The work isn’t over when you find good care for your child. Building a strong relationship with your provider will help your child’s learning and development. Look for ways to exchange information about your child and have conversations about caregiving and your child’s learning. Here are...
Quality child care providers make health and safety issues a top priority. Use the questions below as general guidelines, and contact Child Care Resources for more information. � Are diapering, sleeping, food preparation and play areas separate? � Are there clearly written sanitation procedures specific to each area?...
Unstructured outdoor play is essential for a variety of reasons, among them: Physical play increases overall fitness, builds healthier bodies, and helps prevent childhood obesity. Children need to develop large and small motor skills along with cardiovascular endurance. Time outdoors raises vitamin D levels, helping...
You want the best for your child. Children need care that keeps them safe, healthy, and learning. And you need a child care provider that supports you as your child’s most important teacher and works with you to ensure your child’s healthy development and learning. When you have...
One of the most important gifts we can give our kids is time to play, both as a family or child care provider. Finding time to play with kids can be a challenge, but play isn’t optional. It’s essential. Play is considered so important to child...
What’s the best way to motivate children? The intrinsic motivation to learn about the world around us begins in infancy. This type of motivation can either be encouraged or suppressed by the experiences adults provide for children. Psychological research points to a set of promising...
One of the most important decisions your family will ever make is choosing child care. Child Care Resources provides information, resources, and guidance to help you to make the best decision when choosing a child care program that meets the needs of your family. Finding...
Choosing child care is one of the most important decisions a family makes. You want your child in a safe, caring environment that is regulated and where your child will be engaged in learning and embraced as the individual he or she is. Let Child...
Nurturing from a loving parent or caregiver in the early years supports healthy brain development that forms the foundation for success later at school and in life - and one of the best ways of engaging with young children is through looking at books together....
Even the best planned child care arrangements can be disrupted from time to time. Without emergency care, more commonly known as back-up care, working parents may be forced to stay home or bring their child to work with them. By planning ahead and knowing your...
Group Size Group size has a positive impact on the overall quality of early and school-age care and education programs and the experiences that children have in those programs. Smaller group size is important in maintaining proper supervision, quality care and enough one-on-one attention for each...
During the preschool years, your child’s brain is growing at its most rapid pace and is sculpted by high-quality interactions and play. Talking, singing, reading and playing with your child are all good ways to promote curiosity, build knowledge, and teach the skills that will...
Serve and return interactions shape brain architecture. When an infant or young child babbles, gestures, or cries, and an adult responds appropriately with eye contact, words, or a hug, neural connections are built and strengthened in the child’s brain that support the development of communication and social...
Early experiences affect the development of brain architecture, which provides the foundation for all future learning, behavior, and health. Just as a weak foundation compromises the quality and strength of a house, adverse experiences early in life can impair brain architecture, with negative effects lasting...
We know that attachments to their parents are primary, but young children can also benefit significantly from relationships with other responsive caregivers both within and outside the family. Close relationships with other nurturing and reliably available adults do not interfere with the strength of a young...
According to The Center On The Developing Child at Harvard, recent advances in the science of brain development offer an unprecedented opportunity to solve some of society’s most challenging problems, from widening disparities in school achievement and economic productivity to costly health problems across the...
Have you ever noticed your child watch a truck driving by or pick up a ladybug? That is an example of how your child develops thinking skills. Young children develop thinking skills—such as understanding cause and effect and developing the ability to reason—by exploring and...
In their first year, babies learn to focus their vision, reach out, explore, and learn about the things that are around them. Cognitive, or brain development means the learning process of memory, language, thinking, and reasoning. Learning language is more than making sounds (“babble”), or...
Early intervention: Is the term used to describe services and support that help babies and toddlers (from birth to 3 years of age in most states/territories) with developmental delays or disabilities and their families. May include speech therapy, physical therapy, and other types of services...
Child Care Resources advises you to act early on developmental concerns to make a real difference for your child and you! If you’re concerned about your child’s development, don’t wait. You know your child best. Early intervention helps children improve their abilities and learn new skills....