Halloween Safety - How To Keep Your Goblins Safe

It's hard to believe that summer is over and we are well into fall, but Halloween is almost here. Hopefully you have your costume all ready for your little one. Or you're like me, and trying to find a costume that doens't include anything on my son's head, because he wont wear hats. Whether you have everything planned, or are in a last minute panic, here are some tips to help keep Halloween safe.

Make sure your child's costume doesn't limit their vision. When possible, use face paint and not a mask. Paint is safer because they can still see where they are going and their surroundings.

Check your child's costume and make sure there isn't anything that is going to trip them, or tangle them in any way.

If you are trick-or treating at a mall, or some other location where there will be a lot of children, make sure you pick a place to meet in case you get separated.

Before you even set out trick-or-treating, have a talk with your child about what is going to happen to all that candy. That way, they know what to expect before they are tempted with a bag full of candy. A good solution is to keep some candy out, and put the rest away for later. Or, you can take the candy to work and let your co-workers enjoy it.

Have a fun time trick-or-treating and enjoying the last days of fall!

Daycarematch Growing and Changing

We've been very busy this summer. You may notice some changes to Daycarematch. We hope you like the improvements. Here's a summary of what we've done.....

We added a subscription option for parents. Parents can still see basic information on providers for free. To access the expanded information like pictures and philosophies of care, parents will now need to pay a small fee. We would love to keep Daycarematch free for everybody, but we simply can't keep the quaity as high as we want without charging a small fee.

We also added enhanced listing for childcare providers. For a small fee, providers can now choose to have their very own website that they update using the Daycarematch website. Providers can choose their own web address, which will show up as yourdaycarename.daycarematch.com. To update the informatin on the website, providers simply update their profile on Daycarematch. The information is the same. Providers can also choose to pay a small fee and allow parents to see all their information without having to pay the subscription fee.

We are constantly working on ways to make the site better. Many of the impreovements we've made have been suggested to us by visitors to the site. If you have ideas on how to make the site better, please let us know.

Thanks for using Daycarematch!

Blogging and Childcare Providers - How Can It Help Your Business?

Hey, Daycarematch has a blog.... Here are some thoughts about how childcare providers can use blogs to communicate with parents.

Several years ago, the word “blog” was barely even a commonly used word. Now it seems that everybody has a blog. For those that don’t know, a blog is an online journal where an individual can write about whatever they like, as often or as infrequently as they like. They can be used for many reasons, including as a helpful tool for childcare providers. Here are some guidelines for how to set up a blog, how it could help your business, and some safety precautions.

Blogs have become so popular that there are numerous sites that allow you to set one up for free. Search for the term ‘blog’ and you should discover many sites to choose from. You need minimal computer knowledge since the sites make the initial set-up and adding posts to your blog very easy. Even adding pictures is not that hard. You’ll need to come up with a name for your blog. Using your childcare business name will make it easy for parents to remember.

Once you have your blog set up, how you decided to use it is up to you. You may want to use it mainly to communicate with parents who currently have children in your care. Let them know what you are doing each day, what is coming up, and any announcements they should know about. A blog is a nice way for parents to know what their children do each day, and is a good way for childcare providers to communicate information to all the parents at once. You can remind parents about upcoming events, let them know what the children are working on in each day, and communicate any other information it's helpful for the parents to have. Some providers write an entry each day that summarizes what the kids did that day. That way, parents can read about their child's day.

If you do write about specific children in your care, for safety reasons do not use their full names. Consider using just their initials, or nicknames to identify them. Do not post pictures that show children’s faces. Again for safety, post only pictures that show the children from the back, or other poses in which they cannot be identified. Make sure the parents give permission to use their child's picture.

A blog can also be a powerful tool to let parents looking for childcare to know about the care you provide. They can get an idea of what average days are like at your childcare. The more information you have in your blog, the more likely it is to come up in searches, so parents looking for care may find you by finding your blog in a search.

No matter how you use your blog, remember that it is a representation of you and your business, so keep it professional. Whether you add a post once a day, or once a month, a blog can be a quick and easy way to communicate with both the parents who currently have children in your care, and those who are looking for childcare.

Show Off Your Baby... We Need Spokesbaby Pictures!

As you already may have noticed, each month Daycarematch chooses a different child to be featured on our website. Their picture is featured at the top of each page. We receive so many pictures that we can't possibly use them all, which makes choosing just one picture a hard job.

With Fall and the Holidays coming up sooner than we care to admit, we're looking for fall and Holiday pictures of your little ones. Some ideas of what we would love to see....

- Fall pictures with leaves, scarescrows, pumpkins, apple orchards, and anything else that makes you think fall.
- Pictures of your little ones in halloween costumes - no need to buy a costume early. Last year's picture is perfect.
- Pictures of your little ones from winter and the Holidays. Let's see those party dresses, snowmen, and sledding pictures!

To submit your pictures, go to www.daycarematch.com/photos.asp

Thanks!!
Scott & Melissa

Keep Children Safe Around Cars

Now that we're in the middle of summer, and they're forcasting temperatures near 90 for the Midwest, let's remind ourselves how to keep our children safe around cars. We've all heard how quickly the temperature in a parked car can rise to dangerous levels. Heat is not the only danger when it comes to children and cars. Children can pull vehicles out of park, release parking brakes, burn themselves with cigarette lighters, and more. Children should never be left in cars alone, and never be allowed to play in or around them.

For more information and safety ideas, check out www.kidsincars.org This site has excellent safety tips, and materials to help educate people on how to keep children safe.

Calling All Bloggers........

Are you a childcare provider who has a blog? If so, let us know. We'd love to link to your blog as a resource for other providers.

Are you a parent with your children in childcare? We'd love to hear from you too. Nobody understands trying to balance work and family better than those who do it every day.

We'll post links to blogs as we get them.

Thanks!
Scott & Melissa

Swingset Safety

Our son loves to climb and swing. We've been thinking about getting him a swingset for a while, but it took a summer-end clearance sale to push us over the edge. We now have what seems like an overwhelming number of pieces of wood piled all over our garage floor. According to the picture on the box, this pile of wood somehow fits together to make a swingset. That's a project for this weekend, and possibly several weekends to come, depending on how easily it goes together.

Here are some tips on swingset safety from the National Safety Council website - www.nsc.org.


- Buy sturdy equipment that will grow and change as your children become older.
Consider modular equipment that can be bought, installed, replaced or upgraded in
phases.
- Stability is very important. Install the swing set legs in concrete below ground
level to avoid a tripping hazard. However, if you use anchoring devices that
usually come with the equipment, all pegs should be well below ground level and
little or no slack should be in the chain or cable.
- Cap any exposed screws or bolts.
- Do not buy equipment with open-ended hooks, particularly "S" hooks. Avoid:
equipment with accessible moving parts which can pinch, scissor or crush fingers;
sharp edges or rough surfaces; or, rings with a diameter more than five inches but
less than 10 inches, since a child's head may become trapped.
- Slides should have a slope of no more than 30 degrees and sides at least 2 and 2
1/2 inches in height along both sides. They should also have an extended exit
surface parallel to the ground so children can regain their balance and be in an
upright posture at the bottom of the slide.
- Equipment choice should be based on each child's abilities, interests and physical
size. Infants who are unable to sit upright unassisted need to be constantly held
on slides. Preschoolers are susceptible to burns on metal equipment in hot
weather. Children should not play on equipment that is more than eight feet in
height. It doesn't add to their play, but offers a more dangerous fall.

Happy swinging!
Scott & Melissa

July Is National Ice Cream Month

Who needs an excuse to eat ice-cream? Certainly I don't. Just in case you do, July is National Ice-Cream Month. What a great time to set out bananas, sprinkles, hot fudge, and other toppings, and let all the kids make their own personal sundeas. Or, if you live close to a factory that makes ice-cream, ask if they give tours. Freeze softened ice-cream in small paper cups and use popsicle sticks to make your own ice-cream treats. Whatever you choose, make sure you celebrate again and again. Nohing beats ice-cream as a summer treat.

Scam Continues to Target Childcare Providers

Unfortunately, a scam continues to target childcare providers. The scam asks providers to provide short term care for children while their parents visit the United States. The 'parent' will then ask the provider to cash a check and send extra money back to the parent.

We have changed our site to try to protect providers from receiving scam e-mails, and are continuing to work to keep illegitimate e-mails from being sent through our site. Providers should question any e-mail that asks them to cash a check from an individual outside the United States.

Please let us know if you receive any questionable e-mails that originate from our site.

Thank you,
Scott & Melissa

$250 Incentive Almost Over....Make Sure You Keep Your Openings Updated!

June is the last month of the three month long incentive. To be eligible, you must have updated your openings at least once a month in all three months. If you just signed up, you must have updated your openings in the months since you've become a registered provider.

Our goal is to give parents as up-to-date information as possible. Some of the most inportant information is whether a provider has an opening for the age of child the parent is looking for. Keeping the openings updated helps providers keep their openings full, and helps parents narrow down their search for childcare.

We'd love to hear from you. Let us know how you like the site, and what we can do to improve it.

Thanks for using Daycarematch!
Melissa & Scott

Hello Summer!

If you live in the midwest like we do, you know that one day you can be scraping ice off your windshield and the next cursing that you grabbed the seat belt buckle before checking if it's hot. Summer is finally here, and it's here with a vengeance. Now's the time to make sure you are taking steps to keep your little ones protected from the sun and heat.

Little ones are like adults in that they need to stay hydrated. Our 2 year old wants nothing to do with stopping play so that he can have a drink, so we have to be creative to keep fluids in him. Make sure they drink plenty of water as they play outside.

Summer also means sun, which means sunscreen. I'm a big fan of the spray sunscreens. Trying to wipe sunscreen on a wiggling toddler, who now is wiggling and slippery because he's covered in sunscreen, is not the easiest thing to do. The spray sunscreens make it a little easier. Make sure you cover them before they go outside, and reapply according to the directions, especially after they've been in the water.

Be careful about your little one's carseat. The seat, even the fabric, can get really hot if left sitting in a car for any length of time. Check the fabric, buckle, and straps to make sure they are cool enough, before putting your little one in the seat. I carry a light colored towel in the car. When I leave, I throw the towel over the carseat, helping to keep it cool.

Stay cool and have a great summer. And cherish these days. All too soon we'll be back to scraping the windsheild.

Melissa & Scott

Your Ad Here.....Where should that be?

Daycarematch started as an idea to help providers and parents in Dane County, Wisconsin. We had no idea it would grow as far and fast as it did. Now that we're nationwide, and even in Canada, we're looking for ways to help get the word out about our site.

If you know of a good website, or publication, that we should advertise on, please let us know. We're looking for inexpensive ways to reach parents and providers. It's just the two of us running the site, so our advertising budget is pretty tiny. The more we spend on advertising, the less we have to spend on keylime yogurt, which is our son's favorite.

If you have ideas of website or publications, let us know.

Thanks!
Scott & Melissa

Rainy Days and Toddlers Can Mix

Depending on what part of the country you live in, chances are good you may be staring out your window at yet another rainy day. Here in Wisconsin, we're beginning to forget what the sun looks like. Rainy days keep the children inside, but it doesn't mean that you can't still have fun. Or if you want, throw on a raincoat and boots and go stomp in some puddles.

Here are some sites with some fun ideas to keep kids busy on rainy days.

www.amazingmoms.com

www.preschoolrainbow.com

And never fear....we will see the sun again, hopefully.

Need Childcare Activity Ideas? Join a Childcare Provider Association

Are you running out of ideas for circle time? Have you made the same crafts for weeks now? Wondering how to best manage your expense receipts? Learn from the pros - other childcare providers. Many areas now have childcare provider groups and assocations. The groups can be large and highly organized that have board meetings and annual meetings. Or they may be a small group of providers that meets every so often in a provider's living room. Either way, it's a chance for you to meet other providers in your area and share ideas on how to improve your childcare.

You can find a listing of associations at http://www.daycarematch.com/associations.asp Please let us know if you want your association listed on our site.

Child Care Provider and Teacher Appreciation Days Approaching!

If your child is in child care or school, there are special dates quickly approaching that provide an optimal way to say thanks to some mighty important people! Tuesday, May 9, is National Teacher Appreciation Day, although most schools and parents honor teachers throughout the week of May 1-5. The theme this year is "great teachers make great public schools." Friday, May 12, is National Child Care Provider Appreciation Day, and commemorates the hard work, training and professionalism that comes with being an early childhood provider.

New Incentive For Childcare Providers

If you are a childcare provider, you can win $250 just for keeping your information up-to-date. When we were looking for childcare for our son, one of the most frustating things was to call providers who, according to the referral agency, had an infant opening, only to find that opening had been filled. We want to make our site as useful as possible for parents and providers. One way to do that is to make sure provider openings are up-to-date.

So...as an incentive to keep openings up to date, we are offering an incentive in addition to the $25 we give out each month. If a provider comes back to the site and updates either their openings or their information in April, May and June, they are entered into the random drawing for $250.

See more about the incentive here... Child Care Incentive

Thanks again for using Daycarematch!
Scott & Melissa

Scam Targeting Childcare Providers

We have had several providers let us know about a scam that is targeting childcare providers. Please be careful if anybody from overseas contacts you looking for short term childcare. Do not send money to anyone, do not cash any checks sent to you, and report any suspicious activity to your local authorities.

Here's how the scam works...
Individuals are contacting childcare providers and saying that they need childcare for a short period of time, often as brief as a week, while they are visiting the US. They then say they will mail you a cashiers check to pay for the care in advance. When you get the check, it is for a much larger amount than the cost of childcare. They will then ask you to cash the fake check and send the extra money back to them at an address outside the US.

Your safety and security is important to Daycarematch. That is why we only show the first initial of your last name, and keep your e-mail address protected.

Please let us know about anybody you feel is using our site fraudulently.

Happy Birthday Daycarematch!

It was about a year ago that we launched Daycarematch. In that year, we've had providers sign up from all 50 states, and across Canada. We had planned to keep the site just for our area of Madison, WI, but the power of the internet helped it spread faster than we ever imagined. We're excited that others agree that a site like this is a good idea.

After struggling to find care for our then infant son, we thought there must be an easier way. We got a list of providers from the local referral agency, but the list was out of date, and having just names and phone numbers meant we had to call every provider to find out more information about their experience. We wrote down what we wanted to know about childcare providers, asked our friends, and then asked childcare providers what they wanted to tell parents. We pulled that all together, and came up with Daycarematch.

We look forward to another exciting year. Thanks for being a part of it!

Childcare Unions - Good or bad Idea?

We've heard from several providers that there is talk in the childcare world about unionizing childcare providers. Some providers seem to be for this, while others are against it. Here's an interesting article about what is happening with childcare unions in Iowa ....


Vilsack's Order Paves Way for Union
The Associated Press

Tuesday 17 January 2006

Gov. Tom Vilsack has issued an executive order allowing child care providers to form a union and negotiate for better wages, health care and incentives for training, union officials said.

Vilsack issued the order Monday, allowing more than 13,000 in-home daycare providers in Iowa to begin collective bargaining.

"We need to make a comprehensive commitment to early childhood in order to uphold our responsibility to ensure every child in Iowa reaches his or her full potential," Vilsack said in a statement.

The reason providers have pressured the governor for help is that many workers care for children from low-income families whose child-care costs are subsidized by state and federal funds.

Child care providers now have to decide which union will represent them.

The American Federation of State, County and Municipal Employees/Child Care Providers Together and the Service Employees International Union, or SEIU, have been vying to represent the group.

About 5,000 providers, certified through AFSCME, have signed support cards with the union, spokesman Joe Lawrence said Tuesday. Some of those providers will formally petition the state for recognition on Tuesday at the Iowa Mediation Services, Inc., he said.

"Without Iowa child care providers, Iowa parents couldn't go to work," Dan Homan, president of AFSCME Iowa Council 61, said in a statement. "Hats off to registered providers for winning this important victory for families across the state."

SEIU has said it wants to represent all 13,000 child care providers, both certified and otherwise.

Iowa Mediation Services will conduct a review of the support cards to see which union has the most backing from child care providers, said Mike Thompson, executive director.

Vilsack's order follows a similar deal for providers in Illinois, where workers have unionized and received a 35 percent average increase in their daily rates over the life of the 39-month contract.

Workers would be able to demand an even higher rate increase by taking training courses, and they'll have access to health care coverage in the final year of the deal.

The contract agreed upon last month, which covers 49,000 in-home child care providers, will cost the state of Illinois $250 million and increase child-care expenses by $70 million.

Information on the impact of the executive order in Iowa was not immediately available.

Currently in Iowa, child care providers have received a state subsidy that ranges from $7.36 to $11.25 for a half day, or five hours of care, depending on the child age and the provider's education and experience.

In Illinois, AFSCME and SEIU battled over who would represent the child care workers. AFSCME was forced to drop its campaign by the AFL-CIO, whose rules govern both unions. The AFL-CIO determined that SEIU had been working to unionize the state-subsidized child care workers longer, so AFSCME was forced to stop campaigning.

A telephone message left with the Iowa Federation of Labor, AFL-CIO, on Tuesday morning wasn't immediately returned.

New name?

We know that many childcare providers prefer the term childcare over daycare, because it more accurately represents what childcare providers do on a daily basis. We are considering adding a website address that reflects this, and we are looking for ideas for a name. We are going to keep daycarematch, since most parents use the term daycare. We are just wanting to add another site name so that our name can reflect the professional work done by childcare providers.

If you have ideas for a name, please e-mail them to us. Thank you for using Daycarematch!

Childcare or Daycare?

If you’re looking for somebody to watch your child while you’re at work, you’re looking for daycare, right? Or should you be looking for childcare? Both terms are used when talking about care for your child, but what is the difference, if any, between the two?

Most parents will refer to care for their children as daycare. Daycare has been the more common term and is commonly used by parents. Although in the past, the term daycare was used almost exclusively, the term childcare is becoming more and more common. While parents still often use the term daycare, many providers are making a push to make childcare the accepted term when talking about care for children provided outside the home.

As more and more home-based childcare providers entered the market, they began to offer curriculum and daily activities that provided a high quality educational programming for the children in their care. Providers felt that the term daycare did not do justice to the level of care being provided. They were not simply watching the child for the day, nor were they babysitters. To convey this level of care, many providers started to switch to calling themselves childcare providers.

The switch in terminology can also be seen in the center-based providers. Many centers are moving away from names that include the word ‘center’, and are now adopting names that convey a sense of learning, like academy. Even though the children in this care are often very young, they are being exposed to teaching once reserved for much old children. Younger children in childcare centers are even being exposed to foreign languages.

Whether you call it daycare, childcare, or something else, it all means providing care for children, typically in a setting outside the child’s home.

Easy Marketing for Home Childcare Providers

Setting up a quality childcare is only part of what’s needed to have a successful program. You also need to let parents know about your business. Since most home-based childcare providers do not have a lot of money to spend on advertising, a little creativity can help you reach parents who are looking for care.

Networking is a strong tool. Make sure that everybody you know knows that you provide childcare. That way, if they hear of a parent looking for care, they can refer that parent to you. Add your business name and current openings to your voicemail or answering machine message. Parents looking for childcare will know instantly whether you have openings for the age(s) they need. Announce current openings to parents who currently have childcare in your care. Parents who are current customers are strong references for parents who are looking for care.

Parents who are current customers can help you find new families. Start a referral program, where current families can get a discounted rate or bonus if they refer a new family to you. For each referral that signs a contract, the referring family could get a free day of childcare, or care for a parents’ night out.

If you don’t already have one, consider creating a website. More and more people are using the internet to find childcare, and a website is a great way to give parents more information about the care you provide. Several companies offer free or low-cost web space, although the websites allowed by these companies will be fairly basic. If you would like a little more polished and complex website, plan on spending several hundred dollars to get it started.

Advertising online can also be an effective and inexpensive way to reach parents. Directory sites like www.daycarematch.com allow you to reach parents instantly and nationwide. You can manage your own profile, update your openings, and tell parents in-depth information about the care you provide. Many providers also report having success by posting ads on free classifieds websites. Placing an ad in a newspaper is typically expensive, and providers have reported mixed results with these ads resulting in new families signing contracts.

Target your advertising efforts where parents tend to gather. Ask toy stores or children’s boutiques if you can display some brochures by the cashier. Ask your local hospital if you can leave brochures for the parents taking birthing classes. Put your business card in trick-or-treat bags at Halloween. The more you can get your business name out there, the better your chances of reaching parents interested in care.

Use creativity when coming up with inexpensive ways to advertise. However, make sure you consider safety. While a sign in your front yard may be an effective and inexpensive way to advertise that you provide childcare, it also alerts every passerby that there may be several children in the home, a potential safety risk. When creating brochures or a website, don’t use your exact address. Rather use a close intersection – on the corner of Park and Solomon – or a close landmark – behind Southgate Mall. Parents can still get an idea of where you are located, but you can save your actual address to give out in person or over the phone.

With a little creativity, some hard work, and networking, you can build a strong childcare program and help keep your openings full. Keep your marketing efforts constant, so that you don’t need to scramble when you have an opening, but little enough that you have plenty of time to spend with your little ones.