Inspirational and Empowering Child Care Business Owners To Build Successful Child Care Businesses

Posts tagged ‘Quality Child Care’

Tackling the Self Study

The Self- Study Process Assures the Best Practices In The Field. ~NAEYC

When I created the editorial theme for the childcare business owner blog, I created the theme with quality care in mind. A sure way to evaluate if you are providing quality practices or not is by evaluating your childcare program with a self-study.

What is a Self Study?

A Self study comes in the form of a manual that is an assessment tool that normally covers the following core areas of  your program:

  • Health/safety
  • Curriculum/program planning
  • Parent communication/family
  • Administration Practices
  • Physical Environment

The time that it takes to complete a self-study is up to you and your staff (if you are a center.) My suggestion is that you take each area of the study, dedicate a set amount of time to focus on that particular area, make the necessary improvements and move on to another area of the self study.

As you complete the self study, you may discover that you may already be implementing some of the Accreditation quality indicators and that is awesome. However, if you find that you are not, make the changes and keep moving forward.

Each area that you tackle, celebrate!!  This can be done with a pizza party for the kids; hang a banner that reads: “We have quality health & safety practices,etc.” To assure that you or your staff does not forget the quality practices, post reminders or issue weekly memos that cover the Accreditation quality practices.

What if you cannot afford to Purchase your self study?

As I was preparing for this blog post, I reviewed the fees to apply for NAFCC accreditation and it was quite expensive. Now I see why so, many providers are not accredited. I was one of the lucky ones, my home daycare accreditation was paid for with a grant back in 2002 and I had no idea that  the cost of the self study was (for non-members only).

I decided to do a little research for you and I found some agencies that provide financial assistance for providers that want to apply for accreditation for their childcare businesses. After an extensive Google search for one-hour, I discovered three states that provided financial assistance. I am quite sure that there are other agencies that provide financial assistance, however, I did not discover many of them online.

According to NAEYC, there are many states that provide Accreditation facilitation financial assistance. Visit the NAEYC link below and watch the video for more details.

If you do not see your state below, I do recommend that you contact your local, childcare association or United way to request financial assistance with your accreditation. My childcare business is in the state of Missouri and I must say that our state really supports home daycare and centers that seek to be accredited. In fact, we have our very own Accreditation agency (MO Accreditation of Program for children and youth).

In summary, after going through three Accreditation in my home and center, I recommend accreditation to assure quality practices. If you desire to be accredited, get started on seeking out financial assistance for your accreditation. If you have the funds to buy your self study, go ahead and order your self-study as soon as possible.

As you get started on your self-study, begin  implementing the changes that are recommended in the self study, you will be so glad that you applied for accreditation!

You are a click away from the self-study process

National Association for Family Child Care (NAFCC)

National Association for the Education of Young Children  NAEYC

Financial help

For Providers living in New Jersey

http://www.pinj.org/upload/ASAP_2page_flyer_8-09.pdf

For Providers in Illinois

http://www.inccrra.org/financial-assistance

For Providers in Pennsylvania

http://www.pacca.org/quality.aspx

Need my help with Accreditation? Contact me today!

With Quality Care in Mind,

Shiketa Morgan, Owner of Learning Days Child Care Center (A Missouri Accredited Center)

http://www.learningdays.com

Category:

Accreditation, Child Care Center, daycare, Family Child Care, Quality Care

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8 Signs of a Quality Infant and Toddler Child Care Program

 

According  to the National Child Care Association Resource and Referral Agency, the first three years of a child’s life are a critical time of growth and development. High-quality care is extremely important for babies and toddlers, and increasing numbers of children are cared for by someone other than their parent. Early environments make a difference, and nurturing relationships are important for all children.

In the Book, Infants and Children, Laura E. Berk described eight signs of a quality Infant and Toddler childcare program and they are as follows:

1. Physical Environment. The setting does not appear to be crowded when children are available; the environment is clean, in good repair and well ventilated. Also, there is a fenced outdoor play area for infant-toddlers.

2. Materials Available. The toys are appropriate for infant-toddlers and are within reach of the children. Equipment includes; cribs, high chairs, infant seats, child sized tables and chairs are available. You will find small riding toys, slides and a sandbox on the playground.

3. Low Teacher-to-Child Ratios. There is a low teacher-to-child ratio including: (Child Care Center) 1 to 3 for infants and 1 to 6 for toddlers. (Home Daycare) if the provider cares for infant-toddlers, there are no more than 6 children with no more than 2 infant-toddlers.

4. Daily Routine. The atmosphere is warm, supportive and children are never left unattended. The daily Schedule includes active/quiet play, naps, snacks, meals and meets the individual needs of the children in care.

5. Child Adult Interactions. Caregivers respond promptly to the needs of the children and you will see caregivers: holding, singing, talking to, reading to and interacting with infants-toddlers.

6. Training. The caregiver has training in child development and is CPR and first aid certified.

7. Parent Connections. Caregivers talk with parents about children’s daily routine and invite parents to visit at any time.

8.Licensing and Accreditation. The program is licensed by the state and is Accredited.

If your program meets all of the above quality indicators above, CONGRATULATIONS! If not, don’t worry, if you create a plan to implement all of the above tips, you will be on your way to having a quality infant-toddler program.

When I was in my home daycare, it took approximately 12-months to create a quality program. After I made the necessary changes and received NAFCC Accreditation, I saw the difference in the quality of my program. Most of all, the parents noticed the improvements to.

Does your childcare Business meet any or all of the above quality care indicators? If so, please share your thoughts?

With Young Children in Mind,

Shiketa

7 Steps to High Quality ChildCare- Free E-Course!

 

 

Category:

Infant/Toddler Care, Program Planning, Quality Care

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