Write these commandments that I’ve given you today on your hearts. Get them inside of you and then get them inside your children. Talk about them wherever you are, sitting at home or walking in the street, talk about them from the time you get up in the morning to when you fall into bed at night.

DEUTERONOMY 6: 6-8

By Deborah Rycus © Disney. All Rights Reserved | BabyZone.com

You may be the most important factor in how your little one adapts to childcare. "Children can tell if a parent is not comfortable leaving. If you're anxious, they will be too," explains Stacey Minott of Child Care Aware, an organization dedicated to connecting parents with the local agencies best equipped to serve their needs, based in Washington D.C. "Most important," she says, "is keeping any new childcare transition positive. No matter what the child's age, talk about why you're leaving and when you'll be back. Even infants internally clock their time apart from parents, so try to be especially consistent with timing at the beginning of the daycare transition."

Experts agree that children adapt to new childcare situations at different rates. Most children will become comfortable after a few weeks, but age and temperament certainly affect how long it can take. Babies under six months often don't experience the kind of separation anxiety that can lengthen the transition time for older babies and toddlers.

"Very seldom are children unable to adapt," says Sherri Sutera, vice president of Child Care Services with the United Way of Connecticut. In cases where they have particular difficulty, the environment may not be a good fit. For example, a child who is easily over-stimulated may have trouble in a daycare, but will do well with fewer children at in-home care.

There are many things that parents can do to ease their children into childcare. Following are a few tips to get you started:

1. Find Playful Ways to Talk about Childcare
"Parents can read stories or draw pictures about daycare with their child," suggests Minott. Another way to ease into the change is to set up play dates with kids from the center (or in-home location) to get them familiar with their new peers.

2. Visit the Facility First
Going together to the center or home before the first day will help your child get acquainted with the environment and give you a point of reference when you talk about where he or she will be staying. "Infants and toddlers usually do well with a parent bringing them and staying for a couple of hours, for a couple of days," explains Sutera. "For preschoolers, it can be helpful to have the parent leave for a few hours to ease them into the program."

Read more at babyzone.com

© NACCRRA 2011 - All rights reserved

The following points are good ways to measure the quality of a child care home or center.

Caregivers/Teachers:
• Do the caregivers/teachers seem to really like children?
• Do the caregivers/teachers get down on each child's level to speak to the child?
• Are children greeted when they arrive?
• Are children's needs quickly met even when things get busy?
• Are the caregivers/teachers trained in CPR, first aid, and early childhood education?
• Are the caregivers/teachers involved in continuing education programs?
• Does the program keep up with children's changing interests?
• Will the caregivers/teachers always be ready to answer your questions?
• Will the caregivers/teachers tell you what your child is doing every day?
• Are parents' ideas welcomed? Are there ways for you to get involved?
• Do the caregivers/teachers and children enjoy being together?
• Is there enough staff to serve the children? (Ask local experts about the best staff/child ratios for different age groups.)
• Are caregivers/teachers trained and experienced?
• Have they participated in early childhood development classes?

Read more at childcareaware.org

By daisyjae Copyright © 2011 Hubpages Inc. and respective owners. All rights reserved.

So you have found that perfect childcare provider. She's reliable, responsible, great with your kids and your kids love her. I hate to rain on your parade, but child care is a career with a high turnover rate. Low pay combined with high stress and low respect are all reasons I have heard from ladies who did not last long doing home daycare.

So how do you keep Miss Wonderful happy so that she provides care to your kids for years to come? Read on...

Pay on time and in full. Keep in mind that it may be a major expense for you, but it really isn't that much to make. Many daycare workers quit to find higher paying jobs. Call if you have a change in schedule. Realize that her place of business is also her home. If you show up early, she may still be in her pajamas when you arrive. And yes, this has happened to me.

Read more at hubpages.com

By: Dave Carter © 2006-2008 RedSofts.com

Many parents complain about the problems faced by their children at the day care centers. Parents complain that their child is not ready to go to day care center. To top it, the child misbehaves at the center and possesses erratic behavior when brought home. These are normal problems associated with children going to day care centers.

Always remember one thing - your child is actually crying for you. She has that terrifying thought of missing her parent for the whole day. Her child brain doesn't allow her to think of being away from her parents for such a long time. This psychological problem should be handled with care. Save yourself with some time in the morning with your child before starting for work. These few minutes will be great for the child. Talk about the great things that will happen to the child in the day care center. Discourage your child from thinking of negative things about the day care center.

Read more at redsofts.com

Children’s books are primarily for entertainment and enjoyment. They can also be an important teaching tool for a parent and can lend themselves to good family discussions and the support of critical thinking. Occasionally, while reading to your child, look beyond just the pure enjoyment of the story to the possible lesson that could be learned. Questions that can be used for any story include:

· If you were in this story, who would you be?
· What is your favorite part of this story?
· If you could change the story, what would you change? · What might a different ending be?
· What do you think we should remember from this story?

One caution: do not over-engage the child into always having to think of the meaning. Some stories are to be read just for the joy of reading. If you are using it for discussion, only ask a few questions---about as many as the child is old.

This Month: The February Heartfelt is focusing on choosing a suitable day care situation for your family and also preparing your young child for day care/pre-school. Selecting the right day care for your child or children is a top priority for parents and a time- consuming task. There are books available to help. One is Choosing Childcare for Dummies by Ann Douglas. This is a user-friendly book, dealing with many common questions which are indexed for your convenience.

You may find other books that are helpful in our resource list. Of primary importance, take the time to do some research and get references from parents using the facility. Also visit the center or home several times at different times in the day to make an evaluation. A lot of churches offer day care and that might be a good place to start. However, just because it is housed in a church doesn’t always mean it is of high quality. Do your homework!

Included in this month’s resource list are books about selecting a nanny. Make a list of your needs and prioritize them. Most importantly, find the situation where you can sense that those working with your child love children and have created an environment based on mutual respect. If you feel uncomfortable with anything you find out, consider it a red flag and search further.

The Kissing Hand by Audrey Penn helps little ones face their feelings of anxiety over separation. It is very sweetly told and will ease their fears. Another good introduction to what a child can expect at day care is Busy at Day Care Head to Toe by Patricia Brennan Demuth. Through casual snapshots and rhyme, this book will ease their mind and encourage their participation. A third book is My Day, Your Day by Robin Ballard. This book shows a correlation between what your child will be doing at daycare and how you spend your day. As the author says, “Sharing this book with a child is almost as good as spending the day together.”

A family discussion might include:

1. After reading this book, what do you think you will like best about daycare?
2. Are you a little bit worried about this new adventure? Would it help if I kissed your hand before saying good-bye?
3. Let’s look at the pictures again in My Day, Your Day. Tell your child you will help him or her see some of the ways your day is like theirs. A fun project would be to take some pictures of what you do and what your child will be doing at day care, and make your own book.

• • Adam’s Daycare by Julie Ovenell-Carter
  •Busy Day at Day Care Head to Toe by Patricia Brennan Demuth
  • Carl Goes to Daycare by Alexandra Day
  • D.W.’s Guide to Preschool by Marc Brown
  • Day Care Day by Mary Brigid Barrett
  • Don’t Go by Jane Breskin Zalben
  • Going to Nursery School by Susan Kuklin
  • I Love You All Day Long by Francesca Rusackas
  • Little Bunny’s Preschool Countdown by Maribeth Boelts
  • Maisy Goes to Preschool by Lucy Cousins
  • Mr. Roger’s Neighborhood Going to Day Care First Experiences by Fred Rogers
  • My Day, Your Day by Robin Ballard
  • My First Day at Nursery School by Becky Edwards
  • My Preschool by Anne Rockwell
  • Show & Tell Day by Anne Rockwell
  • The Kissing Hand by Audrey Penn
  • Tinyflock Nursery School by Suzy-Jane Tanner
  • What to Expect at Preschool by Heidi Eisenberg Murkoff
  • Will I Have a Friend? by Miriam Cohen

• • • Choosing Childcare for Dummies by Ann Douglas
    • Searching for Mary Poppins: Women Write About the Intense Relationship Between Mothers and Nannies by Susan Davis
    • The Child Care Sourcebook by Ellen O. Tauscher & Kathleen Candy
    • The Childcare Answer Book by Linda H. Connell
    • The Nanny Book by Susan Carlton
    • The Unofficial Guide to Childcare by Ann Douglas