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Dear Smart Start Friend,
Our bi-monthly newsletter is designed for many different
people...
- Parents
- Child
Care Centers
- Child
Care Homes
- Davidson
County Community
Many of the articles and information contained in this
newsletter can be for many different audiences. Please check out the
information below and feel free to pass this along to anyone in our
community that you feel would benefit!
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Parents,
Teachers, Directors and Family Child Care
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 We have trainings for all...
For more information or a full list of trainings, please
visit our Website or
call our office to register at (336) 249-6688.
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Families
and Children with Special Needs
What
are some of the benefits of working together?
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In
1991 the Americans with Disabilities Act was passed in order to protect
people with mental or physical disabilities from discrimination based
upon disability. In addition, the Individuals with Disabilites
Education Act was passed in 2004. This helped establish many
rights including the right to be served in the least restrictive
environment.
While this can at times require extra work and creative thinking on the
part of both the child care facility and the parents, it can be
extremely rewarding for all involved. Some of the benefits to
including children with disabilities in a child care center or
family child care home are:
· All children benefit when children with and without
disabilities learn important personal and social skills that they might
not otherwise learn in segregated settings (Biklen, Corrigan &
Quick, 1989).
· Children who do not have disabilities benefit by
demonstrating improved self-concept, growth in social cognition,
increased tolerance of others and decreased fear of human differences
(Peck, Donaldson & Pezzoli, 1990).
· The parents of the child with a disability also
benefit from integrated child care centers by being able to choose from
neighborhood child care services instead of having limited options.
Full Article
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Save
these Dates!
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Date: Saturday, December 4th
Place: Davidson County Fairgrounds
More
Info:
Call (336) 249-6688
Itty Bitty Kiddie Festival 2010
Date: Saturday, April 2nd
Place: Davidson County Fairgrounds
More Info: Call (336) 249-6688
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Car
Seats Have an Expiration Date
Did
you know?
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 Did you know that car seats have an expiration date? If
you look on the underside/back of the car seat it reads "do not
use this seat after ____" and there's a date in the blank.
Child
Care Facilities and Parents alike should be concerned about this
because of possible safety risk or liability issues if a center loaned
one out with an outdated expiration date and a car accident occurred.
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How
much should children be drinking?
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 "More juice please" is a common request from
young children at home and in child care. They want
juice--not milk, not water--just juice! While juice can be refreshing
and tasty, drinking too much is not a good idea. Juice can displace
healthier foods in a child's diet, cause diarrhea and tooth decay, and
may contribute to childhood obesity.
Did
you know that an eight-ounce glass of orange juice contains
approximately 120 calories, more than a soft drink? A whole
orange has about 60 calories and contains fiber. The whole orange takes
longer to eat, is more filling than the orange juice, and has half the
calories. Children may quickly drink juice and immediately ask for
more, further increasing the calories they get from juice alone.
Full Article
Click Here to
order some free parent tip cards about healthy snacks
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Early
Childhood Certification
Time
is running out for free certification!
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 On August 2, 2010, a new law was passed in North
Carolina that requires teaching staff, administrators and family child
care providers working in or operating a DCD licensed child care
facility to be certified as of July 1, 2012. Staff (other than administrators)
hired on or after October 1, 2010 must be certified within 60 days of
hire.
The
NC Division of Child Development (DCD) has provided funding to certify
eligible Early Educators at no charge through September 30, 2010.
Eligible applicants must work in a licensed program with children ages
birth to twelve and work in one of the following positions: teacher,
assistant teacher, school age group leader, director/administrator,
assistant director, floater, substitute teacher, education
coordinator/manager, program coordinator or family child care provider.
DCD
will continue to provide resources to help cover the cost of
certification between October 1 and December 31, 2010. During this
time, certification will cost only $25. The $50 fee will be applicable
as of January 1, 2011.
Click
on the link to get the
application
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There
are new notes for clarification available
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Fall
Application and Due Dates are Set!
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 Education for the Stars is a Smart Start program
that encourages early childhood professionals to attain a college
education by offering a cash award following the successful completion
of courses (letter grade of "C" or higher) required toward a
degree in early childhood education (ECE) or related fields.
Deadline
for submission of application: October 28, 2010
Deadline
for submission of grades and employment: January 13, 2011
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The
Director's Corner
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Ramblings from
a New Kindergarten Mommy!
It
is 10 pm and all is quiet. My husband is snoring and my son is
struggling to go to sleep after repeated attempts to get up for water
and such. The last request was for a book to read in the dark. I
am as prepared for tomorrow as I can get. We have chosen the clothes
and the backpack is stuffed full of requested school supplies. We have
taken tags off all and have completed the million and one forms for
school...
I
have received lots of advice on first day etiquette and many pep talks
about how great it will be. I have been reassured countless times that
he will be fine and that I will be fine. As nervous as I have been all
summer about this day, I am really not nervous anymore. I am not sad,
just hopeful for him.
Full Article
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Upcoming
Events
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- TEACHER TRAINING-
October 7th: Challenging Behaviors
- TRAINING-
October 12th: CPR/FIRST AID
- PARENT TRAINING-
October 21st: Everyday Activities for School Readiness
- FREE EVENT-
December 4th: Snacks with Santa!
- Early Childhood
Conference-
March 26th, 2011
Smart Start Full
Calendar
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