Educator/Provider Fact Sheets

UNDERSTAND THE PARENT'S POINT OF VIEW

Having a good working relationship with the parents of children enrolled in your childcare is one of the keys to having a successful childcare business. A good relationship allows you to understand what is going on in each child’s home and to address any problems the child has in their development. An important part of a good relationship is being able to understand the parent’s point of view. Here are some ways you can learn this skill:

TUNE-IN TO THE CHILDREN

Being tuned-into a child is a vital part of having meaningful and responsive interactions during the day. A meaningful interaction with an infant and toddler, means you are:

• Pay attention to their needs

• nurturing

• warm and caring

• responsive to their needs

• respectfully listen to the child

• guiding

• able to follow child’s lead.

How to tune-into the infants and toddlers in your care:

TRANSPORTING CHILDREN – CAR SEATS

When driving children in your car you should always be aware of the following:

1. Don’t buy or use the wrong seat. A parent may offer you the use of their car seat. Don’t buy or accept a car seat that you haven’t tried strapping in your car using the seat belts or, newer model cars, the LATCH system. If you can’t get a tight fit, if the tether straps, don’t match up properly with the anchors on the car, or even if it’s simply awkward to handle the seat, don’t use it.

TRANSPORTING CHILDREN -CAR SAFETY

Car accidents are the leading cause of death among children. If you use your car to transport children, here is some information you need to know:

Always have written permission from parents to transport their child. That written permission should state specifically where and when you are allowed to transport the child. It should be dated and signed by the parent.

TOILET TRAINING COLLABORATION WITH PARENTS

Parents may decide it is time to start potty training their child while the child is in your care. This is a decision that should be made together as there should be continuity between home and childcare. Sit down with the parents and discuss some of the following tips together before deciding if it is time to start toilet training.
There are many theories on how to potty train a child. However, there are some developmental stages that the child must have met for him to be successful.

The child must be able to:

TODDLER FEARS

THINK LIKE A BUSINESS OWNER

It is often hard to think about your family childcare program as a business for many reasons:

• Your childcare is conducted in your home

• It may include caring for your own children

• You may care for family member’s children

• You often form close relationships and even friendships with the families of the children you care for

• You may care for close friend’s children

All businesses have rules and regulations they must abide by. Just like any other business, there are many regulations you have to obey.

THE IMPORTANCE OF PLAY

Playing is an important part of a child’s development. When children are at play, they are free to explore and practice new roles. They are able to learn about a variety of materials, acquire social abilities, and learn to cope. Play helps children actively demonstrate what they feel and think about all the different parts of their lives. Children take their play very seriously and the opportunities for varied types of play are necessary in any quality family childcare program.

TEACHING RESPECT FOR OTHERS

Today we see many children expressing a bad attitude when they talk to peers or adults. Children can be seen arguing with adults, often using bad language. Unfortunately, movies, TV programs and video games promote this kind of disrespectful behavior. This fact sheet will discuss why and how you should teach the children in your care to be respectful.

WHY SHOULD WE TEACH CHILDREN RESPECT?

Teaching children honesty is a very important part of their development. Learning how to be honest helps the child build trusting relationships as they grow. However, we all know that very young children often do not tell the truth. For example: The four year old who has cookie crumbs all over their face says, “I didn’t eat it, Rover (the dog) ate it.” Young children can tell lies starting around 3 years old. Four and five year old children love to make up stories. Four year old children love to tell tall tales and these tales can include a lot exaggerations.

TEACHING CHILDREN TO RESPECT THE RIGHTS OF OTHERS

 When children are small, they believe that their wishes are the most important.  They believe that they should get what they want and that their feelings are what counts.  Learning to respect the rights of others is a difficult lesson to learn.  

TEACHING CHILDREN HOW TO MAKE FRIENDS

Children develop at different rates, however all children need to develop the skills necessary to make friends and to be a friend. During your childcare activities watch the children to see see how they react to each other.

For example: Does one child always want to be ‘first’? Is another child shy? Is there a child who is bossy? Be aware if this behavior is effecting a child’s ability to make friends.

The following are some of the social skills children need to develop.

TAKE CHARGE OF YOUR CHILDCARE BUSINESS

Occasionally providers may feel overwhelmed by the different people who make demands on them. You are responsible to many different people:

• Licensor

• Inspectors

• Monitors

• Parents

• Children in your care

• Contracts (CACFP, Childcare System, etc)

Often you are faced with conflicting views of who is in charge. Clients in particular have many reasons to believe they are in authority.

• They may feel they have the authority to tell you how to care for their child.

SUN SAFETY

Summertime is a time for enjoying being outdoors. Children love to play in the back yard, at the park, and at the beach. As a provider, you often make outdoor play a part of your daily schedule. It can also be a time for painful and dangerous sunburns. As a provider it is important that you put a plan in place to protect the children so they can safely play outdoors.

According to the Skin Cancer Foundation, infants under six months should not be exposed to the sun and their skin is too sensitive for sunscreen.

To protect an infant:

SHARING YOUR CHILDCARE SPACE WITH THE FAMILY

Many providers struggle with a lack of space. Using your home as your childcare business can be a challenge for most providers. It can be hard to balance using the same space for your family and your childcare business.

Some providers have been able to set up a play area in their basement or garage that separates the childcare from the family living area. However, most childcare providers have to share their childcare space with their family living areas. This requires being very organized and creative.

SHARE REGULATIONS WITH PARENTS

Sharing information with parents is an important way to build teamwork with parents. You should be well informed as to what the regulation say regarding parents.

For example:

ü Regulations pertaining to parent’s accessibility to children while in care

ü Regulations and laws pertaining to child custody

ü Regulations pertaining to parental permission documents

ü Your policies and procedures pertaining to many issues regarding their child’s care.

SHAKEN BABY SYNDROME

Babies cry, they cry loudly, and often. Fussy babies can cry for extended periods of time. On occasion, a parent or caregiver can become very frustrated or even angry when the baby will not stop crying. When a person severely shakes the baby or toddler it can cause Shaken Baby Syndrome. (SBS)

SETTING PERSONAL GOALS FOR GUIDING CHILDREN

Early family childcare professionals have a key role in guiding children’s behavior. The longer you are a provider, the more you learn about how important your role is. In order to guide children successfully you need to understand each child and why they act the way they do.

SEPARATION AND DIVORCE – GUIDING THE CHILD
A child in your care who is experiencing the effects of their parent’s separation or divorce, is dealing with many emotions. There are so many changes going on in their lives.

They may be experiencing:

• One parent is now missing from the home

• They are witnessing fighting and arguing between two people they love

• They may have to move

• The parents may be in the middle of a custody battle and the child feels the strain.

SCHOOL AGE - DEVELOPMENTAL OBJECTIVES

Most family childcare homes accommodate children of all ages. Generally, it is the toddlers and preschool children that are attending full time and the school age children may only attend before and after school. Therefore, your primary childcare environment may be set up to accommodate the younger children.