Child Care Chronicles

California Edition

💙 Celebrate National Friends Day! 💙

Growing Friendships One Smile at a Time

National Friends Day is Monday, July 20, and there's no better time to celebrate kindness, teamwork, and the special friendships children build every day in child care. Strong friendships help children develop communication skills, empathy, confidence, and emotional resilience.



This week, we're sharing friendship-themed classroom activities, social-emotional learning resources, and professional development to help create caring classroom communities.

🤝 Friendship Fun Activity Corner 🤝

💌 Friendship Bracelet Station

Children create colorful friendship bracelets while practicing fine motor skills, creativity, and sharing with classmates.

🎨 Friendship Handprint Mural

Invite children to add painted handprints to a classroom friendship mural while discussing kindness, cooperation, and celebrating everyone's unique qualities.

📖 Friendship Story Time

Read books that encourage kindness, inclusion, and empathy, then discuss how children can be good friends every day.

Recommended Titles

• The Rainbow Fish
• Should I Share My Ice Cream?
• A Sick Day for Amos McGee

🧩 Teamwork Challenge

Build towers with blocks, complete group puzzles, or work together on STEM challenges that encourage communication and cooperation.

❤️ Friendship Tips for Child Care Providers ❤️

😊 Model Kindness

Children learn by watching adults. Use respectful language, encouragement, and patience throughout the day.

🗣️ Teach Problem-Solving

Help children practice using phrases like:

• "Can I play with you?"
• "Let's take turns."
• "How can we solve this together?"

🌈 Celebrate Inclusion

Create opportunities for children to work with different classmates through partner games and small-group activities.

👏 Recognize Kindness

Highlight acts of kindness with compliments, classroom shout-outs, or a "Friend of the Day" recognition.

📚 Learn All Summer Long 📚

Live virtual classes make it easy to complete training requirements while gaining practical classroom strategies.

Click on Class Title to Sign Up

💙 Friendship Savings 💙

Continue growing professionally while saving this summer.

Save on Director Credential Courses

Prepare for leadership with exclusive seasonal discounts.

💡 Friendship Focus: In the Know 💡

🌎 Recursos en Español 🌎

🤝 Actividades de la Amistad

Ideas divertidas para enseñar amabilidad, cooperación y trabajo en equipo mediante juegos, arte y actividades para el aula.

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📚 Cursos en Español

Complete su capacitación completamente en español.

Haga Click Aquí

⭐ Director's Corner ⭐

Request Onsite or Virtual Training

Select group trainings may also have Spanish-language support available.

RESOURCES

Check out this helpful resource for your convenience!

Article of the Week:

Daycare Grants in California for 2026: Funding Help for Child Care Programs

Many child care leaders ask the same question: where can I find money to keep my program open and strong? This short guide helps child care directors and providers in #California find daycare grant options for 2026. This article explains who is giving money, where to look, and simple steps to apply. Why it matters: good funding keeps staff paid, classrooms safe, and families supported. Your work matters and small grants add up to big impact.

Continue Reading - Click Here

🚀 Keep Learning All Summer Long! 🚀

Explore our growing library of online training, live classes, classroom resources, and professional development designed to help educators succeed all year.