Journal 13

 

 

Fall Festival is Here!

Please join us Friday, October 25!

 

We will have many activities such as apple bobbing,  candy fishing, cake walk and much more!

 

We will have cupcakes and juice for all who come!

 

We hope to see you there!

Journal 12

The child has made the most progress in using her fine motor skills.  She is able to hold crayons with her fingers instead of her whole hand. 

The activity the child enjoys the most is listening to music and dancing.  She always asks to sing songs.  She always listens carefully and tries to learn the words so she can sing along.

The child is most excited and attentive when do group time.  She always sits, listens, and participates.

The best form of redirection for this child is to distract her.  Usually when I introduce her to a new area or give her something else to do she quickly forgets what she was doing. 

One objective the family could work on at home with this child is to help her distinguish colors.  She still gets confused often which is age-appropriate but it is something that could be worked on at home. 

Journal 11

I remember information best when I see it.  To reach parents who are visual I could create a family bulletin board with information posted at eye-level.  I could also send emails so they have a copy of the information.  To reach parents who are auditory I would have to be sure to remember to tell them when they arrive or when they are leaving the building.  I could also tell the classroom teacher to help remind them verbally.  To reach kinesthetic parents I would pass out flyers so that they had their own copy. 

Journal 10

!HEALTH ALERT!

 

 

Dear Sunnyside Parents,

We have had several cases of Conjunctivitis, also known as Pink Eye, in our center. 

 

How do I know if my child has Conjunctivitis?

Pink Eye can cause discharge from the eye, itching, and the white part of the eye becomes pink. The disease can take up to three days to develop after exposure. 

 

How does Conjunctivitis spread?
The disease is spread by direct contact.  If another child has rubbed their eye and touches something, your child could have touched it also!

What do I do if my child has Pink Eye?
If your child has Pink Eye they will need to see a doctor.  Your doctor will provide you with medicine for your child's eye.  Wash your hands frequently to prevent spreading the infection further. 

When can my child return to school?
Your child may return if you have received a doctor's note saying they are not contagious.  OR, when your child has been on antibiotic treatment for 24 hours.

Please see me if you have further questions or concerns.

Sunnyside CDC.

 



Journal 9

Parent Handbook Policy

Late Pick Up: For very 10 minutes a parent is late they will be charged $10.00.  All parents are expected to pick up their children at 6PM daily.  If a parent knows they are going to be late they should call to inform the center. 

Journal 8

The month of....APRIL.

Last month our theme was Changing of the Seasons.  April's theme will be Rain. 



We will have a Family Fun Night Tuesday, April 16! Everyone is encouraged to attend.  There will be a raffle, games, food, and many other fun activities!




There is an informational handout attached about exposure to the flu and ways to prevent the spread of germs.  Wash those hands!



Tuition is due the April 1st.  Late fees will be applied starting April 2nd.




Our monthly staff meeting is the third Thursday of every month at 6:30PM.  Pizza will be provided. 

Journal 7

Dressing for success means looking the part for whatever you are trying to do.  If you are dressing for a job interview you need to dress just as nice as the interviewer. Looking clean and professional are keys when dressing for success. Professional clothes for women include blouses, skirts, dress pants, and flats.  Clothes need to fit appropriately meaning knee length skirts, no holes, shirts should cover stomach area, and never wear shorts. Wearing too much makeup or flashy accessories is not considered professional. You do not want to draw negative attention to yourself. 

Journal 6

1)      The director gave all of the child’s information to the teacher without discussing it with the mother.  The teacher posted the child’s information sheet and highlighted the father section when she should have just asked the mother about it privately.  She also told all of the other parents that Eric was a biter. The teacher from Eric’s old school gave all his records to the new school.  The teacher also discussed Eric’s behavior with the new director. 

2)      The two teachers talking on the playground should not be discussing children’s family issues with each other.  The teacher telling all the other parents that Eric was a biter violated his confidentiality.  All of Eric’s information should not have been shared with anyone.  It is the parent’s decision what information the school receives. 

3)      No, I do not think the two directors should have had a discussion.  If the new director thought it was necessary to speak to the old director then she needed to consult the mother first.  The old director violated confidentiality by sharing information with the new school.

4)      The mother and the new director should have been in the meeting.  After the mother and the director discussed all the issues, then the director should have met with the teacher and Eric’s mother together. 

5)      Yes, the teacher should have introduced Eric to the class and asked to them to be nice to their new friend.  The teacher could also have mentioned that everyone is unique and it is not nice to make fun of people who are different. 

6)      An introduction to the classroom would have made Eric’s day easier.  It is important for every new child to feel welcome and wanted.  Eric should not have been isolated at lunch.  Children should be able to have a comfort item from home if it makes them feel better.

7)      I do not think the conversation at the restaurant should have occurred.  You never know who is listening, such as a new parent.  It is not appropriate to discuss children outside of work especially when it is about the child’s personal family life. 

8)      The staff lounge would be a more appropriate place for such a conversation, but it still isn’t okay.  It is not appropriate to discuss a family’s personal matters amongst co-workers. 

9)      I think all staff members might need a re-training on confidentiality, welcoming new families and children, and what should and should not be discussed between co-workers.  I would apologize to the mother for everything that happened and ask if there was anything could do to help her. 

10)  No, in my opinion the mother should not leave her child there.  The child is never going to trust his teachers because he heard them talking about him.  He was embarrassed. He is not going to be comfortable with the other children because he was not even introduced to them properly.  He had all his personal items taken away and he cried his first day there.  I think the mother should find a better center for her child.

Journal 5

Staff Meeting Agenda

Monthly Theme: Farm Animals

 

Monthly Readiness Skill: Identifying Animals

 

Curriculum: Old McDonald Had a Farm, Books: Five Little Ducks, Drawing/Painting animals, circle time: gather plastic animals and talk about them,

Lesson Plans & Coming Attractions:

            -Music and Movement: Old McDonald Had a Farm

            -Art: Painting/Drawing Farm animals

            -Bulletin Board: Pictures of animals, farm, barn

            -Story: Five Little Ducks

            -Games: Guess the Animal

            -Blocks: Build a barn, animal homes

            -Dramatic Play: what to do on a farm with animals

            -Sensory Table: hay, grass, or water

 

Teacher Designated Planning Time: Resources are available to all staff members in the front office. Teachers can schedule planning time on the calendar.  Each teacher is allowed one hour per week out of the classroom for planning.

Orientations, Events, and Celebrations: All events are scheduled in advance with director approval.  Please create of list of needed supplies for your room.  All teachers will be responsible for preparing their own room for each event.

Monthly Classroom Observation: I will discuss my observations later with each teacher one on one.

Continuing Education Courses: I will try to help everyone find information they need about trainings.  There are resources in my office that everyone may use. 

Journal 4

I have come in contact with many people who do these things on a daily basis. The one that bothers me the most is when someone does not make eye contact with me. It makes me feel like they are not listening to me. I also feel like it is very rude because some people do it on purpose. I think eye contact is a really important part of positive communication and active listening.  I try to make eye contact as often as possible.  It does not bother me too much when someone does not use my name. I think this is because a lot of people mispronounce and misspell my name. Although, when people do mispronounce and misspell it, that bothers me. I think using someone’s name is polite on a professional basis. I feel like if I know your name, you should know my name. I have had parents who only talk to me when they have complaints.  I find this to be surprising.  I think parents should want to communicate with their child’s caregiver as often as possible, not just when they think something is wrong.  Sometimes this hurts my feelings and I do not like the closed communication. If parents talked to you on a regular basis, maybe they would not have complaints at all.   When someone gives me the cold shoulder I find it to be very rude.  I think if someone is upset with me they should just be up front about it instead of not talking to me or being rude. 

Journal 3

2.1
I would not allow the parents to bring the cookies.  A child in another room could end up in your classroom and they could be allergic to nuts.  The policy is stated in the handbook.  Since they have not made the cookies yet I would suggest to the parents they simply leave the peanut butter out of their cookies. 

I would suggest the teacher talk to other staff members and try to switch shifts.  I would not force anyone to give up their early day.  "Emotional Scheduling" can be a huge issue in child care.  You have to make the schedule based on the needs of the center. 

2.2
I would approach the co-worker at an appropriate time.  I would talk to her about sitting down together and working on lesson plans.  It is not fair that she would just steal all the work I had just done.  Also, her input could be very helpful.


I would try to set up a meeting with the father and the director the same day. I would apologize for the situation and reassure the father that I do my best to watch the entire room throughout the day. I would also reassure him that if I had been aware of the incident I would have followed the proper procedures. I would address the child with the father and tell her how important it is to tell me if she is hurt.

Journal 2

1.1 Identifying Your Audiences

On daily basis I interact with parents, children, other staff members, and supervisors.

1.2 Additional Conversation

I do not think there should be any additional information.  The staff member gave the parent the incident report, addressed both families and offered to answer any additional questions. This seems like a very thorough response.

1.3 Define Who You Are

If I was a director or home child care owner, I would want my business to be very well managed. I would work my hardest to ensure my staff members were well trained and informed.  I would make sure that communcation was very open between staff and parents.  I would want my center to be accredited. I would try to make sure that I was aware of all problems that arise and do my best to solve each issure as it came up.

I am not in charge of rates.  All centers I have worked at have had about the same rates.  The centers I worked for were more expensive than the home I work at now. The centers did offer more advantages than the home.  The center offered Happy Feet Soccer and they had great curriculum with age-appropriate daily activities.

I would want my center to be academically oriented.  Every day should be a learning experience for children. Curriculum implemented through age-appropriate learning activities are very important for children. Every child learns at their own pace, so I would not have strict academic expecations.

I would hope that my center would have many strengths.  I think having resources to help families is a very important strength to have.  A staff that can communicate and work together to form a smooth-functioning center is important.  I would hope that as a director, I personally was a strength. 

A center always has room for improvement.  Staff members can always be working to improve their classroom.  Supervisors can always be

Introduction

My name is Darcey Sims.  I am a classroom teacher at a home child care center. I am in child care because I simply love working with children.  I enjoy seeing children explore and learn new things every day.  Every day is a new experience working in child care.  Education is important to me because I feel that I should know as much as possible about the things I implement daily. I enjoy learning about all of the dynamics of child development.