Nov 06, 2024
November 11 is Veterans Day- a day set aside to thank and honor ALL who served honorably in the military whether in wartime or peacetime.
In your program, you can thank a veteran by making cards or pieces of art and mailing them to a local VA hospital, collect donations of playing cards, lip balm, baby wipes, sunscreen, beef jerky, mints, hard candy, gum, etc. to donate to a nearby base or an organization like Blue Star Moms, or host a breakfast or make a small token of appreciation such as tissue paper flowers and thank you cards to give to Veterans in the families of the children you care for.
If you are looking for information about what Veterans Day is, you can download a Veterans Day Teacher's Resource Guide from the U.S. Department of Veterans Affairs. This guide explains the origins of Veterans Day, describes the difference between Memorial Day and Veterans Day, discusses respecting and folding the flag, and has instructions on how to download Veterans Day posters.
Don't forget to thank a Veteran!
Nov 01, 2024
NYSED Free Webinars.
Over the next year, the New York State Education Department (NYSED) will host a series of free webinars focused on sharing effective practices for Pre-K classrooms. The webinars will cover various topics, including how to promote positivity and inclusion in the classroom, ways to better support multilingual learners, and strategies to encourage a love of science in young children.
The first webinar will take place on November 6. View the NYSED Free Webinars flyer for more details and QR codes for registration.
Nov 01, 2024
Daylight Savings Time Ends - a great time to check in on your child care program!
November 3rd is the day to turn back those clocks! This will result in earlier sunrises and earlier sunsets.
This is a great time to check in on some important things in your child care program, including:
- Smoke and carbon monoxide detectors- test all devices to make sure they are in good working order and change batteries if needed.
- Emergency contact information- meet with families to make sure everything is current and update it if necessary.
- Changes in a child鈥檚 health- talk with families to see if there have been any new health developments like a new diagnosis or food allergy. If there are, make sure proper protocols are being followed and necessary conversations are happening with staff.
- Training- review records to see if everyone in the program is on target for meeting all OCFS training requirements.
- Emergency bags and first aid kits- check all of these throughout the program to make sure everything is there, in good working order and not expired. Be sure to replace anything that may be broken or expired and replenish low supplies like gloves and bandages.
- Evacuation and Shelter in Place drills- review your records and conduct any necessary drills.
Completing tasks like these on a routine basis, like when the clocks change, will help you stay on top of things so everyone can be safe. Enjoy that extra hour of sleep! 馃槉
Oct 30, 2024
OCFS DCCS October 2024 Child Care Newsletter
We are excited to share that OCFS has released the fall 2024 newsletter from the New York State Office of Children and Family Services (OCFS) Division of Child Care Services (DCCS)! The newsletter is being distributed to child care providers, local departments of social services, Child Care Resource and Referral Agencies, after-school providers, stakeholders and parents, as well as posted online on the OCFS website.
The newsletter includes exciting information and updates from DCCS on two new state initiatives for the Child Care Assistance Program, the updated market rates, the DEIA Toolkit, and various mental health and emotional wellness resources, and so much more!
We hope that you enjoy the third issue of our quarterly newsletter and are enjoying your fall!