Swine flu information for childcare providers

We received the following email from the National Association of Family Childcare and thought it was information worth passing on.


NAFCC has been working closely with the Center for Disease Control (CDC) as the CDC has been considering the implications of the flu pandemic for family child care. With the recent outbreak of the swine influenza, the Center for Disease Control has requested that NAFCC inform our membership of the following precautions to prevent the potential spread of swine influenza.
The CDC has identified cases of swine-origin influenza A (H1N1) virus infection in people from several states including California, Kansas, Texas, New York and other states (see updates at www.cdc.gov/swineflu). CDC is working with local and state health agencies to investigate these cases. It has been determined that this virus is spreading from human to human.
Mexico has reported increased levels of respiratory disease including reports of severe pneumonia cases and deaths. The swine-origin influenza viruses identified by CDC from cases in Mexico are similar to viruses from patients in the United States. As of April 29, 2009, of 91 patients identified thus far in the US, most have recovered, but five have been hospitalized and one patient, a child, has died. However, the CDC is concerned about these cases in the United States and the World Health Organization are concerned about continued spread of this new virus. Right now, there is no vaccine for this new virus and the current seasonal influenza is thought to be unlikely to provide protection against this new strain.

For more detailed information about what child care providers should be doing to prevent the potential infection or spread of this disease, please copy and paste the following link in your browser; http://www.nafcc.org/documents/cdcproviderrecommendations.pdf or click here.

For up to date information, please see the CDC’s Website or view their swine influenza specifics site click here.

For a printable flyer to distribute to your parents and colleagues, please copy and paste the following link into your browser; http://www.nafcc.org/documents/preventingtheflu.pdf or click here.

Food allregy awareness week - May 10-16, 2009

Food Allergy Awareness Week

Take Action, Prevent Reaction - May 10-16, 2009

In 1997, the Food Allergy & Anaphylaxis Network (FAAN) created Food Allergy Awareness Week to educate others about food allergies. Approximately 12 million Americans have food allergies. Thatʼs one in 25. In the U.S., food allergy reactions result in 50,000
emergency room visits and 150 deaths each year.

My 4 year old son was diagnosed with an allergy to peanuts and tree nuts about three years ago. His allergy inspired me to start www.allergyapparel.com to remind his caretakers of his allergy. I design shirts for children with food allergies. His allergy has also inspired me to help to raise awareness. I would like to take this time to make you aware of a few important allergy statistics,
information, and tell you how you can help.

As the mother of a child who attends preschool I am asking parents to READ READ READ. Read the labels. It is amazing what contains allergens. Soap, lip balm, lotion; even some sponges contain nuts, milk, and other allergens.

Statistics:
• Eight foods account for 90 percent of all food-allergic reactions in the U.S.:milk, eggs, peanuts, tree nuts (e.g.,walnuts, almonds,
cashews, pistachios, pecans), wheat, soy, fish, and shellfish.
• Though reasons for this are poorly understood, the prevalence of food allergies and associated anaphylaxis appears to be on the
rise.
• The incidence of food allergy is highest in young children-one in 17 among those under age 3.
• Even trace amounts of a food allergen can cause a reaction.

How you can help:
• Wash your hands and your childʼs hands with soap and water after eating.
• Clean the area where you ate with a cleanser.

Remind your child:
• Not to share food with friends who have food allergies
• Ask what your friends are allergic to, and help them avoid it.
• If a friend who has food allergies becomes ill, get help immediately!

Common warning signs and symptoms of an anaphylactic reaction:
Anaphylaxis is a serious allergic reaction that is rapid in onset and may cause death. The most common causes of anaphylaxis are food, medication,
insect stings, and latex.
• Complaint of a tingling, itchiness, or metallic taste in the mouth
• Hives
• Difficulty breathing
• Swelling and/or itching of the mouth and throat area
• Diarrhea
• Vomiting
• Cramps and stomach pain
• Paleness (due to a drop in blood pressure)
• Loss of consciousness

If you see someone showing any of these symptoms, ACT FAST! CALL 911, mention anaphylaxis, and say you need someone who
can administer epinephrine.

Help me keep my kiddo and others safe. Be aware and help us raise awareness. Read a book at your childʼs school about food allergies, give a presentation to a local school or to a club, team, or organization to educate others about food allergies. Visit http://
www.kidswithfoodallergies.org/books-child.html to find a book about food allergies.

Would you like to support a local Mom? Both Nutty Scurries to School and No Nuts for Nutty were written and illustrated by Virginia mothers and are available at Amazon.com.
☛ Facts and statistics were obtained from foodallergy.org

Thank you to Teresa Green from Allergy Apparel for this article

We're on Myspace

We're having such a great response from Facebook that we decided to try out MySpace too.

Check out our profile.....
www.myspace.com/daycarematch

We're still learning how to use it, so have patience with us. If you have any pointers, we'd love to hear them.

All this technolgy is both amazing and overwhelming. I'm curious about Twitter too. Maybe you'll be seeing tweets from Daycarematch sometime in the future. I supposed I should learn how to send text messages first. Between parenting the kids and running our website, there's simply not enough time.

So check out our MySpace page and become our friend, or fan, or whatever term MySpace uses.

Check out our Cafe Press store for help advertising your childcare

We mentioned this in our newsletter a while ago, but it's worth mentioning again. We heard from many providers who wanted more options to spread the word locally about their childcare, so we created some products and started a Daycarematch Cafe Press store.

We've created yard signs, bumper stickers, license plate holders.

If you have an idea for a product, let us know! We'll add it to our store as quick as we can.

Economy affects daycare providers

We recently asked the daycare providers listed on our site to let us know if the current economy is affecting their business. We are so thankful to those providers who responded.

It sounds as though the downturn in the economy is making its way to childcare providers. Several providers who responded said that they typically have a waiting list for their childcare, but that recently that list has disappeared. Several providers also reported getting less calls from parents interested in childcare.

With many families tightening their budgets, many families are trying to save money. One daycare provider reported that they are still getting calls from parents tring to find daycare, but that parents are now trying to negotiate a lower rate.

Several providers who responded said they have received termination notices from families who either lost a job or had a reduction in pay and are trying to save money by eliminating childcare.

Based on the information from the daycare providers who responded to us, it sounds as though providers are seeing a reduction in the number of kids in their care and a decrease in the number of parents looking for childcare.

How can you keep your openings full during this economy? Well, of course keep your profile on Daycarematch updated. And try to complete your profile with as much information as possible so you show up higher in our search results.

Do you have other ideas on markeing your childcare in this economy? Share it with others by leaving a comment.

Cloth diapers at daycare

We thank Michelle from Snooty Booty Diapers for this article on some pointers for using cloth diapers at daycare....
________________________________________________________________

There are many reasons to use cloth diapers, with the environment and saving money at the top of many lists. Yet there are many interested parents who don’t cloth diaper or only use cloth part-time due to daycare concerns. Many parents assume that cloth diapers are not allowed at daycare, but this is not often the case.

Some daycare facilities say they “can’t” use cloth diapers. This is personal policy rather than law. States have varying regulations on diapering procedures, but cloth is rarely, if ever, prohibited. A daycare’s refusal to use cloth may stem from a misunderstanding of regulations, unfamiliarity with modern cloth diapers, or the perception that cloth diapers are more work.

What should you do if you want to use cloth diapers at daycare? Here are some tips:

• Find your state’s regulations on diapering at daycare. Plan how you can make it easy for your daycare to follow the regulations. If your state requires that all diapers soiled with fecal matter be put into plastic bags, for instance, then offer to supply the plastic bags.
  
• Show your daycare provider how easy cloth can be. Bring easy diapers to use-pocket diapers or all-in-one diapers often have velcro closures and are very similar to disposables. If your daycare provider has the idea of complicated folds and pins, these innovative diapers may change his/her mind.
  
• If cloth diapering for health reasons, make sure to provide a doctor’s note.
  
  

In short, present cloth diapering is a positive way and bring samples of the diapers you plan to use. Show your provider how easy cloth can be and how you will help follow state laws. If your daycare provider can feel confident using cloth and knows that all regulations are being followed, you will have an easier time of convincing him/her to try cloth.

Tech free time for families

Technology creeping into more and more aspects of our lives has been an issue for me for a while. While I can’t deny the value of many of these gizmos and gadgets, I think that our increasing reliance on technology is degrading our personal relationships and killing our ability to communicate with other people. And by communicate, I mean actual face to face communication, taking a pen and putting it to paper, or even making a phone call.
Learning that Leap Frog is planning the release of the “Text and Learn”, a smart phone looking device aimed at toddlers, sent me over the edge. The Leap Frog website touts that “learning modes offer practice with letter matching, shape identification and QWERTY keyboard”. In this age where kids are already overscheduled, does a toddler really need to “exchange text messages with their puppy pal Scout, check Scout's planner to see what his week entails” as the product description states? To me, this toy represents two much larger issues with our current society.

First, it is an acceptable lesson of childhood for a child to learn that some things are not toys. Children do not need a toy phone to keep them from playing with their parent’s phone. Children need to be taught that the phone is not a toy. Many things will continue to literally or figuratively be out of reach and learning the coping skills to deal with that will serve children well throughout life. While I’ll readily admit that sometimes the easier parenting choice is tempting, I think that battles fought when children are young lay a strong foundation for later on.

Second, is how technology is eroding our relationships. Nowhere is this more important than within each family. So often when I see families out in public, at least one person is engaged not with the other family members, but with some gizmo. It goes for both parents and children and I think it sends the wrong message. It sends the message that you’re unwilling to give your full attention to the person you’re currently with or that you are waiting for a better offer or something more interesting to come along. What might parents learn if they talked with their children at the grocery store? How might a child feel to hit a great shot in the game only to look in the stands and see that their parent didn’t see because they were busy checking email. Do you really feel heard if during your entire conversation your spouse has their bluetooth ear piece on?

These gadgets have their place in the work world. I can even see their value in helping families keep in contact or organize their schedules. But there needs to be tech free family time. A lot of tech free time. Turn off your cell phone, leave your Blackberry at the door, turn off your Ipod, refrain from checking email, turn off the computers and TV, and truly focus on each other as individuals, as family members, as people who you truly care about.

We wont be getting a “Text & Learn”. Our children learn their letters by looking at books and reading street signs. They learn their colors by coloring and painting. And if they want to check our dog’s schedule, they’ll ask if they can take him in the backyard to play fetch.

Spring clean your Daycarematch provider profile

Our main goal of Daycarematch is to provide parents with an easy way to find childcare providers and give childcare providers an easy and cost-effective way to advertise. Put those together and our overall goal is to "connect parents and providers"

We need you, the childcare providers, to keep your information accurate and updated. Not only will that help your profile be more valuable to parents, it will also help you show up higher in our search rankings.

The order in which provider profiles show up in the search results depends on several criteria:
- how closely the profile matches the parent's search criteria
- completeness of the profile
- date last updated
- does the profile include photos

Accurate and updated information is important to us. We offer a $25 monthly incentive and a $250 quarterly incentive for updating your profile each month.

Not listed on Daycarematch yet? Join us! It's FREE!

Vote for Daycarematch

We've thrown our hat into the race to be listed as one of the top 200 Mom Businesses by Startup Nation. Help us win by voting for us!

Should childcares be peanut free?

We have close friends whose children have allergies. Her son's allergies are so severe that he started to react when a child walked into their home carrying a piece of toast with peanut butter on it. Just the smell of the peanut butter was enough to make her son start coughing and wheezing.

I know many schools are struggling with how to keep children with allergies safe. I'm wondering what childcare providers are doing? What are guidelines parents can use when looking for daycare or preschool for ther child with food allergies?

Should a childcare be completely peanut free? Should a childcare also be free of other common allergens? If so, how does that affect parents of other children?

Our son starts kindergarten this fall. I don't know how the school addresses peanut allergies, but I do know that if peanut butter is not allowed at all, we are going to have a very hungry toddler until he decides to expand his preference for lunch. He eats a PB & J almost every day. I want our son to have a healthy and filling lunch, but I also want to honor the other children with allergies.

What do you in your childcare? How to you address food allergies? Do you allow foods that contain common allergens, like peanut butter?

Food allergies? Great ways to warn others

Food allergies seem so common now. We have several close friends whose children have allergies so we've watched them scan every food box for a list of ingredients, interview waiters on what's in the chicken nugget breading, and drill into their children that they can't have any snacks at a friend's house.

Whenever there's more than one child, keeping track of what child can eat what can be a challenge. Parents might want to consider these products any time their child is going to be with other children or in a new situation, like when the child starts at a new childcare provider.

Here are some fun ways for parents to let others know about what foods their child is allergic to.

Allergyapparel A stay-at-home Richmond mom came up with shirts and hoodies to protect her own son who has a food allergy.

Sansgluten offers products for wheat, peanut, gluten, dairy, and egg allergies. They have a great selection of products including clothes, lunch bags, tote bags, and more.

Allergators includes cute alligator characters warning of food allergies. They also offer wristbands.

Alert Clothing Company has bright and colorful designs on shirts and tote bags.

Kids Aware has a wide selection of products from shirts to bags to pouches to carry epi pens.

A new study raises concern about the safety of high fructose corn syrup (HFCS). Increasing in use over recent years, high fructose corn syrup is used as a sweetner in many foods from sauces to jellies. And it turns up places you wouldn't expect, like breads, cereals, lunch meats and yogurt.

The study, conducted by the Institute of Agiculture and Trade Policy, found traces of mercury in almost one third of popular foods tested that have HFC as the first or second ingredient.

Foods that tested positive for traces of mercury include:

• Quaker Oatmeal to Go Bars
• Jack Daniel's Barbecue Sauce
• Hershey's Chocolate Syrup
• Kraft Original Barbecue Sauce
• Nutri-Grain Strawberry Cereal Bars
• Manwich Sloppy Joe
• Market Pantry Grape Jelly
• Smucker's Strawberry Jelly
• Pop-Tarts Frosted Blueberry
• Hunt's Tomato Ketchup
• Wish-Bone Western Sweet and Smooth Dressing
• Coca-Cola Classic
• Yoplait Strawberry Yogurt
• Minute Maid Berry Punch
• Yoo-Hoo Chocolate Drink
• Nesquik Chocolate Milk
• Kemps Fat Free Chcolate Milk

We avoid HFCS in our house as much as we can. I scan ingredients and choose foods that don't include it. For example, Boboli pizza sauce has HFCS. Kroger brand does not. I buy the Kroger brand. Check your labels, even on food that you don't think will have it. We switched brands of bread that we buy because our old brand listed HFCS as one of the first ingredients. And remember, ingredents are listed in order of how much of that ingredient is in a product. So if HFCS is one of the first ingredients, that product contains HFCS as one of the main ingredients.

Consider natural products over synthetic ones. Pancake syrup is almost completely sugar, corn syrup, and high fructose corn syrup. Natural maple syrup contains only natural sugars.

This is only one study, and it certainly didn't test all products out there. It didn't even scientifically prove that HFCS is the source of the mercury. But scientists propose that the only possible source of the contamination is HFCS.

Even if HFCS is found to not be the source of the mercury, it's still not a good choice for a healthy diet and should be consumed in small quantities, if at all.

Check out this WebMD article on High Fructose Corn Syrup
And read the IATP press release

Lose your juice box - help the environment and your wallet

Do you send a juice box with your child to school or to daycare? They're easy to pack, fairly cheap, and at least in our house, fairly guaranteed to be drank.

But think about this... Say you send a juice box with your child each day of the week. Multiply those 5 juice boxes a week times 52 weeks in the year, and you end up with 260 juice boxes. 260 juice boxes that eventually end up in the landfill. 260 juice boxes that probably cost you about $130.

Instead, consider buying a reusable bottle that you can fill with water, juice, watered down juice, or whatever your child likes to drink. When deciding what bottle to buy, do some research on Bisphenol A (BPA), and come to your own conclusion on whether you trust a bottle that contains BPA.

If you're looking for bottles that are BPA free, two great options are www.sigg.com and www.kleankanteen.com.

Both Sigg and Klean Kanteen bottles come in great colors. Our son and daughter loved picking out their own bottles and now use those almost exclusively when we are out and about.

And the best part, reusable bottles don't send a fountain of juice all over the inside of your car when your toddler accidentally squeezes them too hard.

Peanut Butter Recall Expands - Check Your Pantry!

As the FDA tries to track down what foods are affected by the recent salmonella outbreak, more and more foods are being added to the list of possibly contaminated foods. I've seen recommendations that you throw away all foods that are made with peanut butter, until the FDA is able to narrow down the source of the outbreak.

Just yesterday, salmonella was confirmed in a package of Kellogg's Toasty Crackers with Peanut Butter.

Since may childcare providers offer snacks for the children in their care, check your pantry and throw away any foods that have peanut butter as an ingredient. As far as I've heard, jars of peanut butter are not affected.

Whenever anyhting like this happens, I believe that the cliche of it's better to be safe than sorry holds true. I would rather throw away a perfectly good package of crackers than serve tainted food to our children.

Flu season is just getting into full swing. Make sure you know how to keep your family safe.

Drs. Carol Baker and William Schaffner eliminate conFLUsion about influenza.

What is influenza?
Although influenza can cause headache, cough, sore throat, and a stuffy/blocked nose, it's not the common cold. A cold can feel like a cake walk compared to the flu. Influenza is a serious viral infection that can spread quickly through a home, school or office and cause severe illness, like pneumonia and sometimes even death. It hits you very suddenly, usually with high fever, aches and chills. Children can also have ear aches, nausea and vomiting. It?s not pretty.

How bad can it really be?
You've heard the phrase 'hits you like a ton of bricks.' People use the word 'flu' loosely, often to describe a terrible cold or a stomach virus. But flu is more than an inconvenience; it can wipe you out and it can lead to some pretty severe complications. When a person has the flu, he/she will probably spend at least a few miserable days in bed, miss work and not be able to perform other normal day-to-day activities. You really don't feel well for about 2 weeks when you get influenza, and longer if you develop complications. Flu in children can be especially severe young kids are hospitalized as often, or more often, than any other group, including the elderly.

But nobody in my family has gotten the flu before. Why should I be worried?
If nobody in your family has gotten flu before, you've been very lucky and we are very jealous! But unless you plan on hibernating at home during flu season with your flu-free family, you're at risk like the rest of us. Some people mistakenly think that hand washing completely prevents influenza, but this virus travels not only on hands but in the air. The absolute best protection is annual vaccination.

Isn't it too late to be vaccinated?
Influenza is just rearing its ugly head in the U.S., so if you haven't already been vaccinated you can still do so. The flu typically peaks in February and cases can continue for many months after. Make some phone calls to see if your health care provider or other health centers in your area have flu vaccine, or use the flu clinic locator or flu shot finder. Note that children younger than 9 years of age who haven't been vaccinated before will need two vaccine doses at least one month apart for full protection.

Who should be vaccinated?
Basically anyone who doesn't want to get the flu. The Centers for Disease Control and Prevention specifically recommends influenza vaccination for all children 6 months through 18 years of age. Everyone around a baby who is less than 6 months of age should get influenza vaccine to prevent what can be a deadly infection in the very young. Get vaccinated for the baby and get the benefit of protection for yourself. There's a great tool available on the Childhood Influenza Immunization Coalition's Web site called the Flu Risk Calculator, where you can input information about yourself and your family to find out who is recommended for vaccination.

Can I just chance getting sick?
Sure, but why? Influenza can really knock you for a loop. And many people, including children younger than five and anyone with chronic medical conditions, like asthma or diabetes, are at increased risk for complications. Chances are there's no reason you shouldn't get yourself and your family vaccinated, so ask about the flu vaccine.

But my family was vaccinated last year!
That's great but as with taxes, it's something you have to do every year. The influenza virus likes to reinvent itself each year, so the vaccine changes too to provide the best protection. Even if you are vaccinated early, protection lasts throughout the entire yearly influenza season.

What should I do if I get the flu?
If you suspect you or someone in your family has the flu, check with a doctor right away there are medications available that may be able to help you feel better faster if they are given in the first 2 days of illness.

For more information, check out National Foundation for Infectious Diseases - Childhood Influenza Immunization Coalition

Keep Your Childcare Safe In A Tech World

We're surrounded by technology. Some of it is fantastic and makes our lives easier, like seriously, when is the last time you flipped through the yellow pages? But the constant access to mountains of information also presents some security concerns, especially for childcare providers.

Childcare providers need a way to get in contact with parents who are looking for childcare. Most providers use their home phone as their business phone. Did you know that if you type a phone number into most search engines, it will give you the complete address associated with that number, photos, and even directions to the location? Keep this in mind when you are giving out your phone number, and consider using a cell phone instead.

Do you have a website for your childcare? Websites are a great way to let current parents and potential parents know about your childcare, but they can also pose a risk. You can use a whois lookup to find who own a domain name. It often includes your first and last name, your address, and sometimes your phone number. You can prevent this information from being public by choosing a private domain registration.

Use caution with pictures too. If you use pictures in advertising, in flyers, or on your website, do not show the children's faces. Show the children from the back, or just post pictures of your facility and your supplies.

I love seeing groups of children out on field trips, and love seeing the colorful matching shirts they are often wearing. Believe me, I have a hard time keeping track of our two, and I can't imagine keeping track of 12. But be careful what you put on those shirts. Don't put the children's names or the phone number of your childcare. Both can lead right back to your address. Instead, put the child's name and information somewhere easily accessed, but not visible to strangers, like on a tag inside the shirt.

Instant access to information is great. But take some small steps to make sure the information is going into the right hands.

Join Daycarematch On Facebook

We're always looking for ways to let others know about our site and to help parents connect with the childcare providers we have listed on our site. So we did it....we joined Facebook!

People who use Facebook can also use our Daycarematch application to search for childcare.

Make sure they find your childcare's listing!

To be included in our Facebook application you must:

• Have a paid enhanced listing
  or


• Have a profile rating of 'excellent'

If you have any questions about your completeness rating, please ask us. We are also always happy to help you post pictures to your profile.

If you aren't already a member of Daycarematch, sign up now! Creating a profile is free. Thousands of parents use our site each month to find childcare. Make sure they find you!

Join Daycarematch! And look for us on Facebook!

The Inauguration - What Did You Share With Your Children

Today was a monumental day in history. It doesn't matter what side of the political coin you fall on, todays swearing in of Barack Obama was an important moment in history.

I watched most of the inauguration and following ceremonies with our son. Our daughter was much more content empying our toy box, although the police on motorcycles did get a squeal out of her. Our son asked some questions about who the president is, what he does, why we chose a new one, and what happens to the old one. I explained as best I could so that he would understand.

How did you mark the day with your children? Did you do anything special with your daycare children?

It seems that today's festivities would be a great way to launch into a discussion about how our government runs, how laws are made, and how the president is chosen.

Our children are our future. They should understand how history is made.

Fighting Chapped Skin and Lips

If you're in a colder climate, then you're probably dealing with dry skin and chapped lips right now. And if your kids are anything like ours, then they aren't huge fans of anything designed to help them feel better.

Our son licks chapstick off his lips faster then we can apply it. And that constant licking, followed up with some rubbing of his drippy nose, leaves him with badly chapped lips and skin. I tried everything I could think of, and nothing seemed to work. Chapstick didn't stick around long enough to work, because he licked it off. He complained that lotion got into his mouth and tasted bad.

But finally I found something that works. And I mean really works. Lanolin. I had some left over from when our daughter was an infant and figured if it was safe enough for infants to be in contact with when hey nursed, that it would be safe for a 4 year old. I slathered some on him at bedtime and pleaded with him to try not to wipe his face all over the sheets.

And the next morning, his chaped lips and skin were almost completely healed.

I don't use it during the day, because if it rubs off on something else, like clothes or the couch, it leaves a greasy stain that is almost impossible to get out. But at bedtime, a coating of Lanolin seems to be a quick easy cure for chapped skin.

Childcares and Unions - Good idea or not?

This is a topic that I'll have to turn over to the experts, the childcare providers, to see what they think. But recently I am hearing more and more about childcare providers joining unions. I remember a couple years ago, I spoke with several providers who were completely against the concept. But now I wonder if that is still the case.

I understand that the state of Maine is currently making the switch to unionizing the childcare providers. After doing a quick online search, it appears that California and Pennsylvania are also unionizing.

So providers, what do you think? Is your state trying to form a union? If so, are you planning on joining? Why, or why not?

Just curious.....

Starting Your Baby in Daycare - That First Week

I remember that day as if it was yesterday. And it wasn't. It was almost 5 years ago. It was our son's first day at daycare. I was almost to the end of my maternity leave so we were going to start him on half days at the daycare, just to get him used to it. I'm not sure if it was more for his benefit, or mine, but our thought was that easing into full days would make the process easier.

Those first couple days are bound to be hard, both on the parents and the baby. You're all getting used to a new routine, and that takes time. Give everybody a chance to adjust and realize that there are going to be some bumps.

Keep your goodbyes short and sweet. I love a lingering kiss on a baby's cheek as much as the next person, but drawn out goodbyes are harder on you both. It's similar to ripping off a bandaid; it hurts more if you do it fast, but the recovery is quicker. By the time you are getting back in your car, your baby is probably snuggled in the provider's arms or exploring a new toy.

Ask your provider if they mind if you call during the day. It will help you fell connected to hear that your baby is doing great, or that he had peas and crackers for lunch. As you get more comfortable, you'll probable feel the need to call less.

And realize that you are going to miss your baby and your baby is going to miss you. That's natural, and that's part of the love you share.

It took me about 2 weeks to really adjust to having our son at childcare.

But that first day was hard. As soon as the door closed, I cried. I sobbed. I bawled. And that's ok too.

Where Do Sex Offenders Live And Work? Find Out!

Who lives next door to your childcare provider? Who lives next door to your parents? To your babysitter? To you?

Parents do everything they can to keep their children safe. Here's one more step you can take. Check to see where registered sex offenders live in relation to addresses where your children spend time - their school, their daycare, your home. We recently bought a new house and we used this site to check our neighborhood before we made an offer on the house.

It should be noted that these online directories only include individuals who are registered sex offenders. An individual may have committed a lesser crime and not be required to register as a sex offender, so they would not be included on these sites.

http://www.familywatchdog.us

I believe that information like this should not be used to frighten, but to educate. There are threats all over our lives and you cannot possibly avoid them all. What you can do is educate yourself and your children on how to stay as safe as possible.

My Dad is a retired police officer. When I was little, he gave me pointers on how to stay safe. He didn't scare me, but he was honest. He empowered me by teaching me how to grow up with a strong sense of self and how to look at my surroundings to keep myself safe. They are lessons I plan to pass on to our children.

So, check out who lives near you. And make sure you keep talking to your children. Help them learn how to make choices to keep themselves safe.

Preschool Registration Time

The beginning of next shool year is month away, right? Not even on your radar? Something you'll think about in a couple months. Well, if you're planning on enrolling your child in preschool, it's something to think about right now. And right now might be too late.

Our son's preschool sent home information on registering for next year. I still have Christmas cards that are waiting for addresses before I can mail them. It doesn't seem like the two should happen at the same time. But they do.

Many preschools are now enrolling for next year. Some are so popular that they enroll in stages, giving priority to current families before openings enrollment to first time attendees.

And then there are the ones that are so poular it's like trying to get tickets to a rock concert. Last year my friend was looking around for preschools. She finally found one she liked. When she asked about registration, she was told that it was very competitive. Competitive to me means that maybe you turn in your application paperwork and some kids are enrolled and some aren't. Competitive at this preschool means that parents started lining up in the registration line at 4am. And this was in the bitter cold of winter in Wisconsin, so we're talking some hard core souls here. They camped out, tailgated, and guarded their spot in line until the preschool office opened and it was first come first served.

Now, I love our children. They are our life, our loves, and my husband and I do everything we can to give them the best upbringing possible. But I draw the line. And sitting outside in 5 degree weather is where I draw the line.

We found a preschool that we love. And I didn't even have to stand outside.

Also, consider in-home childcare providers who offer preschool curriculum. Your child will get similar programming to a preschool, but in a smaller environment.

Good luck!

Childcare Forms - Contracts, Policies, Activity Sheets,and more

Not everybody is a huge fan of paperwork, but sometimes it's necessary. When you're a childcare provider, forms can establish a relationship between you and the parents, serve as a means of communication, and help ensure that everybody is on the same page.

The childcare contract is what parents sign when they decide to enroll their child in your daycare. This is a legally binding contract. Make sure you cover all the basics, like cost, when you are open, when you take vacation, how the parents give notice, how you give notice, and procedures for picking up late. The conact should be thorough enough that is covers all the main points and leaves you and the parents with few questions, but it doesn't need to be so long and detailed that it spells out how many grapes the child gets for snack. Some providers choose to have a lawyer review their contracts.

There are other forms that help a childcare run smoothly. Emergency contact cards; releases for field trips, medications, photos, and more; daly activity logs; and applications for enrollmentcan all help your childcare run smoothly.

You can find samples on Daycarematch.

January - National Give Blood Month

January is National Give Blood Month. What a great new year's resolution to vow to donate blood at least once, or twice, or as often as you are able.

According to the Red Cross, when you give blood just once, you can save the lives of three people. Three people! That's amazing.

The Red Cross website has easy ways to find locations to give blood.
www.givelife.org

If there are other childcare providers in your area, you can host a blood drive. What a great way to teach your children about giving to others. Encourage your daycare parents to sign up, have them recruit friends, even have a little friendly competition between daycare providers to see who can get the most donations.

And hey.....you get free cookies for donating!