Sharing Circle

When sending your child to a child care program there are several things you need to keep in mind while packing his backpack. Right from choosing the right backpack to what you put inside it is quite essential for your child. Backpack come in all shapes and sizes with a variety of colors and designs. So you need to pick up one that not only your child loves, but also how comfortably it can accommodate things necessary for him to carry at the child care facility.

Here are the do's and don’ts when packing your child’s backpack for day care:

During the initial years of a child, the brain is highly active and is ready to absorb skills and knowledge really quickly. Moreover, as per the studies conducted by the scientists, it is proved that the child’s brain development is much faster and better than an adult’s brain development. Keeping this in mind, it is very important a parent to involve his child into as many activities as he can because these activities will help him in his overall development on physical, mental, emotional and social level. If the child is under proper supervision of a professional teacher then even the everyday tasks can be quite an interesting childcare activity. It is necessary that any child care activity (be it fun or learning activity) performed by any child at a tender age must be supervised by a professional caregiver. This ensures the safety of the child as well as it is highly beneficial for the child.

Today a lot of parents want to keep their children busy in some or the other interesting activity as a way to avoid them using computers and gaming consoles which have a negative effect on them. Kids learn very little from the gaming consoles and whatever is learnt is not so valuable. The child learns values, creativity, sportsmanship and other things by carrying out some fun filled and interesting activities at a good childcare program. These are a few fun activities kids can do at a child care program:

• Circle time: Circle time activities is an interesting and fun way to develop interaction and communication skills in a child. They learn to interact amongst themselves and their teachers. It includes singing and dancing, story listening, role-play, show-and-tell etc. With good background music and several visual aids, colorful objects and different sounds, these fun activities engross the child while inculcating essential skills important for his development.

There are many child care programs that mainly focus on the development and intellectual growth of your child. As a parent, it is the most important decision choosing the best program for your child. The child learns a lot of things at a great program and this learning phase makes an easy transition of the child to a higher grade. So while selecting a program, make sure that your child learns cognitive skills that not only helps him in his early and most crucial years of development, but also when he steps into his adulthood.

Besides other queries arising in your mind, one question that generally pops up while enrolling your child in a program is what kinds of cognitive learning will a child experience at a good childcare program? Cognitive skills are the basic skills that enable the child to read and learn, think and reason, remain focused, etc. These skills enable a child to understand the world in future. Every child is different and hence they think differently. How a child gathers the information and processes it, is totally different from how another child does it. The  program should have effective interaction and communication with the children. Play is the most essential and effective way through which a child develops his thinking abilities. Hence, a program should provide enough play material which exposes them to new information and also helps them to explore experience new things at the facility. Play dough, gardening, painting, drawing, crafts and many other interesting activities that are conducted at a childcare center greatly help the development of cognitive skills.

A good child care program ensures a positive and perfect overall development of your child. The child develops a lot of habits during his tender age. Choosing a good program requires enough time and patience which is worth it as a child care program forms a foundation for your child’s adult life. Here are a few things to consider while selecting a good child care program for your little one.

• Ratio of teacher to child: You need to check the ratio of teacher to child. Ideally one teacher should take care of a few children as she can give personal attention to your child. If the child is small, he needs more attention and care at the childcare facility. A ratio of 1:4 is good for babies, while a ratio of 1:10 is good for children above four years of age.

Choosing a right nanny for your family is not an easy task. You need to take enough time to find that one right person who will handle your kids well. It is an important decision that needs enough planning and research. After all, your child will spend his most crucial years of growth with the nanny you hire. Moreover, it is more about safety of your child too. Thus you need to have enough patience and contact your friends, agencies or search online to find promising candidates. Here are a few tips for choosing a great nanny:

Know your priorities: To start with, you must know what you are looking for. Discuss your priorities with your partner. Know what type of nanny you want for your child. Should she be experienced and matured enough? Should the nanny you hire, hold a degree in early childhood education? What all responsibilities would she be given, like bathing, feeding etc.? How independently she would take care of the child? Or do you want to hire a nanny who will give your child the parental needs? Keep these questions handy before you interview the applicants or before contacting the agencies.

Most parents get stressed when it is time to leave their child to a child care facility. After the maternity leave is over, even the very thought of leaving their child with an unknown person and completely new surroundings seems stressful. Moreover the rising cost of child care facility is another factor that adds to their stress. The most important factors that influence the decision are fees of the child care facility, its location and availability of seat for their child along with these factors, it is equally important to know about the reputation of the facility, accreditations and their procedures, like is it full time or part time, the working days and programs they conduct for the parents.

However, there are some important interview questions you should be asking when looking at a child care program for your children:

Does your child care facility hold a proper license or accreditations? A child care facility that does not hold a proper license is definitely not undergone state mandatory inspections. Hence it is necessary to send your child to a licensed child care facility which is thoroughly inspected for the safety of your child. ​Although being licensed does not necessarily guarantee quality care, it will indicate that the provider is taking his business seriously. At least there is the indication that they are maintaining certain standards.

A child care program acts as a foundation in preparing your child for transitioning from pre-primary to primary school. However, these days, parents are quite confused whether to send their child to a child care program. But the fact is that these facilities offer several benefits to children that prove to be quite meaningful during their later stages of life. During the early phase of life, children undergo different stages of growth and development, so good quality and regular child care can leave immensely beneficial effects on your child’s overall development. Children have a very sharp memory at tender age and hence the right knowledge and experience inculcated at this tender age can be of great significance in their adult life. Thus, the child care program that focuses on play and structured activities can help the children develop positively.
 
Various indoor activities that keep the child engrossed include puzzle games, building blocks play dough and clay, craft and pasting and sensory games, while the outdoor activities include, water play, digging sand pits, climbing and playing on swings, carpentry and enjoying the open landscape. These activities improve their thinking, visualizing and exploring abilities as well.    
 
Besides there are various other benefits for children to attend a child care program:

Child care has grown into a big business. As a society, we have evolved from single income to dual income families at an incredibly rapid rate, in the past 35 years. It takes more money to live as a family than it did back in the 1970’s

As a result of both parents in a situation where they both have to work full-time, there has been a huge vacuum created that child care has filled. According to what is known as the New America study the cost of child care for those under the age of 4 is now costing a family, on average $9,500 per year. Incredibly, that is more than the cost of college tuition at a state-sponsored school system like the SUNY system here in New York.

​With summer here in the Albany area in full effect, minus some intense thunderstorms, all the children are excited to have a ton of outdoor fun trying and doing new activities.  The key as a parent is to ensure your children are safe by setting the appropriate expectations and putting in place the appropriate boundaries.

Our focus today is on water safety. With the kids all being cooped up inside for almost six months, they all want to enjoy playing in water of any kind. Whether it’s the backyard pool, the river by the park, playing in the sprinkler or swimming at Million Dollar Beach in Lake George, there are plenty of options that will keep them physically active and engaged at the highest level socially with their friends. It is extremely important that a supervising adult or parent is present at all times.