WOW Check out these book recommendations for parents!

I am asked all the time about my favorite parenting books, for help with specific problems, and how to advance the early education of children at home. Here are a few of my favorite books and a few favorite books from our staff!

If you have any recommendations feel free to email them to me at Lauren@wowchildcare.org.


Discipline
So many times we are asked for our favorite discipline systems and our favorite books to help parents at home. I have recommended this book to so many people, I should probably start getting a cut of every sale. I not only use this system at home, but often talk to parents about using it at home. It takes the negotiation away from discipline and puts in place clear and easy to follow rules for your kiddos.

1-2-3 Music Effective Discipline for Children 2-12

https://www.amazon.com/1-2-3-Magic-Effective-Discipline-Children/dp/1889140430/ref=sr_1_2?ie=UTF8&qid=1475023556&sr=8-2&keywords=123+magic

Early Reading
This system is amazing! It will teach your child to read and takes only minutes a day. This system is best used when children have clear words, have an attention span of about 15 minutes, and when they show interest in reading. This is a phonics based program and includes comprehension.

https://www.amazon.com/Teach-Your-Child-Read-Lessons/dp/0671631985/ref=sr_1_1?ie=UTF8&qid=1475023972&sr=8-1&keywords=teach+your+child+to+read+in+100+easy+lessons

Child Development
The Whole Brain Child is a great book that gets right to the point. It not only talks about your child's emotional development but also gives you tips on how to raise resiliant children.


https://www.amazon.com/Whole-Brain-Child-Revolutionary-Strategies-Developing/dp/0553386697/ref=sr_1_2?ie=UTF8&qid=1475024131&sr=8-2&keywords=child+development

Assessments: Do they really matter for young children?

Short answer...yes!

Why are they important?

Each time your take your child to the pediatrician they do a quick developmental screening on your child. This is why they ask you if they are walking, running, can go up stairs, starting to read, know letters and colors, etc. These short assessments catch major developmental concerns, however it is important to do more in-depth assessments to make sure you child is developing appropriately. 

What types of assessments do you recommend? 

Your young child (under kindergarten age) should receive regular assessments to monitor a variety of developmental areas including: speech/language, motor function, social/emotional, and cognitive development. 

Where can you get screenings? 

Some counties offer screenings through their health departments, some through health fairs and other community action agencies. In addition your child's doctor should be able to run screenings. The other place your child should be receiving screenings is at their daycare/child care center. All center's entering, or belonging to, the SUTQ program, or those that wish to meet the needs of all of their students, should be running annual screenings, with further screenings if needed, to advise parents on how to best improve their child's development. 

What screenings does WOW offer?

All the children at WOW receive a variety of ongoing screenings. 

DECA: We currently run a social/emotional screening called the DECA on all children. This screening spots problems and gives all the parents information on how to improve the emotional resilience of their children. This screening is done once a year and has follow up screenings if concerns arise. Within the next year we will also be providing parents with a home screening for their children that will give parents even more resources.

Brigance: This screening monitored the cognitive function of all children. This screening is also done once a year and follow up is done on students who need additional help in one or more areas. 

COR Advantage: COR Advantage (NOT THE COMMON CORE) is a system of observing students that is used with the HighScope curriculum. This system is more of a "report card" that tells you how your child is doing in a variety of areas. It is an ongoing system that our teachers use year round. We have three grading periods during the year where you will receive the results of your child's observations done during the past few months. Since it is a rolling system, your child will not be assessed in a short time period-instead it gives a complete view of development over time. We offer all parents a time to talk with their teachers after the assessment results are processed. This system is extremely important for us to plan our curriculum and lesson plans. It helps develop an educational plan for each individual student!

What should I do if I am have concerns?

First step is to call your pediatrician! Most pediatricians will be able to write you a referral for further follow up. You can also call your county's board of developmental disabilities. They may have resources that you can use to get your child the help they need. Early intervention is the key to finding problems and helping-early intervention has been shown in studies to be the single most important factor to keeping children at the same level as their peers. 

It's Potty Time!

Teaching your child to use the potty-in one easy step!

In my line of work I get asked about potty training on almost a daily basis. To date I have successfully potty trained my 2 children, over 50 children as their direct teacher and supervised/guided people in potty training hundreds of children-so it is safe to say, I have a little experience in this area.

Before I start on my "how do you know your child is ready" tips and my "one step" potty training techniques, I want to state that potty training is worthless! You read that right. If you want to teach your child to use the potty in a developmentally appropriate, easy, and stress free way-do not potty train your child. You read that right: DO NOT POTTY TRAIN YOUR CHILD.!

Many people push their child to use the potty too early. This is not only not a developmentally friendly approach but it can also create a ton of stress for you and your child. If you wait until your child is ready, yes-you may use a few extra diapers, but you will not have to worry about a lot of messes and your child will be a lot happier.

Before you start teaching your child to potty-make sure they are ready!

Can you answer YES to all of the following?

• Your child stays dry for a few hours at a time
• Your child can follow wimple instructions and copies behaviors
• Your child can tell you they want/need to use the potty (does your child talk?)
• Can you child pull their pants up and down
• Does your child show signs that they need to go potty before an accident occurs (this can be anything! I had one son who went to a corner and did his business before each accident, my other one did the "potty dance")
• Does your child show an interest in using the potty?
• Does your child want to stop wearing diapers or wear "big kid" underwear?

If you answered YES to all of the above-it is time to get ready!

Getting ready to use the potty

Before you start-make sure that you, and your child's support team, are ready! Everyone has to be on board so talk to babysitters, family members, and your child's school. Make sure you do the following:

• Pick a time when you will have no large changes happening in your child's life (such as moving, a new baby being born, changing schools, etc.)
• Make sure you have the proper supplies (let you child pick out their underwear!)
• Start using potty words (....I know...I know....you usually don't let your child use potty words, but teach them words for pee and poop so they can talk about what is coming out of their bodies. 
• Get your child used to the toilet (big toilet, toilet seat, little toilet-it does not matter!). Have them sit on it a few times in their clothing, or with their pants down. Leave the little potty chair out. Let them be in the bathroom. This will help your child to get used to the potty and not afraid. 

It is time! Here is the ONE STEP "secret" to getting your child to use the potty!!!!!!!!!!!!

1. PUT YOUR CHILD IN UNDERWEAR. 

Not kidding. That is it. Put your child in underwear, with no diaper or pull-up. Do it and don't look back. 

So there are a few tips and tricks to help this go a lot faster, and a lot of reasoning why this is a great way to approach teaching your child to use the toilet. 

• Do not punish- I can't stress this enough. Acknowledge that your child has had an accident and let them know that mess happens!
• Ask your child to go to the toilet every half an hour-do not force them to sit on the potty! Do not make them stay on the potty for an extended period of time.
• Let your child change their own clothing- By feeling the wetness in their clothing they will understand the natural process that is taking place in their body. People do not like the feeling of body waste on their body-if your child is in a pull up or diaper they can't feel when they are messy! Yes-it is kind of gross and you will have to help (and probably clean the bathroom when they are done) but have your child take off their pants and underwear, put it in the washer and put on new clothing. 
• Praise your child and forget the mistakes- When your child has an accident-do not make a big deal out of it! Just go to the bathroom with them, have them take off their clothing, sit on the potty, and tell them good job! The positive reinforcement will help them use the potty. If you want to reward your child for going to the potty-that is fine, but is not necessary.
• Diapers/Pull-ups are OK some times-Night time and long car/shopping trips. That is it! It does not matter which you use-however if you use pull-ups you child can learn to change themselves. 
• DO NOT GO BACK-Do not be worried about setbacks! Some children will never have an accident-others will have slip ups due to a variety of reasons. Do not put your child back in pull ups or diapers for any reason during the day! Do not go backwards as you will extend the training period and your child will take longer to learn to use the toilet. 

How long will this take?

For some children they may potty train within a few days. For other children it may take weeks, or months, before they are completely accident free. Some children will continue to have night accidents for years after potty training. If you are concerned, make sure you talk to your physician!

Author: Lauren Fontaine has been working with children for almost 2 decades. She is currently the Executive Director at World of Wonders Child Care and Learning Center and the proud mother of two boys. 

Sensory Play!

At any good early learning program sensory experiences will be a part of the daily routine. In a school that uses the HighScope curriculum, such as World of Wonders, you will see daily, age appropriate, sensory experience incorporated into learning. This includes experiences with sand, water, and other items.

At WOW we not only use sensory experiences during choice time and work time, but we also plan 4 seasonal sensory days a year. Here are some pictures from our most recent sensory day.

Using different items in a bucket of mud helps with small motor skills and manipulation of objects.

This sensory experience was used to talk about ducks, swimming and water.

 Dry dirt and toy snakes were used to discuss habitats.

Flower petals used to talk about the change in seasons

 Feathers, eggs and toy birds were used to talk about bird life cycles

This bin is made out of diapers! No really! We took diapers, soaked them in water and then took the goo out of the diapers. We used food coloring to make it fun colors. This is a great way to learn about measuring. (Don't worry the diapers were clean!)

What is a non-profit early learning center?

Author: Lauren Fontaine (Executive Director)

All non-profit child care centers work in different ways. Some are owned by individuals who have the aid of a board of directors (sometimes paid), some are run through a religious organization and some (like World of Wonders) are run by a volunteer parent Board of Trustees.


What does this mean for customers?
At WOW our customers are the voice of our program. We rely on our trained and educated staff to carry through and complete the goals set forth by our Board of Trustees. Should any parent, staff member, or community member ever have a question or concern, and the Administrative Staff is unable to give properly address that concern, they may contact the Board (board@wowchildcare.org).

What does this mean for children?
The children at WOW are our #1 priority. With parent, community, and staff input we are able to build a responsive program that meets the needs of all of our families and children. As a non-profit we strive to provide the best education for all children, meet the needs of all children no matter what their background is, and stay up to date with the most current trends in early education, care of children, and developmental screenings.

What does this mean for employees?
Our employees have a huge impact on our program. Each year there is a Board meeting that the employees are invited to so they can give feedback about day to day operations as well as how the program runs. In addition there is a yearly survey done to give further feedback on the program. Employees are always free to contact the Board of Trustees through email or attend open meetings.

What does this mean for the community?
Without the community WOW would not exist. Union county, and its residents have supported the WOW program for over 30 years. Each non-profit child care center depends on community support, donations and involvement to function. Thank you to all of our supporters for your generous donations, volunteered time and hard work!

Any one who would like may attend our Board meetings. For more information please visit...

http://www.wowchildcare.org/board.html

Help! My 4 year old is hitting!

Author: Lauren Fontaine (Executive Director WOW)

During my daily interactions with our families many of them ask questions about their child's behavior, health or general development. Today I was emailed by a parent who brought up a common concern that parent's have about their children. 

Mother: Mom question-what do you do/ suggest when (Child) purposely hurts or throws things at us and laughs? She does this to (her little brother) as well. We talk to her about personal space and talk her about telling us what is happening and how we will help. Sometimes she just throws stuff when we ask her to stop doing something. 

Lauren's Answer: This is perfectly normal for 3-4 year old children! Don't worry too much. Consistency is the key, talk to her ahead of time about consequences of what will happen, such as taking some time to herself, leaving the area, etc. Make sure you follow through every time with the consequences. To reinforce the good behavior make sure you give her intermittent, random rewards for good behavior and point out what she is doing that is positive! You can also try the book 1, 2, 3 Magic (link below). Make sure she has plenty of opportunities to do positive things and talk to her about being nice.

We can give you some books to read at home about having nice hands if that would be helpful.

Mother: Ok. It has just started in the past week or so, and we have been removing her from the situation. We have been talking to her afterwards and sometimes later in the evening. She seems to know it is wrong and not nice, so hopefully with consistency it will get better.

Lauren: Great plan. It takes time and is usually a phase. If you have greater concerns about her feeling empathy, let me know, we can provide some resources. Also, remember that kids this age test boundaries and it is probably a phase. She is a good kid, with wonderful parents, so you have nothing to worry about!!!

1,2,3, Magic- a great and easy system to use at home:

• http://www.amazon.com/1-2-3-Magic-Effective-Discipline-Children/dp/149262988X/ref=sr_1_1?s=books&ie=UTF8&qid=1457646067&sr=1-1&keywords=123+magic

Why Pick a Licensed Child Care Center?

When choosing a child care center one of the first things you need to consider is if you are going to go with a licensed, or unlicensed, sitter or child care center.

In the State of Ohio, a home sitter or child care facility must be licensed if there are more than 5 children on site at one time, with no more than 3 children under 2 years. The providers own children count in ratio if they are under the age of 6. All children who are not relatives of the sitter count in ratio until they are 15 years old. These rules protect your child by keeping your provider to child ratio low. There are some exceptions to this rule (see link below)

There are many benifits to finding a liscensed childcare provider. Each provider, either a home care provider, or one in a childcare center, must have health and safety training-including First Aid, CPR, and other training surrounding child Development. In addition new standards to rate centers based on the quality of education will create incentives to have employees with education/development degrees working within the program.

Licensed child care providers must have background checks, that are regularly updated to make sure your child stays safe. Monitoring inspections are also done frequently to spot check the environment, child's files, and basic care. After each inspection the inspection reports, for child care centers, are posted online for the public to view (see link below). Type A home care providers have inspections as well that are available upon requet from yoru local child care agency.



Information on licensed child care centers: http://jfs.ohio.gov/cdc/page2.stm

Find public licensing inspections: http://www.odjfs.state.oh.us/cdc/query.asp


World of Wonders is licensed through the Ohio Department of Job and Family Services. 

Welcome!

Welcome to the World of Wonder's Blog

This blog is full of information regarding the care and education of young children. You will find links to articles, fun art projects, behavior management help, and coverage of many other topics.

If you are interested in finding out more information about a topic, please email it to info@wowchildcare.org.

To find out more about the WOW program please visit www.wowchildcare.org

Thank you for vising and make sure you check back regularly!