We'd like to wish you, your family, and all your daycare children and families a very happy holiday season. All our best for the new year.
We are thankful for every childcare provider who's listed on our site. We hope our site helps both parents and providers in the search for childcare.
Enjoy this holiday season. We hope you are able to enjoy some time with your family.
Best wishes to you for a peacful and prosperous New Year.
Scott & Melissa
Tuesday, December 23, 2008
Monday, December 08, 2008
We're back
It's been forever since we posted. We hope to start posting again soon, so keep an eye out.
Thanks,
Scott & Melissa
Thanks,
Scott & Melissa
Getting Back Online
We've been so busy that we haven't had time to post on this blog. We hope to get back to posting to let you know what we're doing with the site and what's going on in the childcare community.
Thanks,
Scott & Melissa
Thanks,
Scott & Melissa
Monday, April 21, 2008
Finally Updating Our Blog
It's been a hectic time around here, leaving us less time to stay on top of this blog. In the last couple months we experienced the birth of our second child, we moved halfway across the country, and had a death in our immediate family. Things have been busy and challenging.
We hope to update this more frequently now with updates of what we are doing with Daycarematch, and what is going on in the childcare field. If you have any ideas for us, please send them to us.
Thanks!
Scott & Melissa
We hope to update this more frequently now with updates of what we are doing with Daycarematch, and what is going on in the childcare field. If you have any ideas for us, please send them to us.
Thanks!
Scott & Melissa
Friday, March 16, 2007
CPSC Urges New Parents to Adopt Lifesaving Routine to Prevent Child
WASHINGTON, D.C. - Every day thousands of new parents assume the
responsibility of caring for and protecting a child. Many of these
first-time caregivers are unaware of the dangers of unintentional
poisonings often related to medicines and household products commonly
found in the home, such as personal care products, over-the-counter pain
relievers and cleaning substances.
The U.S. Consumer Product Safety Commission (CPSC) and the Poison
Prevention Week Council are kicking off National Poison Prevention Week
(March 18-24) to educate and inform consumers of the dangers associated
with unintentional poisonings.
From 2002 through 2004, about 36 children younger than 5 died each year
as a result of ingesting poisonous substances found in and around the
home. In 2005 about 91,000 young children visited hospital emergency
rooms and more than one million calls were placed to poison control
centers as a result of unintentional poisoning.
"For most first-time parents and caregivers, poison prevention messaging
is new," said CPSC Acting Chairman Nancy Nord. "It is an especially
important message to understand and act upon."
Young children are curious and use their home environment as a classroom
- a place to learn and explore. Exploring for younger children is often
done by mouthing objects which puts them at greater risk of
unintentional poisonings. For young children who are unable to read, a
bottle of orange-scented household cleaner may be mistaken for orange
juice; the medicine in the pill container can look a lot like small
candies; and baby oil, which can be deadly if ingested, can resemble a
clear drink.
To prevent these incidents, CPSC recommends the following safety steps:
1. Keep all household chemicals and medicines locked up, out of sight
and out of reach.
2. Use child-resistant packaging properly by closing the container
securely after each use. Some products also come in child-resistant
blister cards, which avoid the need to re-secure.
3. Call 800-222-1222 immediately in case of poisoning.
4. When products are in use, never let young children out of your sight,
even if you must take them along when answering the phone or doorbell.
5. Keep items in original containers.
6. Leave the original labels on all products, and read the label before
using to understand correct use and dosage.
7. Do not put decorative lamps and candles that contain lamp oil where
children can reach them. Lamp oil can be very toxic if ingested by young
children.
8. Always turn the light on when giving or taking medicine. Check the
dosage every time.
9. Avoid taking medicine in front of children. Refer to medicine as
"medicine," not "candy."
10. Clean out the medicine cabinet periodically and safely dispose of
unneeded and outdated medicines.
To request poison prevention publications, visit
www.poisonprevention.org
To get more information on CPSC and National Poison Prevention week,
please go to:
http://www.cpsc.gov/cpscpub/pubs/pppa/ppw07.html
The U.S. Consumer Product Safety Commission is charged with protecting
the public from unreasonable risks of serious injury or death from more
than 15,000 types of consumer products under the agency's jurisdiction.
Deaths, injuries and property damage from consumer product incidents
cost the nation more than $700 billion annually. The CPSC is committed
to protecting consumers and families from products that pose a fire,
electrical, chemical, or mechanical hazard or can injure children. The
CPSC's work to ensure the safety of consumer products - such as toys,
cribs, power tools, cigarette lighters, and household chemicals -
contributed significantly to the 30 percent decline in the rate of
deaths and injuries associated with consumer products over the past 30
years.
To report a dangerous product or a product-related injury, call CPSC's
hotline at (800) 638-2772 or CPSC's teletypewriter at (800) 638-8270, or
visit CPSC's web site at www.cpsc.gov/talk.html. To join a CPSC email
subscription list, please go to www.cpsc.gov/cpsclist.asp. Consumers can
obtain this release and recall information at CPSC's Web site at
www.cpsc.gov.
responsibility of caring for and protecting a child. Many of these
first-time caregivers are unaware of the dangers of unintentional
poisonings often related to medicines and household products commonly
found in the home, such as personal care products, over-the-counter pain
relievers and cleaning substances.
The U.S. Consumer Product Safety Commission (CPSC) and the Poison
Prevention Week Council are kicking off National Poison Prevention Week
(March 18-24) to educate and inform consumers of the dangers associated
with unintentional poisonings.
From 2002 through 2004, about 36 children younger than 5 died each year
as a result of ingesting poisonous substances found in and around the
home. In 2005 about 91,000 young children visited hospital emergency
rooms and more than one million calls were placed to poison control
centers as a result of unintentional poisoning.
"For most first-time parents and caregivers, poison prevention messaging
is new," said CPSC Acting Chairman Nancy Nord. "It is an especially
important message to understand and act upon."
Young children are curious and use their home environment as a classroom
- a place to learn and explore. Exploring for younger children is often
done by mouthing objects which puts them at greater risk of
unintentional poisonings. For young children who are unable to read, a
bottle of orange-scented household cleaner may be mistaken for orange
juice; the medicine in the pill container can look a lot like small
candies; and baby oil, which can be deadly if ingested, can resemble a
clear drink.
To prevent these incidents, CPSC recommends the following safety steps:
1. Keep all household chemicals and medicines locked up, out of sight
and out of reach.
2. Use child-resistant packaging properly by closing the container
securely after each use. Some products also come in child-resistant
blister cards, which avoid the need to re-secure.
3. Call 800-222-1222 immediately in case of poisoning.
4. When products are in use, never let young children out of your sight,
even if you must take them along when answering the phone or doorbell.
5. Keep items in original containers.
6. Leave the original labels on all products, and read the label before
using to understand correct use and dosage.
7. Do not put decorative lamps and candles that contain lamp oil where
children can reach them. Lamp oil can be very toxic if ingested by young
children.
8. Always turn the light on when giving or taking medicine. Check the
dosage every time.
9. Avoid taking medicine in front of children. Refer to medicine as
"medicine," not "candy."
10. Clean out the medicine cabinet periodically and safely dispose of
unneeded and outdated medicines.
To request poison prevention publications, visit
www.poisonprevention.org
To get more information on CPSC and National Poison Prevention week,
please go to:
http://www.cpsc.gov/cpscpub/pubs/pppa/ppw07.html
The U.S. Consumer Product Safety Commission is charged with protecting
the public from unreasonable risks of serious injury or death from more
than 15,000 types of consumer products under the agency's jurisdiction.
Deaths, injuries and property damage from consumer product incidents
cost the nation more than $700 billion annually. The CPSC is committed
to protecting consumers and families from products that pose a fire,
electrical, chemical, or mechanical hazard or can injure children. The
CPSC's work to ensure the safety of consumer products - such as toys,
cribs, power tools, cigarette lighters, and household chemicals -
contributed significantly to the 30 percent decline in the rate of
deaths and injuries associated with consumer products over the past 30
years.
To report a dangerous product or a product-related injury, call CPSC's
hotline at (800) 638-2772 or CPSC's teletypewriter at (800) 638-8270, or
visit CPSC's web site at www.cpsc.gov/talk.html. To join a CPSC email
subscription list, please go to www.cpsc.gov/cpsclist.asp. Consumers can
obtain this release and recall information at CPSC's Web site at
www.cpsc.gov.
Thursday, March 08, 2007
State Childcare Rankings - How Did Your State Do?
The National Association of Childcare Resource and Referral Associations recently published their findings on how each state ranks regarding childcare standards and childcare oversight. Here's a summary of their findings. The full report can be read at http://www.naccrra.org/policy/scorecard.php
"Every week, nearly 12 million children under age 5 are in some type of child care setting. The children of working mothers spend an average of 36 hours each week in child care. Very simply, child care has become part of the daily routine for millions of American families. "
"The quality of child care is important because the health and safety of children are at stake and 90 percent of brain development occurs between birth and age five, which makes this time a critical period for child development. Yet, child care standards and oversight vary greatly by state. Given the importance of quality child care for children, the National Association of Child Care Resource and Referral Agencies (NACCRRA) reviewed state child care center policies and regulations and ranked the 50 states, the District of Columbia, and the U.S. Department of Defense (DoD) based on key benchmarks to see how the states measured up. The results are shown on scorecards ranking state child care center standards, state child care oversight, and a combined score ranking states on both standards and oversight."
"State Rankings: NACCRRA found that the Department of Defense child care system stands alone as a model for states. The Department of Defense child care system ranked number one on the top 10 list of states with the best child care center standards and number one on the top 10 list of states with the best oversight practices. Other than DoD, no state appears on both top 10 lists. What does that mean? It is not enough to be moving in the right direction with strong child care standards if a state’s oversight system doesn’t measure up. Without adequate oversight, there is no way to evaluate whether state standards are actually being met. "
"There is much room for improvement by the states. The top 10 overall (combining scores for standards and monitoring) have a better system in place to ensure that the standards are enforced or that the actual settings comply with the standards as envisioned. But, even the top 10 states fall short of the 150 possible points to be earned by meeting each benchmark."
Top 10 Best Overall
DOD (Department of Defense)
Illinois
New York
Maryland
Washington
Oklahoma
Michigan
North Dakota
Tennessee
Minnesota
Vermont
For a full listing of states and how they scored on the report, go to http://www.naccrra.org/policy/scorecard.php
"Every week, nearly 12 million children under age 5 are in some type of child care setting. The children of working mothers spend an average of 36 hours each week in child care. Very simply, child care has become part of the daily routine for millions of American families. "
"The quality of child care is important because the health and safety of children are at stake and 90 percent of brain development occurs between birth and age five, which makes this time a critical period for child development. Yet, child care standards and oversight vary greatly by state. Given the importance of quality child care for children, the National Association of Child Care Resource and Referral Agencies (NACCRRA) reviewed state child care center policies and regulations and ranked the 50 states, the District of Columbia, and the U.S. Department of Defense (DoD) based on key benchmarks to see how the states measured up. The results are shown on scorecards ranking state child care center standards, state child care oversight, and a combined score ranking states on both standards and oversight."
"State Rankings: NACCRRA found that the Department of Defense child care system stands alone as a model for states. The Department of Defense child care system ranked number one on the top 10 list of states with the best child care center standards and number one on the top 10 list of states with the best oversight practices. Other than DoD, no state appears on both top 10 lists. What does that mean? It is not enough to be moving in the right direction with strong child care standards if a state’s oversight system doesn’t measure up. Without adequate oversight, there is no way to evaluate whether state standards are actually being met. "
"There is much room for improvement by the states. The top 10 overall (combining scores for standards and monitoring) have a better system in place to ensure that the standards are enforced or that the actual settings comply with the standards as envisioned. But, even the top 10 states fall short of the 150 possible points to be earned by meeting each benchmark."
Top 10 Best Overall
DOD (Department of Defense)
Illinois
New York
Maryland
Washington
Oklahoma
Michigan
North Dakota
Tennessee
Minnesota
Vermont
For a full listing of states and how they scored on the report, go to http://www.naccrra.org/policy/scorecard.php
Thursday, March 01, 2007
Keeping Track Of Recalls
As parents and childcare providers, you are surrounded with products and toys used by children. Did you know there's an easy way to keep updated on what products have been recalled? You can sign up through the Consumer Products Safety Commission to receive emails when recalls have been issued. Or, you can use their site as a resource if you have a question about a specific product.
The website is http://recalls.gov/. If you want to sign up for the email reminders, click on the 'sign up for emails' link on the left side. You can choose what categories you want information on, so you only get information that is ineresting to you.
Also, when you buy a major purchase like a car seat, make sure you fill out the registration card and send it in. You can leave all the questions blank, like whether you like to camp and whether you plan to buy a home. They use that information to sign you up for more junk mail. But make sure you give them your address. You'll get a card in the mail if your product is ever the subject of a recall.
The website is http://recalls.gov/. If you want to sign up for the email reminders, click on the 'sign up for emails' link on the left side. You can choose what categories you want information on, so you only get information that is ineresting to you.
Also, when you buy a major purchase like a car seat, make sure you fill out the registration card and send it in. You can leave all the questions blank, like whether you like to camp and whether you plan to buy a home. They use that information to sign you up for more junk mail. But make sure you give them your address. You'll get a card in the mail if your product is ever the subject of a recall.
Wednesday, February 21, 2007
National Provider Appreciation Day - May 11, 2007
Did you know that May 11, 2007 is National Provider Appreciation Day? Start planning now for how you as a parent can recognize your childcare provider, or how you as a childcare provider can celebrate you profession.
Check out the national website for a list of events that are going on in your area. http://www.providersfirst.com/events.html
Start planning now for how you can celebrate National Provider Appreciation Day!
Check out the national website for a list of events that are going on in your area. http://www.providersfirst.com/events.html
Start planning now for how you can celebrate National Provider Appreciation Day!
Tuesday, February 13, 2007
Search Results Order Updated
We recently updated the process we use to determine what order providers show up in our search results. Providers who have updated their openings more recently will be given priority over those who have not updated their profile recently.
Our goal is to give parents accurate and up-to-date information. Parents are especially interested in whether a provider currently has an opening for the age group the parent needs. By revising our process, parents will now see those providers who are more likely to have a current opening, since their profile was updated recently.
The order in which providers show up still is not a judgement on the quality of care they provide. Determining where to place your child is a personal decision that only each individual parent can make.
Our goal is to give parents accurate and up-to-date information. Parents are especially interested in whether a provider currently has an opening for the age group the parent needs. By revising our process, parents will now see those providers who are more likely to have a current opening, since their profile was updated recently.
The order in which providers show up still is not a judgement on the quality of care they provide. Determining where to place your child is a personal decision that only each individual parent can make.
Monday, January 22, 2007
Look For www.childcarematch.com coming soon!
We know that many providers prefer the term "childcare" over "daycare". To reflect this, we've been working on acquiring the website name www.childcarematch.com. We successfully acquired it at the end of the year.
We plan to have both daycarematch.com and childcarematch.com direct users to our current site. This way, no matter what term they use, a parent or provider can find our site. While providers may prefer the term childcare, it's been our discovery that the majority of parents still use the term daycare.
Thanks for using Daycarematch!
Scott & Melissa
We plan to have both daycarematch.com and childcarematch.com direct users to our current site. This way, no matter what term they use, a parent or provider can find our site. While providers may prefer the term childcare, it's been our discovery that the majority of parents still use the term daycare.
Thanks for using Daycarematch!
Scott & Melissa
Wednesday, October 25, 2006
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!
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!
Sunday, October 08, 2006
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!
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!
Wednesday, July 26, 2006
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.
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.
Monday, July 17, 2006
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
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
Wednesday, July 12, 2006
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.
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.
Thursday, July 06, 2006
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
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
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
Wednesday, June 28, 2006
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.
Tuesday, June 20, 2006
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
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
Thursday, June 15, 2006
$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
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
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