Saturday, December 29, 2012

Accidents and child care



Martina Rocha passed us this information:

You know the great responsibility that we have tin our child care work. A few seconds of carelessness can cost us a lot of problems and we can put ourselves in serious situations.

I say this because the last week, at home of a provider who lives the south of Chicago, it was a very serious accident due to a cell, yes, a cell phone!

When you are working or your assistant, or your son, or daughter, husband, or wife, whoever is working in the area of childcare, he is responsible for what he is doing: SHOULD NOT BE SEND OR READ TEXT MESSAGES OR CHECK YOUR INTERNET IN YOUR CELL IN WORKING HOURS.

It's like if you're working in an office, or a factory, or building, or if you are driving distracted an accident can happen or be involved in a situation of risk or danger.

This is what happened the last week in South Chicago: a provider, by being sending and checking her text messages when she was taking care of the children, she did not realize that a big boy flopped over a very young child and breath was leaving, the little boy could not stand to save on the situation, when she realized that the child was purple and he was not breathing. A few seconds more, and he would have died!

It only need seconds for an accident to happen, so I wanted to share with you this information

LET THE USE OF PHONES WHEN WE ARE WORKING; IN CASES OF EMERGENCY ONLY

Martina Roche Ph # 847 630-1273
Founder / President Together for Childhood Network / Juntos por la niñez



As stated by Martina, if you are working, you are working. You can’t use your phone, you can’t watch Telenovelas, talk by phone with friends ... There are people who think that take care of children is just have them at home and say "NO!" every time they do something dangerous or disturbed. That seems easy, but it is not. The children require constant attention, they get bored and create problems, and the person who wants to see the soap has to constantly interrupt, she feel frustrated.

30 years ago my wife and I were in Spain a child care center in which we took care of 62 children, and we had no television, but never had more than 50 at a time. We were only 2 and a person who came in the morning to change 6-8 babies and give them bottles. My wife was busy making food, they need help going to the bathroom, help me to distribute material to change activities, and when he had to intervene because a child was creating problems. How could we do?: Having clear rules of what children could and could not do, and above all always applying my golden rule: "All children must be populated doing something they enjoy doing." They were always in a structured activity, alternating activities shaky energy spent restful activities, and when a third of the children began to not be interested in the activity, I knew it was time to change activities. It was supposed to change activities every 20 minutes or half an hour, but every evening, to deliver the last child prepared everything for the next day. We opened at 7, we closed at 5, and the day grew short. We ended up tired and happy, full of energy.

If child care becomes difficult, think...

Am I really working, busy only in my business?
Do I have clear and simple rules-for children and parents-, and I comply ever?
Do I have my written rules? Have I made
​​known?
Have I created routines, and the children pass easily from one activity to another?
Every day, at the end, I make all that I'll do the next day?
Are my children always busy doing something that they like?


Wednesday, December 19, 2012

where to refer children for testing and therapy

If any of your children have developmental, speech, hearing, or vision issues, here is a list of the people the parent can contact to set up a developmental screening.

FOR CHILDREN CERO TO 3, THE BEST IS TO CONTACT FAMILY CONNECTIONS, http://www.wiu.edu/ProviderConnections/links/CFCList.html
Ther evaluation, reference and therapy services are free. By my own experience, they are wanderfull people!(by Angel Olmedo)

For any child under age 3 living in Lake County, IL, you can call Child and Family Connections (847-377-8900). CFC covers the whole of Lake County.

If the parent lives in the Waukegan School District (almost all Waukegan addresses are in the school district):

Age 6 weeks to 3 years, call Susan at 847-263-2319, Waukegan Special Education Coordinator.
Age 3 to age 5, call Rebecca Rios at 847-249-6482, Waukegan Special Ed (they maintain a waiting list; it may take months before a child can be screened)

To register for screening for Waukegan children age 3 to 5, the parent must go to the Waukegan School District Welcome Center (on Greenwood, just a few blocks east of the ChildServ office). Rebecca Rios is the contact person at the Welcome Center. The office is open 8 a.m. to 4 p.m. Parents must bring the following documentation:
1. Birth certificate
2. 2 proofs of residency (light and gas bill, medical card, apartment lease, etc)
3. Proof of income (recent pay stub of any parent who is working)
4. Medical records, immunization record
5. Any doctor or teacher notes that refer to the child’s developmental issues that are of concern

If the parent lives in the North Chicago School District:
Call Erica May (847-689-6333 x213) at the North Chicago Special Education Department to schedule a screening. They only screen children age 3 to 5 and the screenings are done only a few times a year (January, May, maybe September)

Other numbers of interest:
Early Head Start and Head Start registration for anyone living in Waukegan: 1200 Glen Flora, 847-249-4330
Head Start for families living in North Chicago: Yaeger School, 847-875-4811
Early Head Start (birth to age 3) through the Lake County YMCA
1500 Sunset Ave, Suite B
Waukegan, IL 60087
847-336-2196 (ext. 232) OR 847-336-2627
Rosa Bermudez, EHS Registration Manager

Send by by Jeanne F. Becker, Director Lake County Family Service Center, ChildServ;1105 W Greenwood;Waukegan, IL 60087;773-867-7386 (work);847-662-0663 (fax) jbecker@childserv.org

Sunday, December 16, 2012

Tornado safety plan


Tornado safety plan, a model to adapt.

In case of tornado or severe climatic phenomenon, we all got together in the basement. The entrance to the basement is adjacent to the Play Room, where children usually remain. Once we are, I’ll count all children and adults to make sure we're all really. Each baby has a person in charge of bringing the basement.

If the meeting place is made insecure, and we had to move on and off can be done safely, we all go to the North School, which is 2 blocks away. Parents of children have been advised that in an emergency we all move to the North School, main gate.

The phones of the parents are recorded on my phone, and I’ll call all parents notifying emergency to pick up children early.

All parents and people in the house have been informed of this plan.

Fire evacuation plan

 
Fire Evacuation Plan, a model to adapt.
In case of fire or smoke alarms sound, immediately we all evacuated the house. Each baby has a person in charge of get it out. The other children, as they are, come out orderly by the back door and gather in the yard in front of the door of the toolshed. The exit to the yard is adjacent to the Play Room, where children are habitually. Immediately I count all children and adults that we are to make sure that all children and adults have left. Once you are out, no one re-enters as long as the situation of danger.

If the rear exit is not practicable by fire, smoke, or any circumstance, we would leave by the front door, and we went to meeting point marked.

After evacuation if it’s a true emergency, I call the fire department, 911, or emergency phones from my cell phone; I always carry with me in case there is an emergency.
If the meeting place is made insecure, we all go to the North School, which is 2 blocks away. Parents of children have been advised that in an emergency we all move to the NorthSchool, main gate.

The phones of the parents are recorded on my phone, and I call all parents notifying emergency to pick up children early.

All parents and people in the house have been informed of this plan.


Saturday, December 1, 2012

How to keep records fo craiglist and Yard sale purchases

How to Keep Records for Craigslist and Yard Sale Purchases

By Tom Copeland. Published with permission.


Graphic of yard sale You're preparing your 2010 taxes when you realize that you don't have receipts for a number of items you bought on Craigslist and at yard sales. Now what?
This is a common concern for family child care providers who often buy such items with cash. But don't give up!
IRS rules say that you must keep adequate records to support the business expenses you claim on your tax return. See IRS Publication 583 Starting a Business and Keeping Records. Ideally, you want a receipt for your purchases, but it's not a requirement.
Here's what you can do when buying items on Craigslist or at yard sales:

* Bring along a receipt book or write down the following information on a piece of paper. It might say: "February 17, 2011 - Used crib - $15 - 1436 Smith Avenue - saw ad on Craigslist." Have the person you bought the item from sign it.
* Save a copy of the Craigslist or yard sale ad you saw in the newspaper or online.
* Take a picture of what you purchased.

If you didn't do any of these things take the following steps for items you bought in 2010. Write out a note describing the date, item purchased, cost, and place of purchase. Estimate the cost if you have to. Take a picture of the items now.

In the future if you forget to get a signed receipt from the person you bought the item from, try to write down a record of the transaction and take a picture as soon as you can afterwards. It's always a good idea to review your records at the end of each month to catch those transactions where you don't have a receipt.
Do you do something different to record your Craigslist and yard sale transactions?

See also my previous post: The Case of the Fading Receipt.
Image credit: landmarkchurchsalisbury.org
Record Keeping Guide smallFor more information, see my book Family Child Care Record Keeping Guide.
Copyright 2011, Tom Copeland, www.tomcopelandblog.com