Quality Corner

Outdoor Play in Early Childhood

With the weather warming up, we are all ready to head outside and enjoy the fresh air and sunshine! There are so many benefits to going outside with the children. Here are just a few:

Outdoor play promotes mental health. Interacting with nature has been shown to reduce stress in children and adults.
Taking toddlers and preschoolers outdoors improves physical health. An outdoor environment that encourages active play introduces children to a healthy lifestyle in a fun and interactive way.
Outdoor learning increases academic performance. Studies have shown improved standardized test scores, better attitudes toward school, more positive behavior and regular attendance, and overall greater achievement throughout school.
Anything that can be done and taught inside can also be done and taught outside! However, being outdoors offers teaching opportunities that just can’t be found inside. Being outside helps children learn about science and other STEM topics.

Outdoor play supports child development. Learning outdoors provides opportunities for to use and strengthen skills across all developmental domains including imaginative play and creative thinking and overall cognitive development. Most importantly, outdoor learning is fun. Children are more likely to participate and benefit from activities if they enjoy doing them. Somehow, being outside makes things seem magical and more exciting than being inside all day!

To learn more about what does into creating an outdoor classroom and ideas to make outdoor learning fun, visit: https://natureofearlyplay.com/outdoor-learning-for-toddlers-and-preschoolers/

Social Emotional Corner

Children Who Bite

The following article from the National Association for the Education of Young Children dives into the question of “Why do children bite?” and better yet, answers of what should you do when a child bites.

https://www.naeyc.org/our-work/families/understanding-and-responding-children-who-bite

The Local Hotspot

We want to take a moment to celebrate our fantastic providers! Provider Appreciation Day this year falls on May 10th, 2024! We greatly appreciate every provider who works to provide children the best start in life possible. Thank you all for the hard work you put into your program and into helping the children, families, and communities you serve.

If you haven’t heard already, the WKU Family Child Care Specialists will be coming around to their providers with a little surprise. We wanted to focus on the fact that play can be messy, and messy play isn’t necessarily the most fun to clean up or organize. Our goal with this year was to focus on ways to help providers have messy play without as much cleanup! After you receive your surprise goodies from your Specialist, send us a pic with you and your kids enjoying the fun items!

Regulation Reminder

With the warmer weather and brighter days, we want to make sure we are staying safe in the sun! Make sure to have sunscreen permission forms for all children, log each time you apply sunscreen, and keep the sunscreen out of reach of children!

Professional Development Training

View the WKU FCCN Training Calendar for more information and to register.

Personalized training based on YOUR needs!

The WKU FCCN offers customized and affordable training on a variety of topics.

Training Request Form

FREE TRAINING

The Family Child Care Network will be offering a 4-part training series focusing on strengthening business practices. The purpose of this training is to strengthen childcare providers’ foundational knowledge of fiscal terms, concepts, and practices. It encourages providers to realize the importance of financial planning to the sustainability of their business. It provides tips and best practices to help break down fiscal processes into manageable steps.

This training is intended to be one part of the learning process to build providers’ understanding of good business practices.

Whenever possible, it is recommended that this training be supplemented with technical assistance and ongoing peer-to-peer sharing opportunities such as communities of practice. During this training, you will be introduced to financial reports that can help you better manage your center’s finances. We will also be helping you understand the concept of internal controls and how they can strengthen your program's fiscal health.

Each month the WKU FCCN provides independent studies. Independent studies are online and work at your own pace. They are available for registration until the 15th of each month. Independent studies must be completed within two weeks.

Topics include:

Being Prepared for Emergencies
Caring For Infants In a Mixed-age Setting
Curriculum-based Assessment
Developmental Screening
Evaluating Your Services
Family Engagement
Family Engagement: Literacy Bags
Health, Safety, and Nutrition
Infant and Toddler Development
Early Childhood Environments: Learning through Routines and Rituals
Language and Communication for Infant and Toddlers
Let’s Get Appy
Parent Handbooks
Preventing Burnout
Recognizing and Reporting Child Abuse Neglect and Safe Sleep
Science in an Early Learning Classroom
Social Studies in an Early Learning Classroom
The Stressed Child
The Value of Play

Training Calendar

A publication of the WKU Family Child Care Network

Funded through Family Childcare Support Award SC 7362100001482

www.wku.edu/fccn