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#1 - Are You Using the Approved OCFS Forms?
Many of the Office of Children and Family Services approved forms have changed. It is important that you are using the most current form. Please visit the OCFS website to see if you need to replace any of your forms:
#2 - How Westchester Children Are Doing
Did you know that Westchester County is home to over 224,000 children under the age of 18? Did you know that they are more apt to live in poverty than adults in our county? Get your copy of the new report from the Westchester Children's Association and sign up for the WCA blog:
#3 - How to Keep Children Safe & Healthy in the Media Age
Hear from Dr. Mark Bertin, Developmental Behavioral Pediatrician, on the impacts of technology on children's development. Other panelists include Michael Delohery, Assistant District Attorney, Westchester County District Attorney's Office and Superintendent James Kaishian, Briarcliff Manor Union Free School District.
Don't miss this important discussion for those caring for children.
April 30, 6 to 8:45 pm at the White Plains Public Library. Free but registration required at:
Sponsored by the Westchester Task Force on Child Abuse and Neglect, which is co-sponsored by the Council and MHA of Westchester.
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YOUR BUSINESS IS OUR BUSINESS
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Professional Development Opportunities
Trainings!
Don't miss our great trainings scheduled for 2015. To see what we have in store for you and your staff, click here:
Family/Group Family Provider Conference
Saturday, April 25, 2015
8:30am - 12:45pm
Burke Rehab Ctr, White Plains
Owners, on-site providers, family and group family program staff - earn 3 OCFS training hours.
Keynote Address by Cindy Bess
Setting the Tone - Building Relationships With Children of All Ages
Followed by a choice of break-out sessions.
For information, contact Leah Bratton at [email protected] or 914-761-3456 ext. 134 or 169.
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Grow Your Child Care Career!
Become a Child Development Associate (CDA).
The CDA is awarded by the Council for Professional Recognition in Washington, DC. It is the most widely recognized credential in early childhood education, and meets New York State licensing requirements for a head teacher.
Thank you to the Westchester County Office for Women for funding this important program which builds skills and improves job opportunities.
For more info on the Council's CDA options, contact Idie Benjamin, Director, Professional Development, at [email protected].
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Know Your Regs!
417.15 (c) (13)
All programs are responsible for maintaining a daily schedule documenting the arrival and departure times of each caregiver, employees and volunteers. This record must be available for review upon request. This requirement is currently mandatory for Family and Group Family Day Care AND will be come mandatory June 1st, 2015 for Daycare Centers and School Aged Child Care Programs.
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Health Tip
Measles, What You Need to Know
Measles is a highly contagious viral disease that may have serious and at times fatal consequences. Measles in a child care program can be serious and unsettling for parents and staff. Learn what you need to know about measles, as well as what steps your program should perform to protect the health and safety of children in your care.
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WHAT'S HAPPENING AT THE COUNCIL
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2015 Annual Awards Breakfast!
June 5th, 8:30am-10:00am
Don't Miss Westchester's Biggest Child Care Celebration
Congresswoman Nita Lowey
Family Services of Westchester
Sarah Lawrence College
Joey Award Winners
Dawn Meyerski,
Mount Kisco Child Care Center
Elizabeth Spano, Oak Lane Child Care Center
Patrice Cuddy, Parent Child Home Program, WJCS
Bettina Langsam, Morning Star Day Care
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Bringing Books to Westchester Children: The Council's 2015 Book Drive
Our annual book drive will kick off on March 18th and run through April 18th. With the help of hundreds of volunteers, our book drive has brought thousands of new and gently used books to children throughout Westchester County.
Help us this year by:
- Donating books
- Helping sort and organize books for delivery
- Reading books to children at a center or after school program
- Publicize the book drive by posting this flyer:
- Become a donation/collection site:
If your program needs books, please let us know. Call Juliana Leshi for more info at 914-761-3456 ext. 111.
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THE NEXT GENERATION:
County Legislative Breakfast
on Children & Youth
Young people lead a Q/A with county legislators Ben Boykin, Catherine borgia, Michael Smith and Alfreda Williams at the annual children's legislative breakfast, sponsored by the Council and the Westchester Children's Association on February 28th at the White Plains YMCA. Also present were Assemblywoman Sandy Galef, Assemblywoman Shelley Mayer, Deputy County Executive Kevin Plunkett and Regent Phillips, along with an appreciative audience of educators, child care/after school professionals, parents and community leaders.
To see photos from the event, visit the Council's Facebook page.
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NATIONAL BUBBLE WEEK
March 8 -14
Celebrate the coming of Spring!
Children of all ages (and adults) should play with bubbles because...
1. Bubbles are fun and magical!
2. They're fun inside and out!
3. They are a sensory experience - wet, slimy and sticky!
4. They don't stain clothes or furniture.
3. They help develop so many skills:
- Fine motor and eye-hand coordination. Pinching the wand, holding the bottle, trying to grab bubbles with one hand, getting their hands and eyes to work together.
- Vision. Tracking where the bubbles go, even during infancy.
- Language. So much to talk about.
- Social skills. Practicing taking turns and not bumping into each other.
- Oral motor. Great exercise for children's mouths, helping to develop the muscles needed for speech.
- Gross motor. Running, jumping, kicking and reaching are all involved.
- Cognitive. Perfect for illustrating concepts like up, down, high, low, small, large, near, and far.
Fun Ways to Play with Bubbles
1. Start out with practicing - Give children a cup of water and a straw and have them make water bubbles. You can use bubble solution but first use a pin to make a little hole near the top of the straw, so that children cannot inhale the bubble solution.
2. Little mouths may find it difficult to use a small bubble wand. MAKE YOUR OWN out of pipe cleaners in all kinds of shapes, metal hangers (duct tape the hanger hook), plastic tubes of all sizes (watch for sharp edges), colanders, and anything with holes.
3. Plastic bottle blowers (great for toddlers) - Cut off the wide end of a plastic water bottle, being sure to leave no points or rough edges. Stand the bottle in the shallow dish of bubble solution, allowing it to soak up solution for a few seconds. Blow on the smaller end.
4. Have a bubble race. Blow many bubbles and see which one crosses the finish line first.
5. Bubble art - Set out one bowl for each color of paint you will use. Pour one cup of bubble solution into each bowl and add a teaspoon of tempera paint to each. Stir. Have the child select a color and blow a bubble toward you, but first use a pin to make a little hole near the top of the straw, so that children cannot inhale the bubble solution. Your job is to "catch" the bubble, so it pops on the paper. The bursting bubble creates a unique splatter. Layer colors to make cool patterns. Switch roles and have fun seeing what designs you can create.
6. Eat foods with bubbles like Swiss cheese and pita bread.
Resources for this article:
11 Benefits of Playing With Bubbles, Click Here
Early Childhood News, "Bubble, Bubble, Pop! Exploring the Magic of Bubbles, Angie Dorrell
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Inside the Community Fun:
"Play, Move & Sing! Classes"
FREE EVENTS
March 13th & April 10th
Bronxville Library
201 Pondfield Rd.
Bronxville, NY 10940
9:45am
For ages 6- 18 months
(Advanced registration is required)
Eastchester Public Library
11 Oakridge Place
Eastchester, NY
(914) 793-5055
10:30am
(Advanced registration is required, limited to Eastchester and Tuckahoe residents)
Join Sukey Molloy for fun, interactive play, movement and singing activities created for families with children age birth to 5. Sukey is an award winning recording artist seen on BabyFirst (TV) who specializes in movement songs to invite interactive play with puppets, scarves, balls, bells, stix and more, for all to enjoy. Don't miss the fun!
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COUNTDOWN TO KINDERGARTEN:
Collaborating for Success
from the Start:
2015 Westchester Transition Forum
March 19, 2015
DoubleTree by Hilton Hotel, Tarrytown
A few spots remain for this half-day conference on helping young children children and their families make a smooth transition to Kindergarten.
April 9, 2015
Vino 100
171 Mamaroneck Ave
White Plains
evening sampling wines and supporting the Council's advocacy and scholarship programs.
ANNUAL AWARDS BREAKFAST
June 5, 2015
DoubleTree by Hilton Hotel, Tarrytown
Photo of 2014 Champion for Children Winner, Mayor Mike Spano. Also in the photo are John Sterbenz, Council Board, Mary Murray of IBM, former Champion and Emcee Tara Rosenblum.
2015 SCHOOL AGE CONFERENCE
Sat, Sept 26th, 2015
White Plains
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2015 MEMBERSHIP
CAMPAIGN IS HERE - Join Today!
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New and improved Benefits including:
*Valuable discounts on workshops, on-site trainings & conferences
* Listing on our website, including a link to your website
* Free postings on the Council's job
* Membership certificate to post at your site
* Printed Council Training Calendar
* Free access to our Children's Resource Corner
* Early announcements of special opportunities
* Free Notary Public Services
* Free member only networking meetings
* Complimentary Council 2015 Calendar
* Membership referral program
Click Below to join today!
English Form
Spanish Form
Call Juanita Pope at
(914) 761-3456 ext. 106
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MEMBER ONLY EVENTS
Quarterly networking meetings in your community. Click below to learn more:
Community Network Meetings
Do you want to attend a FREE workshop of your choice? Participate in the membership referral program and sign up for a FREE workshop. Click below to learn more:
Membership Referral Form
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Congratulations to Laura Cleare, who has been promoted to be our new Quality Specialist/Family Provider Network Coordinator for the new Early Head Start-Child Care Partnership grant, Babies Step Forward. The Council is delighted to be working with Westcop, Inc., recipient of this multi-year federal grant.
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Welcome Leah Bratton,
our new Infant/Toddler Specialist. Leah is available for free technical assistance and consultation. Call her at 914-761-3456 ext. 134.
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Congratulations to Lindsay Tiernan, who has won "The Biggest Loser Office Challenge!" The Council builds morale and encourages staff to stay healthy.
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WHAT'S COOKING?
Are you enrolled in CACFP, a nutrition education and meal reimbursement program that will help you serve nutritious and safely prepared meals and snacks to children in your care?
For more info, call Noreen Delacy at 914-761-2345 ext. 110 or email her at [email protected].
Ants on a log combines celery, peanut butter (or cream cheese), and raisins. To prepare:
Spread the cream cheese on the cut celery sticks;
Sprinkle raisins on top!
Enjoy!
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THE CENTER FOR LITERACY ENRICHMENT
Do you know a child struggling with reading?
For over 40 years, the Center for Literacy Enrichment at Pace University has helped hundreds of Westchester children gain skills and confidence.
For more info, visit their website: Click here
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Pro Bono provides free business and transactional legal services to nonprofit organizations serving the disadvantaged or enhancing the quality of life in neighborhoods in New York, New Jersey and Connecticut. Their workshops are invaluable for staff and boards.
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