Welcome back to the series How to Find Quality Child Care

In this article we will review the myriad of ways to actually find a child care provider to complete Step 2: Set Up a Tour

To review Step 1: Define Your Perfect Situation click on the link below
http://www.fremontkidsacademy.com/1/post/2013/05/how-to-find-quality-child-care.html

Step 2: Set Up a Tour


Once you have completed defining your perfect situation you must seek out prospective child care options. There are many ways to do so and you should follow your instincts on how you'd like to proceed. 

One of the most popular ways to find child care solutions is to do a search on google or your favorite search engine. You will be connected to a series of paid advertisements as well as organic search results. Remember that child care providers must wear two hats, the one that runs the business and the one that cares for the children. If you are looking for a professional business that is able to present their program in a compact way - this is a good search tool.  You will find the programs that maintain their websites and are technologically savvy enough to be found on a search engine. Personally this is an important aspect of a care provider's personality for me, but that's just my opinion. 

Along the same lines as search engines you may also find prospective care providers on some of the child care forums. It seems that currently the most popular forum is care.com and it is worth noting that care providers pay for a listing on the forum. This tends to weed out the less than professional providers and ensures that you are contacting someone that is currently doing business.

One of the oldest, and best, ways to find great child care is by word of mouth. There is nothing like the referral of a friend to a child care provider that has been taking care of their child. You get a behind the scenes peak into the program through the experienced eyes of your friend. The drawback to this method is that the number of programs you can tour may be very limited. Second best to a referral from an actual friend is a referral from the virtual community on sites such as yelp.com and other parenting sites. Check reviews and start touring.

Coming soon in our series is Step 3: The Interview
-Dana Wilson



Step
3: The Interview
http://www.fremontkidsacademy.com/1/post/2013/05/may-15th-2013.html

Step
4: Enroll Your Child
http://www.fremontkidsacademy.com/1/post/2013/06/how-to-find-quality-child-care-step-4-enroll-your-child.html

Step 5: Evaluating Your Child Care Program
 http://www.fremontkidsacademy.com/1/post/2013/06/how-to-find-quality-child-care-step-5-evaluating-your-child-care-program.html

Wading through all the information about rear-facing car seats, forwarding-facing car seats, booster seats, and seat belts can be daunting.

Here are recommendations from the National Highway Traffic and Safety Administration http://www.nhtsa.gov/cps/cpsfitting/index.cfm

• Select a car seat based on your child's age and size, and choose a seat that fits in your vehicle and use it EVERY TIME.
  
• Always refer to your specific car seat manufacturer's instructions; read the vehicle owner's manual on how to install the car seat using the seat belt or LATCH system; and check height and weight limits.
• To maximize safety, keep your child in the car seat for as long as possible, as long as the child fits within the manufacturer's height and weight requirements.
• Keep your child in the back seat at least through age 12.

Birth -12 Months
Your child under age 1 should always ride in a rear-facing car seat. There are different types of rear-facing car seats: Infant-only seats can only be used rear-facing. Convertible and 3-in-1 car seats typically have higher height and weight limits for the rear-facing position, allowing you to keep your child rear-facing for a longer period of time.

1-3 Years
Keep your child rear-facing as long as possible. It's the best way to keep him or her safe. Your child should remain in a rear-facing car seat until he or she reaches the top height and weight limit allowed by your car seat's manufacturer. Once your child outgrows the rear-facing car seat, your child is ready to travel in a forward-facing car seat with a harness.

4-7 Years
Keep your child in a forward-facing car seat with a harness until he or she reaches the top height or weight limit allowed by your car seat's manufacturer. Once your child outgrows the forward-facing car seat with a harness, it's time to travel in a booster seat, but still in the back seat. 

8-12 Years
Keep your child in a booster seat until he or she is big enough to fit in a seat belt properly. For a seat belt to fit properly the lap belt must lie snugly across the upper thighs, not the stomach. The shoulder belt should lie snug across the shoulder and chest and not cross the neck or face. Remember: your child should still ride in the back seat because it's safer there.

Welcome to the next article in How to Find Quality Child Care. We will be discussing the steps to take while interviewing a care provider, what to look for and how to ensure you are getting what you want.

Please review Step 1: Define Your Perfect Situation
http://www.fremontkidsacademy.com/1/post/2013/05/how-to-find-quality-child-care.html

And Step 2: Set Up a Tour
http://www.fremontkidsacademy.com/1/post/2013/05/may-15th-2013.html


In the above steps you've identified your requirements, found a few places to tour and now it's time to actually interview the providers.

Step 3: The Interview
The initial "interview" actually occurs in Step 2 when you are setting up the tour. How did you make contact with the provider? Did you make a phone call, send an email, maybe it was via text, or an online tour request? All of these methods give you some insight into how the provider is comfortable with communicating with parents. Many providers are very good at caring for children but not so technologically savvy. With this type of provider you may be limited to only phone calls and in person discussions. 

In Step 1 of this process you defined your perfect situation. One of the components of your perfect situation may be getting text messages through out the day with status updates for your child.  During your interview process be sure that the provider you are talking to is capable of meeting your needs and you should have no problem being clear about your needs as they will be listed for you in Step 1.

Once you have actually arrived at a facility, give the provider a chance to show you around and offer any information they might be prepared with...many questions will be answered during the tour of the facility. You should be looking for safety, cleanliness, and overall feel of the place. 

Once the tour is officially complete then it's your turn to ask any questions that you didn't hear the answer to in the tour.  Think about the normal daily routine of your child and compare that to the daily routine of the program. If there are any differences, be sure to learn how they will be overcome. Many times if your child's nap time is at a different time than the established program nap time, your child will be the one to compromise and change schedules. Is that ok with you? Or would you like your child's nap time take precedence? Can that be arranged? It is important to iron out the details before placing your child so that everyone has a smooth transition.

Take a look at the license number of the facility and call to get a report on any incidences that might have occurred. If the provider cannot provide a license number, this is a red flag that you should pay close attention to as the provider is either not licensed or does not want you to know the number. Why? Maintaining a license is not a difficult or expensive process but does require a commitment to quality child care. There are inspections done by the state (both announced and random) and there is a minimum standard of care that all licensees are held to. Many providers exceed this minimum level but at lease you know they can't go below it for long without a complaint being filed. A huge benefit to being licensed is the support structure that is given to licensed child care providers. There are many free developmental courses offered, food programs ensuring nutritional fare, and other great networking benefits to being licensed, both for the provider and the families in the program. During your tour ask to see a list of programs that your provider participates in or courses the provider has completed. This will give you a great idea of the education level and community involvement of the provider. 

Compare your Perfect Situation list to the program the provider has and determine if enough of the points are met for you and your family to be happy. Once you have a few interviews under your belt it's time to move to the next step.  


Step 4: Enroll Your Child 

Stay tuned!

Step
4: Enroll Your Child
http://www.fremontkidsacademy.com/1/post/2013/06/how-to-find-quality-child-care-step-4-enroll-your-child.html

Step
5: Evaluating Your Child Care Program
http://www.fremontkidsacademy.com/1/post/2013/06/how-to-find-quality-child-care-step-5-evaluating-your-child-care-program.html

-Dana Wilson

Quinoa is a grain/cereal from the Andes that is easy to cook, great for you and tastes fabulous. It can be prepared in many different ways and easily takes on both savory and sweet flavors.

At Fremont Kid's Academy we strive to serve the most palatable and nutritious meals to the children in our care. Quinoa is a main character in many of our meals and the children love it! They have no idea that it contains nearly all of the amino acids we need, is the source of a complete protein and has many vitamins such as phosphorous, magnesium, and iron.  

My favorite way to prepare it is in the following recipe.

1 cup of Quinoa Seeds
1.5 Cups chicken or vegetable broth
Combine seeds and broth, simmer for 15 minutes until soft and translucent.

3 TBSP olive oil
1 TBSP sesame oil
1 TBSP chili oil (optional)
1 diced sweet potato
1/4 cups diced onions

In a large skillet combine all ingredients above until potatoes and onions are soft. Add cooked quinoa and stir until hot.

Serve immediately! Enjoy.
-Dana Wilson

Why do they love boxes so much?  Childcare providers and parents can spend oodles of money buying the latest and greatest educational toys and our children just want to play with the boxes.  I think sometimes we should give them just what they want.   We all have tons of fun building bridges and castles and it's much easier on our bank accounts.  Playing with large boxes helps build gross motor skills, expands imagination, and solidifies spacial awarness. Building together helps the sharing process and fosters cooperation.   It turns out that the box can be educational too! Enjoy.-Dana Wilson

Happy 2013 Mother's Day to all of our Fremont Kid's Academy Mommies from our whole gang!

We wish you the best day ever.

-Dana Wilson

Welcome to the series on How to Find Quality Child Care. Check back often for updates and new hints.

I have been asked many times by prospective parents "how do I know my child will be well cared for?" The answer is multidimensional and is deeply specific to each family. Let's start at the beginning with a step by step approach to finding the perfect child care program for your family.

STEP 1: Define Your Perfect Situation - know what you want and ask the right questions to find out if the prospective program will be equipped to offer your ideal situation.

Many parents are looking for the following components:

• Healthy Meals
  
• Daily Reports
  
• Preschool Curriculum
  
• Warm Cuddly Environment
  
• Outside Play Time
  
• Educated Care Providers
  
• Parent Involvement
  
• Reasonable Pricing
  

There are many other items that parents look for when choosing the right child care program. Sit down well before it's time to place your child in a program and identify the components you feel are necessary. There are many ways to actually find child care programs. 

Stay tuned for Step 2...Set Up a Tour

-Dana Wilson


Step
2: Set Up a Tour
http://www.fremontkidsacademy.com/1/post/2013/05/may-15th-2013.html

Step
3: The Interview
http://www.fremontkidsacademy.com/1/post/2013/05/may-15th-2013.html

Step
4: Enroll Your Child
http://www.fremontkidsacademy.com/1/post/2013/06/how-to-find-quality-child-care-step-4-enroll-your-child.html

Step 5: Evaluating Your Child Care Program
http://www.fremontkidsacademy.com/1/post/2013/06/how-to-find-quality-child-care-step-5-evaluating-your-child-care-program.html

When changing your baby's diaper you may not be thinking of spending quality time with him/her but this is a great opportunity to give undivided attention to your little one.

Here's a few games you can play to add teaching and fun to your routine:

Count the Buttons: Sing a song that helps baby to learn numbers like "one little, two little, three little buttons, four little, five little, six little buttons, seven little, eight little, nine little buttons, ten little buttons on your onesie."

Listen? - Hear That?: Ask your baby to listen for the snaps or velcro on their clothes. When you hear it, use your facial expressions and body language to be over-joyed at hearing the sound.

Sing the Alphabet: The old standby of the alphabet song can be used at any time...you can change it up for older toddlers and see if they can find the differences...start with Z and see if they notice. If you know the alphabet in other languages, now is one of the best times to teach them.

 How Many Fingers? How many Toes?: Children love to have their fingers and toes counted...count your own as well, they like to see comparisons.

Take advantage of this regularly occuring time to really give your baby or toddler undivided attention. They won't thank you for it, but they will certainly benefit from it!
-Dana Wilson

Toddler's are constantly testing their environment and maybe the limits of your patience. Try distraction as a method to keep them on track. If your little angel is getting into the bathroom cupboards (again!) try putting them infront of a talking book or moving toy...or better yet bring that toy into the bathroom in the first place, before they become interested in the contents of the cupboards.

Another trick that works well with my little explorer is to ask him to put his hands in his pockets to keep him from touching whatever it is that I don't want him touching. To keep it interesting and positive for him, every once in a while I will slip a surprise in his pocket for him to find. Nothing too small to be a choking hazard.
-Dana Wilson

Here's the top five reasons yoga is good for kids (and adults) of all ages.

#5 - Encourages Cooperation: Children practicing yoga get to help each other with poses and positively interact with different age groups.

#4 - Helps Maintain the Peace: Little bodies sometimes get out of control and frustration levels reach a capacity where hitting and temper tantrums come naturally. Yoga is a healthy physical activity that engages them fully.

#3 - Increases Gross Motor Skills - Children learning poses and routines become more aware of their body and gain control over their movements.

#2 - Keeps Growing Bodies Flexible - Stretching is a minimal part of a child's regular daily life....unless they participate in yoga or some other specific stretching program. Having flexibility comes from keeping flexible.

#1 - It's Fun! - KIDS LOVE YOGA! They think it's hilarious to see an adult with their head on the ground and feet in the air. They love to imitate and what's better than playing with the whole body?

- Dana Wilson