Advice for Parents Archives - Page 8 of 8

Benefits of Pre-Kindergarten Programs

April 25, 2016 by Children Central

As the conversations among parents move from best diapers to early childhood education, you may be thinking if a preschool program will benefit your child. While pre-kindergarten programs will vary at each child care center or learning center, you can arm yourself with the proper information so you feel confident enrolling your child in a Pre-K program.

What is Pre-Kindergarten?

Pre-kindergarten programs are offered by child care centers and learning centers to help prepare children for traditional elementary school programs. Pre-K programs help bridge the gap between children only knowing the world of their home and their parents to the great big world of teachers and other children. Preschool programs have been around for nearly a century in various forms.

Pre-Kindergarten Program Curriculum

Preschool programs can focus on various aspects of a child’s development, and these aspects can include social, physical, academic, and emotional to name a few. All of these aspects of your child’s development serve to help your little one get ready for school!

Socialization is a primary aspect of pre-kindergarten programs, so that toddlers can get used to being around other children and authority figures that are not their parents. Pre-kindergarten programs serve as a child’s introduction into the world of a classroom, where he or she will spend many hours over the course of the next decade. The earlier a child is comfortable in the classroom, the more likely he is to thrive academically.

Teachers and child care professionals who run pre-kindergarten programs help children embrace different types of learning through various learning games and activities. This approach can instill in your child the idea that learning can be an adventure instead of something that they dread. Building your child’s love of learning can have long-term effects as they grow in the classroom.

Pre-Kindergarten Benefits

Early childhood education can make all the difference in a child’s life. Researchers suggest that children who attend a preschool program are less likely to be held back a grade later. Researchers at the Center for Public Education found that children who were enrolled in pre-kindergarten programs were nearly 40% more likely to reach an IQ of 90 by age 5 and 20% more likely to graduate high school.

Pre-Kindergarten Program at Children Central

At Children Central Child Care and Learning Center, our Pre-Kindergarten Program has all of the aspects that prepare your child for kindergarten and big kid school! Our Pre-Kindergarten Program uses the Happily Ever After Reading Readiness Program. Our preschool reading readiness program helps children build their vocabulary and improve letter recognition and writing so that your child will be prepared for kindergarten and grade school.

We also make it a priority to take cautionary measures so you know your child is safe in our care. All Children Central staff members undergo background checks, and our child care center facility has an electronic access system so we know who is coming in and out at all times. Children are also only released to persons listed on the child’s records, which are completed by the child’s parents.

It’s not too early to enroll your child in the Pre-Kindergarten Program at Children Central Child Care and Learning Center. Contact us with your questions today!

Fun Summer Child Care Activities

April 4, 2016 by Children Central

The summer is a great time to design summer child care activities with your children. Summer is an important time to prepare your child for the upcoming school year. There are many options for summer childcare activities that you, as a parent or caregiver, can use! Keep your child learning and having fun with these summer childcare activities.

Outdoor Summer Child Care Activities

When the weather is nice in the summer, take your child outside to experience nature. Have an afternoon picnic or play outdoor games in a local park. You can go to a farmer’s market and teach your child about different fruits and vegetables, and even various cultures! You can cool off by playing in the sprinklers or having a water balloon fight. Don’t forget to bring your child a bathing suit, towel, and change of clothes for water play.

Don’t forget to load up on SPF sunscreen and grab your sunglasses before having your fun in the sun! Proper sun protection can keep you both having fun while still keeping you safe from harmful UV rays during these outdoor summer childcare activities.

Indoor Summer Child Care Activities

When the heat can be too much, take your fun indoors for your childcare activities this summer. Make crafts out of everyday recycled items. Take this time to teach your children about different shapes and their values. Boost your child’s creativity by making puppets out of brown paper bags and having a puppet show!

You can build activities from the school’s reading list or create your own reading list! Build incentives to keep your child reading with a rewards system. This system can include fun activities like making your own root beer or going to a ball game!

Summer Child Care Activities with Children Central Child Care

At Children Central Child Care and Learning Center, our summer childcare activities are fun and educational. Children Central offers summer childcare activities through Adventure Camp and Cub Camp.

Children Central Adventure Camp is for children ages 5-10+ and is run by our trained and trustworthy childcare staff. Adventure Camp includes many summer childcare activities on our campus and field trips. Last year, our campers visited Giggle Magic, Adventure Golf, Styer Orchard for fruit picking, and Churchville Nature Center, to name a few!

Our Cub Camp for children ages 4 and up is run by our Pre-Kindergarten teachers, and our camp has weekly themes for summer childcare activities. We have activities like weekly water play on our large playground. We also take field trips to nearby venues, such as the movie theater, to see children’s movies.

Enroll your child in Cub Camp or Adventure Camp today! We waive Adventure Camp enrollment fees for students enrolled in our After-School Program or Elementary School Drop-Off Day Program. If you would like to join in on the fun, ask a Cub Camp Director if you can volunteer as a chaperone with our summer camps.

Conclusion:

In conclusion, summer presents a wonderful opportunity for parents and caregivers to engage in enriching childcare activities with their children. These activities not only offer a chance for fun and bonding but also play a vital role in preparing children for the upcoming school year.

Whether you choose outdoor adventures to connect with nature, explore indoor crafts and creativity, or enroll in programs like Children Central Child Care’s Adventure Camp and Cub Camp, there are countless options to keep children learning and having a great time during the summer months.

Remember, fostering a safe and enjoyable environment with proper sun protection is key to making the most of these outdoor experiences.

So, embrace the season and create lasting memories with your child through these summer childcare activities.

Does Music Really Help Your Child’s Development?

March 28, 2016 by Children Central

When you and your loved one were expecting, there was most likely some relative or friend who told you to play classical music to your baby in the womb or as a newborn. Now your little one is a toddler and ready to go to a child care center! Is there still an argument that says music helps your child’s development? In short, yes there is!

Music Helps Your Child’s Brain Development

Music can help your child’s brain development.

As your little one continues to grow physically, his brain also keeps growing. Your child’s brain is like a sponge that soaks up information and uses that information to build connections. Music can stimulate your child’s brain and encourage development in areas of the brain that are connected to reading and math. Music can also help your child learn more quickly and improve his memory, since music stimulates different pathways in the brain than other educational tools.

When you introduce music and movement to your child, your child takes those experiences and develops them into skills like spatial awareness, reasoning, and creativity or innovation as an adult. Music develops the areas of the brain closest to language and reasoning. Introducing music to your child at a young age can also kickstart his cognitive and creative development! You may want to consider incorporating music into your plan to help your child be ready for kindergarten and elementary school.

Long-Term Benefits of Music for Children

Studies show that in 2012, high school students who sang or played an instrument scored an average of anywhere between 20 and 30 points higher on each subject on the SAT. If you child falls in love with music at a young age and picks up an instrument in elementary school, he can develop a stronger sense of discipline than the average school age child. Mastering a musical instrument can require hours of diligent practice. Your child will learn patience and discipline as he discovers that “slow and steady wins the race” really does work!

Introducing Children to Music at Child Care Centers

Help your child’s development with music at Children Central!

As you are looking for quality child care centers, you make want to look for child care programs that have a music and movement program to stimulate your child’s learning. At Children Central Child Care and Learning Center, our child care staff uses the Kids’ MusicRound® Music and Movement Program.

Our KMR music and movement program is part of our curriculum for our Toddler through Pre-Kindergarten Programs, and it is also optional in our Infant Room. Watch your child grow and develop at Children Central Child Care and Learning Center with tools like Kids’ MusicRound® and more! To learn more about Kids’ MusicRound®, click here.

At Children Central Child Care and Learning Center, we are prepared to help your child develop the skills necessary to succeed in school and in life. Using music to boost creativity and your child’s brain development is just one aspect of our approach. Our programs make learning fun for your child as we prepare him for elementary school. We also work on socialization and developing your child’s critical thinking. Learn more about our successful programs like Pre-Kindergarten Program, After-School Program, Infants and Toddlers, and our Twaddlers and Preschoolers Programs.

What to Look for in a Quality Child Care Center

March 5, 2016 by Children Central

As you search for quality child care centers to enroll your little one, what should you look for in a quality child care center?

Quality Child Care Center Safety

One of the biggest concerns for any parent as the parent searches for a caretaker or professional child care center will be safety. How secure is the child care center? Have the rooms been childproofed in order to keep your child’s curious fingers away from dangerous areas? You can have a lot of these questions answered if you visit the child care center before enrolling your child. Taking the time for a visit before enrolling your child can give you peace of mind.

Training of Child Care Center Employees

As you look at different child care centers, you will want to make sure you figure out what credentials the caretakers have. How much training does each staff member have? What types of screenings do employees have to pass to work with your children? The more information you find on the expertise and safety training of the child care center staff, the more at ease you will feel when the day comes to drop your child off at a daycare center for the first time.

Quality Child Care Curriculum

As you search through child care centers in your area, you may find that different after-school programs and pre-kindergarten programs focus on different areas of your child’s development. You will want to find a child care center that has programs that fall in line with what you want your child to learn.

At Children Central Child Care and Learning Center, we focus on building your child’s physical, cognitive and social development. We not only socialize your child and help nurture a sense of play and curiosity, but we also make sure that your child is learning what she needs to at her age. Children Central Child Care Programs use the HighReach Learning Curriculum, which is aligned with Pennsylvania Early Learning Standards. Our comprehensive curriculum was developed by using the best practices in early childhood education, and our curriculum encourages learning through guided play and active discovery!

Children Central Child Care and Learning Center

At Children Central Child Care and Learning Center, our staff is highly trained and meticulously screened so you know your child is in safe and qualified care. Children Central staff members all have Child Abuse Clearance, Criminal Background Clearance, FBI Fingerprint Clearance, and a Health Assessment Clearance that includes a Tuberculosis screening and a physical exam every two years. Children Central staff members also have multiple character references, so you can rest assured that we have only the best caretakers at Children Central!

Our Children Central employees have Pediatric First Aid Training, CPR Training, and Fire Safety Training. We take pride in telling our parents at Children Central that Children Central staff members also all have 24 hours of professional training. A large percentage of our staff has earned degrees in early childhood education, which is how Children Central has a Keystone STARS 4 Rating!

If you would like to learn more about who leads your child’s specific daycare program, meet our staff and read any specific staff member’s biography! We look forward to meeting you and being a part of your child’s early years as she grows up!