Classroom Safety Tips

Safety Tips for Children in Early Childhood Education from ChildCare Education Institute

Anywhere you go, the safety of our toddlers and preschool children is a topic of concern. We need to become vigilante when it comes to the safety of our kids. A recent study shows more than 794 children were killed by vehicles in 2017. Unfortunately, many of these deaths took place at daycare facilities under the supervision of early childhood educators. Back up cameras are not enough. All adults need to know these safety tips for children from ChildCare Education Institute.

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According to the CDC, Unintentional injuries—such as those caused by burns, drowning, falls, poisoning and road traffic—are the leading cause of morbidity and mortality among children in the United States. Each year, among those 0 to 19 years of age, more than 12,000 people die from unintentional injuries and more than 9.2 million are treated in emergency departments for nonfatal injuries. Read the CDC report on Childhood Injuries.

Safety Prevention in the Classroom

Safety in the classroom doesn’t just happen, teachers must be prepared and plan for it. What can we do to prevent these senseless deaths and keep our youngest family members safe? When child caregivers and other adults equip themselves with the tools needed to protect children in their care, they can reduce unnecessary injuries and accidents. Safety education is key.

ChildCare Education Institute (CCEI,) the industry leader for online professional development, offers over 55+ safety courses for ECE teachers. These high-quality and research-based courses provide early childhood educators with operating procedures and best practices for keeping children safe on and off school grounds.  I highly recommend all ECE professionals explore CCEI’s vast online course catalog and enroll to take their safety courses today!

CCEI has over 35+ certificate programs offered in both English and Spanish! They’ve graduated over 15,000 early childhood professionals from its CDA and other certificate programs -- with over 5 million online course hours completed by students. CCEI’s web-based coursework is available 24/7/365. 

Here’s a list of some of the 55+ safety courses offered online with CCEI:

• CCEI112A: Child Abuse: Signs of Abuse and Reporting Requirements for Early Childhood Professionals identifies and defines the major categories of child abuse, explains the responsibilities of mandated reporters, lists methods of reporting, and emphasizes the importance of visual checks.

• HLTH110: Protecting Infants: Reducing the Risk of SIDS and Shaken Baby Syndrome  introduces the risk reducing and preventative strategies designed to keep infants safe.

• CCEI110A: Indoor Safety in the Early Childhood Setting introduces early childhood professionals to indoor safety standards in an early childhood setting. Topics covered include toy safety, poison control, the development of appropriate play space, controlling high traffic areas in the center, and other safety standards.

• HLTH104: Basic Health and Hygiene Practices for the Early Childhood Setting  provides basic information everyone should know about preventing the spread of infectious diseases in the child care setting.

• CCEI119: Food Allergies in the Early Care Setting provides an overview of food allergies and basic food allergy safety principles to employ in the early care setting.

ChildCare Education Institute offers professionals 150+ online child care training courses (in English and Spanish) to meet licensing, recognition program and Head Start requirements. It’s the perfect online training for busy early childhood teachers. Read our review on CCEI here: Continuing Online Study for Early Childhood Education. I highly recommend you try these safety courses today from CCEI, so you can create a safe environment for your students. The courses are easy to digest and easy to apply to your daily schedules.

Maintaining a healthy and safe environment for children in an early childhood environment is essential. Parents count on caregivers to keep their children safe, healthy, and happy when they're in the classroom. Early childhood professionals need to stay up-to-date on the changes to licensing regulations, best practices, and health and safety standards set forth by governing agencies. Caring for Our Children: National Health and Safety Performance Standards; Guidelines for Early Care and Education Programs has been updated. Learn more about the recent safety standard updates.

Have you considered any of these safety tips for the childcare environment?

• Cots/cribs are placed 3 ft apart or have barrier and assigned to a specific child or cleaned and sanitized after each use
• Furniture and equipment is in good repair (check for broken toys, accessories, wrinkled/disrepair rugs/carpet.)
• All chemicals are locked/out of reach of children. 
• All entrances/exits are kept clear of clutter, snow, ice, etc. 
• Tables and chairs are not stacked while children are present.

Your state likely has many resources available to help guide the safety practices and policies in your classrooms. Download this free Childcare Health and Safety Checklist PDF from Indiana.gov.

CCEI offers many continuing ed courses for ECE staff and caregivers. I encourage anyone working with children to take courses with CCEI. That’s right, anyone! If you’re a homeschooler, you’ll find many of the courses beneficial to your homeschooling learning environment as well.

ECE teachers in a brick and mortar environment will find that CCEI is convenient and easy to navigate, most classes take about an hour. Preschool teachers and daycare providers alike, will definitely want to take a look at the safety courses and maintain a weekly safety checklist for their program environments. 

Looking for fun ideas and activities for preschoolers? Check out our Preschool Scavenger Hunt Group on Pinterest.

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What are the Benefits of Outdoor Play?

Playing Outside Improves Mood

This post was sponsored by Landscape Structures as part of an Influencer Activation for Influence Central and all opinions expressed in my post are my own.

Have you noticed a change in your children when they're playing outside? Sure, they may complain that they're tired or that it's too hot or even that they're bored. However, outdoor play benefits kids in many ways. Once children have built the coping and social skills needed to interact in an outside play environment, the benefits of outdoor play far outweigh their complaints! What are the benefits to outdoor play? Keep reading to learn some tips on how to keep your kids happy outdoors.

What are the benefits of outdoor play?

Be Prepared. 

When you take your kids to an outdoor play space or local park, be sure to be prepared. Bring a cooler with bottles of water for hydration, cool, healthy snacks like carrots and cucumbers, and go ahead and throw in a treat for when they've depleted all of their energy. 

You may also want to bring a change of clothes, a non-toxic bug repellent, a blanket for resting, hats or sunglasses to shade them from the sun, and a first aid kit. Whatever you can do to insure the happiness of your children and counteract any excuses they may have for not wanting to play, only increases your chances for success.

If you're forgetful and always seem to forget the essentials, keep a park preparedness kit in your car. We never leave the house without folding chairs, a vinyl table cloth, and an umbrella packed in the trunk. If you leave a mini cooler in the trunk, it's always waiting there to be filled. You can simply stop at any convenience or grocery store along the way.

Benefits of Playing Outside

Best Places for Outdoor Play

No matter where you choose to incorporate outdoor play, it's beneficial to your child. Simply being outdoors in the sunshine can boost your child's immune system because the sun gives us vitamin D which is essential to health and happiness. Dr. Clare McCarthy shares some benefits of outdoor play over at Harvard Health. Even if you have a tiny yard, be sure to create a space for your child to get in some daily outdoor play. If they like to color or finger paint, set up a table for crafting outdoors.

Water is the most fun element of sensory play.

A well designed play structure will keep your kids busy for an hour or two. You may not be familiar with the brand name Landscape Structures, but I'll bet you've seen one or two. These playground structures aren't just for swinging and sliding, they're set up with all kinds of ways to get kids moving and to encourage sensory play.

When you give children the freedom to play and discover on their own, they build self-confidence to explore more things on their own. They want to see what else they can discover without mom or dad. So, sit back and relax while the kids explore the outdoor environment and find new ways to have fun.

Hello, over there! This megaphone encourages interaction with others.

Landscape Structures playgrounds are designed to welcome children of all ages and abilities. This play equipment has all kinds of sensory elements and play activities that encourage kids to work together making it easier for them to socialize with others. These playgrounds also encourage exercise, but don't worry, your kids will have so much fun playing on the equipment they won't even know they're exercising!

Sneaky playground equipment encourages exercise.

Sensory play aids in the learning process. Children who play outdoors have more access to sensory elements as the five senses are involved in nearly every aspect of outdoor play. They hear other children laughing, birds chirping, and bugs buzzing. They feel the wind on their face and the grass on their feet. They can even taste the outdoors when berry picking or licking their salty lips.

Practicing on the bars builds upper body strength and self-confidence. 

These poles encourage learning to balance.

What will you do when it's raining? Rain is the best sensory activity! Grab an umbrella and some rain boots and slosh through some puddles with your kiddos! Reach up to the sky and savor the raindrops as they splash on your face. Show your children that rain is fun, don't discourage it. Rain even smells good! These days, most parks use rubber mulch. If storms do force you to stay inside for awhile, don't worry about the playground being wet. Be a good parent and take the first trip down the slide to dry it off for those finicky little ones.

Encourage social interaction with other kids, but don't force it. Kids are smart, they know what you're trying to do. If they're moody, they'll fight you every step of the way. Also, simply knowing that you want them to interact with other kids can make the feel self-conscious. They may feel too shy to talk to another child when they know that you're anxious for it to happen. Pretend to keep busy reading a book or returning a text. Don't get too caught up though, those little eyes are always watching you. Sometimes, they want you to watch them and know that you're proud of them. Always be ready with a thumb's up!

A simple way to encourage socialization is to point out a favorite character on another child's clothing. "Hey, look he's wearing a dinosaur shirt. Don't you love it!" Your child may not respond, that's okay. Don't push them. You've given them something to talk about. You've made a connection with another child. Sit back and watch what happens. Socializing may start out awkward. If you have a backward child, trying to force it will certainly backfire. Learn to be happy with a nod or a smile. The rest will come with time.

Outdoor play improves mood.

Sleepy kids!

As an exhausted parent, one of the best benefits of getting in a lot of outdoor play time with the kids is that you'll get to enjoy some down time when the kids take naps. Even if they are past nap taking, they'll probably stay quiet for the car ride home! Be careful not to let little ones get too over tired. Often, an over tied preschooler will have trouble sleeping through the night. They need just enough exertion for a good night's sleep. And no one wants an over tired toddler...


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Self Care Tips for Parents

A Guide to Taking Care of Yourself as a Parent

Self-care is often not a parent’s number one priority. First and foremost, they tend to the wants and needs of their child, and everything the parent wants and needs comes in a resounding second place. Parents need to take care of themselves to properly care for their children. We've compiled some self care tips for parents.

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Living without self care for too long, however, will do neither parents nor their children any good. It will lower the elder’s morale and make them more susceptible to fatigue, and the younger won’t get the care they need as a result. If you feel that you, as a parent, are guilty of not taking care of yourself as often as you need to, then, you need to make a change.

To see what you can do to take care of yourself without forgoing your responsibilities as a parent, be sure to check out the following self care tips for parents.

Guide on How to Take Care of Yourself as a Parent

Don’t be adverse to napping

If you find yourself with a bit of spare time on your hands (if your parents offer to have your child for the afternoon, for instance), don’t feel that you need to spend your free time cleaning the home or getting dinner ready. Spend your break wisely, even if that means taking a little nap. Sleeping is always an excellent idea for parents, especially those that feel particularly run down, and even a few minutes here and there will prove beneficial. No matter the time of the day, if you feel in need of some rejuvenation, just get your head down for a nap!

Exercise regularly

On the other hand, physical activity can also prove to be a significant benefit in this instance. Whether you head to the gym, go on a run, take a brisk walk, or workout at home while your child is playing or sleeping, you will release endorphins around your body when you engage in physical activity, and these endorphins will make you feel instantly more positive. When you are tasked with the demanding job of being a parent, being positive as often as you can is pivotal, which, in turn, makes exercising regularly a must.

If you really are opposed to strength training and cardio work, then why not try yoga? This form of exercise, whether it’s rigorous or gentle, will release the endorphins as mentioned above just as well. What’s more, it will keep you in shape both physically and mentally to boot. Making you a better parent!

Engage in therapy

Sometimes, all you need to do to take care of yourself as a parent is to engage in therapy. When you talk to a neutral third-party, you'll be able to dump a lot of the feelings, fears, and worries that you have long carried around with you without having to worry about what your friends and family may think about you. The neutral advice that they offer will also allow you to see your life from a whole new perspective. Again, this will make you a better parent.

For more information on how you can engage in a therapeutic program, especially that that is centered around substance abuse and mental health, make sure to check out Forwardrecovery.com. With compassionate and effective programs on offer, Forward Recovery could help you to become not only a better person but a better parent.

By making a point of taking care of yourself, both you and your child will benefit. Take the advice laid out in the guide above, then, and start putting yourself first for a change. Self care while you're parenting is essential to a healthy family life. Don't feel guilty to the time you need for yourself!

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Tips for Travel on a Budget

5 Tips For Traveling On A Budget

Sometimes your travel plans and your budget just won’t work together to give you exactly what you want when it comes to a great vacation, but don’t let that stop you from traveling altogether. With a little forward planning and some compromises along the way, you can ensure you don’t miss out and don’t overspend, giving you the chance to enjoy a spectacular vacation whatever your budget and wherever you choose to go. Here are 5 tips for traveling on a budget.

This post contains Amazon affiliate links. 

If you click and make a purchase, I get a small commission.

Travel Tips

Plan Ahead
It’s fun to be spontaneous, and sometimes it is even necessary, but it is also a potential problem when it comes to your traveling budget. That’s why it’s a good idea to plan ahead at least part of your vacation. Work out, for example, where you're going to sleep each night if you're traveling from place to place, or how much money you intend to spend on day trips and food if you’re in a hotel. Having this information to hand, to begin with, means that you'll know how much money you'll need, and you’ll be able to ensure that you have it when you get on your vacation.

Have a contingency fund as well. This could be for emergencies, or perhaps for those spontaneous moments that we mentioned earlier. You might spot a day trip that you can’t resist, and if you have ‘spare’ money put aside for just such an occasion, you know you can book a vacation and enjoy it without worrying about the cost.

Save Up
Another way to ensure you stick to your budget is to save as much money to spend as possible. Spend the weeks and months leading up to your vacation saving as much money as you can. A simple monthly budget template is a great help in figuring out where your money goes each month. You might need to sacrifice buying take outs or reduce the amount you go out, for example, but if it means more money for your vacation, then it’s a good thing in the end. You could also look at taking out a loan so that you know you have enough money to spend. 

Of course, you should still save because you'll want to pay the loan off sooner rather than later. This can be difficult for those with poor credit, but credit repair companies such as those found at Crediful.com may be able to help you, so check to see if that is the case.

Only Buy Essentials
When you book your vacation, you'll, like most people, probably make a list of all the things you need to buy to take with you. This is even more relevant to those who are traveling from place to place, but it also happens with those who have chosen to base their vacation in just one place.

The money that you spend on these items could be spent instead on your vacation itself, treating yourself to a good meal out, or taking an extra trip. Remember that you might think you need something because you have heard that it is useful or seen a good advertisement for it, but that doesn’t mean that you really do need it. Take the time to think about what is essential and what you might easily be able to do without.

Because of the pandemic, there may be a few additional items in your travel essentials now, such high-filter face masks, disposable gloves, disinfectant wipes, and hand sanitizers. Make sure to pack enough of these pandemic essentials for the duration of your trip. Supply may be short in your travel destination because of the high demand. 

Therefore, make a list and cross off anything that isn’t completely essential. Or, rather than buying everything brand new, look around for used items instead. This will save you a lot of money and still give you what you need.

Eat Local Food
It’s amazing just how different the prices can be between local food and food from other countries. It will always be far cheaper to buy and eat the food produced locally. Not only will this save you money, but you'll also get a much better feel for what the country is really like, and will give you new experiences.

It’s always good to try new things, and when you’re trying to stick to a budget when on vacation or traveling, saving money can help. Trying new things and eating locally can be a real money saver in the long run.

Look For Bargains
From before you even book your traveling experience you should be on the lookout for bargains. If you're flying, search around for the best deal. It might be that you have to fly at an early hour, or late at night, but that can save you a lot of money, for example. Search around for good deals on hotels as well. Although you might like the look of the one that is right by the beach, these are often more expensive. There might be a better alternative further from the beach that will save you money, and if you check there could be extra options such as a free shuttle to the beach each day which will save you money all around.


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How to Recover from Surgery When Raising Kids

Facing Surgery? How do You Recover When Kids Need You?

Surgery isn’t often a choice, it's a necessity. However, the procedure and recovery period can affect your everyday life when you're a parent. After all, experiencing plenty of rest doesn’t always come easy when caring for children. If you're set to undergo surgery and want to be back on your feet as soon as possible, here are some handy tips on how to recover from surgery when raising kids.

This post contains Amazon affiliate links, I get a small commission if you make a purchase.

Follow Your Doctor’s Instructions

After surgery, a doctor will provide you with various instructions on how to make a swift recovery, such as avoiding baths and swimming, or not lifting anything heavier than ten pounds. You know the drill, take it easy.

It's essential to follow his or her orders, which means not lifting your children up or carrying heavy loads of washing. If you fail to follow their orders, don’t be surprised if you need to return to hospital. Avoid lifting up heavy objects by having people help you around the house. Your kids can help too!

Attend All Follow-Up Appointments

Many patients fail to attend their follow-up appointments, as they might believe the worst is over. However, even if your wound is healing and you're feeling better each day, you must still attend each appointment set.

While it might stand in the way of cooking a homemade meal or a relaxed day with your children, a doctor will need to review your wound to check the incision is healing well and there are no signs of infection. They also might need to order follow-up blood work and identify if the surgery successfully treated the condition.

If, however, a doctor fails to schedule follow-up appointments, and you experienced an infection or impairment as a result, this will be viewed as inadequate care and you would be wise to turn to The Medical Negligence Experts to make a claim.

Prevent Infection

Every patient is at serious risk of developing an infection following surgery. Signs of an infection can include:

• Fever
• Chills
• Redness
• Pain/soreness
• Pus or drainage
• An unpleasant smell from a wound

You can, however, prevent the problem by thoroughly washing your hands before touching an incision wound.

Enjoy a Healthy Diet

It's common for people to go off food after a surgical procedure, as they might feel constipated or nauseous. However, if you want to make a swift recovery for your children, you must eat a healthy diet and stay hydrated, as both will:

• Promote healing
• Alleviate anesthesia side effects
• Reduce common complications

Remember, your body needs fuel for energy, so get back onto your feet by eating three meals a day and drinking eight glasses of water.

Walk

Deep vein thrombosis (DVT) and pneumonia are both common complications after surgery. You can, however, reduce their likelihood by walking every hour or two, but talk to your doctor before embarking on any exercise. Walking is a gentle form of physical activity that can help you to eventually return to your daily activities. However, always walk at a slow, relaxed pace and stop or sit down when necessary.

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Five Essential Tips for Taking Your Toddler on Vacation

Vacation with Toddlers

The terrible twos are terrible for a reason. Between learning to talk, starting to walk, to teething, and the “why” phase, you certainly have your work cut out for you. However, just because kids are a challenge at this age, doesn’t mean your life has to stop. On the contrary, they’re finally at an age where you can safely start to travel with them. By following these essential tips for taking your toddler on vacation, you can reduce the stress and improve the vacation travel experience all-round.

When traveling with toddlers, something to consider (no matter where you go,) is that you can use a luggage storage app to help stow your bags. No one wants to drag all that luggage around, especially when you’re traveling with toddlers in tow. For example, when you arrive in a city before your hotel reservation, you can store your bags and then start visiting your favorite attractions without having to wait for an afternoon hotel check-in.

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Choose a Family-Friendly Destination

As you can expect, traveling with your toddler is difficult. It's all the stress from home combined with the stress of travel – in short, it's a nightmare if you don't prepare beforehand and know what to expect. To help you choose the best destination (and subsequent accommodation,) you'll want to choose a place that:

• Has Things for Adults and Kids 

Going to Disney World is great fun for kids, but if you're the parent who will absolutely hate the experience, this trip isn't for you! Similarly, if you choose a destination that isn’t kid-friendly, then your toddler will likely have a thing or two to say about it. Expect to be dragging them along by the hand. Instead, find a vacation destination that has something for both of you, and don’t be afraid to bring your kid a museum. Just remember to keep them off the exhibits. No one wants to get kicked out of a venue after throwing down a wallet load of cash.

• Has all the Needed Amenities

Choosing a vacation home is ideal in this situation, because you can forget about trying to accommodate your toddler's fussy eating habits at a restaurant and instead prepare food right at home just the way they like it. This makes snacks, meals, and even sleep cycles easy to maintain.

Find Out All That There is to Do And See

There are so many helpful guides online for you to pursue at your leisure. Simply find the ones that appertain to your destination and make note of their suggestions. This way, you can cut down on all the options in a big city like San Francisco, and instead narrow down your itinerary to the top 25 places to visit as outlined on VacationRenter.com. Depending on how long you are planning on staying, narrow that list down further to only what truly interests you, and you'll be sure to have a great time -even with toddlers in tow.

Tips on How to Get There

The younger they are, the less fun kids seem to have on a plane. That's why going by train or by car is often the far superior option for families. Not only that, but it's also very cost effective. If you do go by plane, use price comparison apps so that you can at least fly on the cheapest days, but remember to book your seats ahead of time so that you can all sit together. Never leave that to the day of and hope other passengers will switch with you. That's an unnecessary complication you can avoid with proper planning.

It will take time to master the art of travel with a young child, but don’t let that stop you from traveling. Just remember to be firm. Children might not always behave, but that doesn’t mean you shouldn’t set down rules for them. Do this, and you'll all have a much better time on your family vacation, no matter the destination. After all, the real memory maker is the experience.

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