day of a week to be a day when the children gets to choose what activities they want to do. Surely you will get a myriad of ideas. To settle conflicts, suggest to the children to take turns in presenting their ideas to ensure that everybody is heard. This activity will instill confidence and accomplishment in the fragile minds of the young children.

It is very natural for the children to become very helpful. Use this to your advantage in accomplishing your tasks. Letting them experience adult jobs lets them feel that they are needed and they are important in this world. Try to give them simple and easy tasks first like putting the toys bag in the toy chest, arranging recently used books into piles or rows, etc.

See: How to start a daycare business

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We cannot deny the fact that as parents or guardians, we value our children so much. Thus, before enrolling them in a daycare or school, it is essential that we first have to assure ourselves that nothing whether physically and mentally can harm our children.

One of the most essential concern of parents and guardians is their children’s health and safety. Everyone will surely be upset and angry if their children meets any danger or accident while in a daycare or school program.

Still, an aggressive reaction such as complaints on the daycare or school program may only worsen the problem. It is recommendable that you rather do preventive measures to assure your child’s enjoyable experience in the daycare or school program.

The following are evidence-based procedures that you can use to assure your child’s safety and security:

• Make sure your assumptions are evidence-based and with proof before you pinpoint on someone. Coordinate with your children’s teachers or caregivers regarding the actions you can take to solve the problems. Assert your role in the education of your child. In doing the above, you do not only assure your involvement in your child’s education but also ascertains your responsibility and maturity in handling problems and coming up with solutions rather than just whining and winning an argument.
• Be calm when getting information from the teachers or caretakers. Consider giving praises about the positive things in the school or persons who is taking care of your child. Beginning conversations positively gives the impression not only of concern to your child’s well being but also an appreciation of their dedication and enthusiasm.
• After school, talk with your children about how his school was. To know more, ask their teachers, classmates or even other parents regarding your child’s performance in school. By doing so, you can look at different perspectives. If you are well informed, you can have stronger opinions when you raise your concerns with the teachers or caretakers.
• Be consistent even after you have already raised your concerns and complaints. Discuss with your child the issues to see if there are improvements. If there are none, make an action by approaching the next level of the hierarchy. You can, then, raise your concerns to the next person in line like the supervisor until an action has been made. Your involvement and being informed about your child’s education proves that you want excellence particularly in the quality of the results. This is better than making just one simple complaint on the issue and never making follow-ups again.
• Instead of focusing on the people involved, concentrate on what happened. This lessens arguments that are unnecessary. Also, advised the teacher to focus on the wrong actions rather than criticizing the quality of the persons concerned.

Thus, like what most people say, prevention is better than any cure. Your participation or involvement in school and your confidence on the way you deal with situations is very essential not only to voice your concerns but also for the school to know and be able to meet your expectations.
Easy Steps to Motivate Your Child to Sleep At Your Daycare

Motivating even eight or more students to fall asleep while in your family daycare can actually be done easily even if you are not that experienced. If you are now wondering how it is possible to have all these children take a nap at the same time, you just have to read through the following steps. Of course You have to consider the following factors to make it totally effective.

One of the first things to be considered is the sleeping environment in the daycare. There must be a facility that is quite dark, silent and conducive for sleeping. This place must be free from any distractions such as ringing phones or toys that may get their attention away from sleeping. Children also need to feel relaxed to fall asleep.

• Activities that will need a lot of energy such as exercises and other outdoor plays should be done in the morning. This is to be done to exhaust all their energy in the morning so that they will be interested to take a rest and sleep in the afternoon. Food rich in sugar content like candies should not be given as well because such items give them energy that can make them too excited and also, these items predispose them to toothaches and other dental caries.
• Keep in mind that children are unique and some can get to sleep easier than others. A good technique will be to separate these children who is having a hard time to fall asleep than those who can fall asleep easily. These children who cannot fall asleep fast needs more assistance. You can try to give them relaxing massage such as back rubs or they might need instructions to lie down and not to leave the sleeping area.
• Some children wakes up earlier than the others as well. Provide them with quiet activities so that they will not be able to distract children who are still sleeping. A special box consisting of all activities for such children can be done to give other children who are still sleeping an extra time for rest. The activities that can be used can include books, stickers, coloring materials and other mini games.

Making children sleep at the same time in a daycare can really be a very challenging task that may require a trial and error. To achieve the best strategies may take time and effort through experimentations. Providers in daycare can have their own strategies. The choice still depends on the provider and their children’s needs and characteristics.

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Sending your child to a day care is not only hard for your child but also for you. There are so many things which you have to consider as you pick a day care for your child. But no matter which day care you choose, you need to make sure that you hire a childcare center that will provide your child with what he need and not what he wants. Each and every day care has its own policies and regulations, so it is best that you look into each to determine which will work best for your child’ development.

You can always your friends for reputable day care centers out there. If you have friends who are sending their child in a day care, you need to ask them for certain centers that give a satisfactory job for childcare. This is so much better than relying on advertisements online, because at least, you will be able to get information about the day care centers first hand. You can discuss things, your concerns as well as the pros and the cons of having your child sent in a day care center.

Another source of day care contacts is the Department of Social Services. They have a list of day care centers that they will provide you. These are usually licensed and reputable day care centers for you. If you want a trusted day care, this is a good place where you can get them.

When you have gotten the contact number, you may need to call them up and schedule a meeting. In the meeting, you can ask a bit of questions that will help you evaluate the day care. Get a list of programs and activities that your child will be ask to do. By taking a look at this, you will more or less get the idea of whether these will be very effective for the development of your child. If this is okay with you, then you can now proceed with the enrolment of your child in the day care.

It is very important that you prepare your child with the idea of sending him in a day care center. Do not just bring him there and leave him because this can cause him to undergo separation anxiety and throw tantrums in the day care center. The best thing that you should do is to talk to him and explain why he has to be sent there. Always build a positive image of the day so that it can excite him. Remember that children love it when they are excited about something so make sure to deal with in the best way possible. Allow him to bring a toy or a blanket that he can hold when he feels lonely. This will make it easier for him since children can go crazy when they miss their parents. Make sure that you know how to deal with this so that your child will find it easier to deal with these things and adapt to the environment of a day care center.

See: How to start a daycare center

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Childcare is seen as one of the most important things that parents should not neglect especially when it come to their daily lives. Children do need to be taken care all the time this is why most parent just choose to send their children in a day care center. But before you react, there is a reason behind this. Parents these days do make it a point to prepare for the future of their children. Especially with the way that they economy if going, there is no way that parents can get away with lying around in their homes. This is why they are forced to work and left with no choice but to send their child in a day care.

But of course, as with any decision that you make, you need to be sure that you this is the right one. You may think that your child is ready for a day care center, but the real question should be “Is he?”. Your decisions are often useless if your child does not want to cooperate. This is why you need to know if your child is ready for a day care before deciding on doing so.

The first thing that you have to do is to analyze the way that your child reacts. You need to know if your child is ready to be separated from you. If you leave your child with a family member or a relative, assess if he cries or if it is okay with him. This will more or less give you an idea if you can leave your child in another setting where you are not there. If you think that he is comfortable with the idea, then more or less it is safe to leave him in a day care center without crying so much.

The second thing is to observe if your child is open to communication to other children. When you bring your child in the public park or to an amusement park, observe if your child willingly interacts with the other children. There are some children who so do not actually want to talk or share their things to other children. This is what you should avoid because these can cause trouble to the day care center. But if your child is friendly or is open to the idea of having to talk to other children, then there is no problem for you. He will have an easier time interacting with the other kids in the day care.

Lastly, the way that your child adapts to a new environment is very important. Enrolling your child in a day care means that his daily routine should change. This means that he will be spending most of his days in a day care rather than at home. This is something which your child should get used to. He needs to be able to change with the environment as soon as possible so that he can work effectively in the day care. He needs to be able to cope up with the new environment and the people whom he is dealing with or else, he will never be ready for a day care.

If you think that your child is not yet ready for a day care, there is nothing that should worry you. Your child might still be attached to you, but you need to grown apart. It is time that your child learns how to be independent and it is your responsibility to do so. You can slowly talk to your child and train him to be independent. You need to explain to him why you have to send him in a day care center. Make sure that he understands your point. This will prepare him for the idea or having to face everyday without you by his side. You can choose to leave him to your relatives at first. He needs to have a feel of how it is to go on with his daily life without you around. This will help him adjust to the idea that other people are in charge of taking care of him. This is why it is best to start with relatives because at least he will be comfortable with the people that he will stay with.

One advantage that this brings you is that he will learn how to talk to other people too. He will not be afraid to converse with other people, whether his age or older people. This can be a good start if you want to develop the social skills of your child. You do not have to worry about this because as long as your child is already open to the idea of talking with other people, trust that he will be able to talk with other people in the day care.

Then, after a week or two weeks, you can now gauge if he is adjusting to the change in the environment. You will notice that your child will not have any complaints or so when you send him there. Then this may be the time that you can send your child in a day care.

Remember that you need to brief your child when it comes to sending him to a day care. He needs to know everything there is to expect in a day care. These include the lessons that he will be learning, things that he will do as well as the people whom he will interact with. Do not scare your child, but make the idea more interesting for him.

Although it can still be hard to leave him for the first day, preparing him will make is easier for you. You can expect that your child will not cry as you leave him there. This can really be a lot less stressful for you. Just make sure that you tell him that you will come back for him so that he will not feel scared that you will leave him alone in a day care. With the right preparation, you will surely be able to send your child in a day care center while you work to ensure a bright future for him.

See: How to start a daycare business

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Leaving your child in a day care center is not a choice for most parents anymore. Most parents do not choose to live a busy life, but since the economy has been going nowhere but down, they are often faced with no other option but to work. As a consequence, they are not able to take care of their children. What they do is that they leave their child in a day care center so that they will be ensured that their child is taken care of, even if they cannot be there. You may be wondering what are the pros and the cons of a day care. Let me give you an idea on what to expect should you decide to leave your child in a day care center.

In a day care center, your child is faced with a lot of benefits. He will be able to learn a lot of things from counting, writing, reading, coloring and dealing with other people. Since a day care often has a lot of activities lined up for your child, you will be sure that he will not only get the care that he needs, but also the knowledge that will equip him for the future. With the constant interaction that your child will have with other children, he will be able to develop certain social skills as he plays with them. You do not need to teach your child how to deal with others especially if he is shy. In a day care center, he will be able to deal with it on his own.

The number one thing which parents dread when they leave their children in a day care center is separation anxiety. Since children are not really used to being left alone in an unfamiliar place, they will seek the company of their parent. This will often cause them to cry, throw tantrums and become really restless. This is what causes parents to have a hard time leaving their children. You can deal with this in your own way, depending on what you think is the right way, you can ensure your child that he is secure in the day care and you will come back for him. When this happens, you can also allow him to bring a toy or a blanket that will provide him with the security that he wants. This will make him feel more comfortable in the day care, even if there is a switch of an environment. In no time, he will adjust and notice that he will not need to bring his security items anymore.

It is really beneficial for you to enroll your child in a day care. Do not be afraid even if the time calls you to work. There is not much which you can do since you need to work for your future. The care of your child should not be compromised and the day care centers will ensure you of this. Enroll your child now and see how it can be advantageous for your child’s development.

See: How to start a daycare center

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Day care businesses have really been doing great these days. Since the increase in the number of working mothers all over the country, more and more have sought the help of day care centers to take care of their children. This is why there was a noticeable boom in the childcare industry lately. If you have the love for children as well as the right skills that will enable you to run a day care, this should not be a problem for you. In fact, this is the perfect business venture that you should go into. In no time, you will surely enjoy your work as well as work to be successful in this field.

When opening a day care business, it is very important that you have a business plan to start with. This will make your business a lot more organized which will prevent you from missing things as you plan along the way. It is very important that you have everything planned from the start and this will ensure you that you are going to run your business smoothly. These are some of the guidelines which you can choose to follow as you go along your day care business planning.

Fixing All The Requirements
Running a day care should always be planned ahead. This means that when you have truly decided to go on with this business, you need to fix the requirements first. You need to acquire your license to operate before anything else. Check out for the requirements for the application and pass them immediately. This usually takes a long time to get so make sure that this is the first thing that you do so that while you are waiting, you can plan well for your day care and when you have gotten your license, you will be ready to operate as soon as possible.

Designating The Area
Of course, a day care is not a day care without a place. You need to have a place designated where the children will be allowed to stay. You should make sure that you have made use of your space really well. This should include the play area, eating area and sleeping area. Not only this, but also the place where you could work. Of course, when you have designated each area, you can now pick a location where you can work. Make sure that you will not be distracted by the noise of the children.

You may think that having your own work place is not really that necessary, but it actually is. You need a place where you can concentrate and think properly. Since you need to be able to fix your appointments, tasks and payments in here, you should make sure that you will be able to plan they carefully without having to mix them up. This is why it is also recommended to have separate accounts and phone lines when it comes to your day care center so you would not mix them up.

Focus On Time Management
Not only does time management matter in a day care business, but also in other businesses too. This is why you really need to make sure that you focus on this. Trust me, this will make you have an easier time for managing your business. You need to create a schedule of the things that you need when it comes to your day care. This should include planning, applying for license, hiring the employees as well as making the schedules that you need when it comes to running your day care. Part of this plan, you need to assign certain chores to your staff members, as well as yourself. You need to make sure that you follow the plans that you have made so that you will not cause any delay to operation. This includes cleaning, checking of school stuff and even fixing up the place. Once this is done, your day care will now be ready.

Hire Trusted Employees
If you decide on hiring employees other that your family and friends, it is very important that you have a screening method that will allow you to gauge if the person that you are hiring is someone who is reliable. Since your day care centers requires to handle children, you should make sure that the person you are hiring is someone who will be able to handle the children that you admit. When it comes to security purposes, this is also very important. With all the countless of criminal cases being done in day care centers, you need to make sure that whoever you are hiring will be safe for the children. You may need to make sure that you conduct a background check on the people whom you are hiring to check for criminal cases of offenses that they may have had done in the past.

Do Effective Advertising
It is very important that you advertise your day care very well. Advertising can really be helpful when you run a day care. This does not mean that you have to hire a professional advertising company. You just have to make use of your creativity in doing so. You may choose to have flyers handed out to the people. This can really be effective. Free online advertising are also available so make sure that you consider this too since people are often checking things online. Once you have done this, trust that you will surely get calls in a matter of days. Be open for inquiries and questions that they may throw at you. Always be confident in your answers and make sure that you know everything there is to know about your business.

These are some of the things which you need to consider as you go along your planning. This is not that hard to do so make sure that you follow these well. Remember the key to a successful day care does not lie in the number of children that you are handling, but the number of loyal customers that you have. This is why you need to make sure that you have an organized plan to make everything easier for you. You will be successful in your business venture in no time.

See: How to start a daycare business

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Day care centers are one of the places where security is highly valued. With all the children being taken care of each day, it is the day care facility’s responsibility that they make sure that each and every child they handle are in good hands. Especially in these times, it is so hard to trust people. There are news which are coming out involving children who are abused as well as abducted each day. This is why as a day care operator, you need to ensure that you staff members are highly trusted and will not do any harm to the children.

Through technology, you will be able to ensure the safety of the children. There are child care background check tools in the internet which will provide you with the information that you need. There re free websites but there are also some which charge a fee per search. It is highly recommended to search through those websites which as for a fee since they are able to provide you with more information that you need. Do not worry because the fees only range from $29.95-$89.95 which depends on the information that you want to have. The more information, the higher the fee you pay.

Depending on the website, you need to supply them with the information that they are asking for. Most of the time, these websites only require the name, birthday and birth place, but be ready with other information if they are needed. In a matter of few minutes, you will be able to see the information that you need.

What are the information that you will be able to view?
There are so many information which you can view when you conduct background search. If you are wondering what these are, here are some of them:

Criminal Records
This is the top thing which is being looked at buy the employers. These criminal records will give an idea if there are such felonies that the employee may have committed. If the person has been charged by child molestation or sexual abuse, these will be shown in the criminal records. This will help you in deciding.

Credit Report
If the employee has any problems when it comes to finances, this should be looked at. This will prevent theft or kidnap for ransom cases that might happen. Even if he has little money, as long as he is able to manage his finances properly, then there is nothing wrong with that.

Court Records
Court records will provide you with the list of the things he might have done in the past that will affect the way that he works. You will be able to view records for civil judgement, bankruptcies as well as liens.

Social Security Number
This is very important since this will help you in determining if the employee has a valid social security number. You need to know that you are hiring someone who is a registered employee whom you can trust. There are sometimes aliases which are associated with such social security number this is why you need to check these things.

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