Apr 30

Childhood Obesity – Doing Your Part as a Child Care Provider

Child Care Practices, Meeting the Needs of Children No Comments »

According to the Centers for Disease Control, childhood obesity has more than tripled since 1970.  In fact, the prevalence for children between the ages of 6 and 11 has gone from 6.5% to 19.6% in 2008.  Those statistics are startling and provide a somber look at just how much we’ve come to rely upon refined sugars and convenience foods.

But there’s more to it than just a few extra pounds our children are carrying.  The physical and psychological tolls can be devastating and affect a child into his adulthood.  Everything from cardiovascular disease to diabetes to sleep apnea has been associated with childhood obesity.  So what can you, as a child care provider, do to offset these potential problems?  While it may seem as though any efforts on your part, in your capacity as a provider, would be offset by a child’s unhealthy lifestyle, you might be surprised to learn that those little things will actually stick with a child as he grows older.  This is one reason it’s so important to encourage physical activity and to stress the benefits of choosing an apple over a cookie.  Often, many children don’t have access at home to healthier food choices, such as fruit and veggies.  And too, kids will often dismiss fresh veggies not because they’ve tried them and really don’t like them, but because it’s just their first reaction.  Making it fun is key.

One way of doing this is by encouraging a child to participate in age appropriate ways.  Many child care centers are allowing little ones to plant small gardens.  Even if it’s just a few strawberry plants and even tomato plants or cucumbers, it gives them a sense of pride in knowing they’re responsible for those yummy strawberries they’re now washing and getting ready to share.  It’s fantastic for everyone, but most importantly, it allows these kids to take the knowledge with them into their adulthood when they’re not only making food decisions for themselves, but for their children too.

You might not be able to eradicate childhood obesity on your own, but you can certainly influence those children who are fortunate enough to have you as their child care providers.  A few small changes is all it takes for potential major changes later on.

Be sure to visit our site, too for more information on how to make your child care center more efficient.

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Jan 11

Expectations

Child Care Practices No Comments »

Jean Mercer, Ph.D. and author of “Child Myths”, part of the Psychology Today network, recently wrote an article titled “What We Expect to See in Day Care and What We Should Look For”.   It was an interesting read in that she accurately described what many of us see in our own mind’s eye of what a child care setting “looks” like.  Many of us have this image in our minds of how our own day care settings were when we were kids.  She mentions group activities and the familiar “circle time” where the children sit in circles and enjoy being read to or each taking turns telling a story.  She also brings back memories of smocks and finger painting as well as cookie and juice time.  A trip down memory lane, to be sure.

It’s what else she brings front and center that had me thinking about the way child care providers tend to their little ones in contemporary day.  Child care providers approach their responsibilities with a more educated view than our own Miss Smiths’ of yesteryear.  She mentions new research published by J. Ronald Lally in “Zero to Three” in the November 2009 issue of Psychology Today.  Some of the issues most significant for toddlers and infants include child care providers who ensure repeated eye contact is made and communication abilities that are being developed courtesy of the modern child care provider.  She also mentions smaller groups, which is becoming more common.  Today’s child care centers are working to ensure more employees are focused on fewer children at a time so that each child is better able to bond and enjoy being in the center.  This, of course, means fewer problems when Mom drops little one off each morning.

Although frequent teacher changes are expected and even encouraged once a child begins kindergarten, toddlers and other youngsters who have not begun school fare much better when they become familiar with the same faces each day.  It promotes a sense of safety for them.  While some day care centers are assigning their employees to the two year old groups or three year olds, some experts believe the same caregiver during those first initial years is actually healthier for the children.

The biggest difference in today’s child care providers is the way they approach their responsibilities.  More are becoming better educated and are insisting employees not only have some experience or background, but that they are mentally and even legally qualified to care for our society’s youngest.  The days of having a babysitter are long gone;  our partners who play a role in shaping our children today are just as significant and their roles are just as important as Mom and Dad themselves.

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