Bailey Cove Child Development Center

Congratulations to our graduates!

Way to go class of 2013!

We are so proud!

The Alabama Department of Human Resources (DHR) lays out clear regulations and procedures for every licensed child care facility throughout the state. Regulations include, but are not limited to; size and available space of facility, equipment within the facility, transportation provided by the facility, disciplinary practices utilized within the facility, student to teacher ratios, staffing and qualification requirements of staff and volunteers, health and safety needs of the students and staff, and so much more. The list just keeps going. There are so many areas that are covered through the legal authority of the Department of Human Resources.

As the director of a licensed child care facility I can honestly say that we work in partnership with the Department of Human Resources. We rely on their insight and knowledge in all aspects of our business, and seek out their guidance when necessary. I hope that I am able, through this blog to share some of what I have learned through my experiences here at the center, and through working with our DHR Representative.  

According to the DHR Minimum Standards for Day Care Centers, all children (Infants/Toddlers and Preschool/School-age) shall spend time outdoors daily when weather permits. With that said, it is that time of year again when the temperature is dropping and all of the children are developing the sniffles. Although all of our little ones want to play outside, we want to make sure they are doing it safely, and I believe that is what our families want as well. Therefore, I am asking that every pleaseremember to bring your child(ren) to school in weather appropriate clothing, to include a jacket/coat, gloves, and hat.

The information below should give everyone a clear picture of how to understand the weather and what temperatures are comfortable for out door play during the summer-time and winter-time, and what temperatures are not.

Watching the weather is part of a child care provider’s job. Planning for playtime, field trips, or weather safety is part of the daily routine. The changes in weather require the child care provider to monitor the health and safety of children. What clothing, beverages, and protections are appropriate? Clothe children to maintain a comfortable body temperature (warmer months – lightweight cotton, colder months – wear layers of clothing). Beverages help the body maintain a comfortable temperature. Water or fruit juices are best. Avoid high-sugar content beverages and soda pop. Sunscreen may be used year around. Use a sunscreen labeled as SPF-15 or higher. Read and follow all label instructions for the sunscreen product. Look for sunscreen with UVB and UVA ray protection. Shaded play areas protect children from the sun.

CONDITION GREEN – Children may play outdoors and be comfortable. Watch for signs of children becoming
uncomfortable while playing. Use precautions regarding clothing, sunscreen, and beverages for all child age groups.

INFANTS AND TODDLERS are unable to tell the child care provider if they are too hot or cold. Children become fussy when uncomfortable. Infants/toddlers will tolerate shorter periods of outdoor play. Dress infants/toddlers in lightweight cotton or cotton-like fabrics during the warmer months. In cooler or cold months dress infants in layers to keep them warm. Protect infants from the sun by limiting the amount of time outdoors and playing in shaded areas. Give beverages when playing outdoors.

YOUNG CHILDREN remind children to stop playing, drink a beverage, and apply more sunscreen.

OLDER CHILDREN need a firm approach to wearing proper clothing for the weather (they may want to play without coats, hats or mittens). They may resist applying sunscreen and drinking beverages while outdoors.

CONDITION YELLOW – use caution and closely observe the children for signs of being too hot or cold while outdoors. Clothing, sunscreen, and beverages are important. Shorten the length of outdoor time.

INFANTS AND TODDLERS use precautions outlined in Condition Green. Clothing, sunscreen, and beverages are important. Shorten the length of time for outdoor play.

YOUNG CHILDREN may insist they are not too hot or cold because they are enjoying playtime. Child care providers need to structure the length of time for outdoor play for the young child.

OLDER CHILDREN need a firm approach to wearing proper clothing for the weather (they may want to play without coats, hats or mittens), applying sunscreen and drinking liquids while playing outdoors.

CONDITION RED – most children should not play outdoors due to the health risk.

INFANTS/TODDLERS should play indoors and have ample space for large motor play.

YOUNG CHILDREN may ask to play outside and do not understand the potential danger of weather conditions.

OLDER CHILDRENmay play outdoors for very short periods of time if they are properly dressed, have plenty of fluids. Child care providers must be vigilant about maximum protection of children.

Understand the Weather

The weather forecast may be confusing unless you know the meaning of the words.

Blizzard Warning: There will be snow and strong winds that produce a blinding snow, deep drifts, and life threatening wind chills. Seek shelter immediately.

Heat Index Warning: How hot it feels to the body when the air temperature (in Fahrenheit) and relative humidity are combined.
Relative Humidity: The percent of moisture in the air.

Temperature: The temperature of the air in degrees Fahrenheit.
Wind: The speed of the wind in miles per hour.
Wind Chill Warning: There will be sub-zero temperatures with moderate to strong winds expected which may cause hypothermia and great danger to people, pets and livestock.
Winter Weather Advisory: Weather conditions may cause significant inconveniences and may be hazardous. If caution is exercised, these situations should not become life threatening.
Winter Storm Warning: Severe winter conditions have begun in your area.
Winter Storm Watch: Severe winter conditions, like heavy snow and ice are possible within the next day or two. 

Child Care Weather Watch was produced by the Iowa Department of Public Health, Healthy Child Care Iowa. This guide was produced through federal grant (MCJ19T029 & MCJ19KCC7) funds from the US Department of Health & Human Services, Health Resources & Services Administration, Maternal & Child Health Bureau. Wind-Chill and Heat Index information is from the National Weather Service.

As the Director of a private preschool there is nothing that pulls at my heart strings more, than when a child gets hurt, and biting is one of the worst. However, what I have to tell myself, having been the parent of a child who repeatedly got bitten as well as the parent of a child who was a biter, is that biting is common among children.

There are a number of reasons that children bite, and not a single one will make the parent of the child that got bitten feel any better. Nor will those reasons make the parent of the bitter feel better, because believe me it feels just as bad to know that your child is hanging out at school trying to taste his friends. I make light, but because I don’t see it as a problem, but because I want everyone to know that staying calm in these events is one of the best ways to help those bitters to correct their behavior.

Why Children Bite:

At a young age many children bite simply because they are exploring the world around them. Children go through a very “oral” stage when everything around them goes directly into their mouths, including their friends.

As they start to teeth biting can also be used as a way to sooth those aching gums, and ease the pain that their feeling.

It is also common for children to start biting before they have developed the communication skills to negotiate with others. They may resort to biting as a means of expressing themselves or getting their way.

As children get older, if biting continues or occurs for the first time, it is often out of aggression or anger. This is when a child who can clearly and effectively communicate what he or she wants doesn’t get his/her way, and makes the decision to punish the person he/she sees as being responsible.

What We Do to Prevent Biting:

Although we can’t catch every bit before it happens, we do try very hard to catch the majority of them. By doing the following things we hope that the children throughout our center will learn that “Teeth Are Not for Biting” our friends!

* We model kindness and gentle behavior

* We supervise the children well they are playing and we try to notice when tension builds and we try to redirect the children’s interest.

* We talk about feelings even with our littlest students. We help to build their language skills through sign-language.

* We try to balance each student’s day with stress-relieving activities such as art, outside play, story time, and even music and dancing.

Some important steps to remember when dealing with a bitter are:

1) Stay Calm – Young children especially infants and toddlers don’t understand what all the fuss is about after they have bitten a friend. Thus the child is often bound to try it again to see if he or she receives the same reaction.

2) Teach the child Self-Control – After biting another child, the bitter should not be placed in timeout as a punishment, but in quiet time to help settle his nervous and to take a break.

3) Set Boundaries – It may seem obvious to console and cuddle the child who was bitten, but the child who bite may also need comforting because he/she has often startled him/herself in the act of biting, not understanding what set off his own aggressive behavior.

4) Help the Healing Process – In order for the children to move on from the incident it is important to get both children in a safe, non aggressive situation where they can have fun together. This will help to erase the hurt feelings, and hopefully allow the child that was bitten not to associate the “biter” with pain or fear.

The Bailey Cove CDC Family would like to say ‘THANK YOU’ to Mrs. Kim Holmes for putting so much time and energy into upgrading our center website. I hope everyone enjoys the site as much as we do. There is a lot of very useful information for both current and prospective parents, and we will be adding more information as time goes by.

We look forward to your thoughts about the new site. Please feel free to stop in the office or send us an email at baileycovechilddevctr@gmail.com with your suggestions or comments.
Thank you and have a wonderful day,
Your Management Team