N.E.A.L's DAYCARE
"Where Learning Is Fundamental!"
Blog
Understanding the Growth & Development of Children....
| Posted on February 14, 2013 at 11:43 PM |
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As parents we always want what's best for our children, and sometimes we feel our best is just not good enough. We love, nurture, and provide all of our children needs and most of their wants, but what we sometimes don't understand is the growth milestones that our children go through. I would like to share a website with my visitors that may help us understand the different stages of how our children develop: http://www.kidsgrowth.com/stages/guide/index.cfm Please feel free to comment about how informative the website was for you and/or share your thoughts on the growth and development of children. |
Cold & Flu Season at Childcare...
| Posted on September 25, 2012 at 10:15 PM |
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The cold and flu season
is quickly approaching. To prevent a widespread of cold and flu in the
daycare, we recommend that your child stay home from daycare if
experiencing any flu or cold symptoms. To decide whether or not to send
your child to daycare, please consider the following guidelines. Consider keeping your child at home for an extra day of rest and observation if he or she has any of the following symptoms: • Very stuffy or runny nose and/or a cough • Mild sore throat (no fever, no known exposure to strep) • Headache • Mild stomach ache Definitely keep your child at home for treatment and observation if he or she has any of these symptoms: • Fever (greater
than 100 degrees by mouth and your child may return to daycare only
after his or her temperature has been consistently below 100 degrees,
for a minimum of 48 hours) • Vomiting (even once) • Diarrhea • Chills • General malaise or feelings of fatigue, discomfort, weakness or muscle aches • Frequent congested or dry cough • Lots of nasal congestion with frequent blowing of nose How to treat your child's symptoms? Unfortunately, colds and the flu are extremely common among young
kids, especially those who are surrounded by other children all day at daycare. Sometimes even all the best practices and
preventative measures will fail to protect your little one from catching
a cold or the flu. When this occurs, there are a few things you can do
to help treat your child’s symptoms (there’s no real cure for the common cold/flu, sometimes it just takes time): • Plenty of rest and fluids • Warm baths or steam from the shower • Run a humidifier at night Things you can do to help prevent the flu and other colds: • Wash hands frequently. • Do not touch eyes, nose or mouth. • Cover mouth and nose when sneezing or coughing, use a paper tissue, throw it away and then wash hands. • Cough or sneeze into elbows or shirt sleeves. •Eat fruits, vegetables, and other immunity-boosting nutrients. • Wear proper cold weather apparel and footwear. • Get an annual flu vaccine. • Avoid close contact with people who are sick. Colds are the most
contagious during the first 48 hours. A child who has a fever should
remain at home until “fever free” for a minimum of 48 hours. A child who
has started antibiotics needs to be on the medication for 48 hours
before considered non-contagious and able to return to daycare after 72
hours (3 days total). Keeping a sick child at home will help minimize
the spread of infections and viruses in the daycare, as well as parents
being called at the work place to pick up his/her child from daycare. Please Feel Free To Comment. |
Eating Beatter On A Budget...
| Posted on June 28, 2012 at 7:57 PM |
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10 tips to help you stretch your food dollars Get the most for your food budget! There are many ways to save money on the foods that you eat. The three main steps are planning before you shop, purchasing the items at the best price, and preparing meals thatstretch your food dollars. 1. Plan, Plan, Plan! Before you head to the grocery store, plan your mealsfor the week. Include meals like stews, casseroles, orstir-fries, which “stretch” expensive items into more portions.Check to see what foods you already have and make a listfor what you need to buy. 2. Get The Best Price Check the local newspaper, online,and at the store for sales and coupons. Ask abouta loyalty card for extra savings at stores where you shop.Look for specials or sales on meat and seafood—often themost expensive items on your list. 3. Compare And Contrast Locate the “Unit Price” on the shelf directly belowthe product. Use it to compare different brands anddifferent sizes of the same brand to determine which ismore economical. 4. Buy In Bulk It is almost always cheaper to buy foods in bulk.Smart choices are family packs of chicken, steak,or fish and larger bags of potatoes and frozen vegetables.Before you shop, remember to check if you have enoughfreezer space. 5. Buy In Season Buying fruits and vegetables in season can lower thecost and add to the freshness! If you are not goingto use them all right away, buy some that still need time to ripen. 6. Convenience Costs...Go Back To The Basics Convenience foods like frozen dinners, pre-cutvegetables, and instant rice, oatmeal, or grits will cost youmore than if you were to make them from scratch. Take thetime to prepare your own—and save! 7. Easy On Your Wallet Certain foods are typically low-cost options all yearround. Try beans for a less expensive proteinfood. For vegetables, buy carrots, greens, orpotatoes. As for fruits, apples and bananasare good choices. 8. Cook Once...Eat All Week! Prepare a large batch of favorite recipes on your dayoff (double or triple the recipe). Freeze in individualcontainers. Use them throughout the week and you won’thave to spend money on take-out meals. 9. Get Your Creative Juices Flowing Spice up your leftovers—use them in new ways. Forexample, try leftover chicken in a stir-fry or overa garden salad, or to make chicken chili. Remember,throwing away food is throwing away your money! 10. Eating Out Restaurants can be expensive. Save money bygetting the early bird special, going out for lunchinstead of dinner, or looking for “2 for 1” deals. Stick to waterinstead of ordering other beverages, which add to the bill. FOR MORE NUTRITION EDUCATION GO TO www.ChooseMyPlate.gov. |