Category Archives: Perspectives

May 23, 2013

Fostering Language Development in Infants

By the time infants are nine months old, most of them will understand simple words. By the time they get 12 months old, they will have learned all of the sounds they need for language. Since infants can start attending childcare programs when they’re as young as four weeks old, it’s important for you to do everything you can to foster language development in the classroom. Here are some ways to accomplish this:
Engage babies in conversation. Even though infants can’t understand what you’re saying, it’s still important to talk to them regularly. When you engage babies in conversations, you are laying the foundation for language development.
Respond to infants’ babbles. When infants make sounds, respond to them. When you do this, it encourages them to use sounds to communicate. Pause between responses so that the babies can have a chance to react and answer. This helps tykes learn that taking turns is part of communicating with others.

 

Use facial expressions when you communicate. Babies love to look at the faces of their caregivers. When you talk to infants and respond to their babbles, use exaggerated facial expressions to convey emotion. Don’t make any scary faces that will traumatize infants. Instead, do things like smile a little bigger, raise your eyebrows a bit higher, or widen your eyes just a bit when you talk.

Sing songs, play games and do finger plays. Infants love to listen to you sing to them. They don’t care how bad you sound. When you sing to babies, you expose them to many different words and sounds. This can help foster language development. You can sing old time favorites, or make up your own songs. In addition to singing, do finger plays like the itsy bitsy spider, and play games like peek-a-boo. Doing these things can encourage interaction, boost brain development, and expand infants’ verbal experiences.

Read books to babies as often as possible. Reading to infants is one of the most important things you can do to foster language development. The more you read, the more words and sounds they are exposed to. These words and sounds teach tykes about communication, helps them build their listening skills, and boosts their vocabularies.
When you do things like sing songs, play games, read stories, hold conversations, and respond to babbles, you surround infants with the language-rich environment they need to build vocabulary and foster language development.

Let’s get social and share!  Follow us on Facebook.  Be inspired by us on Pinterest.  Or, pick up the phone and give us a call.  We’re here!  Our whole community benefits from shared experience.  We want to share with you!  Sign up to receive our newsletter, The CCB Report, our top three favorite and informative posts in your inbox weekly.

image via

Posted in Perspectives | Leave a comment
May 21, 2013

5 Fun Fieldtrip Ideas for the Summer

Summer is the perfect time for you to get the kiddos out of the classroom for some hands-on learning experiences. Occasional fieldtrips can also help break the monotony of being stuck inside a classroom for up to 9 hours a day. If you’re stumped for ideas on child-friendly fieldtrips destinations, consider these five summertime hotspots.

1. The Zoo: Kids get excited when you flip open a book and read about animals from all over the globe. But nothing will invigorate them more than coming face to face with some of their favorite animals. The lions, tigers, peacocks, primates, bears and other wildlife at the zoo will leave little ones awestruck for days.

2. The Botanical Gardens: The botanical gardens is an outdoor wonderland filled with vibrant colors, and fragrant smells. It’s the perfect place for kids to engage their senses, and bond with Mother Nature. During the summer months, most botanical gardens offer themed events and displays such as butterfly houses, frog ponds, tree houses, and nature-themed arts and craft activities for youngsters.

3. A Local Park: Feeding the pigeons, frolicking in a wide open space, and having a picnic with friends – what more could a kid ask for? If you’re looking for a summer fieldtrip youngsters will enjoy, look no further than your local park. The best thing about taking kids to the local park is that it’s absolutely free. You can’t beat that!

4. The Public Library: If you want to take your class on a fieldtrip, but don’t want to hit parents up for the cash, check out the local public library. There’s always something fun (and free) going on at the library. Children can tour the facility, borrow some books, and listen to story time adventures. Sometimes libraries even offer puppet shows, and arts and craft activities to keep children busy.

5. A Children’s Museum: If there is a children’s museum nearby, load the kiddos in the van and go. Don’t worry about them ripping the place apart. All of the displays in a children’s museum are child-friendly and interactive. This means the kids won’t have to walk around with their hands glued to their pockets.

Summertime fieldtrips can open up a world of new learning experiences for children. Occasional outings with the kids can also give you a break from that stuffy classroom. There are plenty of places you can take the kids on a fieldtrip. However, you can never go wrong with the five hotspots listed above.

Let’s get social and share!  Follow us on Facebook.  Be inspired by us on Pinterest.  Or, pick up the phone and give us a call.  We’re here!  Our whole community benefits from shared experience.  We want to share with you!  Sign up to receive our newsletter, The CCB Report, our top three favorite and informative posts in your inbox weekly.

image via

Posted in Perspectives | Tagged | Leave a comment
May 9, 2013

Four Simple Ways to Prevent Back Pain at Work

Caring for young children is one of the most important jobs in the world. However, the importance of this occupation can be quickly overshadowed when you’re constantly in pain. All of the standing, stooping, bending, pulling, twisting, and lugging you do in a day can really do a number on your spine and back. Here are some things you can do to prevent debilitating back pain from happening to you:

Get control of your core. One of the best ways to prevent back pain is to strengthen your transverse abdominis muscle, which is sometimes called the body’s natural weightlifting belt. This muscle is instrumental in stabilizing the spine and pelvis when you lift. The stronger it is, the less strain your back will endure when you’re lifting children. One exercise you can do to strengthen this muscle is to pull your abs in like you are trying to move your belly button towards your spine.

Lift infants and toddlers properly. When one of your charges needs you to comfort him, the last thing you’re thinking about is proper lifting techniques. However, if you want to prevent lower back injuries, paying attention to your form when you lift an infant or toddler is important.

Here’s how the Department of Defense Ergonomics Working Group suggest caregivers lift infants off the floor:

  • Put one foot next to the infant and straighten your back.
  • Push your bum out and slowly lower yourself down to one knee.
  • Adjust the baby’s position so that he is close to the knee that’s on the floor.
  • Slide the baby from the knee that’s on the floor to the middle of your thigh and then lift him onto the opposite thigh.
  • With your palms facing up, put both of your forearms under the infant and hug him close to you.
  • Keep your back straight, head forward, and buttocks out.
  • Lift by extending your legs.

Toddlers are heavy, so avoid lifting them whenever you can. In instances where you have to lift a tot, stand with your feet shoulder width apart, straighten your back, and squat down. Bring the child close to you, hold her securely, tighten your abs, and use your leg muscles to lift.

Stretch your back to keep it pliable. When you work with children, you do a lot of bending and twisting. If the range of motion in your back and spine is limited, you could easily strain yourself and pull muscles. Doing simple stretching exercise during and after work can improve your flexibility and make bending and twisting motions easy.

Support your back when you’re sitting on the floor. Sitting on the floor to interact with youngsters is part of your job. However, it can place strain on your back and spine. Whenever you’re doing floor activities, sit with your bum against the wall to help support your lower back.

Lifting properly, strengthening your ab muscles, supporting your back and improving your flexibility can help you prevent back pain, and allow you to give youngsters the kind of quality care they deserve.

Let’s get social and share!  Follow us on Facebook.  Be inspired by us on Pinterest.  Or, pick up the phone and give us a call.  We’re here!  Our whole community benefits from shared experience.  We want to share with you!  Sign up to receive our newsletter, The CCB Report, our top three favorite and informative posts in your inbox weekly.

image via

Posted in Personal Development, Perspectives | Tagged , | Leave a comment
May 8, 2013

Should There Be A Dress Code For Preschoolers?

Three-year-old Cara is chasing her friend on the playground. She trips over something and tumbles to the ground. What’s the big deal? Kids fall down all the time. Aside from a few scrapes, they’re usually fine. Well, on this particular day, Cara was wearing flip flops. When she fell, she broke her toe. Yikes! If the provider had a dress code that prohibited open-toed shoes, Cara’s toe would still be intact.

Some people may think enforcing a dress code for kids in a childcare setting is ridiculous, but seasoned childcare professionals know that kids who wear practical clothes to childcare are much better off.

When parents send kids to childcare in clothes that are not weather appropriate, or practical for the kinds activities they engage in, it can cause problems. Establishing a standard of dress for the kids in your care will keep them comfortable and safe. It will also spare you the headache of dealing with a parent who is irate because her child’s expensive new dress is covered in finger paint.

What Should a Dress Code for Children Include?

A dress code for tykes should be reasonable, keeping comfort, safety and practicality in mind. When you write out your dress code, list the types of clothing that are not allowed, and then give a simple explanation as to why these types of clothes are prohibited. When parents understand the reasoning behind the dress code, instead of thinking you’re an unreasonable person, they’ll know you have their kids’ best interest at heart.

You might include the following things in your dress code:

  • No open-toed shoes as kids can stump their toes, trip and fall, or drop things on their feet and get injured.
  • Suggest parents dress kids in layers on blustery days. Kids spend most of their days indoors in the winter, so they may need to peel off layers because the classroom will be significantly warmer than it is outdoors.
  • Suggest parents only send children in clothes they don’t mind getting dirty. Between painting, outdoor activities, coloring, and sprinkling glitter, the day in the life of a kid can be pretty messy. If you constantly have to worry about keeping kids clean, you’ll go mad – you have enough to deal with just trying to keep tykes in one piece.
  • Suggest to parents that when girls wear dresses and skirts to childcare they may be more comfortable wearing shorts or tights underneath. This way, when they climb, roll, flip, and swing, they don’t have to fuss with keeping their dresses in place.

A dress code for children is not such an insane idea when you really think about it. Requiring parents to dress their kids in practical clothes can prevent injuries, keep children comfortable and keep parents from being upset over expensive, paint-stained clothes.

Let’s get social and share!  Follow us on Facebook.  Be inspired by us on Pinterest.  Or, pick up the phone and give us a call.  We’re here!  Our whole community benefits from shared experience.  We want to share with you!  Sign up to receive our newsletter, The CCB Report, our top three favorite and informative posts in your inbox weekly.

image via

Posted in Perspectives, Uncategorized | Leave a comment
May 2, 2013

Grandma’s Cure For Biting

In my Grandma’s day curing a small child of biting was real simple.  I can still hear Gram’s voice saying proudly, “Ever’ one of my young-uns was a biter.  I only had to bite em back one time to make em quit!”  And then she would add with quiet resignation, “Cept for Jimmy Ray, had to bite him three or four times ‘fore he got the message…. hard-headed, that one.”  As far as I know, not one of Gram’s 6 children suffered ongoing trauma from those bites and from all outward appearances, they became successful, well-adjusted adults – even Jimmy Ray.

Unfortunately, these days, Grandma’s homespun discipline could get you arrested.  As effective as her cure may have been, I knew there had to be a better way (sorry, Gram).

As I researched the current conventional wisdom on the biting issue, I found that the consensus seems to favor three main methods for dealing with a child who bites:

  • When a child bites, tell them in a calm, but firm voice ‘no bite – that hurts’ and then remove them from the situation.
  • Let the child know that biting behavior is not acceptable by instituting appropriate consequences, such as withholding a favorite toy for a short time or placing him on time-out for one minute for each year of age.
  • Give the child a substitute item to bite, for example, a chew-toy or a damp washcloth.

These suggestions are probably great if you’re only interested in accomplishing behavior modification, but they lack an important element that was present in my Grandma’s method.   There is nothing in these suggestions that actually teaches empathy to a child.  You have to give Grandma her credit on that score; nothing breeds empathy faster than actually feeling the pain you have inflicted on another person.  I needed to find a way to bridge the positive lessons of the ‘old school’ with the more humane actions of the ‘new school’.

So I continued my research and Eureka!  I discovered a book called “Teeth Are Not for Biting” by Elizabeth Verdick.  It is a 24-page board book for preschool ages that not only teaches how to understand and change biting behavior, but also helps the child to understand how this behavior affects others. Nearly all of the reviewers from the experts to providers and parents found this book to be extremely helpful in eliminating baby and toddler biting behaviors.  I think Gram would approve of this one.

Let’s get social and share!  Follow us on Facebook.  Be inspired by us on Pinterest.  Or, pick up the phone and give us a call.  We’re here!  Our whole community benefits from shared experience.  We want to share with you!  Sign up to receive our newsletter, The CCB Report, our top three favorite and informative posts in your inbox weekly.
image via Night Time Helper Blog

Posted in Family + Kids, Perspectives, Voices from the Field | Tagged , | Leave a comment
March 31, 2012

Activity Ideas for Spring

Bright flowers, butterflies, and more bugs than we can handle. Ah, yes. Winter is finally gone, and sunny days are here again! This means it’s time to put away those cold weather activities and salute the changing season with some fun spring activities. Here are a few ideas to get you started: Continue reading →

Posted in Perspectives | Tagged | Leave a comment
March 31, 2012

Tips to Manage Finicky Eaters

Kids spend a lot of time in the childcare setting, so naturally, they eat most of their daily meals there. For this reason, it’s important for childcare professionals to provide kids with healthy meals to help meet their nutritional needs. Unfortunately, kids are finicky eaters, so it can be hard to provide nutritious meals they will actually eat. Here are some tips that can help: Continue reading →

Posted in Perspectives | Tagged , , | Leave a comment
February 29, 2012

Should There Be Dress Codes for Preschoolers?

Three-year-old Cara is chasing her friend on the playground. She trips over something and tumbles to the ground. What’s the big deal? Kids fall down all the time. Aside from a few scrapes, they’re usually fine. Well, on this particular day, Cara was wearing flip flops. When she fell, she broke her toe. Yikes! If the provider had a dress code that prohibited open-toed shoes, Cara’s toe would still be intact.

Some people may think enforcing a dress code for kids in a childcare setting is ridiculous, but seasoned childcare professionals know that kids who wear practical clothes to childcare are much better off. Continue reading →

Posted in Perspectives | Tagged | Leave a comment
February 29, 2012

Four Simple Ways to Prevent Back Pain at Work

Caring for young children is one of the most important jobs in the world. However, the importance of this occupation can be quickly overshadowed when you’re constantly in pain. All of the standing, stooping, bending, pulling, twisting, and lugging you do in a day can really do a number on your spine and back. Here are some things you can do to prevent debilitating back pain from happening to you: Continue reading →

Posted in Personal Development, Perspectives | Tagged , | Leave a comment
January 23, 2012

Supporting Creativity in Infants and Toddlers

Kids are fearless and they are born with an innate sense of curiosity, so they all have it in them to be creative. However, if their creative spirit in not encouraged and nurtured, it will never see the light of day.
Creativity is not just about being able to perform miracles with a paintbrush; there are a lot of elements to it. Creativity is a trait that allows youngsters to look at things in a new light. Creativity gives them the ability to create something that’s truly original and also helps them come up with distinctive solutions to problems. Here are some ways you can help get infants and toddlers on the path to lifelong creativity: Continue reading →

Posted in Perspectives | Tagged , | Leave a comment