Children's eating habits: parents should model good eating behavior

The best way for kids to learn healthy habits is to watch their parents’ model healthy habits.

There is no one in the world who can influence a child the way a parent can, especially when it comes to they way your child learns to think and feel about food. But the older kids grow, the greater the role that other outside factors start to play in a child's life.
This means that parents should start teaching their children about healthy living long before they are faced with high fat, high sugar options at schools, friends' houses, and after-school programs. Instead of waiting for your child to develop unhealthy eating habits and then setting out to undo the damage, use your powerful influence to shape the way kids think and feel about food long before they are ever exposed to the world of milk and cookies.

This may seem like it is much easier said than done, because as most parents already know, it is no easy task to persuade a child to give up cookies in exchange for an apple. Try using these helpful tips to guide you in the right direction.
Be a positive example: One of the significant ways in which parents influence their kids comes from watching, not listening. That "do as I say, not as I do" rule just doesn't work. Children pick up on their parents' behavior and mimic it. This rule doesn't just magically disappear at the dinner table or during snack time. It is important that parent learn to make themselves into a lifestyle role model. When you say "eat your veggies or you can't have dessert" and then you leave half of your vegetables on your dinner plate uneaten, you are sending ambiguous messages to your child. When you child is confused about what to do, he will probably do as you do, and not as you say. So lead by example and always eat all of your veggies at dinner time.
Food is not a reward. This also means that you have to be careful about they way you reward and punish your children. When you talk to your kids about the importance of staying away from high fat, high calorie, high-sugar foods you can't turn around and make those very foods the rewards they get for doing something right. Good deeds get good rewards, not bad ones, so bad foods will suddenly be good foods. Children might also begin to associate bad foods with good feelings and happiness, and as a consequence will start to prefer to eat those foods over all others.
At the same time, taking away sweets as a punishment also sends the message that good kids get the good stuff and the good stuff is a fresh batch of mom's homemade brownies. Find a different "privilege" to take away, as long as it isn't food.
Exercise portion control. Instead of forcing your child to clean his plate when he isn't hungry, start him off with very small amounts of food so that none goes wasted when he gets full. If your child truly wants more food out of hunger, offer him more vegetables or a piece of fruit rather than more meat or bread. If he really is hungry, he'll take it. Otherwise, don't allow or strictly limit second helpings. Parents should follow this same rule in order to set a good example.
Remember that it is never too late to begin teaching your children how to live a healthy life.

Healthy Eating Habits: Start Small

Teach Your Children Good Eating Habits When They Are Young

The biggest health problem threatening our children today is obesity. How can you help your child defend themselves in the fight against this nationwide epidemic? Instill healthy eating habits when they are young, this is the most powerful weapon you can give to your children.

It was not until I had children of my own that I could fully reflect back on the kind of eating habits I was taught as a child. I owe my mother a thunderous applause for starting me off right. She provided me with an example and set of habits that centered around a healthy lifestyle. Those habits that I adopted when I was young are still part of my adult lifestyle. Fortunately for me, I have a leg up on being healthy thanks to those good eating habits. It is simple for you to do the same for your own children, as long as you are committed to living a healthy lifestyle yourself.

The first thing we must accept as parents is the obvious effect our culture has on our population's eating habits. Soda, fast food, candy and chips are part of modern culture and diet, whether we like it or not. Unless you plan to raise your children in a exclusive cave, they will most likely be introduced to these foods at a young age. While you cannot prevent your children from consuming junk food, you can teach them how to make good choices about food. Teaching children how to make good food choices at home, will guide them when they are not directly under your guidance (WebMD)1. In fact, making healthy food choices may become second nature, and while they may enjoy the occasional pizza outing with friends, your children will hopefully grow up automatically making good food choices.

Helpful Tips As We Approach Spring ISTEP Testing

Week before ISTEP



Establish an early bedtime routine, to ensure your studnet receives at least 8 hours of sleep each night.
Remove televisions, CD players, or other distratctions from his/her bedroom to ensure they have an uninterrupted sleep.
Make sure your student eats a healthy breakfast before school.
Limit the number of sodas your student drinks.
Be positive about the test! Don't put undue pressure on your student's performance.
Reassure your student, let them know that they just need to do his/her best.
Encourage your student to take his/her time, they are given plenty of time to complete the test.
Have your child practice math facts orally, utilizing flash cards, to improve speed and accuracy.
Ask your student to read aloud to you and occasionally stop them to ask questions about a paragraph they just read.

The week of ISTEP

Do all of the same things above, and..


Dress your student in comfortable/loose fitting clothing.
Limit the number of sodas they drink.
Encourage your student to play outside after school, if weather permits, for at least 30 minutes. (The physical exercise helps relieve stress.)
Reschedule any appointments for that week.
Continue practicing math facts and reading aloud.
Make sure your student brings at least three #2 pencils to school each day.

Please No Mechanical Pencils

The High Costs of Failing to Invest in Young Children

An interesting article on the importance of well-funded early education programs.

http://www.partnershipforsuccess.org/uploads/20110124_02311PAESCrimeBriefweb3.pdf

$10,000 Pay Now
Children prepared for school success by quality pre-kindergarten programs are less likely to drop out

$250,000 Pay Later
A high school dropout’s lower earnings create costs for public assistance programs and efforts to offset the dropout’s reduced contribution to society

Office Closed

Due to the weather conditions in Central Indiana our office will be closed today. We hope all our friends are staying safe and warm.

Weather Conditions

Today looking out at the weather is beautiful, however hazardous to drive in... please be very careful!!

Our office will be closing today at 3 pm due storms headed our way.

Hazardous weather conditions may cause some trainings or mentor visits to be canceled on short notice. This policy provides some guidelines to follow for what to do in case of bad weather or hazardous road conditions.

• If the local school system where the training/visit is canceled, the training/visit will also be canceled.
• If there are hazardous driving conditions as stated by the Indiana State Police, such as ice, the training/visit will be canceled. Due to travel distance of our trainers/mentors, roads may or may not be hazardous at the destination of the training/visit or starting point of the trainer/mentor. Travel routes will be closely monitored by the trainer/mentor team and if hazardous conditions are present, the training/visit will be canceled.
• Trainers/mentors will try to contact all participants via phone using the number that is provided when you registered. Please provide Child Care Answers with the best number to contact you. Trainers/mentors will print off the most recent registration information to take with them in case calls need to be made.
• Trainers/mentors will contact the Education Coordinator for cancellation and the Education Coordinator will contact the location of the training with cancellation information.
  Child Care Answers will make the best effort to contact local TV and/or radio stations for cancellation of trainings.
  If you have a question as to if a training or visit is still scheduled or has been canceled, contact the Child Care Answers office at 800-272-2937.

Shocking Abuse Statistics

Count Down: 11 weeks to Child Care Answers "Cherish the Children: Preventing Child Abuse" Conference- Saturday April 16th- Don't Miss It!

Each year, more than 3 million children in the US experience neglect or abuse.

Children who are exposed to violence in the home are more likely to be in abusive situations as adults.

Girls who witness or experience Domestic Violence are more likely to be abused by a companion in adulthood.

Boys who witness abuse at home have a 1000% increased chance of being an adult abuser.
Effects on children can be psychological, behavioral, emotional or even physical. The scars (emotional and physical) stay with them for life, affecting their lives. Preschool age children may “reenact” the violent events they witness as a form of coping. Younger children may be aggressive while teenagers may experience outward, excessive rage. Worst damage comes from the impact abuse has on self-esteem. Depression, anger, controlling and coping with feelings and substance abuse are all negative effects that occur due to experiencing or witnessing domestic violence, but these can also be traced to low self-esteem.

Statistics show that children who witness abuse are more likely to commit crimes than those from non-violent families and the offending will start earlier for this age group, and generally be more violent. Children with exposure to Domestic Violence had a 24% greater chance of committing sexual assaults and were 74% more likely to commit personal crimes.

Substance abuse is a coping mechanism that allows adolescents to dull the pain of what they witnessed and assuages the guilt and helplessness they may feel. Abused or neglected children have an increased likelihood to engage in sexual activities at an earlier age than their peers. Children may exhibit anti-social behavior further distancing them from their peers. Are more likely to perform poorly in school and have lower academic achievements.

50% of men who frequently assaulted wives also frequently assaulted their children.
Over half of female victims of domestic violence live in homes with children under the age of 12.
Children who grow up in a home with Domestic Violence are 79% more likely to become victims or perpetrators of domestic abuse and 74% more likely to commit violent crimes.
Approx. 20% of US teens report dating someone who became violent with them. Victims face the threat of injury and also an elevated risk of substance abuse, poor health, sexually risky behavior, pregnancy and suicide.

Taken from Prevail

Child Care Answers Severe Weather Cancellation Policy

Hazardous weather conditions may cause some trainings or mentor visits to be canceled on short notice. This policy provides some guidelines to follow for what to do in case of bad weather or hazardous road conditions.

• If the local school system where the training/visit is cancelled, the training/visit will be canceled.
• If there are hazardous driving conditions as stated by the Indiana State Police, such as ice, the training/visit will be canceled. Due to travel distance of our trainers/mentor, roads may or may not be hazardous at the destination of the training/visit or starting point of the trainer/mentor. Travel routes will be closely monitored by the trainer/mentor team and if hazardous conditions are present, the training/visit will be canceled.
• Trainers/mentors will try to contact all participants via phone using the number that is provided when you registered. Please provide Child Care Answers with the best number to contact you. Trainers/mentors will print off the most recent registration information to take with them in case calls need to be made.
• Trainers/mentors will contact the Education Coordinator for cancellation and the Education Coordinator will contact the location of the training with cancellation information.
• Child Care Answers will make the best effort to contact local TV and /or radio stations for cancellation of trainings.

If you have any questions as to if a training or visit is still scheduled or has been canceled, contact the Child Care Answers office at 800-272-2937.

Covering Kids and Families

About CKF:
We are an outreach program designed specifically to assist individuals with completing paperwork required for Hoosier Healthwise, Health Advantage, and Healthy Indiana Plan. Our goal is to ensure that all families have access to affordable healthcare. We have Community Outreach Workers, including bi-lingual staff assigned to areas within Marion County and the seven surrounding counties.

Who Is Eligible?
There are specific household and income guidelines for each program. An Outreach Worker can assist you with determining eligibility.

How to Refer Clients to Covering Kids and Families
Joakima Doss
Office: 317-221-2041
Fax: 317-221-3188
Email: jdoss@hhcorp.org

Do you have a weather emergency plan?

With the forecast of bad weather this week, do you have a plan of action in place for bad weather? Below are some tips and things to think about for winter weather emergencies.

• Have a plan for your children in case school/child care closes early. Share the plan with your child and the school.


• Have emergency supplies on hand. Some items to include would be flashlights, pantry items, several gallons of bottled water, a battery operated emergency weather radio and a cell phone. For young children don't forget diapers, wipes, formula and baby food.


• Carry emergency supplies in your car such as bottled water, blankets, flares, first aid kit and jumper cables.


• Shovel out all fire hydrants so that fire fighters can access them in case of a fire.


• Finally, if you don't have to leave STAY INSIDE. However tempting it may be for kids to go out and make snow angels or play in the falling snow, use caution. Those blowing winds - both before and after a blizzard - are cold enough to cause frostbite, and snowdrifts may hide dangers children might otherwise see. Stay indoors where it's safe, and warm!
  

TOO SICK TO ATTEND DAYCARE? HOW TO TELL!

We have all been fighting kids and illness the past few weeks. Here is a great article from askdrsears.com to help you decide to stay home or send your child.

It's seven in the morning and family rush hour begins. The teakettle is whistling, the toaster's popping, and the traffic report is the usual bad news. Enter a whine that will turn your already overbooked day upside down. By reflex you lay hands on your baby's head. "Oh, no, a fever!" To daycare or not to daycare, that is the question. Suddenly you realize that it is not so easy to change jobs at the touch of a forehead.

How sick is enough to miss daycare? This decision affects three parties: Does your baby feel too sick to attend daycare? Is she contagious to the other children? How convenient is it for you to take a day off from work? Here are some practical guidelines on what germs are the most catchy.

DIARRHEA ILLNESSES
Here is one set of germs that all doctors agree are very contagious. Frequent, watery, mucousy, and sometime bloody diarrhea is a sure indication to stay home, both for your baby's sake to prevent an outbreak in the center. Add vomiting – parents call this a double ender – and your baby is certainly too weak and too upset to leave home. As soon as the vomiting is over, the stools are no longer explosive and water and your baby feels better, she may return to daycare. Be prepared for the bowel movements to remain loose and frequent for weeks, as the intestines are notoriously slow to recover. During this convalescent stage of diarrhea, your baby is not contagious.

COLDS AND FEVER
While diarrhea illnesses merit quarantine, respiratory and febrile illnesses are a different bag of germs. Most cold germs do not threaten an outbreak in the daycare center as much as diarrhea. Children are most contagious a day or two before they act sick. When you send your two-year-old to daycare with a cold, this is one time to teach her not to share. Show her how to cover her nose and mouth with a tissue when she sneezes or coughs and to turn her head away from others. Two-year-olds may be able to learn this sanitation gesture but are likely to forget. If your baby have a fever (persistent temperature of at least 101ºF or 38.3ºC) it is prudent to keep her out of daycare until you ask your doctor whether she is contagious.

SORE THROATS
Sore throats, especially those associated with fever and throat spots (for example, herpangina), are very contagious and are a red light for day-care attendance until the fever and the throat spots are gone -- usually around five days.

EYE DRAINAGE
The nose is not the only thing that runs when baby gets a cold. Eye drainage is often associated with an underlying cold, especially a sinus infection. These eyes are not contagious, and usually neither is the rest of the baby. This type of goopy eye drainage does, however, merit a doctor visit.

Some runny eyes are due to conjunctivitis (often called pinkeye), a contagious infection that will send day-care providers rushing to make a come-get-your-baby call. If the eyes are bloodshot in addition to draining, this is contagious pinkeye, which is quickly treated and made noncontagious by an antibiotic eye ointment or drops. The baby may attend daycare as long as treatment has begun. If the eyes are not bloodshot, this is seldom contagious conjunctivitis, and your child may still attend daycare.

COLD VERSUS ALLERGIES
Day-care centers often reject a coughing, sneezing child because of a cold when it's really an allergy that is not contagious to playmates and is no more than a nuisance to the child. How to tell a cold from an allergy? Back to the telltale nasal secrections. Allergic noses are clear and watery, they run and drip, and are accompanied by other allergic signs: watery eyes, wheezing, a past history of allergies, and the fact that it's hay fever season. The nasal drainage from a cold is too thick to run; it dangles. Also, with a cold there are other signs of infection such as fever. In general, allergic children are noisy (sneezy and wheezy), yet they don't act sick. They may attend daycare and are not contagious. Children with colds act sluggish, mopey, or cranzy and may be contagious.

COUGHS
While most colds end the cough still lingers, keeping babies out of daycare and parents out of work. But all coughs are not automatically stay-home illnesses. A dry, hacking cough that neither awakens baby nor is associated with fever, pain, difficulty breathing, or other cold signs is not a reason for quarantine. These nuisance-type coughs linger on for two weeks, are rarely contagious, and seldom bother the child or her mates, who themselves may also be coughing. Then there's the baby who coughs a lot at night but seems well during the day except for annoying throat-clearing sounds and may have several similar episodes during the allergy season. This child suffers from postnasal drip, she is noncontagious, and this seldom is a reason to stay home from daycare.

Of course, any cough accompanied by fever, chills, and coughing up of green or yellow mucus warrants medical attention and absence from daycare. Your baby can return to daycare when the fever subsides and she feels better (usually in a few days), though the cough itself may linger for a week or two.

WHEN TO STAY HOME WITH A COLD
If your baby's nasal secrections are clear and watery, and your baby is happy and playful, pain free, and has only a low-grade fever (100 degrees F / 37.8 degrees C) there is no need to keep your baby home from daycare. If the nasal secretions become thicker, yellow, and green, especially if accompanied by a fever, an earache, frequent night waking, or a peaked look -- in mother jargon, a sick-looking-face -- this is a stay-home-and-call-the-doctor cold. Your baby may have an ear or sinus infection.

RASHES
The problem with rashes is that the daycare provider sees them and sends your baby home. But, not all rashes are contagious or uncomfortable enough for a baby to miss daycare.

CHICKENPOX
Unlike the rashes just mentioned, chickenpox is one of the most contagious of all childhood infections and a sure prescription to stay home. It begins as a flu-like illness (low-grade fever and tiredness), and the spots usually appear a day later. Initially, they resemble tiny bites over the back, chest, abdomen and face. I'll frequently have patients waiting at my office door at 9:00 a.m. wondering if "these spots" could be early chickenpox. I pronounce them prickly heat or fleabites and dispatch the spotted baby to daycare.

HEAD LICE
Where there are lots of children in a crowded place, expect little parasites to tag along. A typical scene: You get a call at your office or your baby is sent home from daycare with a note informing you that she has head lice. Your first reaction is embarrassment ("But my house is so clean!") followed by incredulity ("She has to miss daycare and I have to miss work because of a lousy louse?")

WHO PLAYS NURSE WHEN BABY IS SICK?
For dual-income families; Who stays home when baby can't go to daycare, mom or dad? Who can most afford to stay home? Who is most needed at work? Do you and your spouse split the shift or bring in the reserves? (Sick babies should have their mothers if at all possible -- mother preference intensifies when baby is sick.)

While there is no better nurse than a caring parent in a child's own home, this ideal may not be possible, especially for financially strapped and single parents. Consider these alternatives:
Try shift work. Mom is nurse in the morning, dad in the afternoon. Your child gets special TLC from both parents and both sharpen their sick-child-care skills.

Take your baby to work. If your baby is not sick enough to stay home but is not permitted in daycare prepare a "sickroom" at work if circumstances permit. If you have your own office, set up camp in the corner, including her favorite books, toys, and blankets. This scene is also a prime chance for your child to learn about your work. If the older patient is willing and able, give her some time-occupying tasks to "help" you at work. Your child will feel important and get her mind off being sick.

Have grandmother on call. If blessed with a nearby extended family, ask grandma to pinch-hit. Grandmothers have time, unlimited patience, and the price is right.

Use a sick-child-care center. Explore what facilities for sick children are available in your community. Some daycare centers and hospital pediatric wards have get-well rooms, staffed with sensitive caregivers trained to care for sick children. However, they are expensive.

Plan ahead. Before your baby gets sick -- and she will -- devise a family game plan rather than scrambling for on-the-spot decisions with the first fever. Decide with your spouse who will stay home. Have backup caregivers on call. Find out your daycare center's sick-child admission policies. Are there home-care agencies available, and what is their cost? Find out what's available, affordable, and what's best for your child.

Sick-leave benefits. Taking a baby out of daycare may mean paycheck deductions for working parents, but a day at home with your sick child can have its compensations too. Being at home with your sick baby is a chance to rebond. Especially if you have recently locked horns with your child or she is going through an independence streak, a day at home may do wonders for your relationship. Babies go from independent to dependent when sick, as if clicking into a memory of what "mother" and "father" really means. Making chicken soup and popsicles, giving back rubs and reading stories -- a day at home with your baby is a chance for nursing and parenting skills to shine

Sweet Dreams! How To Get Your Child To Stay In Bed All Night

You have turned on the night light, turned down the sheets, have given an "all clear" of any night-time gremlins, and have given your child a drink of water. A book has been read and your child has been smothered with nighty-night kisses and sweet dreams hugs.

If you are one of the lucky ones, the blissful evening silence may carry over into morning madness. But for many parents of young children, the bedtime calm may last only seconds, minutes, or into the middle of the night with the persistent evening creep back into your room. A child's wide eyes, often wet with tears and sometimes lack of sleep, are often combined with excuses to melt almost any heart and diffuse parental protests, especially if it's 3 a.m. and you need to work in the morning. "My room is making noises," "I need a drink," "I'm hungry," "I miss you so much," "I'm scared," "I'm lonely," "I'm sick" or simply, "I can't sleep." Name the argument; some parent has already heard it before.

It's easy for a sleep-deprived parent to simply turn down the sheet and half-heartedly left a young child sleep in their bed. It's the next morning--after enduring a night of tossing and turning of a wiggly child, loss of privacy, a child hard to awaken in the morning in time for school or daycare, or perhaps even wet sheets as a result--the parent insists the habit of a child sneaking into bed must change.

But how? Here are some tips for making the permanent transition of a child sleeping in his/her own bed:
* Make your child's room inviting, decorated to his/her taste, and age-appropriate. Consider allowing your child to help decorate by at the very least picking out the bedding. For the more ambitious adventurers, give your child choices of a bedroom theme, positioning of bed and furniture (with your help, of course), and overall look and feel. The general idea is you want your child to absolutely LOVE his/her room and want to spend time in it!

* Consider the size of the bed. Some parents move their child to a twin or even larger bed as soon as a child graduates from the crib. For some children, that is fine, but others may feel intimidated or even threatened by its size. Depending on a child's nature, toddler beds can provide a nice transition between crib and twin. These beds often are available in theme designs, such as a race car or castle. Make sure your child can easily get in and out of bed and feels comfortable in it.

* Establish a memorable bedtime routine. The routine does not need to be elaborate; however, it should be something your child looks forward to each night and considers a special time. This can be as simple as reading a favorite book in a special part of the room, having a bath to soothing music, eating a snack and then brushing teeth, singing a favorite song, saying a prayer, exchanging highlights of the day, or even a special bedtime kiss-n-hug ritual.

* Require your child to go to the bathroom just before bedtime. Sometimes its the need to go to the bathroom that then causes the child to wake and then want company.

* Don't lie down with your child, or if you do, only stay for a brief time. You don't want your child to think he/she has to have someone lay down with him for sleep.

* Establish the rule that your child will now sleep in his/her own bed and make no exceptions. Some parents report that it is helpful to build it into a celebration, such as "Now that you are starting kindergarten, you are expected to stay in your own bed every night" or "As a 4-year-old, you will get new privileges! One of those is the excitement of picking the toy you want to sleep with in your own bed every night."

* Don't weaken to crying or whining. If you do, your child wins. Tell your child you are not going to keep coming in for kisses, hugs, discussion, begging, or pleading. Stick to this. If your child leaves the room, simply re-direct the child back without discussion. Show no weakness, or your child will know that this behavior results in a change.

* Finally, even if you are totally exhausted or its an unseemly hour of the night, walk your child back to his/her room immediately if you receive a visitor. Don't over-react or give to much attention; simply say, "The rules are that you sleep in your own bed."

If you maintain consistency and the rules, your child will be sleeping in his or her bed throughout the night in no time. And, you and your child will both get improved shut eye and be better prepared to face the new day together!

Child Care Answers January Press Release

Press Release
Contact: Child Care Answers Child Care Resource and Referral Agency
Web: www.childcareanswers.com
Phone: 317-631-4643

FOR IMMEDIATE RELEASE
Date/Time: January 19, 2011


Are you looking for a career change in the new year? Interested in starting up a Child Care? Let Child Care Answers help you with your career change!

Child Care Answers Resource and Referral Agency is a local agency serving Hamilton, Hendricks, Johnson and Marion County. Child Care Answers offers training for individuals interested in beginning a child care business. Those interested in starting up a licensed center, home or registered ministry can register to attend an orientation class through us. This class will give a general overview of child care in Indiana and resources in the community. Child Care Answers also offers classes to help in advertising your child care business and record keeping. The training calendar is published three times a year and includes upcoming classes offered by Child Care Answers and early childhood education classes in the community.

For licensed child care providers a mentoring program is available to help guide them as they advance levels in Paths to Quality, Indiana’s voluntary quality rating system for child care. Classes are also available to help with guidance and discipline, stress prevention for caregivers and Exploring the Foundation to Indiana Academic Standards.

A copy of Child Care Answers training calendar can be viewed online at www.childcareanswers.com. Once there, click on the provider tab and then the “training” link on the right hand side. If you would like to receive the calendar in the mail contact Mindy Bennett at mindyb@childcareanswers.com .

Need to Renew your CDA?

Ivy Tech is offering a 3 credit hour renewal course-
"School, Communities, and Families". No pre-requisites needed.

Class dates: March 19 - May 8, 2011 (eight Saturday’s)

Time: 8 am to 12 noon.

Interested???

Contact:
Rose Wilson, M.Ed, Early Childhood Assistant Professor School of Education
Ivy Tech Community College
Phone: 317-921-4403 ~ Fax: 317-921-4432 ~ Email: rwilson@ivytech.edu

Laughter Yoga..what a great way to exercise

'Laughter yoga' delights local daycare
By Susan Gibbs
Published: January 07, 2011

Youngsters at the Haney-Ripley Child Care Center in Stanardsville got their laughs on last Thursday.

"Laughter is good for you," instructor Shannon Brown told the boys and girls. "It helps the brain clean up so you can think better and it cleans the blood so you feel better."

In fact, according to the Laughter Yoga International's website, "laughter yoga" combines unconditional laughter with yoga breathing to combine physical exercise (laughter) with deep diaphragmatic breathing (yoga).

The website further explains that laughter is easily stimulated in a group when combined with eye contact, childlike playfulness and laughter exercises - where fake laughter quickly becomes real, and contagious.

Brown proved it was so when she gathered the children around her in a circle, looking each in the eye and starting to laugh. Before long most all the children - and center owner Nancy Haney - were unable to contain their own laughter.

As an exercise routine, laughter yoga is a complete wellbeing workout, according to the Laughter Yoga website.

Clinical research has proved that laughter lowers the level of stress hormones in the blood, and so fosters a positive and hopeful attitude. Participants report significant general health improvements.

Many have felt a reduction in the frequency of respiratory infections like common cold and flu, and some others reported overcoming depression, and relief or even freedom from chronic medical problems.

Also according to the website, the phenomenon was launched in early 1995 by a handful of people in a park. Today, there are more than 6,000 social laughter clubs in about 60 countries.

Laughter yoga has been introduced in schools, in the business world, in aged care facilities, in hospitals - where it has proven to have a profound impact on the immune system that influences the course of survival of cancer patients - and in prisons, where it has led to better prisoner-staff relations and reduced violence.

Not that the youngsters at the center knew any of that - they were just having fun, which, according to Haney, is the focus of the center.

"But at the same time, we provide a positive, effective and educational environment," Haney said. "Laughter yoga was done instead of a field trip, for those children who spent time with us during Christmas break."

Haney said that the field trips Haney-Ripley children have taken include visits to the Greene County Park, Greene County Library, Greene County Senior Center, Evergreene Nursing Care Center, Green Meadows Christmas Tree Farm, Carter's Mountain and Bounce-n-Play.

And, the center has had visitors from the community.

"A parent who is a professional firefighter visited the center, along with a fire truck, to discuss fire safety, and members of the senior center visited our center and brought candy for our Halloween festival," said Haney.

"Seniors read to children and spent time helping with art activities."

When they are not taking field trips, youngsters enrolled in the center are playing inside with dolls and dollhouses, action figures and trains, listening to stories or reading on their own, Haney explained.

They enjoy "circle time," during which they discuss the month, days of the week, and the season of the year.

They work with teachers on manipulatives and participate in art and music activities.

Or they are playing organized games outside, weather permitting. And, Haney added, they have enjoyed "several bounce castles here at the center."

The Haney-Ripley Child Care Center is a licensed center specializing in before and after school care for K5 through middle school students, and preschool care for the children as young as two years.

It began in August 2007 with 24 students, and now as 67. It also offers full day care for school-agers on days schools are closed, Christmas and spring breaks, and extended school closings.

For more information call the center at (434) 985-1185 or visit it at Haney-Ripley.com.

Simple Steps to Start Your Own Business

Indianapolis SCORE® presents

A Business Workshop Series

Exclusive to Potential Start-Up Business Owners

Investigate if your business plans and ideas are sound...

Attend this FREE preview workshop:

Saturday, February 12, 2011

• 10:00 AM Hendricks County, Economic Dev. (Avon)
• 10:30 AM Nora Library

Saturday, February 19th, 2011

• 10:00 AM Fishers Library
• 10:30 AM Wayne Library

Saturday, February 26th, 2011

• 10:00 AM Tilson Human Resource Center (Greenwood)
• 10:30 AM Warren Township Library

For additional information contact Indianapolis SCORE at

www.indyscore.org

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(317) 226-7264

YogaKids

Free YogaKids classes offered by City Yoga on Monday January 17th from 2:30pm - 3:30pm

Educators, Parents, Child-focused Professionals, Children, Tween & Teens

Join Marsha Wenig & Susan Rose for a class full of fun, fitness & feeling great! You are guaranteed to learn, laugh & love the YogaKids way of educating the "whole" child.

This event is FREE for adults & kids of all ages.

Registration is recommended. Click here for registration.

Infections in early child care can lead to fewer absences in mainstream school

Infections in early child care can lead to fewer absences in mainstream school

Parents and child care experts will probably not be at all surprised to learn that a recent report in a scientific journal confirms that children under the age of 2½, who attend large group care settings, are more likely to develop respiratory and ear infections than those who don't.

Furthermore, those children who do attend these settings are less likely to suffer such illnesses once they begin mainstream school.

The report in the December issue of the US journal Archives of Pediatrics & Adolescent Medicine was the result of an eight-year study carried out by Dr Sylvana M. Côté of Ste-Justine Hospital and the University of Montreal in Quebec.

It had been accepted that preschool children, especially those who were placed in large group childcare settings, experienced more frequent infections than children who were cared for primarily at home. This had raised concerns that group care could compromise young children's health and the health of their community, but few studies have examined the impact of group childcare on infections beyond preschool years.

Dr Côté and her colleagues studied 1,238 families with children born in 1998. These children fell into three groups;

1. those in a large childcare setting – where professional educators care for up to 10 groups of eight to 12 children;

2. those in a small childcare setting – home based centres where a childminder cares for between three and eight children;

3. those who were cared for at home.

For eight years the researchers obtained regular information about how often the children had respiratory tract infections, ear infections or gastrointestinal infections during three specific periods: early preschool (under the age of 2½), late preschool (ages 3½ to 4½) and early mainstream school (ages 5 to 8).

It was found that children who attended large group care settings before the age of 2½ and during the late preschool period had higher rates of respiratory infections and ear infections than those who were cared for at home, but once children started mainstream school, these infections tailed off.

Children who started in a small childcare setting and never attended a larger setting did not have any differences in infection risk. Those who were first cared for at home, but then started at any size childcare setting during the late preschool period had a higher risk of ear infections at that time, but no other differences in infection risk.

Group childcare was not associated with gastrointestinal infections at any period in the children's development.

The authors feel that this study involving so many children over an extended eight-year period, should provide reassuring evidence for parents that their choices regarding childcare should not have any major effect on the health of their children, as far as respiratory tract infections with fever, gastrointestinal infections and ear infections are concerned.

Furthermore, children who join large-group childcare settings at a very early age (under the age of 2½) may even gain a level of protection that will result in fewer absences when they come to begin mainstream school.

Author : Michael Evans
© The Earth Times

Office Closed on Monday January 17th

Just a reminder our office will be closed on Monday January 17th for Martin Luther King Jr day.

Winter Outdoor Safety Tips

With the falling snow and colder temperatures we have had several calls asking about guidelines for outdoor play. The rule of thumb for cold temperatures is that with the windchill considered 25 degrees and below is too cold for children to play outside. Our inclusion specialist wanted to urge providers to make sure that even if it's only for a few minutes to try and get children outside for fresh air. Fresh air is so much healthier for the children than being inside all day and is important for them to get everyday.

Below is some safety tips given from the American Academy of Pediatrics for the cold weather.

• Dress infants and children warmly for outdoor activity. Several thin layers will keep them warm and dry. Don't forget warm boots, gloves or mittens and a hat.


• The rule of thumb for older babies and young children is to dress them in one more layer of clothing than an adult would wear in the same conditions.


• Hypothermia develops when a child's temperature falls below normal due to exposure to colder temperatures. It often happens when a youngster is playing outdoors in extremely cold weather without wearing proper clothing or when clothes get wet.


• Frostbit happens when the skin and outer tissues become frozen. This condition tends to happen on extremities like the fingers, toes, ears and nose. They may become pale, gray and blistered. At the same time the child may complain that his/her skin burns or becomes numb.


• Cold weather does not cause colds or flu. But the viruses that cause colds and flu tend to be more common in the winter, when children are in school and are in closer contact with each other. Frequent hand washing and teaching your child to sneeze or couch into the bend of their elbow may help reduce the spread of colds and flu.


• Remember that the sun's rays can still cause sunburn in the winter. Make sure to cover your child's exposed areas with sunscreen.

For the complete list of safety tips visit the American Academy of Pediatrics web page.