Archive for the ‘Home And Family’ Category

Finding Reliable Home Daycares Run by Child Care Providers

Thursday, October 16th, 2008
child care
Muna wa Wanjiru asked:


Cares and worries, abandon them for 6 – 12 blissful hours each day. Why? Because daycares have now been established in easily accessible locations. You will find these daycare centers in almost every state and neighborhood for the sole purpose of relieving harassed, irritable, working parents of their charges.

Daycares seldom charge parents exorbitant sums of money for the care of their offspring (seldom being the key word), but after a few days of looking after a rambunctious toddler or two or three, all of whom you could cheerfully strangle at the end of the day, one just looks upon daycare as an invaluable, convenient service indispensable to one’s comfort.

Most daycares, even some of the home based daycares, are licensed. And all of them have policies regarding the number of children assigned per minder. They also have rules governing sickness, emergencies and child education. All daycares should have at least 5/6 satisfied referees (at least 3 of whom should be contacted prior to enrolment at the centre).

Other points that should be checked out to your satisfaction include staff training, educational activities for children, and safety of playing areas inside and outside the centre. And, last but not least, the daily/ weekly / monthly cost. Not withstanding all the cracks about expensive fees, you would understandably want a centre within your price range.

However, parents operating on a tight budget can also avail themselves of free daycare services provided by the government, churches and other institutions. These daycares operate on donations and charge parents only a small nominal fee, if at all. There’s rarely any difference in the quality of services/ facilities provided by non profit and profit based daycares.

There are also many reliable home daycares run by child care providers from their homes. Home based daycares generally care for a limited number of children at one time. They are supervised by a central local agency and have the care they are giving, monitored by an agency supervisor who visits their homes from time to time.

Daycares generally accept children anywhere from 3 and 6 years of age and care for their mental and physical education right up until they enter kindergarten. Some daycares even accept children who are younger than 3.

Finding a daycare that meets the individual needs of the child will always be helpful in the long run. These daycares help children settle in faster and keep them happy in their new environment. Happiness is of paramount importance in averting potential public relations disasters (like the tantrum of a child screaming about ugly old teachers who are just like Timmy, the frog).



Child Care for Tough Economic Times

Friday, September 26th, 2008
child care
Krissy Ansley asked:


It’s Been A Tough Economic Month. Who Will Watch Your Kids If You Have To Go Back To Work?

Many are concerned with the recent news regarding the economy. So concerned that parents who once were able to stay at home with the children are now electing to go back into the workplace. It has created a new dynamic within families. We are seeing many stay at home parents return to the workplace for at least part-time positions to supplement the family finances. With both parents working, there is an increased demand for finding safe and qualified childcare in the home.

Hiring a Nanny is a critical choice. Most parents are very concerned about who they bring into their home to care for their most important assets, the children. There are some qualities each parent should be looking for when hiring a caregiver for your family. Watch out for the Red Flags!

Qualities:

Interest: Make sure the candidate shows genuine interest in the child. Dos he/she try to make your child comfortable with conversation? Do they make an effort to engage the child? Do they greet and say “good-bye” to the children as well as the parents?

Money: While a salary is very important to all of us, the Nanny does not need to lead the conversation with her desired compensation. Her genuine interest should be the care of the child. The last thing a family needs is a Nanny that is taking care of their child solely for the purpose of a paycheck.

Ease with children: Your nanny should never seem uneasy or anxious around children. They should look excited and have an easy way to communicate. If your Nanny seems afraid to hold your baby..beware! This is a red flag.

Qualified experience: The candidate should have experience working with children that are similar in age to the children in your family. Be sure to ask why she left her last job. If you find the candidate has jumped from family to family each year, this should be a red flag.

Looks you straight the eye: A good deal can be learned in the first 10 minutes of an interview. Many times we make judgments based on body language as much as the content of the conversation. Maintaining good eye contact demonstrates respect and interest. If they are unable to hold a gaze it can make you wonder about self esteem and honesty issues.

Respect: Families with children live busy lives loaded with challenges. All families are different and the Nanny must respect and understand the rules of each household. Parents create schedules and systems because they believe it is best for the children. Some caregivers who have their own children may raise their children differently and not share the same values. Make sure your Nanny is willing to follow your rules and keep her beliefs at home. After all, these are your children!

While these represent some of the qualities you should be looking for, intuition still plays a vital role. Don’t dismiss those twinges or doubts you may feel. They can be completely valid. The chemistry between your family and the Nanny can be the deciding factor!



A Child Care Worker is Rated by the Mental Stimulus a Child Gets

Thursday, September 18th, 2008
child care
Muna wa Wanjiru asked:


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 . Parents who desire their child to develop this trait will look for the daycare where such child care is given.