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Child Care Tip of the Week
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Holiday
Safety / Keeping Healthy / National
Child Day / Healthy Child Development / Turn
Those Frowns Upside Down /
Incident Report
Forms / Beware of the Animals / Fire
Prevention Week / More Child Care Tips / Even More Child Care Tips
December 15, 1998
As we gather round the tree for some holiday fun with cherished family and friends, we quite often let down our guard towards preventing accidents. But holiday hazards abound this time of year. And like most accidents, many of these can be prevented.
During the holidays residential fires occur as a result of careless smoking, trees placed too close to the fireplace or in the case of natural trees, left unwatered day after day drying out branches that can ignite without warning. When decorating and hosting, we need to be aware of these dangers. A No Smoking area around the Christmas tree is recommended. Candles should be kept at a distance from curtains, the tree or any flamable substance. Lights should be in good working order, not frayed or with loose connections. Special attention should be paid to cooking areas.
Christmas bulbs and lights pose another problem for children. Make sure that no ornaments, particularly the glass type, are not left lying around after they have fallen off the tree. Place ornaments high enough so that little hands cannot grab at them.
Batteries should also be kept away from young children. So too when it comes to wrapping paper, ribbons, baloons and other objects such as that can cause choking.
Remember that foods such as peanuts, hard candy, and nuts can cause children to choke and should be kept out of reach, especially for the under five age group.
Many festive plants such as the poinsetta and the berries on mistletoe are dangerous poisonous if ingested.
Alcohol consumption affects one's judgement when driving, cooking and in many cases when wrestling with children.
Parents, please take the time to safety-proof your home and to ensure the caregiver's home and the daycare is free of the above hazards. Let's all have a safe and happy holiday.
Source: Kids for Keeps: Preventing Injury to Children, by Martin Lesperance. Kids for Keeps Ltd. Cochrane, Alberta.
Nov. 24, 1998
When Canadians celebrate National Child Day this November 20, they are marking an important date for children everywhere.
November 20th is the anniversary of two historic United Nations events - the adoption of the Declaration of the Rights of the Child in 1959 and the adoption of the Convention on the Rights of the Child in 1989.
The UN Convention on the Rights of the Child is an international agreement that applies to young people all over the world. Canada ratified the Convention in 1991.
The Convention is divided into four
groups of rights:
The Convention is an important document because it provides guiding principles on how to see and treat children. It is a standard for ensuring children's healthy development in Canada and around the world.
Source: Convention on the Rights of the Child, United Nations.
Nov. 10, 1998
National Child Day marks the anniversary of the UN Convention.
When Canadians celebrate National Child Day this November 20, they are marking an important date for children everywhere.
November 20th is the anniversary of two historic United Nations events - the adoption of the Declaration of the Rights of the Child in 1959 and the adoption of the Convention on the Rights of the Child in 1989.
The UN Convention on the Rights of the Child is an international agreement that applies to young people all over the world. Canada ratified the Convention in 1991.
The Convention is divided into four
groups of rights:
The Convention is an important document because it provides guiding principles on how to see and treat children. It is a standard for ensuring children's healthy development in Canada and around the world.
Source: Convention on the Rights of the Child, United Nations.
Nov. 10, 1998
The First Years Last Forever
As a mother feeds her child, she gazes lovingly into his eyes. A father talks gently to his newborn daughter as he changes her diaper. A caregiver sings a child to sleep.
These everyday moments, these simple, loving encounters, provide essential nourishment. Just as their bodies need food to grow, science now tells us that the positive emotional, physical and intellectual experiences that a baby has in the earliest years are equally necessary for the growth of a healthy brain.
The brain is the part of the body that allows us to feel joy or despair, to respond to others in a loving or angry way, to use reason or simply to react. These capabilities don't just magically appear - they result from the interplay between a child's heredity and the experiences he or she has during childhood.
Research in brain development and school readiness sugggests the following ten guidelines that can help parents and other caregivers raise healthy, happy children and confident, competent learners:
Source: Convention on the Rights of the Child, United Nations.
Nov. 3, 1998
Understanding children's feelings can help parents and child care providers communicate more effectively with their children. Sounds simple, but as we all know dealing with a child's unhappy feelings is never easy.
Children are capable of the same emotions - pleasure, anger, fear, joy, sadness - as adults. Just think about what your child's day is like and you'll see a full range of emotions. One minute they are thrilled to master a new skill or want to express heartwarming love. The next minute they are frustrated because they can't do something or an older child is upsetting them. It is dealing with these negative emotions that most parents and caregivers need help.
It is important to help children deal constructively with their emotions. The first (and the hardest) thing to do is to remain calm when face-to-face with your child's frustration and anger. A child who is irritable or for whom nothing seems to be right, can be quite a challenge. Still, controlling your emotions is half the battle. Take a deep breath and try to understand that children are not out to get you they just experience emotions very intensly.
Second, remember to let your child know that you understand their feelings. You give a message of respect and help relieve the tension in so doing. Try saying "You're really upset, aren't you . . . " rather than "Stop acting like that!"
Avoid counterattacts. Instead of getting mad at your child, try to show you understand. This settles your child instead of escalating his emotions.
Third, it is important to set limits. Parents and caregivers who are controlling, but encouraging, and firm but also warm, are more likely to have children who develop self-esteem and the ability to control themselves. Limitations help children control their impulses, get along with others, solve problems, and generally achieve their goals in socially acceptable ways. Effective limites that help children handle intense feelings are alternatives and choices. Choices help children focus on a taks and can direct away from danger or other troubled feelings. For exapmle, you might say, "If Bobby is upsetting you, you can tell me about it, but I can't accept you hitting him." Or you might offer choices like "Perhaps you can play with this fun toy before Bobby, or you can keep me company in the kitchen where you are away from Bobby."
Reading stories and fairy tales about other people or animals who are angry or afraid is a wonderful way for children to work through these emotions. Stories are good, non-threatening opportunities to discuss trouble issues.
From Through the Smiles and Frowns, Understanding Children's Feelings, byFrances Scott, psychologist and co-author
of the book, What Children
Can Tell Us.
Oct. 21, 1998
The purpose of Incident Report Forms is to ensure an accurate tracking and appropriate follow-up of all serious incidents which occur in child care.
Notification of illness or injury is required by all licensing offices. Often a Licensing Officer follows-up all reportable incidents to ensure appropriate action was taken to identify strategies to prevent future occurences. Reportable incidents include:
Child care providers should report all incidents that involve injury to both the parents and the licensing board as well as their insurance company. Incident forms, like the one included in Caregiver Aids: Business Forms for Caregivers and Parents (available in our Child Care Superstore) were developed to assist caregivers in informing parents of all incidents involving their child and to use for insurance purposes.
Parents . . . if your caregiver is not using an incident report, or other forms such as medication administration, travell permission forms, please talk to her about her method of communication with you should your child be injured in care. This is for your information as well as your protection. You want to know at all times when your child is injured, bitten by another child, or other incidents. Only through this knowledge can you talk to your provider about correcting the problems that arose to the injury and take steps yourself to ensure your child is safe and protected in child care.
Oct. 13, 1998
As the colder weather sets in animals who would generally occupy the backyard once again become part of the family. From an early age children should be instructed on how to handle themselves around dogs, cats and other animals.
More than anything else, children need to be closely supervised around family pets. A happy moment can turn ugly in an instant when a dog or cat is not in a playful mood when aproached by a child. There is a fine line between playing with and teasing an animal.
Kids for Keeps: Preventing injuries
to Children by Martin Lesperance.
Kids for Keeps Limited.
Oct. 6, 1998
This week is Fire Prevention Week -
time for each and every one of us to take some very simple measures to protect
our families and the children we provide care for from the devestation of fire.
Did you know that:
Given above, can you get your family or the children at your child care facility out safely on a moment's notice? If you are telling yourself you "think so", that isn't good enough. You have to "know so" and without a shadow of a doubt.
The first step in any fire prevention plan is to ensure all fire alarms, sprinkler systems and extinguishers are fully operational. Follow this with a detailed escape route from every room in your home or facility. Use a piece of graph paper and draw the outline of your home marking each room, window, door and stairwell. Use arrows to make exit points. Practice your escape routes monthly to ensure everyone knows exactly what to do should a fire occur.
It is equally important to teach children fire safety. Some simple tips include:
And of course, saving lives begins by preventing fires. You need to:
As with anything, How much you know is not as important as what you do with what
you know. Please take a moment
and call your local fire department for more lifesaving fire tips.
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