REPLAY LIVE CHAT: Leaving kids home alone?
June 22, 2010 by Admin
Filed under Featured, Quality Child Care
When is it OK to leave your kids at home, alone? Is there an age restriction, or are there other factors to consider?
Will they behave well in your absence? And if you do leave your kids home alone, what’s the best advice and information to leave for them in case of emergency?
Linda Bigley, director of the Iowa State University’s Linn County Extension office, and Amy Bruner from HACAP’s Child Care Resource and Referral took questions and offered advice to interested parents and child care providers.
Replay the live chat below!
Appreciate child care providers this Friday
May 5, 2010 by Admin
Filed under Featured, Quality Child Care
Child care organizations and parents across the globe are joining together the Friday before Mothers’ Day, May 7, to celebrate Provider Appreciation Day.
Provider Appreciation Day is a special day to recognize child care providers, teachers, school-age program staff, child care center directors and staff, and all those who work with children in a variety of ways and are responsible for their education and care. It is estimated that there are nearly 2.8 million child care providers in the United States and that nearly 12 million under age 5 are in their care.
Child care provider Brittany Ziegler sits on the floor as she plays with 11-month-old Taren McNeal at Showtime Childcare and Preschool in Cedar Rapids in November 2009. (Cliff Jette/The Gazette)
According to HACAP Child Care Resource and Referral, there are 187 child care centers and 958 identified child care homes in the five-county area served by this program. The children and parents in Benton, Iowa, Jackson, Jones, and Linn counties depend on child care providers. This Friday, May 7, is the day to recognize the hard work and dedication of providers, and to acknowledge their contributions to quality care.
“By applauding the dedication of child care providers, we remind our communities of the importance of high-quality child care, and let providers everywhere know that we recognize and value their important work,” said Linda K. Smith, Executive Director of the National Association of Child Care Resource & Referral Agencies (NACCRRA), the lead sponsor of Provider Appreciation Day. “It is important that the care a child receives during the first five years of life be of high-quality because 90 percent of brain development occurs during those years.”
“It takes a special person to work in the child care field and these individuals are often unrecognized,” says Amy Bruner, Manager of HACAP Child Care Resource and Referral. “This day offers an opportunity for parents to show their child care providers their appreciation.”
To learn more about Provider Appreciation Day or for ideas on how you can thank your child care provider, contact HACAP Child Care Resource and Referral at 1-800-233-0054 or www.hacap.org. For additional information, visit www.providerappreciation.org.
A stroller built for four …
March 25, 2010 by Admin
Filed under Quality Child Care
Photo by Mary Christensen, Robins
Michelle Bahr, owner of Little Angels Childcare Center in Swisher, took a spring stroll through town this week with four children from her infant room.
Bahr said the four-seater was purchased about 10 years ago from an out-of-state couple who had been expecting quadruples, but after losing one child, bought a three-seat stroller instead.
Kids under the age of 10 need 2 H1N1 vaccinations
December 29, 2009 by Admin
Filed under Quality Child Care
AP – Test results of its H1N1 flu vaccine suggest that children under 10 may need two shots to be fully protected, vaccine maker Sanofi Pasteur said Wednesday.
The U.S. Centers for Disease Control and Prevention said the news is not surprising, since this age group needs two doses of regular seasonal flu vaccine for full immunity to develop.
We found this story by following Polk County Health Department on Twitter: polkcohealth – Kids under 10 need 2 H1N1 vaccinations to be fully protected. 11,000 kids in Polk County need their second dose. Is your child one of these?
The new Sanofi results back up what government tests are showing, said Dr. Anthony Fauci, director of the National Institute of Allergy and Infectious Diseases. For younger children, the protection from one shot is “modest but not sufficient to allow for one dose to do the trick,” he said.
Sanofi is the only company licensed in the United States to make vaccine for children as young as 6 months old. The company tested two strengths of the vaccine, given as two shots 21 days apart. The vaccine was tested in 474 children ages 6 months through 9 years old.
Only half of children 6 months to 3 years old had enough protection after one shot of the higher strength vaccine, as did three-fourths of children 3 to 9 years old, Sanofi reported.
For adults, one shot of the higher strength vaccine appears to be enough, Sanofi reported earlier.
Another option for people without medical problems is FluMist, a nasal spray vaccine. It is approved for healthy people 2 to 49 years old. The nasal spray accounts for most of the vaccine available now, although shots are starting to make their way to states. Pregnant women and young children are among the groups most urged to seek the vaccine as soon as it is available.
The high price of child care
November 16, 2009 by Admin
Filed under Quality Child Care
Parents and the High Price of Child Care: 2009 Update presents 2008 data on child care costs collected through a January 2009 survey of Child Care Resource and Referral (CCR&R) State Networks, which asked for the average prices charged for child care for infants, 4-year-olds, and school-age children in centers and family child care homes in every state. This year’s report reveals that child care costs continue to rise with costs often times exceeding monthly food and other household expenses.
According to the report, in 2008, the average price of full-time care for an infant in a center was as high as $15,895 a year. For a 4-year-old in a center, parents paid up to $11,680 a year for full-time care. Parents of school-age children paid up to $10,720 a year for part-time care in a center. Average prices for full-time care in a family child care home were as much as $10,324 for infants, $9,805 for a 4-year-old, and $7,124 for a school-age child. Additionally, the report found that average monthly child care fees for an infant were higher than the amount that families spent on food each month. In every state, monthly child care fees for two children at any age exceeded the median rent cost, and were nearly as high, or even higher than, the average monthly mortgage payment.
To improve access to affordable, high-quality child care for all families, NACCRRA is calling on Congress to reauthorize the Child Care and Development Block Grant (CCDBG), the primary public source of child care funds to states to help pay for child care and improve the quality of care.
Additionally, NACCRRA recommends providing resources for planning and developing child care capacity to increase the availability of child care options for working families; reducing barriers in the subsidy administration process that prevent families from accessing assistance; ensuring that public pre-kindergarten programs are designed to meet the child care needs of working families, and improving federal and state tax codes to help families at all income levels pay for care.
For more information, download the press release, full report and supporting documents here: http://www.naccrra.org/publications/naccrra-publications/parents-and-the-high-price-of-child-care-2009
- The National Association of Child Care Resource and Referral Agencies
Child Care Resource & Referral has options
November 16, 2009 by Admin
Filed under Quality Child Care
Child Care Resource & Referral is a state and nationwide network of community-based agencies that lend a helping hand to people who care for and about children.
In Benton, Iowa, Jackson, Jones, and Linn Counties, parents and families may access CCR&R at Hawkeye Area Community Action Program (HACAP). 4Cs Child Care Resource and Referral serves parents in Johnson and Washington Counties.
Parents and families are encouraged to call CCR&R when they are looking for a child care provider. A Referral Specialist will complete a 15-20 minute interview with the family member about their child care needs and preferences. That information is then used to match the family with providers who indicate that they meet those needs and have current vacancies in their programs.
Provider’s names, addresses, phone numbers, and registration/licensing information are given to the parents. A typical list of providers consists of three to ten names. The information is given as referrals only and not as recommendations, however, every effort is made to give parents the information necessary to help them evaluate providers.
Information given includes sample provider interview questions; check lists for quality, age appropriate materials and state regulations. It is up to the parent to contact the providers on the referral list to discuss interviewing, fees and other issues.
HACAP Child Care Resource and Referral, 319-739-1556, 1-800-233-0054
4Cs Child Care Resource and Referral, 319-338-7684, 1-866-956-7684
