Child Care Chronicles

North Dakota Edition

Hi North Dakota Child Care Providers! 🌾❄️💛

This week is Dr. Seuss birthday week—so grab your stripes and silly rhymes, and let the learning be EXTRA fun! 🎉📖

Whether you’re wrangling big feelings, tiny shoes, or a room full of giggles… you’re doing important work, and we’re cheering you on! 🙌🌈

This week, let’s lean into playful learning, big imagination, and lots of encouragement (for the kiddos and for you!). You’re doing meaningful work—and it matters. 🙌✨

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🚨 Ding! Ding!

A New Class Thing! 📚🌟!

Planning for Every Child: Responsive Strategies in Action

Ready to strengthen your planning skills while meeting each child right where they are? This course is all about using responsive strategies that support every learner—and make your day feel more intentional and smoother. ✅

⏰ Grab ‘Em Fast—These Coupons Won’t Last!

Spring Into Learning! 🌱

Celebrate the Heart of Every School. 💛

Presidents’ Day Lead with Learning

Illuminate Learning🕯️Maha Shivaratri

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Fun Corner: Wacky, Whimsy, Wonderful You! ✨

🎉 Fun Corner: What fun classroom ideas can we do this week?

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Here are some easy Dr. Seuss–inspired activities that work great in child care settings:

🎩 “Cat in the Hat” Pattern Play: Make red/white strip patterns with paper strips, beads, or blocks. (Math + fine motor = win!)

🍳 “Green Eggs & Ham” Sensory Bin: Dyed rice or play foam “eggs,” felt “ham,” tongs/scoops for sorting and serving pretend meals.

📖 Silly Rhyme Time: Pick 3 common classroom items (chair, cup, block) and let kids make rhymes—real or nonsense! (“Block…sock…wock!” 😂)

🧦 Wacky Sock Day: Invite families to send mismatched socks. Create a “sock sorting station” by color/size/pattern.

🖍️ Seuss-Style Self-Portraits: Add silly hats, bowties, stripes, and bright shapes—let kids design their own character look.

Resource: My Silly Seuss's Hat!

Grant News! Glad News! From North Dakota: Career Pathway Advancement🎈

Hooray Today—A Grant Came Our Way! 🎉 Click Here

North Dakota: Career Pathway Advancement

💡Did you know that North Dakota Child and Family Services will reward you for advancing in your Career Pathway Placement? By advancing to a new Career Pathway you can earn incremental incentives ranging from $625 to $2000, plus increased earnings for having taken steps in your early childhood career! If you're in North Dakota you do not want to miss out on this opportunity to reward your professional development.

In a Room or on Zoom—How Do You Want to Learn? 🎉

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If you don’t see what you need on our calendar, you can request an onsite or virtual training for a group of 10 or more here:

Submit an On-site Request

📰 Featured Article: A Peek, a Think, a Brand-New Wink! 😉

Ideas to try and inspiration to fly—this week!

👧 North Dakota CCAP Provider Bonuses: What Can You Earn and How?

If you run a child care program in North Dakota and serve families who use CCAP (Child Care Assistance Program), you may be able to earn extra money through bonus payments and other incentives. These funds can help you keep spots filled, support staff, and improve quality.

✨Fun to Do + Fun to View: Featured Activities & Social! 😄✨

🎶 Practicing music and movement skills through beat practice🎵. Would you try this in your classroom? Tell us in the comments and follow for more activity inspiration!

☘️ Let's Sham-Rock n Roll into some Gross Motor Movement! Home daycare and child care providers, will you try this activity? Tell us in the comments! CC: @coachgelardi 💚 To get lucky with more play ideas, follow ChildCareEd 🪙

Creative play helps children connect stories to real experiences while supporting fine motor skills. For Dr. Seuss' Birthday, I've got activities to match Dr. Seuss stories! 🎩 Silly hat parade: Download the FREE Silly Hat Parade printable from www.linktr.ee/ChildCareEd (link in bio), let children decorate paper hats and headbands. Then play music and parade around the room. 🥚 Green eggs sensory science: Create a green sensory bin using dyed rice, pom-poms, or slime. Add scoops, cups, and plastic eggs for counting, sorting, and describing textures. 🌳 Truffula trees craft: Wrap paper around craft sticks or straws and add colorful tissue paper “tops.” This builds fine motor strength and can become a class display connected to The Lorax. Try these activities at your daycare.

☘️ Wow your kids with these magical STEM Leprechaun rocks! Will you try this St. Patrick's Day activity? Tag ChildCareEd for a repost and story feature. CC: @kindergartenkitties

Definitely try these and tag @childcareed on your video to get featured in our stories!

Follow ChildCareEd and hop on to www.ChildCareEd.com for tons of free resources and child care trainings.

✨ Faith-Based & Cultural Celebrations Corner

For programs that include faith-based or cultural learning, these resources offer developmentally appropriate, classroom-friendly activity ideas. As always, it’s a great practice to align activities with your program’s policies and the preferences of the families you serve. 🤝✨

🌙 Ramadan Classroom Activities

Create opportunities for children to explore kindness, generosity, gratitude, and community through simple projects, books, and family-friendly conversations.

🔗 https://www.childcareed.com/r-00790-ramadan-classroom-activities.html

🍞 Passover Classroom Activities

Introduce themes like family traditions, remembering stories, and helping others with age-appropriate crafts, sensory play, and discussion starters.

🔗 https://www.childcareed.com/r-00806-passover-classroom-activities.html

✝️ Good Friday Activities

Support gentle, respectful learning with activities that focus on reflection, kindness, caring for others, and hope—in ways that fit your center’s approach.

🔗 https://www.childcareed.com/r-00807-good-friday-activities.html

💡 Tip for inclusivity: You can frame these as “family traditions around the world” and invite families to share (optional!) a favorite food, song, greeting, or tradition—so every child feels seen and respected. 💛