The Benefits of Enrolling Your Child in Quality Child Care In the journey of parenting, the decision to enroll your child in quality child care is a significant milestone. Quality child care is more than just a convenience for working parents; it’s a valuable opportunity for your child’s growth and development. At My Cubby House Early Learning, we understand the importance of quality child care, and in this blog post, we’ll explore the numerous benefits it offers to both children and their families. 1. Early Learning and School Readiness Quality child care programs provide a structured and educational environment where children engage in various activities designed to stimulate their cognitive, social, and emotional development. These experiences can foster school readiness, equipping children with essential skills for a smooth transition to formal education. 2. Social Interaction and Friendships Child care centers are bustling hubs of social interaction. Children have the opportunity to build friendships, practice sharing, and learn to work collaboratively with their peers. These early social experiences lay the foundation for healthy relationships throughout life. 3. Professional and Caring Educators Quality child care centers employ trained and caring educators who are dedicated to nurturing your child’s growth. These professionals create a safe and supportive environment, ensuring that your child receives individualised attention and care. 4. Routine and Structure Child care centers follow daily routines that include meal times, nap times, and structured activities. Establishing a routine can be comforting for children, providing a sense of security and predictability. 5. Development of Independence Quality child care encourages children to develop independence and self-confidence. Through age-appropriate responsibilities and guided exploration, children learn to make choices and solve problems on their own. 6. Support for Working Parents Child care centers offer working parents a reliable solution for child supervision. This peace of mind allows parents to focus on their careers, knowing that their child is in a safe and stimulating environment. 7. Cultural and Diversity Exposure Child care environments often embrace diversity. Children have the opportunity to interact with peers from different backgrounds, fostering an early appreciation for cultural diversity and inclusion. 8. Emotional Resilience Quality child care can help children develop emotional resilience by providing a supportive space to express their feelings and emotions. This can be particularly helpful for children who may be dealing with challenging life situations. 9. Health and Safety Child care centers prioritise the health and safety of children. They adhere to strict standards for cleanliness, nutrition, and safety procedures, ensuring a secure and healthy environment. 10. Family Work-Life Balance Quality child care centers recognise the importance of work-life balance for families. They offer flexible scheduling options that can accommodate the needs of working parents while also ensuring the well-being of their children. Conclusion Enrolling your child in quality child care is a decision that reaps numerous benefits for both your child and your family. It’s an investment in your child’s future, providing them with early learning experiences, social interactions, and the care of dedicated educators. If you’re interested in exploring the advantages of quality child care or have questions about our programs at My Cubby House Early Learning, we invite you to contact our office at 07 5527 1679 or book a tour. Our team is here to support you on this important journey of nurturing your child’s growth and development. Related Links: Our Philosphy Our Curriculum Our Learning Environments Don’t forget to share this via Twitter, Google+, Pinterest, LinkedIn, Buffer, Digg, Tumblr, Reddit, StumbleUpon, Delicious, WhatsApp, Line and Naver.
Fostering Resilience in Early Childhood: Nurturing Emotional Strength In the journey of childhood, the development of emotional resilience is akin to providing children with a suit of armor, preparing them to face life’s challenges with strength and grace. At My Cubby House Early Learning, we understand the significance of nurturing this invaluable trait from a young age. This blog post delves into the art of raising resilient kids, offering insights and practical tips to support parents and caregivers in building emotional strength during early childhood. Understanding Resilience in Children To begin this exploration, it’s crucial to grasp what resilience entails in the context of children. Resilience is the capacity to bounce back from adversity, learn from experiences, and adapt positively to life’s ups and downs. It empowers children to cope with stress, solve problems, and embrace challenges with a growth mindset. Encourage Positive Self-Image Fostering resilience commences with helping children cultivate a positive self-image. Encouraging self-acceptance and self-worth can lay a strong foundation for emotional strength. Praise their efforts rather than outcomes, instilling the idea that it’s okay to make mistakes and learn from them. Embrace Challenges as Learning Opportunities Resilience thrives when children are encouraged to view challenges as opportunities for growth. Teach them that failures are not the end but stepping stones toward success. Celebrate their persistence and determination in the face of difficulties. Foster Problem-Solving Skills Resilient children are excellent problem solvers. Encourage their critical thinking by involving them in decision-making processes. Ask open-ended questions, spark discussions, and allow them to propose solutions. This fosters a sense of autonomy and self-efficacy. Promote Emotional Regulation Helping children understand and manage their emotions is a vital aspect of resilience. Teach them to identify and express their feelings. Use storytelling and role-play to explore different emotional scenarios. Model healthy emotional expression, showing that it’s okay to feel a wide range of emotions. Develop a Strong Support System Resilience is often nurtured through the support of caring relationships. Create a safe and trusting environment where children can openly discuss their feelings. Encourage them to seek help when needed and reassure them that they are not alone in their challenges. Teach Coping Strategies Children can benefit from an array of coping strategies to navigate stress and setbacks. These may include deep breathing exercises, mindfulness techniques, or engaging in physical activities. Encourage them to discover what works best for them. Celebrate Progress and Small Wins Celebrate the journey of resilience with the recognition of small wins. Acknowledge their efforts and the strides they make, reinforcing their ability to overcome obstacles. Such positive reinforcement boosts their self-confidence. Conclusion In the realm of early childhood, nurturing resilience is a gift that lasts a lifetime. At My Cubby House Early Learning, we’re committed to supporting you in this journey. We invite you to explore these strategies and embark on the path of fostering emotional strength in your child. Remember, resilience is not a destination; it’s a lifelong voyage of growth and discovery. If you have any questions or would like more guidance on building resilience in your child, don’t hesitate to get in touch with our dedicated team by calling us on 07 5527 1679. Don’t forget to share this via Twitter, Google+, Pinterest, LinkedIn, Buffer, Digg, Tumblr, Reddit, StumbleUpon, Delicious, WhatsApp, Line and Naver.
We found a great resource which discusses Queensland’s Early Childhood Development Story. This is the story of how children grow well. Each chapter is important to the story. Every person has a role to play—parents, grandparents, aunties, uncles, community members, educators, and service providers. Read Queensland’s Early Childhood Development story to learn how you can help children grow well. https://www.youtube.com/watch?v=l-88DCY6-Nk Chapter 1: Loving relationships Children feel loved and secure in warm, caring relationships. Loving relationships help children to feel safe. Showing them they are loved builds their confidence, ability to bounce back when things get tough and eagerness to learn. Regular routines for sleep, play and meals reassures children that they can trust their world. When you encourage children to talk about their feelings, listen to them and respond, you help them to connect with you, and feel valued. Talking with children about everyday experiences and celebrating their achievements, builds their language. This helps them to speak up and participate in everyday life. What does this look like? Listening and responding to children builds their language and social skills. When you listen, they learn to listen to you. Having more language means children can better express their feelings. Holding and cuddling your child releases good hormones that support their growth. You can connect emotionally with your child by talking, smiling, hugging, and laughing. Download the poster (PDF, 914KB) Chapter 2: Healthy environments Children thrive in safe, healthy and positive environments. Healthy homes and communities are places and spaces where children can safely grow and develop. Providing a variety of nutritious foods and water gives children fuel to grow strong bodies and brains. Good eating habits and regular active movement are important to start in the early years. Environments free from toxic substances are also important for growing bodies and brains. Every step through a child’s world—from home and into the community—brings opportunities for physical, social and emotional development. Children can explore confidently when families create a healthy balance between safety and freedom. What does this look like? Children love to help prepare meals. Did you know this can help them develop good eating habits and reduce the risk of health problems later in life? Children need to explore the world around to grow physically and mentally strong.Living in Queensland means using sun protection, hats and shade, and drinking water , to keep cool and safe. Download the poster (PDF, 1.1MB) Chapter 3: Learning everywhere Children are learning everywhere, every day. From their first moments, children are learning, experiencing the world through their senses and interacting with the important people in their lives. It is these important people who show children how to communicate with others. When children play they have fun. They also build physical, cultural, social and emotional skills, and discover more about themselves, others and the environment they live in. We are a diverse state with natural and built environments: from the outback to the rainforest, rivers and the sea. We live in remote areas, regional towns and large cities, all areas with rich cultural heritage. Wherever families live, it is important for children to play, explore and learn—at home and in the wider world. What does this look like? Play is essential for learning. Everyday experiences like shopping, cleaning or gardening are opportunities for children to play and learn. Positive communication builds brains. Wherever you are, whatever you are doing, you can share conversations, stories and songs with children. Download the poster (PDF, 1MB) Chapter 4: Strong connections Children’s sense of belonging is built through strong connections to family, culture and community. Knowing who you are and where you belong—with family, culture and community—is important. When children and families feel connected to community, they find friends and develop a sense of belonging and wellbeing. Queenslanders have diverse cultural backgrounds, languages, values and beliefs. When everyone is recognised, feels included and welcomed, we build a positive sense of belonging and encourage children to embrace and celebrate the diversity around them. This creates a shared understanding and respect for identity. What does this look like? Having friends and feeling connected to community is good for families.Local festivals, community gardens, sporting and cultural activities all offer opportunities to connect to community and belong. Participating in community life builds wellbeing and provides opportunities to share culture.What family or cultural traditions are important to you and your children? How can you share these with friends or neighbours? Download the poster (PDF, 1.1MB) Chapter 5: Supportive communities Children and families thrive when communities and services are supportive and meet their needs. Children and families do best when supported by a stable network of connections in the early years. Making the most of the services and support available can make a big difference to the lives of children and families. When services value and include the voices of children and families in planning and delivery, we are providing the most responsive and relevant programs to support them in navigating the rough and the smooth times. What does this look like? Families have access to services which can work with them to give their children a great start in life.Ask your local child health nurse, GP or early childhood teacher or educator about how you can make the most of early childhood, health and family support services in your local area. Download the poster (PDF, 1.1MB) The story goes on: Growing well together When every Queensland child grows well, we all do better. We can all contribute to making sure that families have access to supportive relationships, nutritious food and healthy environments for their children. There is a role for everyone in providing opportunities for learning and enjoyment, supportive local services, and a sense of community. Every interaction matters—big or small—because it can have an impact on a child’s wellbeing and whether or not they reach their full potential in later life. By recognising the importance of the early years and their lasting influence, we can take action together to give children the best start to life.
We found a great resource which discusses the importance of play in children’s learning and development. Learning through play is one of the most important ways children learn and develop. Educators at your child’s early childhood education and care service might have told you that they use a ‘play based’ approach for children’s learning and development. Play is an activity where children show their remarkable ability for exploration, imagination and decision making. While play is often described as ‘children’s work’, it is intensely enjoyable for them. The type of play children engage in and its purposes change over the course of childhood from infancy to adolescence. You may have realised that as a parent, you don’t generally have to make children play or provide incentives to play. This is because children seem to have a natural urge to play and playing brings a level of pleasure and interest which means it can be maintained without external rewards. How does play support your child’s development and learning? Physical development – active play using large and small muscles such as climbing, running, ball games, digging, jumping, and dancing. This supports children’s overall health and sense of wellbeing, physical growth, appreciation for the benefits of active lifestyles and skills for independence in self-help such as dressing or feeding. Social and emotional development – dramatic and imaginative play which includes dressing up and role play can develop positive social and emotional skills and values. This provides opportunities for children to: practise how to work with other children, negotiate ideas, and make choices and decisions develop self-confidence by experiencing success and challenges learn to control their emotions, reduce impulsive behaviour, or reduce stress as they act out feelings and events that might be worrying them develop empathy and fairness as they learn to play alongside and with other children. Cognitive development – when your child plays individually and with others their cognitive skills, such as thinking, remembering, learning and paying attention are all being developed. Children develop the following cognitive skills through play: problem solving the power of imagination and creativity concepts such as shapes, colours, measurement, counting and letter recognition strengths such as concentration, persistence and resilience. Literacy and numeracy development – play requires thinking, language, interactions, curiosity and exploration. Through play children develop skills and understandings including: an increased understanding of words and their use listening and speaking skills writing skills through scribbling, painting and drawing learning how stories work (plot, characters, structure, purpose and format of words on a page) learning that objects can stand for something else (a block can be a symbol for a telephone) which is foundation learning for formal reading, spelling and numeracy because letters, words or numerals are part of symbol systems learning that letters, words, symbols, numerals and signs have a purpose and are meaningful to others. What does a play based approach to learning look like? Educators at early childhood education and care services use a wide range of play based experiences for children’s learning and development rather than using structured ‘lessons’ or formal teaching experiences. They set up games indoors and outdoors that are age appropriate, which can be played safely and enjoyably by every child. Educators encourage children’s learning through play by: providing resources that reflect children’s ages, interests, knowledge, strengths, abilities and culture to stimulate and support play. Resources which allow open ended use of items like blocks or cardboards boxes foster creativity and the ability to manipulate concepts mentally as children. For example, turn a box into a car. planning play experiences based on the assessment of children’s individual differences, interests, developmental needs and ability. For example, as a child learns to hold a pencil to draw and write, educators will give children different sized objects to grasp, and to build strength in the child’s fingers. observing children as they play so that they can understand how they play with other children, what skills and understanding they demonstrate in play and what activities can strengthen their skills in play. joining in children’s play to extend the child’s learning and to model skills such as reasoning, appropriate language, and positive behaviours. providing large blocks of unhurried and uninterrupted time for play for children’s ideas and games to develop. How can you contribute to your child’s learning through play? Children’s success as learners depends on strong foundations developed from infancy. Play based learning fosters critical skills, understanding and dispositions which are essential for your child’s lifelong learning and wellbeing. You can encourage your child’s learning through by: sharing information about your child’s interests and abilities with their educators so that they can plan play experiences for your child based on their interests and abilities playing with your child discussing your child’s program with the educators at your child’s service, and the activities your child enjoys playing and taking part in advocating for safe and interesting play spaces in your local community. Source: Startingblocks.gov.au Don’t forget to share this via Twitter, Google+, Pinterest, LinkedIn, Buffer, Digg, Tumblr, Reddit, StumbleUpon, Delicious, WhatsApp, Line and Naver.
We found a great resource that we thought we should share with you about ways that you can you help your child settle into an education and care service. Starting at a service can be an emotional experience for you and your child. Children may experience difficulty settling into a new environment, particularly if they find it hard to separate from family or familiar caregivers. These suggestions may help you support your child during the settling in period. They may cry, be grumpy or throw tantrums until they get used to the new environment. Plan an orientation visit to the service An orientation visit before your child starts will give them a chance to explore their new environment. They can begin to develop a relationship with the educators and meet other children at the service with the security that you are close by. Familiarising your child with their alternate carers and care setting will be a huge help to them. Discuss your child’s interests, routines and rituals with the educators. The service may also be able to provide you with a family handbook at this time. This should include information about the service’s operations and key policies and procedures which may help you to plan to settle your child into care. Prepare them for spending time without you Leave your child with their grandparents or your friends for a few hours every day so they get used to your absence. Talk about child care with your child and let them know that you are happy and confident that they will have a good time and will be cared for. If possible, start with shorter or fewer days then gradually increase their time spent at the care centre. Once they develop a settling routine, they should be more comfortable. Don’t let your emotions or anxieties affect your child. Try and hold back your tears when you drop them off. Say ‘goodbye’ confidently and reassure them when you leave that you (or someone else) will be back later to collect them. Give your child sufficient time to say their goodbyes in the morning. Arrive at the service early so you have time to prepare your child for a good day. Comfort them Ask your child if they would like to take their favourite toy or colour book to the service. Find a preferred staff member that your child can be left with when you drop them off for the day. Spend some time settling your child into a favourite activity before you leave. Inform the service about what comforts your child and discuss how you manage activities or times of the day they find unsettling. For example, does your child have a toy or blanket that helps them to settle? Show empathy – in the morning if you see your child upset on your way to the service, talk to them and reassure them that they’ll be okay. Ask them to share their feelings with you. Listen to them and tell them what they are feeling is normal and it’s a big step for them as they are growing up. Where possible, organise play dates outside of the service. This will help your child be more comfortable with the other children at the centre. Encourage them Every time you go to pick up your child from their service, tell them they did great that day. Encourage your little one pack their bag with essentials they will need for the day. If they are too young to pack their bag themselves, ask them if they would like to take a toy/book with them. Pack a comforter – a toy or blanket that is something familiar from home for them. Take the time to have a nice conversation at the breakfast table. Tell them the time at what you’ll be picking them up, and perhaps offer them a reward if they behave well at the service. Talking with children and encouraging them to voice any concerns or anxieties they may have is a helpful strategy. For your peace of mind it can be helpful to call the service later to see how your child settled. Children who become very upset when they are left often settle very quickly and happily once the actual separation is over. The service should enable you to contact them throughout the day. You may also want to speak to the educators at the service about how you can better support your child’s transition. How can the service assist your child to settle? The educators at the service should also demonstrate openness and sensitivity in assisting your child and family to settle. Some important ways for them to do this include: Providing you with verbal and/or written information about what can be expected when your child is settling and giving you settling tips during this process. Keeping you informed about your child’s settling, and actively seeking ongoing information from you about your child’s needs and interests. Inviting you to call or visit the service Giving you information about anything that may be happening at the service that may affect your child’s settling. For example, the absence of key people who work with your child. Reviewing the settling process for your child with you to identify how this is going. Reconnecting with your child after a day in childcare It’s not only a new experience for your child, it’s also important for you to know how they feel about going to their early childhood education and care service. This will help you connect and build a strong relationship with your child. After you pick them up from their centre, give them your undivided attention. They might be grumpy because they haven’t seen you the whole day, so shower them with all the love you can. Create a meaningful conversation with them after their day at a service. Here are some suggestions: Ask them about their favourite activities of the day. Talk to them about the friends they have made.
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