Child Care Now- July 2015

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July 2015

In the News:

 

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sun FOH

UV Safety Month

What's your UV IQ?

The skin is the body's largest organ. It protects against heat, sunlight, injury, and infection.

To find out how to protect your skin and what’s your UV IQ, visit the FOH website.

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Summer Safety Facts: 

Summer is officially in full swing. Here’s a SPF refresher with fun facts to keep in mind when you are enjoying the sun.

  • 100% of people need to wear sunscreen.
  • 1 in 5 Americans will be diagnosed with skin cancer in their lifetime.
  • 90% of aging is caused by sun damage.
  • 15 is the minimum broad spectrum (UVA and UVB) SPF you should wear every single day.

Need a visual? Think of the following:

A 1oz. shot glass- The amount of sunscreen you should use to cover your entire body.

An almond- Measure out an almond size amount for your face.

Timing is everything! Apply sunscreen 15 minutes before going outside, then reapply every two hours.

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Quote of the Month: 

Sometimes you will never know the value of a moment until it becomes a memory.

-Dr. Suess

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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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Playground Safety

Prevent Thermal Burns

Summer time brings sunshine and more outdoor play. It is also the time to pay attention to playground safety. Hot weather means more risk for thermal burns from playground equipment and surfacing. The Consumer Product Safety Commission (CPSC) recommends paying particular attention to plastics and rubberized surfacing, because both have the potential to become hot enough to burn a child’s skin. It doesn’t have to be hot outside in order for a child to receive a burn.  Even in mild weather, if the equipment or surfacing is in direct sunlight for an extended period of time, there is a risk of sustaining a thermal burn.

One reported incident occurred on a 74°F day when a child received second-degree burns from a plastic slide. In an effort to avoid thermal burns the CPSC recommends watching for the following:

  • Uncoated metal equipment, or metal equipment where the heat-reducing coating has rubbed off
  • Dark colored plastics and surfacing
  • Slides, swings, or other equipment that a child may sit on
  • Asphalt and concrete surfaces

Do not assume that the equipment is safe because the air temperature is not very high. Always check the temperature of the equipment and surfacing before letting children play on the playground. Remember, a young child’s skin burns faster than an adults. If it feels hot to your hand, it may be too hot for a child’s bare skin. Some materials heat more slowly than others and these materials may not feel hot with a quick touch. Check children for appropriate clothing for the playground (e.g., shoes, pants). Remember that playground equipment, as well as playground surfacing, may cause burns. Running barefoot across playground surfacing may cause burns.

To obtain more information on how to prevent thermal burns download the CPSC Fact Sheet.

Fallon playground
Fallon Federal CCC Baltimore, MD
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Playground Maintenance

maintenance worker

The goal of a playground maintenance program is to ensure that the play areas are safe, age-appropriate, compliant with standards and guidelines and FUN! 

Injuries on playgrounds include falls to surface material,  impact with stationary equipment (slides, playhouses, poles, etc.) head and neck entrapment in openings and entanglement of clothing. Entanglements are the most common cause of playground fatalities.

The following factors contribute to playground injuries: improper use of equipment, poor supervision, inappropriate design, and installation and site planning issues.  There will never be a playground that is 100% free of accidents because children take risks. Close your eyes for a second and think of the risks you took as a child. Remember running down the slide chute or bailing out of the swing at its highest arc.  Risks are challenges that the child chooses to take.  Hazards are something unknown, hidden or unexpected, like a bolt that projects out more than two threads.  Children are not expected to be aware of hazards. That is the job of adults including teachers and playground maintenance staff. 

There are two ways to prevent hazards on our playgrounds; the first is to supervise children while they are on the playground and the second is conduct regular inspections of playgrounds before children have access to them. Inspections maintain a standard of care and identify new hazards resulting in changes to the playground environment due to: wear, breakage, litter and other environmental concerns.  Inspections have four primary functions: safety, ensuring that equipment is operational, clean and attractive.

One final thought about playground risk management.  Not all playground accidents “just happen”.  They may occur because those who by proper actions, could have minimized the opportunities & removed the conditions for accidents – failed in this responsibility to the children.   Some accidents occur because there was not a proper inspection or maintenance program in place.  Don’t let this be said of you. Develop a playground safety plan and minimize opportunities for accidents. 

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In the Spotlight

Region 7

dad and daughter

Young Stars Development Center, Dallas, Texas recognizes the importance of parents spending time with their children.  In an effort to create more time with their parents, once a month the staff transforms their multi-purpose room into a come and go breakfast zone. The children and their parents can take 5 minutes out of their drop off time and share a bite to eat together before they both start their day. The child care provider views this opportunity as a great time for their families to meet one another and experience each other outside of their own child's classroom.

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Board Business

Relationship Fundraising!

Soon it will be time again to consider your boards fundraising efforts for the year. The Nonprofit Center at LaSalle University's School of Business, an excellent resource, reminds us that fundraising is not just about events, but relationships.  Please consider this as your board prepares its fundraising plan!

      8 Tips to Build Relationship Fundraising:

  1. Understand the difference between gratitude and appreciation and show your donors both.
  2. Have a donor database that you use, regardless of whether that database is in Excel, is one of the many off-the-shelf packages or custom-made for your organization. Make sure that everyone in your organization knows to funnel all information learned about donors to the handler of that database.
  3. Make sure that everyone in your organization understands that s/he is a fundraiser, regardless of title.
  4. Put into your schedule your donor “touches”, be it a “random” phone call or a face-to-face contact. And then adhere to that schedule.
  5. Delight in your work as a fundraiser!
  6. Research your corporate donors as you would an individual. If you reach the maximum gift that a corporation will make, you have reached your max with the company. If you haven’t already, turn your attention to wooing the individual employees of that corporation and turn them into individual donors.
  7. Be sure that 100% of your board members make annual contributions to the organization.
  8. In fundraising, it is all about the donor, not about your organization.

Source: “8 Tips to Build Relationship Fundraising – Nonprofit Resource.” The Nonprofit Center at La Salle University. N.p, n.d. Web. 27 July 2015. Retrieved from:  http://www.lasallenonprofitcenter.org/resources/8-tips-to-build-relationship-fundraising/

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