Week Long Investigative Series on Daycare Inspections

Many of you may be familiar with Chad Skelton's (Vancouver Sun/Curious Dad) week long investigative series on daycare inspections . Child Care Options Resource & Referral program would like to recognize the commitment and dedication to the well being of children by child care providers and parents alike.  We continue to provide support in our community and encourage you to contact your local licensing office with any concerns.

Folkmanis Puppets

Puppet play encourages imagination, dramatic play and good old fashioned fun. You can find the award winning Folkmanis puppets (like the adorable bunny pictured above) at the Early Years Learning Store (located with Child Care Options) for 25% off the regular price for the entire month of March!

Introducing The Arts

 

Harmony in Red - Henri Matisse

It's no secret that we are big supporters of child development here at Child Care Options, and the arts are an important part of that process.   Research  shows exposure to arts in children has a positive influence in their overall achievement (in areas such as math skills and problem solving.)  Take a look at Catherine Read's (from Simon Fraser University) paper "Fine Art, Imagination and Literacy" for more details. 

 Looking for ways to incorporate the arts in your everyday environment?  A great place to start is a series of board books by authors Julie Merberg and Suzanne Bober.  This colourful collection includes the beautiful art work of different artists accompanied by simple rhyming text.  You can read these at circle time, one on one and have them out for children to explore on their own.  Check out an excerpt from "A Magical Day With Matisse"below. 

 

Want to check out these books in person? Make your way to our our Early Years Learning Store!

Healthy Snack Ideas

Okay, we may be on a roll with the whole "health" theme but trust us when we say this is a must have for child care providers! Those in the child care profession wear many different hats - educator, nurturer and of course master chef. The National Network for Child Care has a database of child care friendly snack recipes along with other great articles and resources. Bon Appetit!

MaryAnn Kohl Part Two

We are so crazy about MaryAnn Kohl's workshop, we couldn't resist a second post. As promised, here are a few more pictures from the event. It was great to see so many child care providers networking and having such a great time. Make sure you check out the free art ideas on MaryAnn's website, the "Dark Sugar Chalk" idea looks fabulous!

MaryAnn Kohl...

A few of the child care providers...

Some more masterpieces...