TKW Consulting

As a society, we are finally recognizing that which research has shown for a number of years: Investing in early childhood education makes sense. Children benefit through improved social, emotional and cognitive growth and communities benefit by avoiding heavier educational costs down the road.

However, recognizing the value of early childhood education is only the first step. Many obstacles remain to establishing universal early childhood education in our state. The first challenge lies in the language: PreK, day care, nursery school and preschool are all labels for the patchwork of delivery systems we use to provide care and education to our youngest citizens. Just as we have no unified means of offering early childhood education to our state’s preschoolers, we have no unified term that means ‘‘the care and education of children 3-5 years of age.’’

To add to this confusion, some view these varied terms as interchangeable, while others interpret each term as a distinct approach to early childhood education. I have spent many a long phone call explaining our system - or lack thereof - to new parents and newly immigrated ones. If we are to begin seriously addressing the need for universal early childhood education, we should begin by using the term that most encompasses all
the forms this education can take: early childhood education (ECE).ECE, whether delivered part time or full time, in a center, a program or in someone’s home, refers to a setting in which trained educators are engaged in providing a learning environment to children of preschool age.

Getting Help With Childcare Management Software
Running a child care facility is an exhausting and a 24/7 job. You would have to keep track of kids, update records, collect fees, pay bills and write reports. This to-do list may seem both frightening and endless to you. However, childcare management software can help you get out of this drearily vicious cycle. Having this software installed would help you run your center with ease.

Whether you run a day care center, a preschool program, an after school program or a private school, using child care management software would enable you to simplify your bookkeeping and make it completely hassle free. Usually, child care software packages include programs that would enable you to organize all the components associated with teaching as well as taking care of children. Nutritional plans, enrollment charts, immunization tracking may also be included in this software.

As an owner of a child care facility, your sole purpose must be to train and take care of all the children. Having child care management software installed in your computers would enable you to revolutionize the way you access and update information. The daycare software would assist you in handling all sorts of information about each child in your childcare center. You need not dig through endless streams of paperwork and files to look for appropriate information. You would no longer lose reports or have to worry about what the parent's concerns and wishes are. A child care management software would practically run even the business side of your facility for you, if used to its' fullest potential.

One of the most useful applications of this software is the attendance and billing components. These tasks are quite time consuming and difficult, if handled manually. They can even leave your managers and employees behind schedule. However, the software would assist you in calculating and updating all your financial information quickly. They may also help you print receipts, invoice and provide you with accurate figures in terms of expenses, income and costs.

Another prominently used feature of the child care management software is the accounts payable. This feature would keep your payments like purchase of foods, rent or utilization of equipment and due rent, updated. The software would make all the accounting procedures and transactions easy for you. Not only would the software assist you in checking your facilities accounting but would also help you in reconciling your bank records inclusive of the payments made during a particular month.

Once you have chosen and installed child care management software, you would never regret your decision. However, you must ensure that the software package you opt for best suits all your needs.

Children are very special and central to our lives. The schools we can send our children to will help build their development during those years that are important for education. To allow these children to develop and have the ability to interact socially it is necessary to send them to daycare centers or even kindergarten. At these places a child care worker will care for young children will make sure that they have all of the care and love they need until their parents some for them.

The child care worker is trained to help with the development of your child while you are not with them. The care and health of your child is also left to the training and experience that is present in the day canters. As this is a very profitable job market there are always openings for the skilled child care worker to make their mark.

These child care providers are the first people who help to shape our children's social abilities. As this is the case it is best to see if the care and teaching methods that are used will help your child. There is a note of caution that you may want to keep in mind. At present there are no regulations in place stating the experience and training level a child care worker must possess.

The ordinary daycare will be satisfied if the child care worker is willing to work at varying hours, look after the children in the daycare, and feed them at the required mealtimes. The child care worker is also responsible for making sure that the children don't get into trouble or fights during playtime. The education a child will receive at these daycare centers will not be the same as their peers who are in a well regulated daycare.

In these daycare centers a child care worker is also responsible for the physical condition of the children in their charge but they have other duties too. At these daycare centers the children will be taught how to play with each other. Their toys are designed to stimulate interest and curiosity. The child care worker will divide the day so that they children have a time table to work by.

This time table teaches the children that certain things will occur at allotted times. They will have time to play outside to stimulate their physical condition and so they will have fun. During the story time the children will learn to sit quietly and listen. This will allow them to develop their mental interest in learning. Once the story is finished the children will be allowed to ask questions.

The difference between a well trained child care worker and one who is that well trained is apparent in the mental stimulus a child gets. Parents who desire their child to develop this trait will look for the daycare where such child care is given.

Preschool or Daycare?

Preschool or daycare? Is there a real difference between the two? Is one better at getting your child ready for their first day of kindergarten? Most working parents are faced with the question of where to leave their little one during their 9 to five and often preschools and daycares are where they turn. But is there a difference when it's time to go to kindergarten?

Getting ready for kindergarten means learning numbers letters and some manners before that first big day at school. Kids at central Christian preschool in Danville do just that and workers say their kids are more than prepared. The center director, Linda Richey says several key elements make up Central Christian’s curriculum. She says, “The things we center on are numbers, letters, sight words, addition, subtraction, those things. We want these kids to be ready for kindergarten when it's time to start kindergarten.”

And at Central Christian training starts as young as two years old. It's the same thing across town at Tammy Clows in-home daycare.

Clow’s been getting kids ready for school for more than a decade and parent's say they
couldn't be happier with the results. Mom Alina Zentz says, “Tammy is great with the kids. She does just as much, if not more than the preschoolers I've experienced.” Zentz's brought two of her children to Clows daycare and says it's just like dropping her daughter off at school every morning. ”She's doing well on her ABC's numbers so I think she's very ready. She's a young 4 to be starting kindergarten but the doctor thinks she's right on schedule.”

No matter your preference both can beef up your child’s social skills so saying goodbye to mom and dad isn't such a shock the first day of school.

Richey adds, “Because they do bring their children here they already have that experience of goodbye mom. I know you're going to work; I have to go to school. It's so much easier when it comes time to go to kindergarten. They're all ready.”Kindergarten teachers we talked to say there really is no difference between preschool and daycare. They say if your child spends their time with a babysitter, rather than in a school or social setting it's up to parents to level the playing field with things like play dates with others kids and at home study.

Until recently, parents typically had a far more negative view of day care than experts did. Not long ago, I stumbled across the following datum in a 1992 issue of The Journal of the American Medical Association that may help explain why: In the course of one year of full-time day care, a middle-class white male toddler was “likely to be bitten” nine
times.

A social scientist might point out that there is no firm evidence that being mauled by one’s peers has any negative effect on one’s psychosocial development. But I have never run across the parent who, faced with this bit of news, does not shudder. That is the difference between a social scientist and a parent.But over the last decade, the gap between expert and folk wisdom appears to be closing. A growing number of child-development experts have joined the ranks of parents who worry that extensive day care is not good for young children.

An emerging body of research suggests that children in full-time day care are less likely to be firmly attached to their parents and are on average more disobedient toward adults and more aggressive toward their peers than children cared for primarily by their parents. In certain circumstances, day care also puts children’s cognitive development at risk.

Of course, not all children in day care are damaged by the experience. But the new data should give parents — and policymakers — pause, especially as the Clinton Administration is ready to unveil a major new child-care initiative. For in this case, the Administration is promoting as “child-friendly” policy something actively harmful to some children.

A review of the day-care literature was published in 1996 by Michael E. Lamb of the National Institute of Child Health and Human Development (NICHHD). While noting that non-parental care “need not” have harmful effects, Lamb concluded that it often does, depending “on the quality of care and the child’s age, temperament, and individual background.”

Under ideal circumstances — when the child develops a strong, stable attachment to an alternative caregiver —day care may not be harmful. But, he concludes, “in other circumstances, [non-parental care] leads to behavior problems (including aggression & noncompliance).”The trouble is that most day-care kids are, indeed, in “other circumstances.”

Quality child care, as experts now understand it, does not refer to variables such as group size or caregiver training that can be regulated by government (day-care boosters tend to be obsessed with licensing and training).

Instead, quality care is dependent on the same underlying emotional processes that make for strong mother - child relationships. For young children, high-quality care means a caregiver who stays with the child for long periods — “years, not months,” says one expert. A high-quality caregiver babbles, chatters, coos, hugs, strokes a baby or toddler, and consistently makes the effort to respond warmly to his verbal and non-verbal attempts at communication.

Few employees can meet such demanding standards. A 1995 national study by the University of Colorado found that only 8 per cent of day-care centers serving infants and toddlers offer high-quality care; in 40 per cent of centers, the care is so bad that it endangers young children’s psychological and cognitive development. Indeed, for cognitive development, the research suggests that the children of educated mothers may be at special risk — because of the contrast between the care they get at home and at the typical day-care center.

// posted by Tammy Wachter @ 4:11 PM 0 comments

The biggest difference between Sesame Street then and now is that the current version feels more like a lesson — albeit a humorous lesson — while the older version seemed more like fun with mild lessons tossed in for good measure.

...simply take a moment to see how the industry to occupy the time of preschoolers has exploded. The cable channel Noggin, which calls itself “preschool on TV,” has, at the start of 2008, expanded its programming to 24 hours a day instead of turning off the tap at 5 p.m. That means the candy-colored episodes of Dora the Explorer, The Backyardigans, The Wonder Pets ! and many more are available to any toddlers who happen to have insomnia. This doesn’t even touch the content provided by Playhouse Disney with Little Einsteins, Handy Manny, My Friends Tigger and Pooh and on and on.

You've heard all the nasty rumors about day care.

Too many kids and too few caregivers. Lots of sneezing and wheezing. That little guy who's always grabbing your child's toy. Everyone's got a story. But you have to get back to work and you have no choice. What's a good parent to do?

Let's concentrate on the positive. There are plenty of benefits to sending your child to day care. If you consider some of these benefits, it will help you come to terms with your own decision, whether you have a choice or not. Once you understand, you'll feel you're helping your child grow into a well rounded, happy child instead of feeling guilty about sticking him in day care.

Babies need interaction with other children. It's never too early to start engaging your son in activities with other children, whether his own age, toddlers or older children. Learning to interact with other kids prepares your son for his first real school experience. Day care is a gentler environment, there are less rules and more flexibility than strict teachers may impose in school.

Children benefit from day care by learning self-control, how to get along with others, and how to share. They begin to learn all about friendship. Without day care, your daughter only knows you; you are her whole world. How scary would it be to get into school at age four or five and find out that Mom isn't there with her? Children benefit from day care by expanding their world to include people other than their parents.Separation anxiety will be lessened (or not an issue at all) when your child enters school if she's been in day care. She's already used to being away from you for some time during the day. She's learned how to make new friends and can be content without your undivided attention. The transition from home to school is far less difficult for those who've experienced day care.

In addition to learning socialization skills, your son may also have the opportunity to learn some of the basics such as the alphabet and numbers, and he's always increasing his vocabulary. This pre-preschool learning environment gives your child an understanding of what will be expected of him once he enters kindergarten. He learns to sit and listen, and is able to accept the information that will be thrust upon him in school. He learns the value of teamwork and to respect the opinions and emotions of others. Entering school for the first time is challenging for all children, but those who have been in day care benefit by already having exposure to a classroom-like environment.

Once your daughter enters school, day care can help with homework. Some day care facilities even offer after-school extracurricular activities like scout meetings, dance class, martial arts and on-site gymnastics instruction. Once she is in school her horizons begin to broaden.

As you can see, there are many benefits to placing your child in a licensed, qualified day care situation. And remember that even though your child is away from you for a portion of his day, it is really the parents that make the most difference in his life.

When he gets home from day care after spending a long day away from you, he will be bursting to tell you all about his day. Ask him questions about his friends, his teachers, his subjects. He will share his day with you no matter what his age is, and getting him to vividly describe his day is exciting to a child especially if you show interest. Of course you're interested, aren't you? After all, this child, a mini version of yourself, is taking on the world one day at a time, and the choices and desires he has will be a direct reflection of you. Make the most of that opportunity while you can - children are only children once.

Rising Food Prices Affect Daycares
by Kelli Stegeman

A recent report by the US Department of Agriculture showed food prices are on the rise again for next year.

The pricing increase will affect many people including daycares.Many home daycare providers as well as daycare businesses feed the children they watch.

A staple in lots of kids diets is bread and that is one of the products targeted to have the largest rise in price.The report says food products for the consumer will increase 1% more from 3.5% in 2007 to 4.5% next year.

Director of Mini Masters Learning Academy Robin Leininger said these pricing increases will affect many aspects of her daycare.

“It will affect just exactly how we plan our menus,” Leininger said. “How we feed the kids. Obviously we've got a very specific set of types of foods that we do have to feed the children, but also how is this going to affect the way we charge the parents the families.”

The president of the Kansas Farm Bureau had this to say:
“The largest increased demand for food is coming from the developing world,” Steve Baccus said. “That is a demand that is not going to slow down or go away anytime soon.”

Baccus says it is also unusual for so many areas of the world to have big problems with weather, cutting the supply of food at the same time increasing the demand. More big pricing increases will happen for dairy products and eggs among others.

A New Year Brings New Hope for Early Education
By Gregory Taylor

New Year’s is a time for reflection on where we’ve been, the lessons learned, and how we can better ourselves for the future.

Unfortunately, many resolutions to help our children better succeed in school have been broken.Every year, about one-third of American children enter a kindergarten class unprepared to learn. Many will never catch up. That all-important door to learning is already, in effect, closed. The reasons for this are complex, but this much is clear: The multiple systems – from family to schools to government – that should be supporting young children too often are failing to do so.

There is hope, however. Research suggests that investing in early learning is the best investment we can make in America’s future.

Studies by the Institute of Medicine and National Research Council and others tell us that the achievement gap for poor and otherwise disadvantaged children is created in the first five years of their lives. A youngster’s brain works on a “use it or lose it” principle, and synapses not used or stimulated early on will be discarded.

The child’s first five years at home thus constitute the most important years of his or her life. The first four years in school are the second most important phase. And the transition from home and community into school may be the most important transition in his or her life.But in most school districts there is little if any interaction between local childcare centers, early care and education providers and the public school system. Transitions to kindergarten usually consist of a “meet and greet” session for parents. Rarely is there an alignment of teaching or curriculum or coordination of teachers and parents.

Fortunately, that situation is beginning to change. In 2006, early childhood education was named a legislative priority by 24 governors, compared to 17 in 2005. Some states such as Washington have created new departments dedicated to early learning.To support states’ efforts, many national foundations (including the W.K. Kellogg Foundation’s SPARK initiative -- Supporting Partnerships to Assure Ready Kids), as well as researchers in academia and the federal government, have launched system-building initiatives that link parents, educators, early childhood service providers, and their communities. A big part of this community-based innovative thinking is the movement toward ready schools. In communities as diverse as Miami, FL and Gwinnett County, GA, where SPARK has made investments, we are beginning to see positive change.

In early 2007, the Gwinnett County Public Schools (the largest school district in Georgia and the 20th largest in the country) adopted and funded the SPARK Georgia school transition model. Using federal Title I funds to implement the nationally recognized Parents as Teachers program has resulted in increases in key school-readiness skills (including fine motor skills, problem-solving and socialization); greater parent participation and leadership

in early education and schools (parents who participated in the Parent Leadership Institute now serve as chairs on seven committees); and parent attendance at GED and ESL classes.In Miami, our initiative identified a lack of alignment in expectations between elementary schools and childcare facilities. Support for an increase in the number of accredited centers led eventually to success in creating a quality rating system that further aligns expectations across early education and the early grades and includes criteria for those all-important transitions.

In the past, the burden was primarily on children and parents to get ready for school. But this “two-way street” approach helps shape schools so they are prepared to receive and serve all children. Some additional elements of this approach include screening children for developmental delays and health issues that impede learning; helping parents and families in their role as first teachers; and getting child advocacy organizations, businesses and state agencies to commit more resources to early education – because an investment now means savings later.

By focusing on the crucial learning period from birth up to the early grades we can also help ensure the success of existing programs such as No Child Left Behind, currently up for reauthorization by Congress. Policymakers at all levels should continue to provide tools and flexibility to nurture such community-based innovations on behalf of kids’ learning. We must resolve to create new structures, practices and programs to support the early learning of infants, toddlers and preschoolers. This is one New Year’s Resolution we should keep. Millions of children are counting on us.