 |
#1 - Free Books for Your Program
Our 9th Annual Children's Book Drive brought in THOUSANDS of new and "gently used" infant/toddler, preschool, and school-age books and we want to get them out to you!
If you are a licensed/registered child care program or a legally exempt provider, simply contact Elizabeth Rodano at (914)761-3456, ext. 219 or
[email protected]
#2 - Smoke/Carbon Monoxide Alarm Recall
According to the Consumer Product Safety Commission (CPSC),
Kidde is recalling their Combination Smoke/Carbon Monoxide Alarm
due to alarm failure. The alarm may fail to continue chirping when it reaches the end of its 7 year life, even if the batteries are replaced. This creates the risk of customers not being alerted to fire or carbon monoxide incidents. If you have this item, the customer contact number to call is 1-855-239-0490.
Consider signing up for consumer email recall alerts at the Consumer Product Safety Commission (CPSC) by visiting
https://www.cpsc.gov/Newsroom/Subscribe
. All that is required is the sharing of your email address. CPSC is also available on Facebook and Instagram!
#3 - Earn a Free Council Training
In appreciation for all the early care and education professionals that attend our trainings, we are now offering the "Council Loyalty Punch Card"!
|
|
YOUR BUSINESS IS OUR BUSINESS
|
|
Child Care Funding Cut in NYS and Budget Outlook
from D.C. Not Good
A budget cut is never a good thing, but the loss of $7 million for child care in the NYS budget has generated a response from state legislators.
The bi-partisan Women's Legislative Caucus held a press conference to announce child care is a priority. On May 23rd, a hearing on child care was convened by the Senate Committee on Children and Families, the Assembly Committee on Children and Families and the Assembly Legislative Taskforce on Women's Issues chaired by the Hon. Shelley Mayer, who represents Yonkers. The hearing was well attended and included testimony from all over the state. The Council was represented by Executive Director Kathy Halas and Board member Jeff Samuelson.
Make no mistake, the NYS cut to child care and looming cuts from Washington will make an already desperate situation worse here in Westchester.
The Council will be fighting for child care in Westchester, Albany and Washington, DC. And we're counting on your participation and that of your parents!
|
Summer is just around the corner!
All families who are changing
their schedule or provider
and receiving Child Care Subsidy need to submit paperwork.
No need to wait for the end of the school year! The Department of Social Services (DSS) Child Care Subsidy Unit is ready to accept summer care paperwork.
To help with the transition in care, the following is needed:
For Summer Care-
When changing from part time care schedule
to full time care schedule for the summer:
* Submit a new Provider Form with "2017 Summer Camp" written on top of form and envelope. Also, be sure to include the exact start and end date
* If the parent is switching from their current program/provider to another program/provider or camp they also need to Submit a Parent Share Form from their current provider showing their fees are all paid up.
Westchester County Income Guidelines for Public Child Care Subsidy Change June 1st
|
Professional Development Opportunities
The 2017 Summer Training Calendar is Here!
Nurture Playful Wonder
with Trainings at the
Child Care Council of Westchester
To find great trainings, go to:
|
|
Health Tip
The weather is getting warmer and children now have more time to play outside. Warm sunny days are wonderful, but children can be especially vulnerable to ultraviolet radiation. With more time being spent outdoors, we must also pay more attention to sun safety.
We suggest you review and evaluate your sun-protection policies and procedures so that you are certain all your ch
ildren are protected from the sun while enjoying the outdoors.
Children are at greater risk to sun exposure because the outer layer of skin is thinner and they have more skin relative to their body mass. Therefore, a sunburn will cover more area and be more harmful.
Sunburns are more than uncomfortable; they are also a major risk factor for melanoma, the most aggressive form of skin cancer. The risk of skin cancer from sun exposure is significantly increased by time spent in the sun during childhood.
Therefore, child care programs and parents need to work together to practice sun safety.
|
|
Regulation Reminder: Carbon Monoxide Detectors 417.5(v)
Operating carbon monoxide detectors must be used in all family day care homes
when required, and located in areas of the home in accordance with applicable laws.
|
|
Child Care Center Directors Providing Training to Their Staff
Steps for Child Care Centers to Offer Their Staff
a Group Training for the 5-Hour Foundations in Health and Safety Trainings
This 5-hour training but does not have to be completed all at once. Instead, you can stop the training and then start it again later.
Directors of day care centers (DCC) or school age child care (SACC) programs may hold group training sessions for their staff using the Foundations in Health and Safety e-learning.
|
Congratulations to Our CDA Course Students Who Earned the CDA Credential!!
These early childhood professionals completed a Child Care Council CDA course and then went on to receive the Child Development Associate credential from the Council for Professional Recognition in Washington, DC. They have worked hard to improve their skills and knowledge of working with young children. The children in their care, their parents, and their programs are very fortunate to have such dedicated professionals working with them.
Congratulations to these students in
The Council's in-person Spanish Infant Toddler CDA
- Deisy Avellaneda
- Deyaburis Mercado
- Sarith Restrepo
The Council's in-person Infant Toddler CDA
To find out more about the CDA credential or for information about the Council's CDA classes, please contact Idie Benjamin, Director, Professional Development, at
[email protected].
|
|
WHAT'S HAPPENING AT THE COUNCIL
|
Champions and Joey Winners Honored at Record-Breaking Award Breakfast Event
Above: Barbara Powell, 2017 Joey Winner
We welcomed nearly 300
guests at our Annual Awards Breakfast on Friday, May 19th, presented by teleNetwork and dixon schwabl.
In addition to hearing about the inspiring accomplishments of our Champions for Children and Joey Award winners, highlights included entertainment from magician David Ferst aka "MagicDave", our first-ever online silent auction, a visit from County Executive Rob Astorino, and a live broadcast by Westchester Talk Radio, which will be available soon!
A tremendous "thank you" to all of the attendees, sponsors, award winners and supporters who helped make the event so special - for recognizing the importance of creating a better future for Westchester's children through quality early care and education.
To view photos from the event, check out the Council's Facebook page!
|
|
Board Member Jeff Samuelson Goes to Albany
Photo Above: Jeff testifying to Assembly Members Jaffe, Mayer and Tremaine
Chair of the Council's Public Policy Committee, Jeff has been an active and persuasive advocate for child care throughout his time on the Board. On May 24
th, he testified before the NYS Senate and Assembly Committees on Children and Families and the Assembly Taskforce on Women's Issues. Jeff brought his perspective as a senior business executive, asserting that our "technology driven world requires higher order skills....A quality early childhood education, whether within the home or at a child care center, is the platform upon which many of these skills are developed." Jeff called for increased subsidy reimbursement rates to programs and providers, a reduction in the parent co-pay, closer collaboration between local child care communities and school districts, and a statewide and effective quality rating improvement system like QUALITYstarsNY.
The Council and Westchester's child care community is fortunate to have such an eloquent and informed voice for child care.
|
Welcome New
Child Care Programs:
New
Family Day Care
Little Explorers Daycare
Yosaya Fernandez
Future Stars Daycare
School-Age Child Care
The Caring Tree Child Care Center LLC
Family Day Care
Mind Builders Family Care Inc.
My 2nd Home Daycare
School-Age Child Care
Healthy Kids Extended Day Program Inc.
Welcome New CACFP Participants:
Vanessa Sanquintin
Victor Rodriguez
Carla Morgan
Carmen Estevez
|
|
The Many Benefits of Messy Play
Childhood is supposed to be messy. Children learn by exploring the world with all of their senses. Touching is how they learn about objects. Hands-on experiences with a variety of materials are crucial for their learning.
If parents feel uncomfortable with the mess, you might tell them "the dirtier your child gets at school, the better reader they will become."
Yes, messy materials can be a challenge for teachers. But there is a huge difference between children making a mess (which they certainly can do) and children getting messy. Children learn from getting messy and with the right water/sand table, bins, and drop cloths, you can use these materials to provide a wide variety of learning experiences for children of all ages. Soap and water clean it all off at the end of the day.
What exactly do children learn from getting messy?
|
|
White Plains Outdoor Arts Festival
Enjoy the outdoors while viewing and/or shopping at the Arts Festival. The event will feature children's artwork in addition to other paintings, photography and more.
Where:
Tibbits Park, 1 North Broadway, White Plains, NY
When:
Saturday, June 3, 10am-5pm
Sunday, June 4, 10am-5pm
Free for all ages and reservations are not required.
|
|
|
- Upcoming Events
- Sun Safety
- Child Care Subsidy Tip
- Summer Training Calendar
- Record-Breaking Awards Breakfast
- New Child Care Programs
- 2017 Membership
- Immigration Legal Services
- Free Family Activities
- and more
|
| |
