Child Care Now- June 2015

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June 2015

In the News:

 

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Fast Facts:

Did you know....based on the January 2015 annual survey. Nationally GSA Child Care Program have:

  • 95% NAEYC accreditation rate 
  • 66% Federal employee utilization
  • 31% Teaching staff with BA degrees

For more information see the GSA 2015 Child Care at a Glance

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Caring for Our Children: Health and Safety Standard

The American Public Health Association, American Academy of Pediatrics, and National Resource for Health and Safety in Child Care jointly collaborated on Caring for Our Children: National Health and Safety Performance Standards: Guidelines for Out-of-Home Child Care Programs, 3rd ed (CFOC3). GSA has adopted this comprehensive set of health and safety standards as the overarching quality benchmark for GSA child care centers. If there is a question or standard not specifically addressed by NAEYC, the GSA license, or State licensing, GSA refers to the guidance in CFOC3.

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Quote of the Month: 

Imagination is more important than knowledge. Knowledge is limited. Imagination encircles the world.

-Albert Einstein

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Find out more about GSA Child Care:

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Tell us what you think?

Contributions and comments on Child Care Now are welcome and encouraged.

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Consumer Products Information

Would you like to learn more about consumer product recalls? Sign up for alerts by clicking the Consumer Product Safety Commission logo.

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National Safety Month

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Indoor and outdoor play offers children an opportunity to learn socially, emotionally, physically and cognitively.  Some level of risk and challenge is important; however, hazards and unsafe risks can also hide in play. The staff should teach young children rules of safety and engage parents in this important knowledge. Children, infants and toddlers especially, depend on caretakers to keep them free from harm. Use the following safety tips to help balance safety and fun!

  • Be prepared! Ensure staff is up-to-date with first aid, cardiopulmonary resuscitation (CPR), and bloodborne pathogens training.  
  • Drawstrings are a serious hazard. Make sure hoods, outerwear and clothing are free of drawstrings.
  • Closely supervise handling and hand washing when children are around classroom pets.
  • Ensure electrical outlets are tamper-resistant.
  • Remember little ones put everything in their mouths. Ensure they do not put materials like water, dirt, sand, plants, and wood chips in their mouth.
  • Invest in a choke tube and use it.
  • Sign up to receive Consumer Product Safety Commission (CPSC) recall alerts on children's products. Ensure teachers and parents are informed of the recall items.
  • Before children use the playground each day, check for safety hazards such as broken glass or other objects.
  • Have a monthly plan to inspect playground equipment.
  • Ensure adults are always positioned to have a full line of sight of all children indoors and out.
  • Appoint a staff member to be the safety coordinator and keep safety practices a priority.
  • Safety practices do not end here so let’s be safe in June and all year long.

Source: Tomlin, C. R. (2015).  Indoor and Outdoor Safety Checklist. Early Childhood News. Retrived from  http://www.earlychildhoodnews.com/earlychildhood/article_view.aspx?ArticleID=274

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National Provider Appreciation

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During the month of May, child care centers across the U.S. showed appreciation to their providers and teachers. The Parent Committee for the U.S. Coast Guard CDC provided chair massages, soaps and lotion, flowers, lunch and thank you cards for all of the staff during teacher appreciation week.

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In the Spotlight

Region 1

The Government Center Child Care Corporation held it’s third Annual Art Exhibit on May 27-28, 2015. The lobby of the O’Neill Federal Building was decorated with numerous works of art made by all the infants, toddlers and preschoolers from both the JFK and O’Neill Federal Building Child Care Centers. Family members and friends joined the children for a lunchtime reception to show off their artwork on May 27, 2015. Many individuals who were not affiliated with the child care center stopped by to appreciate the art.  Observers were impressed by all the different types of materials used by the children, with crowd favorites:  the self-portraits and the pictures done by the youngest artists. Seeing children’s art framed and displayed in the lobby really made it special for the families.

Art Show Images
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Board Business

Tips for Grant Writing 

Tis the Season for Grants!  If you are considering applying for a grant you already know it is not a simple task. Before developing a proposal, there is a lot of research and writing that is required.  Here are some helpful tips on how to successfully receive a grant:

1. Follow the guidelines from the grant maker, do not overstep the specified requirements, i.e. number of pages, typeset, etc.

2. Do some homework on what the grant maker is looking for – use your resources to find the information from many different sources.

3. Make a call, talk with someone at the foundation for more information or to get an inside look at what the grant maker is looking for.

4. Collaboration with other local agencies (and listing them as assets) will help with your proposal and project.

5. List in the proposal if you have received money from the foundation in the past…[Be specific about what the money has helped your organization accomplish.]

6. Get a second look at your proposal before it is submitted…[Try to find someone who has grant writing experience to review the proposal before you send it.]

7. Even if you’re turned down try again next time. Some grant makers are on a rotation basis and may say yes to the same proposal next time or may have more money to give next time.

8. Always thank the grant maker, as appropriate through given guidelines: A) Recognize the foundation/grant maker with a personalized note. B) As required through follow-up reports and results of the grant. C) Through a Press Release via the newspaper – send a copy to the grant-maker when it comes out or at least an original of what was submitted. D) Even if not asked for, send a follow-up of the results of the gift.”

-from David Jones, Finance and Public Relations Director of Grand Teton Council Boy Scouts of America

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