Second Ministry In Central Indiana signs onto Paths to QUALITY

Congratulations goes out to Little Duckling Day Care III for being the second Registered Ministry in Central Indiana to meet the state Voluntary Certification Program and sign onto Paths to QUALITY. Little Duckling has been participating in a mentoring program for Registered Ministries to help them improve their environment and quality of care made possible by the United Way of Central Indiana.

Child Care Answers is so proud of all of Little Duckling's efforts!

WAY TO GO!!

In January the United Way of Central Indiana and Child Care Answers will begin working with many more Registered Ministries in a six county region. Look for more information to come about how your Registered Ministry can participate.

5 ways to keep kids safe while trick-or-treating | IndyStar.com | The Indianapolis Star

5 ways to keep kids safe while trick-or-treating | IndyStar.com | The Indianapolis Star

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Congratulations to Little Duckling Day Care for becoming the second ministry in our service delivery area to sign on to the Paths to QUALITY program!

Coping with Anxiety

I just came across this article from Child Care Exchange and thought that it might be useful to you.

Early childhood professionals confront, on a daily basis, a wide range of anxiety inducing situations: Will our program survive?, How can I make ends meet on such a low salary?, Will more teachers call in sick tomorrow?, Will swine flu force us to close?, Will state funding be slashed?, etc. In Real Simple Magazine (October, 2009), Robert Leahy described "10 Ways to Cope with Anxiety." Here are two examples...

Set aside worry time. Try setting aside 20 minutes every day — let's say at 4:30 pm — just for worries. If you are fretting at 10 a.m., jot down the reason and resolve to think it through later. By the time 4:30 comes around, many of your troubles won't even matter anymore. And, you will have spent almost an entire day anxiety-free.

Breathe it out. You may notice that when your body is tense, you hold your breath. Focusing on breathing is a common but effective technique for calming your nerves. Where is your breath now and where is your mind? Bring them together. Listen to the movement of your breath. Concentrate only on breathing in and out, beginning and ending, breath to breath, moment to moment.

Indy.com | Post: Early voting starts Monday in Marion Co. | Indianapolis, Indiana

Indy.com Post: Early voting starts Monday in Marion Co. Indianapolis, Indiana

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Halloween 2009 Trick or Treat times - WTHR |

Halloween 2009 Trick or Treat times - WTHR

Halloween Candy Buy Back Program

A Sweet Way to Make Everyone Smile!
Cavities, or dental caries, is the most prevalent childhood disease today. Each year across the world, kids consume 2% more sugar than the year before – that's 50 million tons of sugar annually! Sugar also contributes to hyperactivity and some candies can harm teeth or braces.

But every kid loves Halloween! So do adults. As responsible dentists, community members, and US citizens, Halloween Candy Buy Back dentists have found a way to keep the fun, while helping kids and our overseas troops.

How does the program work?

•Participating dentists buy back kids' Halloween candy
•The candy will be shipped to US soldiers serving overseas
•To find a dentist in your area visit http://www.halloweencandybuyback.com/

We all understand that reading books is one of the most important things you can do to help kids become readers themselves. Since many times you are caring for kids at different developmental levels, today’s activity will demonstrate the best way to be able to adapt a book for kids of different ages.

What We Learn
Literacy skills Listening skillsTaking turns
Supply List
Books
How-To
The first step is to identify a book that is interactive and interesting to the group of children under your care. Choose books about people, places and things that are familiar to your children – ones that are culturally relevant and related to the interests of the children. Books that have pop-ups or lift-up flaps are really great since a child can interact with the book. Begin by introducing the book to the group. Talk a little bit about what the book is about so children will know what to expect from it. Next, set limits on how the kids will participate. Allow kids to participate one at a time. For example, the older kids can walk up to the book when it’s their turn and participate by lifting up a flap or turning the page to the next pop-up. Even if the book doesn’t have pop-ups or flaps to lift up, you can still make the book interactive. If some of your kids are old enough, perhaps they can take turns reading a sentence or two from the book. If they can’t read, maybe they can take turns making sounds relating to the characters and noises in the book. For a book such as “The Wheels on the Bus” by Paul O. Zelinsky, you can add interactive elements to the story by making simple traffic signs, such as “Stop” or “Go” which the kids can use during story time. Remember, making reading time fun will help kids want to learn to read on their own, so repeat the interactive book-reading experience as often as possible.

November 3-Little Red Door Cancer Agency "Face of Hope Breakfast Celebration"

Little Red Door Cancer Agency is pleased to invite you to attend the 2nd annual Face of Hope Breakfast Celebration on Tuesday, November 3, 2009. Join others passionate about providing quality health care options to the uninsured and under-insured within our community by attending this FREE event! The Face of Hope Breakfast Celebration will be held in the Scottish Rite Cathedral. This is your opportunity to learn more about Little Red Door Cancer Agency’s programs, including prevention screenings, patient services and education, serving those in our community.

Halloween Candy, buyback!

November 1-Halloween Cash for Candy Buyback:

WHAT: Trick-or-treaters can bring their excess candy to McDonald Family Dentistry in McCordsville and receive $1 per pound, up to 5 pounds per child.
WHERE: McDonald Family Dentistry. 5842 West Broadway. McCordsville. Across from the town hall. Phone # (317) 336-7788.
WHEN: Sunday, November 1st from 11:00 am to 1:00 pm.
WHY: All candy must be unopened. Please no bites! All collected candy will then be shipped to American troops stationed overseas!

Little Duckling Daycare

Little Duckling Day Care is now the second registered ministry in Indianapolis to achieve voluntary certification. Many thanks to our partners at Little Duckling, Halstead Architects, The Hagerman Group, Day Nursery/Child Care Answers, and United Way. Way to go!