| Council Connections | June 2012 |
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Greetings!
Enjoy this edition of Parent Connections, an e-newsletter from the Child Care Council of Westchester featuring information on safety, activities to do with your child, articles just for parents, recent recalls, and more!
Nicole Masucci
Director, Employer & Parent Services |
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Articles for Parents
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3 years old and friendships
How to raise a preschooler who listens well
Click Here for more information
Our Nation's Children At Risk: A State-by-State Report on Early Intervention
Click Hereto see how New York State is doing
Click Here for the full report |
| Activities to do with your child |
Summer is here, Yippee!
Have some fun!
Make some ice cream!
Have a Relay Race!
Home Made Ice Cream
Instructions: Have your child help pour, add, close, and SHAKE.
Ingredients:
1 Cup of milk
2 Tablespoon of sugar
Ice
Salt
Small ziplock bags
Large ziplock bags or plastic shopping bag
Towel
Bowl and spoon
Directions:
- Pour one cup of milk into a small ziplock bag.
- Add two tablespoons of sugar.
- Tightly close/seal the small ziplock bag, and put into another ziplock bag. (Make sure the bags are tightly closed, so they so do not open while being shaken.)
- Place the ziplock bag of milk and sugar into a larger bag (ziplock or shopping bag).
- Add ICE, to cover the milk and sugar bag, add a generous amount of salt (the salt makes it and keeps it cold).
- Tightly close the bag.
- Wrap a towel around it and hold closed.
- Now SHAKE! Have your child help. It must be shaken for about 15 minutes.
- Remove bags with ice cream once hardened and wash the salt off the bag right away.
- Scoop out into a bowl and enjoy!
Relay Race Adventures!
Mix-It-Up Relay Race: Each player travels from point A to point B and back again in a different manner. No one player can travel in the same manner as another player. One player runs, one jumps, one crawls, and so on.
Shoe Box Skating Relay Race: Each person has two shoe boxes. Each player steps into the shoe boxes and slides their way to the turnaround point and back again.
Hula Hoop Circle: Join hands to form a circle (best with four or more people). Loop a hula hoop over one player's arm. Without letting go of each other's hands, step into and through the hoop so it rests on your other arm. Then slide it onto the next player's arm, who will repeat the same steps. |
| Safety Tips for Moms and Dads | |
Summer Safety
Summer is a time to relax, enjoy and play. The best thing you can do
for your family is help them stay safe this summer.
Make safety a priority.
Swimming:
Make water safety your priority. Prevent unsupervised access to the water. Maintain constant supervision. Know what to do in an emergency. Click Here for more information.
Sunscreen:
An ideal sunscreen would block both UVA and UVB rays. The USDA suggests the use of Broad Spectrum sunscreens with SPF values of 15 or higher regularly and as directed. Reapply sunscreen at least every 2 hours, more often if you are sweating or jumping in and out of the water. Limit time in the sun, especially between the hours of 10 a.m. and 2 p.m., when the sun's rays are most intense. Wear clothing to cover skin exposed to the sun; for example, long-sleeved shirts, pants, sunglasses, and broad-brimmed hats. Click Here for more information.
Car Safety
www.SaferCar.gov is place to help everyone in the family be safer while driving. There are resources available about car recalls, car seats, how to purchase a car with safety in mind, information for your teen driver.
"Where's baby? Look before you lock"
This year there have been at least five deaths of children due to hyperthermia (heat stroke) after being in hot cars, trucks, vans and SUV's. Here are some precautions to prevent accidental incidents from occurring:
- Never leave a child unattended in a vehicle - even if the windows are partially open or the engine is running and the air conditioning is on
- Make a habit of looking in the vehicle - front and back - before locking the door and walking away
- Ask the child care provider to call if the child does not show up for care as expected
- Do things that serve as a reminder a child is in the vehicle, such as placing a purse or briefcase in the back seat to ensure no child is accidently left in the vehicle, writing a note or using a stuffed animal placed in the driver's view to indicate a child is in the car seat
- Teach children a vehicle is not a play area and store keys out of a child's reach
- Call 911 if you see a child alone in a hot vehicle. If the child is in distress, due to heat they should be removed from the vehicle as quickly as possible and rapidly cooled.
- Click Here for more information
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| Recalls | |
Did you know that there are numerous recalls every month from toys to car seats to beds. Help keep your child safe by being informed and checking on the recent recalls...
Click Here for the most recent recalls.
You can sign up to be notified about recalls from the US Consumer Product and Safety Commission by simply Clicking Here. It's the best way to stay informed and helps keep your child safe. |
| Child Care and Public Policy | |
On June 1,the parent share fee for subsidized families was going to be increased from 20% to 35%. Since then there has been a temporary restraining order, which for the time being keeps the parent share fee at 20%. However, the fight is not over... keep informed and updated on this topic.
Here are some of the recent articles on this topic:
Maintain child care subsidy levels 6/7/12
Concern continues among child care providers, parents over family copay 6/26/12
Mount Vernon marchers: 'Stop the violence' 6/23/12
In brief: Astorino seeks dismissal of child-care lawsuit; more 6/21/12
Westchester: Judge temporarily blocks cost hikes for parents in subsidized child care 6/2/12
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| Employers and Child Care | Employers and Child Care
Talk to your employer on the importance of investing in Early Care and Learning in order to spur the economy. Share with them the The Business Case for Early Childhood Investment a supplement to Westchester County Business Journal and ask them to view Winning Beginning's video of NYS business leaders talking about why they support Early Childhood Education. Click Here to view video.
Click Here for additional resources for employers. |
| The Council offers FREE Services to Parents | |
Click Here to locate child care services in Westchester County, NY.
Click Here to learn about the financial resources and benefits available to help families pay for child care.
Click Here to obtain affordable public health insurance for your child(ren) and/or family. |
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Additional Resources for Parents
View the Council's website for additional resources
Click Here for general resources
To let us know what you want to hear about contact nicolem@cccwny.org.
To tell a friend or to be removed from this list contact nicolem@cccwny.org. |
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