What is this unit about?

This unit will help you design a plan for your child care program. based on the needs and interests of the children.

What will we do all day?

Having a home-based or family child care means that you provide a setting that is very much like a family at home. Just like a family, your child care has routine times of doing things as well as free time to explore individual interests. Thoughtful planning will help you maintain routines and provide a variety of things for children to do.

Deciding what you will do all day involves making a plan. This unit will give you many helpful planning ideas and answer the following questions:

• Who needs a plan?
• What is important to know about planning?
• What should a plan look like?
• Guidelines for planning

Who needs a plan?

As a new mother of an eight-month-old baby, Maria Sanchez has decided to become a family child care provider. She has agreed to take care of her sister’s three-year-old daughter and her neighbor’s children, ages four and six. “The six- year-old is in all-day kindergarten,” says Maria. “She needs help getting on the bus in the morning and off the bus in the afternoon. All the children will be here early. I will need to know what I’m doing.”

You need a plan - For Maria, the key is to have a plan that will work for her and the children. Being ready and knowing what you are going to do and when you are going to do it helps eliminate confusion and frustration for you and the children in your care.

Children need a plan - Children depend on you for a plan. They like regular times for eating, resting, story time, and outside play. Plans give children a sense of order and time. When you say, “After breakfast we will put our coats and hats on and walk Kylie to the bus stop,” children learn what to expect.

Parents need a plan – Parents will often choose a child care home based on the program. They feel secure when children follow a plan during the day. They find it comforting knowing the routines or that you include special projects and learning activities. A good plan provides you with information to share with parents. This helps parents feel they are part of the program too.

What is important to know about planning?

As one family child care provider explained, “Our plan is only a guideline. Because we are in a home setting, we’re free to be flexible. The children have plenty of time for inside and outside play.”

It’s important to be flexible.
Children need you to be flexible. Being flexible means you are willing to adjust to changes. Here are some examples:

• Unplanned events might require you to quickly change what you are doing.
• Daily routines such as snacks, meals, and rest time should follow at or near a set time each day, but going over or under these times by a few minutes is certainly okay.
• Be open to exploring and learning more about something completely different for that day if the children are interested and excited about it.

It’s important for children to have plenty of time for play.

When children are playing, they are learning. They need to be able to choose from a variety of play materials and spend as much time as they want to play or move about to other areas of interest. These interest areas include the following: Dramatic pretend play Creative art Science Music Language arts Large muscle play Small muscle play Construction/building/block play

Tip: Children have short attention spans. Plan short periods of time (ten to twenty minutes) for activities that you expect children to sit for and provide a quiet place or thing to do if they are not able to sit and stay for the activity.

Adding to these materials and changing them from time to time will keep the children’s interest and provide learning opportunities as well.

Note: For more information on materials and activities for play and learning areas, or planning for play and learning areas, refer to the Web-based home learning units “What Will the Children Play With?” and "Space for Playing and Learning in a Family Child Care Home."

What should a plan look like?

Maria Sanchez is concerned about how to plan her child care day: “My baby is crawling, and the three- and four-year-old children have a lot of energy. After we put Kylie on the bus in the morning, we’ll have a long day ahead of us. What kind of a plan should I have?”

Both Maria and the children will benefit from a plan that is designed especially for them. A good way to put together a day designed especially for you and the children in your care is to look over a variety of plans. Let’s check in with three family child care providers to see what their plans look like.

Plan A (Barbara’s plan)

7 a.m.	Children come
	Breakfast
	TV/play time
12 p.m.	Lunch
	Naps
	TV/ play time
5 p.m.	Children go home

It’s easy to see that Barbara’s behavior problems may be solved if she had a plan that was more complete. Each day children need both inside and outside play. Scheduling television as an activity every day does not give children the time they need for more important active learning. Television viewing should be planned only as a special event.

A nutritious snack is also missing in this plan. Children’s stomachs are small; they need to have a snack in the morning and afternoon. Having planned times for meals and snacks will help keep hunger under control.

Marion's Plan Marion, our second child care provider, cares for six children. All are preschoolers between the ages of three and five. She feels the children need to be ready for kindergarten. “This group cries a lot,” says Marion, “but they’re doing better at coloring in the lines and most know their ABCs and numbers.”

Plan B (Marion’s plan)

8 –8:15 a.m.	Children arrive
8:15-8:45 a.m.	Breakfast, cleanup
8:45 - 10 a.m.	Circle Time (Letter of the Day, Number of the Day)
10 -10:15 a.m	Snack
10:15 - 11 a.m.	Group games, story time
11 - 11:30 a.m.	Coloring pages (letters and numbers)
11:30 - 12:30 p.m.	Lunch, cleanup
12:30 - 2 p.m.	Story, naptime
2 - 3:30 p.m	Learning video (review letter and number of the day)
3:30 - 5 p.m.	Quiet play, outside if nice
5 - 6 p.m.	Children leave

Leticia's Plan Our third caregiver, Leticia, cares for an infant, three preschool children, and a school-age child in her home. “My children are lively; they never stop asking me questions.” One child she has cared for is now in elementary school and is doing very well. “She loves coming here after school. We are busy working on a special project. The children were interested in the birds visiting my feeder. I’m learning along with them. We’re having a great time.”

Plan C (Leticia’s plan)

Arrival (7 a.m.)	Children arrive - Breakfast
	Children choose from the play shelves or books/story tapes
	Bathroom break, change diapers, wash hands, brush teeth
8 a.m.	School-age children leave
Morning (8:30 a.m.)	Playing/learning time
	Children work on special project - Birds
	Play areas open (pretend play, blocks, puzzles and games, art materials, water/sand play, books)
	Group time (story, songs, fingerplays)
	Cleanup time
	Bathroom break, change diapers, wash hands
(10 a.m.)	Snack time
(10:30 a.m.)	Outside playtime
	Get ready for lunch, use bathroom, wash hands, and set up tables
Lunch and Rest Time (12 p.m.)	Lunchtime
	Bathroom break, diapers changed, wash hands, brush teeth, get drinks
	Story time
(1 p.m.)	Rest or quiet time
Afternoon (2 p.m.)	Wake up time -bathroom break, diapers changed, wash hands
	Snack
(3:15 p.m.)	School-age children return and have snack
	Playtime/learning time - children work on special project - birds
	Play areas open (pretend play, blocks, puzzles and games, art materials, water/sand play, books)
(4 p.m.)	Outside playtime - weather permitting
End of the Day	Quiet play activities/family time
5 – 6 p.m.	Children leave

As you can see, Plan C is complete and works well for Leticia and the children in her care. Maria Sanchez thinks this plan will work for her as well. “I like the idea of not being rushed or on a tight schedule. I will plan to help the children learn as they play, and it won’t be a problem getting Kylie to and from the bus.”

Guidelines for planning

Planning within basic areas of the day allows for flexibility in choosing projects and activities and keeps you on track with necessary routines to follow. Read through each of the following areas of the day and get ready to think about a plan based on the needs and interests of the children in your care.

Please note: Infants follow their own schedules and need to be fed, have their diapers changed, and nap on demand.

Arrival – Greet children and their parents as they arrive each day. Set toys and other play materials out so children can get involved in something right away while you visit with parents. Children will need breakfast. This is something they can help prepare, serve, and clean up. Routine times that include washing hands and using the bathroom should be part of the plan. School-age children may need your help getting to school or on the bus. Keeping this time of the day relaxed and simple will help everyone get off to a good start.

Morning – This is when toddlers and preschoolers like to be busy. It is also when they are most alert and open to exploring. Think about the best times to plan quiet, sit-down activities and ones where children are active and moving around. Messy art activities, a special project, water and/or sand play, books and story time, singing and games, and a variety of carefully chosen toys and materials that encourage children to learn should be included each day. You will need to include time for using the bathroom, washing hands, cleaning up, and having a snack together.

Outside playtime should be planned during the morning. Some groups of children seem to need more time for this type of play than others. Don’t be afraid to increase the amount of time for outdoor play if the children seem to need it.

Tip: Action or movement activities like games, marching, or dancing can sometimes go on for thirty minutes at a time.

Lunch and Rest Time – Children can help prepare lunch or do quiet activities while you prepare the food. Serve family-style meals. Take the time to make the meal a pleasant and relaxed time. Encourage children to talk with each other. After lunch, use the bathroom, wash hands, brush teeth, and gather children together for a cozy time and story before resting.

During rest time, some children will sleep, and those who can’t sleep can lie quietly and look at books. Adjust this time to suit the needs of the children in your care. Help children settle down for rest time and follow an established routine.

Afternoon – As children wake up, have a quiet activity available. Having a choice of materials on low shelves gives you the freedom to help children as they carry out routines of using the bathroom and hand washing. School-age children may return at this time of the day. Plan a snack time together as an enjoyable way to discuss afternoon activities. Have a mix of quiet and active things for children to do during this time. Children may want to continue to work on an activity from the morning or explore an area of interest in play. Be sure to plan time in the afternoon for outdoor play for all children.

End of the Day – The children have been with you all day and need some help winding down before they leave. Have this be a time of quiet play. Reading a story to the children, going over what the children did that day, or playing a game together are good ideas. Some providers like to wait outside with the children when the weather allows or have quiet games or puzzles that children choose to do as they wait. Parents arrive at different times. Prepare the children for this time of day and have things ready to go. Take time to greet each parent and share something about the day.

Summary

A good plan benefits you, the children, and their families. Planning is important because it gives purpose to the day, provides a sense of order, and allows for plenty of flexibility. Children and parents like to know they can depend on certain daily routines. When children know the routine times, all you need to add are special projects or activities that are interesting to the children. Planning provides opportunities for learning and fun.

It is a good idea to make reasonable plans that you know you can follow. It may be helpful to plan on a weekly basis with a variety of activities to do over the week. If you are feeling rushed, or see that you are pushing the children through a schedule, it may be time to change your plan. A daily plan should make your day easier, not more difficult.

Need some ideas for activities? Check out the Activities Database at the Better Kid Care Web site.

Assignments

1. Why do you need a plan for your child care day?

2. Why is it important for children to have long periods of time for play? Why is it important to include outdoor play each day?

3. It is important to build flexibility into your child care plans. Give an example of a situation where it is more important to be flexible than it is to go with the plan for the day.

4. Think about the needs and interests of the children in your care, the routines you and the children have during the day, and the many activities you can plan for quiet, active, and outdoor play.

Tell us about your plan for the day within the areas listed below. Include approximate times for routines and planned activities. (If you are not currently caring for children, design a plan based on Maria Sanchez from the lesson, who is caring for her 8 month old daughter, her sister’s 3 year old and the neighbor’s children ages 4 and 6.)

• Arrival
• Morning
• Lunch and rest time
• Afternoon
• End of the day