Skip the navigation and go directly to the content.
Subscribe to receive Newsletter
Welcome to this month's issue of the Better Kid Care E-Newsletter - A newsletter for those caring for children.
Notable Quote: "A three-year-old child is a being who gets almost as much fun out of a fifty-six-dollar swing set as it does out of finding a small green worm." –Bill Vaughn
Where do you find the best ideas on caring for children? From child care providers, of course! The following tip is from Cyndi Barningham of Serendipity Child Care in Pleasant Gap, Pennsylvania:
"One thing that has improved our program and communication with parents is to give them a snack day. They can pick the day of the week to share snack with all of the children. We ask that they consider the theme for the month/week and/or color we are working on to demonstrate that idea to the children. I think they do a great job of helping out and getting assistance from their child!"
Where do you find the best ideas on caring for children? From child care providers, of course! Do you have a great tip or good thing? Send us your best tips in writing and your tip may end up in our newsletter! If your tip is chosen for the newsletter, you will receive a little something from the Better Kid Care Program. Mail tips with your return address, place of work, and the number and ages of those you care for to:
Better Kid Care Program
Tips from Child Care Providers
253 Easterly Parkway
State College, PA 16801
E-mail to: crb16@psu.edu
By Christine Belinda
Nature has given us the gift of a beautiful, exciting, outdoor learning environment. It's ready for the children to explore, investigate, and experience. Summer is a wonderful time to support outdoor learning. The outdoors provides a tremendous supply of "play tools" for children to investigate and discover. Our role as caregivers is to create safe outdoor spaces, to enhance the environment to meet children's developmental needs, and to make the environment inviting and fun! This is somewhat easy, since nature does a lot of the work for us!
You will need to carefully walk through your outdoor environment and check all equipment, materials, and boundaries for safe play. Be sure you are aware of the vegetation. Your local Penn State Cooperative Extension office or the National Poison Control hotline (800-222-1222) can provide information on plant safety. Infants must always be supervised. Toddlers need constant supervision as well since they are becoming mobile and are unaware of many dangers. Preschoolers are adventurous and need freedom to explore and move, but also need close supervision.
The outdoors offers us clever "play tools" such as trees, grass, plants, insects, rocks, earth, open space, weather, and fresh air. Although these things need little enhancing, it's a good idea to think about summer spaces before the children begin their outdoor exploring. Think in terms of permanent spaces and temporary spaces. What does your summer space have to work with and how can you add to it?
Tip: Be aware of ticks and Lyme disease. Lyme disease is spread to humans when certain black-legged ticks (sometimes called deer or bear ticks) attach and feed on humans long enough to cause infection. Lyme disease is not spread by the common American dog tick. To learn what parents and child care providers can do, go to http://paaap.org/pdf/ecels/factsheets/lyme.pdf
Tip: Wading pools can spread germs. Early Childhood Linkage System (ECELS) suggest sprinklers and individual water play containers instead of wading pools. Whenever infants and toddlers are in or around water, an adult should be no more than an arm's length away, close enough to provide touch supervision.
When choosing temporary spaces and materials, be careful not overwhelm the children or yourself with too many materials to transfer and keep track of. There will be many days for summer spaces. Observe what the children seem interested in and keep in mind what materials you have or can easily access.
Even in a summer space, children need a schedule. It should include free play, snack, clean-up, special activities, meeting times, stories, singing, quiet times, adult interaction, and several opportunities to support physical, cognitive, emotional, social, and cultural development. Outdoor environments can be a great success with careful planning. Through summer spaces, children can run, dig, climb, observe, smell, touch, measure, create, design, predict, invent, and lead their own path of discovery.
By Nancy Wilson
Adults must take special precautions to keep children safe in heat and sun. Here are some things to do when your children will be outdoors in warmer weather:
Safe Fun in the Sun was developed by Nancy Wilson, Penn State Better Kid Care Program, and Penn State University. Resources: Sheila Milnes, Parents Count, 1999 Penn State Better Kid Care Program, Penn State University, Healthlink 1999, Early Childhood Linkage System (ECELS)
By Sheila Milnes
You don't need to have expensive playground equipment or a large space for good summertime child care. Most likely you already have everything you need. The secret to wonderful productive play outdoors is to set up activity areas outside. This lets children choose from familiar activities and exciting new ones. It is extra work to carry things outside, but remember the old saying – many hands make light work. Most young children really enjoy helping to bring things outside. All it takes to make your outdoor space wonderful is a little extra effort.
Learn what you need to do to set up for dramatic play, an art area, a construction zone, a nature center, and don't forget sand and water play. Find this and much more in the distance education lesson, Summertime Care. Plus get lots of great ideas on gardening, fun in the sun, insect discovery, and plenty of safety tips.
This is a selection from the Better Kid Care Distance Education lesson, Summertime Care. For a complete listing of our distance education lessons (includes mail-based and Web-based), additional information, and resources, visit the Distance Education Program. Complete distance education lessons to earn PA Department of Public Welfare, PA Pathways training hours.
Great Books to Read with ChildrenReading aloud with children is a wonderful activity. Children of all ages love to be read to. Support the love of reading for children in your care by trying the following books:
Henry and Mudge in the Green Time, by Cynthia Rylant, ISBN# 0689830599, published by Aladdin Library. Join Henry and his dog, Mudge, on a summer day picnic. Henry and Mudge encounter many fantasy adventures as well as an attempt at a bath for Mudge the dog.
The Summer Story, by Jill Barkem, ISBN# 06890810016, published by Atheneum. It's summer and it's hot, but the mice in this story keep their cool for the wedding of Dusty and Poppy.
Sunflower Sal, by Janet S.Anderson, ISBN# 080756638, published by Albert Whitman & Company. Sal is a young girl who wants to find what she's good at. It's not quilting like her mother. Could it be growing sunflowers?
One Summer Day, by Kim Lewis, ISBN# 0763605085, published by Candlewick Press.
Butterfly Count, by Sneed Collard III, ISBN#0823416070, published by Holiday House.
Contact your local children's library or your local Penn State Cooperative Extension office to find out about more books on summer. Reading with children creates lifelong readers. Enjoy your time reading with children!
October 21, 2004 (7:00 - 9:00 PM ET)
See as a Child, Feel as a Child
Why do children act the way they do? Take a look at common practices through a child's eyes. The workshop will help adults to get a better understanding of where the child is coming from to help the ways they relate to each other
December 2, 2004 (7:00 - 9:00 PM ET)
The Ins and Outs of Good Circle Times
Are children excited to join in circle times or do you feel like you need to drag them to get started? Learn what makes circle and group times fun for children. The workshop will offer tips and ideas for gathering children and keeping them involved.
Click 2004/2005 Satellite Workshops for additional topics
New Staff Orientation - The New Staff Orientation curriculum is now available to child care centers in Pennsylvania. This curriculum is specifically designed for new staff members in child care centers. Included are a thirty-page workbook and thirty units on seven video tapes. Each video unit has a numbered page in the workbook. The easy-to-understand information is reinforced with activities and assignments. Units are designed to be used during naptime or other small blocks of time as staff/child ratios permit. Meets the Keystone STARS Performance Standards.
Click the link for more information about New Staff Orientation and to preview the materials on your computer.
Better Kid Care Kit - Do you provide care for children in your home? Have you signed up to receive a Better Kid Care Kit yet? Complete our online registration form and receive material in the mail.
Ask the Experts - Do you have a question you would like to ask a child care professional about a child you are caring for, or about something related to caring for children? You can e-mail your questions to betterkidcare@psu.edu and receive an answer by return e-mail from one of our child care professionals.
Additional Child Care Information -- PA Pathways Professional Development for Child Caregivers has information, training, and educational opportunities for child care providers across Pennsylvania. Visit PA Pathways or call toll-free 800-492-5107.
Would you like to receive this newsletter? New subscribers can join and have this newsletter delivered to their e-mail mailbox by sending mail to: BetterKidCareNews-subscribe-request@lists.psu.edu.
No subject or message text is required. The system picks up the name and address from the e-mail headers.
Look for information on exploring school readiness and books on starting school.