Themed Vegetable or Flower Garden

Starting a themed garden with the kids in your class is the perfect way to kick off spring. If you opt for a vegetable garden, you can plant foods to fit a theme. For instance you could do a pizza garden and plant tomatoes, onions, basil and peppers. Once the veggies grow, the class can use them to make pizzas.

If your class chooses to do a flower garden, they could turn it into a butterfly garden by planting flowers that attract butterflies. The kids will get a thrill watching butterflies enjoy their garden as much as they do.

The best thing about a garden is that it can start in early spring and kids can work in it and enjoy it throughout the summer.

If space on the outside of the childcare facility is limited, you can plant the garden in an old container like a sandbox or wagon. You can put these containers anywhere as long as there is plenty of sunshine. Before you plant your plants in containers, drill a few holes in the bottom so the water can drain.

Spring Nature Collage

Explore Mother Nature and all her splendor by taking kids on a spring nature walk. Provide each child with a paper bag so they can collect small items while they walk. Encourage them to pick flowers, and gather rocks, sticks, leaves, dirt and grass.

When the kids return to the classroom, give them a sturdy paper plate and some glue and let them use the things they collected to make a spring collage. When the collages are finished, hang them up so the kids can enjoy them.

Live Butterfly Garden

A butterfly theme is popular during the spring. What better way to teach kids about the lifecycle of butterflies than by letting them experience the process with their own eyes. You can purchase a live butterfly hatching kit at a school supply store or from an online vendor.

With a live butterfly hatching kit, kids will get to observe caterpillars as they grow, hang upside down, shed their skin and emerge as beautiful butterflies. After the butterflies emerge, kids can watch them for another week or two, and then take them outside and release them.

Gardening, watching butterflies grow, and exploring nature are just some of the amazing activities you can do with the kids in your class during the spring.

• Keep foods simple. Don’t prepare elaborate dishes for children. Rather than vegetables as separate dishes. If you mix the food together, kids will likely pick over it rather than eat it.

• Don’t bombard kids with too many new foods at once. Kids are reluctant to try new foods, so introduce them slowly and in moderation. You might try to introduce one new food a week. Also, don’t pile new items on the children’s plates. This may overwhelm them and make them reluctant to try the food.

• Provide a varied menu. Sure, chicken nuggets and macaroni and cheese are delicious. However, serving these items four days a week is not healthy. In order for kids to get the array of nutrients they need to thrive, your menu needs to provide a variety of healthy foods. On the days you do serve mac & cheese, give the kids a choice between two healthy vegetables to go with it.

• Don’t have meals too close together. While you don’t want kids to be hungry between meals, you want them to have enough of an appetite to eat the meals you provide. Space meals out carefully so kids will want to eat at mealtimes.

• Be sensitive to cultural differences. If the majority of the kids in your care come from the same cultural background, the bulk of the food choices on your menu will reflect this. However, you should make an effort to include foods that kids from other cultures are familiar with. You can use cook books or pull recipes off the internet to come up with meal ideas.

• Make foods fun to eat. If you’re having a hard time getting youngsters to eat certain foods, get creative with them. For instance, if kids refuse to eat those English peas, try using the peas to make a funny face on top of some mashed potatoes. This adds an element of fun to meals.

If you keep meals simple, consider cultural differences, space meals carefully, provide variety, and make meals fun, you can provide nutritious meals children will enjoy.

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.

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.

Allow plenty of play time. Letting infants and toddlers spend the bulk of their days in unstructured play helps fosters mental development. It can also teach them new and exciting ways to think.
Provide youngsters with a wide assortment of age appropriate toys and materials for them to play with. Infants, for example can play with blocks, rattles, wooden cars, balls, etc. Toddlers can play with dress up clothes, blocks, pots, pans, doll houses, large cars, etc.
You can guide infants and toddlers when they play, just be careful not to dominate their playtime. If kids are to develop their creative selves, they need plenty of leeway to explore materials and use them as they see fit.

Don’t be afraid to let youngsters get a little messy. Messy sensory activities help support brain development in young children. Infants and young toddlers explore things by mouthing them, so any materials you use for creative sensory play needs to be harmless. You can put out small tubs of pudding, Jell-O, oatmeal or other safe materials for infants and toddlers to feel around in.
With older toddlers, you can also use dry beans, pasta, rice and sand. However, if you use these materials with older toddlers supervise them carefully to make sure they don’t put these items in their mouths.

Give infants and toddlers time to explore their surroundings. Don’t confine infants to cribs, bouncers and high chairs. Put them on the floor and let them crawl around and use their senses to explore their environment. Also, don’t just let infants explore things from they’re level, pick them up and walk around the room with them so they can explore the world from your height.
Toddlers are movers and shakers, so don’t confine them to small sections of the room, let them get around and explore the classroom so they can learn to develop their own unique perspectives and reactions to their environment.

Encourage infants and toddlers to try new things. Having the confidence to try something new is important for creativity. Encouraging a baby or toddler to try something new such as sit up for the first time or pet a bunny rabbit can build self confidence and make him more willing to try new things in the future.

Read and tell stories. Whenever you read or tell stories to infants and toddlers, you create the foundation for lifelong learning and creativity. Anytime you read or tell a story, alter your facial expressions, use sound effects, and animate your voice to distinguish moods and characters.

Use music and movement. Music inspires creative expression in children. When you play music, encourage your infants and toddlers to bounce around and move. There are no limits to the ways kids can move to music. You can also gently dance, twirl and sway with infants.
Don’t limit your choice of music to classical and kiddy bop, expose kids to a variety of music genres as long as the lyrics are age-appropriate. If you want, you can even use instrumental versions of popular songs.

Buying most of your fruits and vegetables from the local farmers market will save you a bundle of cash. Locally grown produce sold at farmers markets can be up to 50 percent cheaper than produce at the grocery store. Why? Because there are no additional costs tacked on for packaging, shipping or store overhead.
Don’t Buy Out of Season Fruits and Vegetables
In season fruits and vegetables grow in abundance, so they’re less expensive than produce that’s out of season. If you buy strawberries in the wintertime, you’re going to pay big bucks. Buy fruits and vegetables only when they’re in season. Your wallet will thank you.
Buy Whole Wheat Bread at an Outlet Bakery

You can buy whole wheat bread 30 to 50 percent cheaper at a bakery outlet store. This is because the bakery outlet sells either bread the company produced too much of, or bread that may be close to its expiration date.
Usually if the bread is about to expire, it is marked down by 50 percent. If you find whole wheat bread on sale, take advantage of it and grab several loaves. You can keep them fresh by popping them in the freezer until you’re ready to use them.
Buy Meat on Sale and in Bulk

Buying poultry and lean meat in bulk will save you money over the long haul. When you buy in bulk, freeze whatever you don’t use so that it stays fresh. You can find excellent sales on meat by scouring daily newspapers. Sure, this can be a little time consuming, but it is well worth the money you’ll save in the end.
Serve More Dry Beans

Beans are cheap, easy to prepare and full of protein and iron. You can serve beans as an alternative to meat or you can add them in soup, chili and salads. When you serve beans instead of meat, you can save a bundle. Change up the kind of beans you serve to keep kids from being bored.
Reduce the Amount of Sugar in Breakfast Foods

When you buy cereal and Pop Tarts, get the kind without the sugar coating. You can add sliced bananas or other types of fruit to the cereal to sweeten it. When you serve kids oatmeal, sweeten it with raisins or applesauce instead of sugar.
If you shop smart, buy local produce and reduce sugary foods, you can improve your menu without going broke. If buying healthier food is a serious struggle, you may need to boost your childcare prices just a bit.

When you do business with friends and relatives, the lines between personal and business interactions can get blurred. Loved ones may feel entitled to preferential treatment, and feel they’re exempt from the rules. Dealing with attitudes of entitlement from friends and family can get old . . . fast. This is why some people refuse to do business with loved ones. However, if you have a friend or relative who’s willing to pay for your childcare services, why not give her a chance. Just be sure to take measures to keep your relationship in tact.

Get it in writing. The old “handshake and smile” way of doing business is overrated. If you rely on this method, especially with your loved ones, you might get burned. Make your friends and family sign the same contract you give all your other clients. When you do this, they’ll know you mean business, and they’re less likely to break the rules.

Nip it in the bud. When your loved ones break the rules, address it immediately. Don’t sit on your thumbs hoping the situation will get better. If your friend is 45 minutes late picking up her child, refer her back to the agreement she signed, charge her the late fee, and explain to her that it can’t happen again. Your bud may be a little bent out of shape at first, but if she’s a true friend, she’ll get over it.

Talk it out. In addition to your signed contract, reiterate to your loved ones that you expect them to give you the same respect they would give a provider they don’t know. This means adhering to the rules, picking their kids up on time, and making timely payments. If you sense any hesitance on the part of your loved ones, refer them to another provider.

Don’t play favorites. No matter how tempting it is to pull your niece out of the classroom and let her eat ice cream in your office, don’t do it. Parents and children notice when things like this happen. Giving a child preferential treatment will cause the other kids to feel inadequate, and make their parents angry enough to withdraw them. Save yourself the drama and treat all of the children the same.

If you aren’t careful, doing business with friends and relatives can get sticky. However, if you let loved ones know from the start what you expect; you can minimize problems and keep your relationships in tact.

Embrace Technology

There’s no point in running from technology; it’s not going anywhere. In fact, if you want to keep your business competitive, embracing technology is a must. If you don’t already have a website, get one. If you don’t already have software to help simplify your administrative tasks, consider investing in some. A website can save you time by making all of your childcare information available to existing and potential clients with the click of mouse.

A website also serves as a round-the-clock marketing tool; so even when you’re snoozing, your website is working to boost your business. Investing in childcare software can help streamline mundane tasks like bookkeeping, record-keeping, and payment tracking. Software can also help you keep track of employee records and payroll hours.

Get Some Business Training

Knowledge is like money. You can never have too much of it. Consider taking some marketing or business workshops, seminars or classes. Business training can help you learn how to target your marketing efforts, keep accurate records, screen employees, and other things related to operating a business. Business concepts are universal, so the workshops don’t necessarily have to be related to childcare. You can tweak any information you learn to fit your needs.

Get Serious About Your Health

Your health has a direct impact on the way you do your job. If you’re tired, stressed, and weak all the time, there is no way you’re going to be effective at any job you do. Making the following lifestyle tweaks will help you feel healthier and allow you to do your job more effectively:

Being healthy, beefing up your business knowledge, and using technology to streamline your business will help you improve yourself and make your job easier in the New Year.

Decide where you will host the event. Hosting the dinner at your childcare facility or your home is the cheapest option.  However, consider whether or not you have enough room for all the people who will attend.  If the space you already have is not big enough, consider hosting the event at a local community center, or a small banquet hall.

Decide on a day and time. Obviously, you won’t have the staff dinner on Christmas – most people already have plans to spend time with their loved ones on this day.  Consider having the event several days before Christmas at a time that won’t interfere with others’ holiday plans.

Get a head count. Will the event be for staff members only, or will they be allowed to bring a friend, spouse, or children?  Whatever you decide, it’s important to get a general idea of how many people will attend so you will have enough food for everyone.

Decide what dishes you will serve. Christmas dinner for staff members doesn’t need to be elaborate.  Simple traditional Christmas dishes like ham or turkey and dressing, veggies, macaroni and cheese, and a couple of desserts will suffice.  Remember, it’s the thought that counts.

Decide who will prepare the food. If you don’t feel like spending all day in the kitchen, consider having a potluck.  Each employee can sign up to bring a covered dish to the dinner.  If a potluck is out of the question, consider having the event catered.  If catering is too expensive, you can buy premade desserts, and go to a grocery store deli and pay them to prepare the most time consuming dishes.

Ask for volunteers to help with cleanup. Most people will be more than happy to help with cleanup duty.  Make cleanup hassle-free by using disposable plates, flatware and cups.  If you’re concerned about the environment, buy disposables that are biodegradable.

Employees are not only the heart of your childcare business; they are like a second family.  Show your staff members how much you value them by using the tips above to plan a special Christmas shindig in their honor.

With the end of the year just around the corner, now is the perfect time to take a look at your written agreement to see if it needs to be updated. This way, you can have it ready to hand out to your clients just in time for the New Year.

So How Do You Revamp Your Contract Without Causing an Uproar?

When businesses revamp their policies and procedures, the changes are not always welcomed by their clients, but they do it anyway.  They don’t do it because they are trying to “stick it” to the customer (not usually, anyway), but because the changes are necessary to protect interests, ensure survival of the business, and keep confusion to a minimum.

The good news is that if contractual changes are reasonable, people who get bent out of shape over your revamped policies will usually get over it. Of course, you’ll have an occasional parent who will pack up her tyke, and hightail it to another facility, just to teach you a lesson. However, as long as you provide outstanding care for children, most parents won’t waste their energy searching for another childcare provider.

Parents show a positive response to respect and common courtesy, so don’t just spring contractual changes on them, and expect them to conform overnight. Notify them in advance about the changes to give them time to get used to the idea.

If you only plan to make minor revisions to your contract such as adding a small fee for providing wipes and diapers for kids when parents forget to replenish these items, a two weeks notice is appropriate. However, if you make major changes such as raising childcare fees, tacking on late charges, or changing business hours, parents should receive at least 30 days notice.

Businesses change, and sometimes written agreements have to change with them. If your policies and procedures are outdated, now is the perfect time to overhaul them so they line up with the way you want to do business.