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 | Not "Just a Warning" |
In a few weeks, the warnings will end and the fines will begin for motorists who fail to put their children in a safety or booster seat.
The law requires the seats for children younger than eight or shorter than 4'-9" tall.
Starting June 1, violations will lead to a $250 ticket instead of a warning. |
| Public Comment Opportunities for Licensing Changes |
Texas statute requures that Child Care Licensing (CCL) conduct a comprehensive review of all rules and standars at least every six years. The last review of the Day Care Licensing standards occured in 2003, so an all-inclusive review was initiated in 2009.
The process for revising the minimum standards is a cumulative effort that takes into consideration input from a variety of stakeholders, including child care providers.
Visit the CCL website to see the proposed changes and provide comment on the proposed standards. |
| 12 Tips for Safe Summer Fun |
Providing an active outdoor learning environment for infants and toddlers means considering their needs within safe boundaries where they are free to move about and explore.
- Separate the infants' and toddlers' play area from the area where the older children play
- Provide 75 sq. ft. of useable space for each child
- Select age appropriate experiences and equipment
- Supervise all areas of outdoor play at all times
Make certain the playground area is fenced - Ensure the playground is free from small objects, sharp or broken toys and equipment
- Provide shaded areas for infant and toddler play
- Select protective surfacing appropriate for infants and toddlers
- Eliminate pinch, crush, shearing and sharp hazards
- Check for dangerous hardware, like open "S" hooks or protruding bolt ends
- Make sure play structures more than 30 inches high are spaced at least nine feet apart
- Plan for enough space for exploration and play
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| | The National Institute for Early Education Research (NIEER) released the 2009 State of Preschool Yearbook. The report, published annually, ranks all states for the 2008-2009 school year on enrollment in state-funded preschool programs, the amount of funding spent per child, and the number of NIEER's 10 quality benchmarks each state met.
The NIEER 10 quality benchmarks are based on enrollment figures, quality standards, funding adequacy, and evidence of program effectiveness.
The report's key national and Texas-specific findings include:
- Nationally, enrollment increased by over 81,000. More than 1.2 million children attended state-funded preschool education, over 1 million at age 4.
- State funding for Pre-K rose to more than $5 billion nationwide. The increase was $446 million, about half the increase of the previous year.
- Though it has one of the largest numbers of children enrolled in preschool nationwide, Texas has work to do to improve the quality of preschool education.
- Texas sets no limits on class size or staff-child ratios. Many other states limited classes to 20 or fewer children with a teacher and an assistant.
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| Upcoming Camp Fire USA Classes | |
Click on a class title to learn more.
Please note: Our new fax number, 817-806-5150, delivers your registration directly to our registrar. Download the registration form for these classes.
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Low Quality Care Has Lasting Impact, Study Shows | Low-quality care in the first few years of life can have a small but long-lasting impact on a child's learning and behavior, according to new results from the largest, most authoritative assessment of child rearing in the United States.
The federally funded study, which has been tracking more than 1,300 children since 1991, found that obedience and academic problems among those who received low-quality care in their first 4 1/2 years of life persisted through their 15th birthdays, suggesting the potential for lifelong difficulties.
"What was the surprise for us was that the effects at age 15 were the same size as we had seen in elementary school and just prior to school entry," said Deborah Lowe Vandell of the University of California at Irvine, who led the analysis.
The researchers stressed that the benefits of higher-quality care were modest - a difference of just a few points on standardized tests measuring reading, math, memory and other cognitive abilities, and self-reports of behavioral problems.
Other factors, such as the influence of parents and family members, were clearly more important. However, the findings held true even after the researchers took those and other factors into account.
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Getting Ready for School: Engaging Families, Teaching Children | | Start Family Literacy Center at Sonoma State University will be making available a set of materials called Getting Ready for School.
Getting Ready for School is a research based program for families to use with their preschool children. It provides strategies and easy to use materials to help support children's learning each day. It has been used successfully in 26 countries around the world as well as currently in Head Start programs in New York and North Carolina.
The materials are simple, easy-to use and can supplement, extend, and/or serve as the anchor of existing family literacy and school readiness efforts.
A set of these materials is available to every Head Start at no charge.
The materials are available now and are ready to be shipped after ordering online!
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Child Care 
