News You Can Use

Quality Corner

Gardening is an activity in Early Childhood that really holds many developmental areas all in one activity.

The first being science, as children are exposed to life science. They experience the way a plant grows from a seed and how it grows with the proper nutrients. You can have conversations about shadows, patterns, colors, insects, and so much more with a simple little sprout!

And then we think about the physical component. Gardening requires fine motor skills to manipulate the seed and to use certain tools that help till the soil. It also requires gross motor skills, whether they’re bending/kneeling to gain access to the plant, or if they are lifting a water jug to water the plant.

Of course, language is a key developmental piece. The children learn all kinds of new vocabulary words as you help them understand how plants grow and develop. And where there’s language, there’s typically also a literacy component! There are many children’s books about gardening, plants, and insects that would be easy to work into a lesson plan.

But did you know that gardening can also help with Social Emotional skills?

Gardening helps us understand that good things take time, it helps us understand the values of patience. The actions to complete gardening can also provide self-reflection time for older children who grasp the concepts easily. Gardening is also typically something easily applied to a routine, which can help provide structure to a child’s day, providing them with the necessary information of “what comes next?”

So, if you have a garden, what are you working on with your children? And if you don’t have a garden, did you know that there are many resources to help you get started? Local libraries, UK Extension Offices, or even some Local Health Departments offer seeds/seed libraries. And all you need to start is one tiny seed!

KY COLT

The Division of Child Care is working hard to get KY COLT live. As of now, you are still able to use your KY TRIS account as usual, however, expect to see a few changes here in the next few months.

Check out the link for more information on KY COLT:

https://www.childcareawareky.org/wp-content/uploads/2025/05/EKUTRIS_FAQ.pdf

In addition, the WKU Family Child Care Network is still offering by request training. If you contact our main office, we can set you up with one of our trainers to help get a training that suits your and your programs needs.

Kids Corner

Looking for a fun Summer activity to help get some energy out?

Try setting up an obstacle course! Obstacle courses can be set up inside or outside, and you can use any kind of materials you may have lying around. Inside, you could have throw pillows laid down for children to jump around to get to the next obstacle. Outside, you could use chalk to create a windy path. There are so many different ways to make them!

Obstacle Courses help boost gross motor skills, but can also be a great tool for Social Emotional learning. Being able to move and receive that sensory input from the big body movements helps regulate the nervous system.

And just like that episode in Bluey, where the family decides to play Musical Statues in order to be able to improve their moods, Obstacle Courses can help in just about the same way!

The Local Hotspot

Please get ready to Save the Date for our Annual Family Child Care Conference! This is our conference that we host JUST for Family Child Care Programs across the state of Kentucky. If you want to network with other Family Child Care Programs, complete some training hours, and attend a Fantastic Awards Ceremony, save the date and check back in for when Registration goes live! See you in Covington!

Also, we have a new training series on the horizon! Be on the lookout for when the Little Lunch Learners series goes live! This will be a series of individual trainings that will spend an hour focusing on practical, hands on, classroom ready strategies and resources you can easily apply to your child care program. More information to come soon!

And closing out the month, we also wanted to give a huge shout out to our friends at the National Association for Family Child Care for the wonderful Annual Conference they put together! Three of our specialists were able to attend and gain new ideas to help keep Kentucky Family Child Care Moving Forward.

Regulation Reminder

Can you believe it is already back to school time?

Parents are getting school supplies, Providers are completing Developmental Screeners, Teachers are setting up their classrooms, and the children are tying their shoes. Everyone gets ready for a new school year in their own way, but one thing we want to really press for this upcoming school year is ensuring the children in our care are fluent in self-help skills.

Self-Help Skills include being able to tie their shoes, put on a jacket, dress themselves, putting their blankets back in their cubby after nap, and so much more. Keep in mind, some self-help skills in America could look different from other cultures. Please have that conversation with the families in your program and discuss ways to help promote self-help skills while remaining culturally aware.

270-745-2216

fccnkyinfo@wku.edu