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The Day Care Dilemma – How Do I Choose?

Raise Your Child — Sun, 30 Dec 2007 04:08:40 +0000

By Karen Fusco

Years ago, simply asking a friend or neighborhood teen to babysit for you was as easy as picking up the phone. Or you might have found an advertisement in the local newspaper. But with day care centers and providers springing up like daisies, the choices today are far and wide.

Don’t worry! Finding the right day care provider need not be an insurmountable task. References from friends are still a great way to locate a reputable center. Local newspaper classifieds will have ads run by small family-type childcare providers. The internet provides access to informative websites posted by larger entrepreneurial day care providers which will have information on their qualifications, licensing, pricing, etc. Your local chapter of CCR&R (Child Care Resource and Referral) is a free service that provides guidance by phone, in person and on the internet to assist you in locating a childcare provider, based on your zip code.

Once you determine what type of day care you need – in-home, drop-in, part time or full time – there are several guidelines to follow. We all know that a picture is worth a thousand words, and in this case, a visit to the prospective center is highly recommended. If possible, make it a surprise visit. You’ll see how they treat the children, how discipline and cleanliness issues are handled and how crowded the various areas are. Even a short visit will give you a sense of how the center is run.

In addition to visiting the facility (or while you’re there), obtain references and find the answer to as many of these questions as possible.

Qualifications:

Is the facility licensed? Is it up to date? Are the Director and teachers qualified to run a day care facility? Do they have bachelor’s degrees in a child related field? Have the teachers worked in child care for at least one year? Has the Director worked in child care for at least two years? What level of training or experience do the aides have? Does the staff show a genuine love for children or is this just a job?

Supervision:

Does the provider or center have enough supervision? Are the children supervised even when they are sleeping? How many caregivers are there at all times? Have the caregivers had background checks? Is there a high turnover of teachers and/or aides? What is your standard method of discipline? What do you do if the discipline doesn’t get the desired result?

Schedules:

Is there a daily schedule of activities? Are there structured activities as well as play time? Is there scheduled nap time or quiet time for those who don’t sleep? How often are children taken to the bathroom? What kind of foods and snacks are offered?

Inside Facilities:

Are the tables and chairs generally clean and not sticky? Is there a bathroom available for older children to use to wash their hands after toileting and before meals? Are the diapering areas clean and the diapers disposed of in a proper manner? Are the children up to date on their immunizations and are these records available? Are toxic materials locked away and poison information posted? Are medications kept safely out of reach of the children?

Outside Facilities:

Are the playgrounds and play areas kept clean and in good repair? Is the sandbox clean? Is the playground surrounded by a fence? Are the toys age-appropriate?

Emergencies:

Is there an emergency plan in place if a child gets hurt or lost? Is there a first aid kit on the premises? Does the staff know CPR and first aid? Do they practice fire drills? Is there a program in place for disasters such as earthquake and/or tornado?

This list may seem excessive at first, but a visit to the day care center or family home will tell you a lot about the surroundings, and the answers you get to your questions will tell you whether this is the place for your child. Follow your instincts! A concerned parent must take care to ensure the safety and well being of her child, even if it means asking some uncomfortable questions of the day care provider.

Karen Fusco is the co-author of “Busy Moms: The Heart and Soul of a Home“, an ebook filled with time-saving and stress-reducing tips and ideas to help build a stronger home, a stronger family and a stronger you. Karen can be reached at karen@busymombook.com.

Have a Family New Year’s Eve Blast!

Raise Your Child — Sat, 22 Dec 2007 08:41:12 +0000

By Norma Schmidt

Believe it or not, you CAN enjoy a New Year’s Eve bash with kids – even if you CAN’T get a sitter!

Infants and toddlers make it simple. Tuck them in, turn on the baby monitor, and you’re free to party – as long as you limit alcohol consumption and keep the noise down.

Preschoolers and kids in the early elementary grades love getting into the New Year’s spirit.

To build excitement, announce a day or two ahead of time that you’re going to have a night-time New Year’s party with pajamas on.

Then, when you go grocery shopping, you can let your child pick out a party snack. A trip to a party store for some inexpensive noisemakers will add to the excitement.

Or, create home-made noisemakers and decorations together. Visit www.familycrafts.about.com/od/newyears or www.enchantedlearning.com/crafts/newyear/ for ideas.

On the afternoon or early evening of December 31, sit down together with some ove-rsized construction paper, glue sticks, markers, crayons and scissors and make party hats.

Now, here’s the sweet part: Young children don’t seem to mind at all if “midnight” comes at 9 PM – or even earlier!

All you need to do is put on your party hats, pick your time, count down from 10 and yell “Happy New Year!” with lots of noise and hugs and kisses. Then enjoy your party snack.

Have older kids in the house?

Print out the words to “Auld Lang Syne” (“times long past”) from the Internet and learn to sing it as a family. You can get the words and hear the tune at http://wilstar.com/xmas/auldlangsyne.htm

Put into a box all the ticket stubs, souvenirs and photos you’ve saved from the year that’s ending. Take turns pulling items out of the box and sharing fond memories.

With adult supervision, let kids make home-made party snacks.

Rent funny movies or old sitcoms to watch together. Maybe Abott and Costello or “The Honeymooners” will tickle your family’s funny bone.

Invite everyone to write down on a strip of toilet tissue events from the year that they want to put behind them. Then ceremoniously (or unceremoniously!) flush away.

Play an old-fashioned game of charades. You might want to print out the special charades sign language from www.answers.com/topic/charades-2

Invite family members to write down hopes and intentions for the coming year on slips of paper. Each person can seal their paper in an envelope, to be opened the following New Year’s Eve if desired.

After your celebration, consider saving your noisemakers and decorations to use again. Kids enjoy rediscovering their old favorites from year to year.

And maybe you’ll rediscover the kid in you.

Happy New Year!

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Your Ex won’t Pay Child Support: Know Your Options

Raise Your Child — Fri, 14 Dec 2007 00:35:19 +0000

“Like most things in life, there is no library of instruction booklets, among them being one entitled “How to Get a Divorce.” As much as you may have tried to take all the necessary steps to ensure a smooth and easy divorce, you may still find yourself in the financial aftermath of a divorce in which your ex-spouse refuses to pay alimony.

Here is a small bit of divorce advice: as stressful as the entire situation may be, there is no need to get angry or frustrated. If your legally-binding judgment of divorce or divorce settlement entitles you to alimony or child support, then the law is on your side. Simply contact your attorney and take whatever steps are deemed necessary. Coping with divorce is hard enough. You and your children certainly don’t need any more stress.

Refusing to pay alimony or child support can result in some unpleasant legal actions. If you or your child is not receiving the payments that you are entitled to receive, then your spouse could face one or a number of enforcement devices, such as:

Having money deducted from your spouse’s wages
Submitting a negative report to a credit bureau
Collecting past-due child support from lottery prizes won by your spouse
Intercepting federal and state tax refunds
Seizure of property or bank accounts
Deduction of health insurance premiums
Obtaining a court order requiring a cash deposit toward payment of support
Obtaining a court order that places your spouse on probation
Obtaining a court order sentencing your spouse to serve jail time
In some states, you may pursue spousal and child support through an agency. In the event that a parent defaults on a court-ordered payment, enforcement devices will be set into motion immediately.”

Author Description

Nathan Dawson writes for http://www.marriedfinances.com and http://www.successfulmarriageresource.com, great online sources for marriage and finance information.