Summer Workshop Coupon Code!

You can save $9 off your workshop registration fee for one of our July or August 2013 workshops.  That's half off the regular cost of $18!

Check your mailbox or email inbox for the registration form, and simply write "SUMMERSALEB" on the registration form before you mail it with your payment to our office.

Visit us on Facebook, Twitter, or Pinterest for more codes.  Each coupon code is good for savings off one workshop registration fee per person. Limit of one code per workshop.  These codes are only valid for Child Care Aware^® of Central Missouri sponsored workshops held during July and August 2013.

CDA 2.0

Are you interested in furthering your education by obtaining a Child Development Associate credential?   If so, you’ll need to know about the changes coming soon from the Council for Professional Recognition, effective June 1, 2013.  Here are few key details:

• The CDA Exam will be taken at a testing center near you.
• The role of the CDA Advisors (who currently do observations) and Council Representatives (who currently do Verification Visits) is changing, and both tasks will be conducted by a CDA Professional Development Specialist.  The Specialist will now review the Candidate’s Professional Portfolio (formerly Professional Resource File), observe the Candidate working with children, and reflect with the Candidate about areas of strength or growth.
• The Specialists will report the results of your visit to the Council, and you can expect to hear the results of your exam and your visit much faster than in the past.
• Instead of being assigned a Council Representative, you will be able to online and choose who you want to conduct your visit from a National Directory of Specialists.
• There will no longer be a time limit for earning the 120 clock hours of training.  Any training or education meeting the Subject Area requirements and taken at any time during your career counts.
• If you plan to apply on or before May 31, 2013, you will use the current CDA process and the current Competency Standards booklet and application packet.  If you plan to apply on or after June 1, 3013, you’ll need to use the new “CDA 2.0” process.  This new process requires purchase of the new application packet and Competency Standards book.
• The CDA assessment fee will be increasing from $325 to $425 effective September 1, 2013.

You can earn the required 120 clock hours online through Child Care Aware Training Academy!  Find out more at http://www.smarthorizons.org/naccrra/ccam/  

For more information about obtaining a CDA, or about the changes to the program, visit http://www.cdacouncil.org/

New Grant to Support Early Childhood Improvement or Program Start Up!

The Missouri Department of Economic Development is pleased to announce the availability of $10 million in tax credits and grants to help support capital improvement and program start up costs related to Governor Nixon’s “Early Childhood Initiative”.

Children’s participation in pre-kindergarten contributes to success in elementary, secondary and post secondary education, which ultimately impacts career opportunities. The Department is providing resources to support the development of new or the expansion of existing high-quality early childhood and pre-kindergarten educational opportunities specifically directed at children of low and moderate income families.

The Department is releasing a Request for Proposals (RFP) today. The RFP and additional program details may be found at http://www.ded.mo.gov/BCS%20Programs/BCSProgramDetails.aspx?BCSProgramID=112

Responses to the RFP are due in the offices of the Department of Economic Development no later than 5:00 p.m., May 31, 2013.

Eligible capital improvement costs may include acquisition, new building construction, rehabilitation of existing properties, and related soft costs associated: appraisal; closing costs; engineering and architectural costs; inspections; and permitting. Program start-up costs may include costs such as curriculum development; equipment related directly to curriculum delivery; and teacher training. Applicants may seek either capital improvement funds or programming funds, or both.

Applicants for funding must meet the same eligibility criteria necessary to receive funding from the Missouri Preschool Project.

A webinar is scheduled for Friday, April 19th at 10:00 a.m. to provide more information to potential applicants. Webinar registration information is available on the website.

Benefits of Outdoor Play in Winter

How many times were you told as a child to bundle up so you don't catch cold?  The truth is, cold weather does not cause illness.  Colds and flu are spread by viruses, and children are more likely to get sick if they are cooped up indoors all winter long!

Missouri's Department of Health and Senior Services Section for Child Care Regulation requires:

A total of at least one (1) hour of outdoor play for children in attendance a full day unless prevented by weather or special medical reasons (Based on wind chill factor or heat index, children shall not be exposed to either extreme element.)

Check with your licensing representative for details on what qualifies as "extreme" weather.  As a general rule of thumb, if it's 40 degrees Fahrenheit or higher, your normal outdoor play routine should apply.  Here is a windchill/heat index chart published by the Iowa Department of Health to help determine whether it's safe to go outside for a full hour, for shorter periods of time, or if you shouldn't take children outside at all.

Daily outdoor play, even in chilly weather, has many benefits for children.  Gross motor activities, most easily done through outdoor play, are the best way to prevent obesity.  Plenty of outdoor play can also have a big impact on the number of challenging behaviors experienced in child care programs.  A simple change of environment can be a great way to refresh the children and the adults!

Be sure children are dressed appropriately for the weather.  Dressing in layers is best, because layers can be taken off or added as needed.  Be sure families in your program know that outdoor play is a part of your schedule, and children should be sent to child care with coats, hats, mittens, boots, and other appropriate winter wear.  It's always a good idea to have a few spares on hand for children who left their coats at home.

For more information about safe outdoor play in the winter, check out this resource from the University of California.   

Coupon Code!

Would you like to save $6.00 off your January or February workshop registration?  Simply write "BLOGCOUPON6" on your registration form, and take $6 off your payment!

This code good for January or February 2013 workshops only.  Each person may use each code one time.  Limit one code per person per training.

Look for more codes by "liking" us on Facebook, following us on Twitter, and visiting our Pinterest page.

View or print the full flyer showing all our January and February workshops. 

Hot Chocolate Theme for Winter Months

We found some great ideas on the web that can be put together for a hot chocolate theme during these cold days.

www.teachpreschool.org suggests making fake cocoa mix and marshmallows using scraps of brown construction paper cut small and cotton balls. Fill your sensory table with the scraps of brown paper and some scissors, and let the children spend a few days practicing cutting skills to chop the pieces into small bits. Then create a cocoa making station using paper cups, plastic measuring spoons, and the “cocoa” and marshmallows.

The site also suggests using marshmallows as stamps in a painting activity. Marshmallows now come in extra large size, as well as the traditional mini and regular. You may even find other shapes in your grocery store. Set out a variety of marshmallows and white paint along with colored construction paper. Show children how to dip the marshmallow into the paint then stamp onto the paper.

foxtoybox.blogspot.com suggests using picture recipes to help children make real hot cocoa they can drink. This is a great opportunity to work on sequencing words like, first, next, and last. Children can measure the appropriate number of spoonfuls of cocoa into their cups, then measure the correct amount of warm (not hot!) water, then stir. Have children count as they add five mini marshmallows. Then use the experience as a writing or graphing prompt to record what children think about the cocoa.

Make hot chocolate play dough using this recipe from nurturestore.co.uk.

2 cups of water

1 1/2 cups of plain flour

1/2 cup of cocoa

1 cup of salt

2 tablespoons of vegetable oil

1 1/2 tablespoons of cream of tartar

Stir up all the ingredients in a saucepan, over a low heat, until the dough forms. Allow the dough to cool before sharing with children. The dough looks and smells good enough to eat, so make sure the children understand this dough is only for playing.

Preschool Activities Promoting Thankfulness

As the Thanksgiving holiday approaches, you're probably looking for fun new ways to introduce the idea of thankfulness to the children in your child care program.  Here are a few neat ideas we recently found:

Thankful Placemats
Give children sheets of paper and ask them to draw pictures of people, places, or things they are thankful for.  You may need to explain what "thankful means."  A child friendly definition is, "you're happy you have this person/thing in your life."  With children's permission, you can write explanations on their drawings, naming the people, or jotting down what the child said about his artwork.  These placemats can then be laminated and used at meals and snacks during the week, then sent home before the holiday break so families can enjoy them.  Idea found at e.how.com.

I'm Thankful Each Day

This wonderful book by P.K. Hallinan could be left in your classroom library all year.  The simple words and illustrations can be understood by the youngest children in your classroom, and they promote being grateful for material and non-material blessings we each have in your lives.

Make a "I am Thankful For..."Book
There are many ways to make books in your classroom, whether individual books children can take home, or classroom books you'll leave in your library and share over and over.  Kinderplans.com has a free printable book about thankfulness that you can allow each child to personalize.

Gratitude Journals
Oprah Winfrey made journaling about five things we are grateful for each day a popular activity with many adults.  You can pass this practice along to children in simple ways.  They could be encouraged to draw or write in a journal each day about what makes them feel grateful.  Or, you could have children share ideas as a part of circle time each day.

Service Projects
As children express things they are thankful for, we can begin to teach them about helping others who may not have these things.  Encourage children to come up with ideas about how they could help others during the holiday season.  They might want to collect canned foods for a food pantry or practice a short program they could perform at a nursing home.  Follow their lead, and help them carry out the plans they'd like to pursue.