Bona Vista's Child Care Solutions

FREE Online Tax Resource

A free online tool can help low-income neighbors access a wide range of financial assistance. Purdue University's Cooperative Extension Service is hosting the "Benefit Bank". The Benefit Bank offers free help with income tax preparation-including tax refunds and obtaining the Earned Income Tax Credit. The free web-based resource also helps eligible citizens enroll for food stamps, fill out the FAFSA for college financial aid, and register to vote. The Benefit Bank is best utilized by youth organizations, schools, community centers, faith-based ministries and other civic agencies that can directly assist people in using the web site. For more information, visit: www.tbbin.org

Spring Training Near You!

National experts on youth development. working with parents and organizational management will deliver trainings in March and April in Merrillville, South Bend, Ft. Wayne, Indianapolis, Evansville, and New Albany. The line-up includes:

"Engaging Parents and Non-Traditional Families"

"The Pursuit of Peak Professionalism"

"Bullying, Bravery, and Behavior Management"

"Behavior Management: A Facilitated Discussion with Executives, Administrators, and Managers"

Registration fee: just $20 per half-day session. Continuing education credits are available. For more information, visit: www.iyi.org

Grant Tips:

The MetLife Foundation and the Local Initiatives Support Corporation fund community-police partnerships that improve community safety and revitalization. Award range is $15,00-$30,000 and Deadline is March 11, 2012. For more information, visit: www.lisc.org

Playground Grants! The Dr. Pepper Snapple Group, in partnership with KaBOOM! is offering funding for the construction of playgrounds. Eligible applicants include schools, nonprofits, day care centers, municipalities, and neighborhood associations. Recipients need to provide matching dollars ranging from $9,000-$25,000. Grant range is $15,000 and Deadline is March 16, 2012. For more information, visit: kaboom.org

For more grant tips, please visit: http://www.iyi.org/fundraising-grants.aspx

Loud and boisterous or quiet and shy- we have all known children who could be labeled with one attitude or another. According to this Zero to Three Article these diverse personality traits are the result of a child’s temperament. Temperament shapes a child’s behavior throughout childhood. Subsequently, an understanding of it can improve one’s understanding of a child’s actions and perceptions. For example a child with a timid temperament who was slow to warm up to strangers might cry silently and pull away from attempts an unfamiliar adult makes at comforting. In contrast an assertive child might be quick to walk up to strangers and play without fear. Understanding the temperaments of the children in your life can help you understand how best to support them.

In Tuning into Temperaments there is an explanation of temperament types, as well as a clear illustration of what each type might look like. This article is a beautiful introduction to the concept of temperaments. Only 1 page long and easy to read, it would be wonderful to share with parents and child care professionals alike. Please follow the link to the article on the Zero to Three website.

If you are still interested in more information on temperaments please call Child Care Solutions to register for a Temperament training. This free training will cover the 9 temperament traits, discovering your temperament and the temperaments of those you are closest to, and exploring how to work with someone whose temperament is not a good match for you. The next temperament training will be in March, so call ahead to reserve your spot.

Paths to QUALITY

Introduction Sessions

· Tuesday, February 9^th 6:30 pm–8:30 pm in Howard County

· Tuesday, March 9^th 6:30 pm-8:30 pm in Adams County

· Tuesday, April 12^th 6:30 pm-8:30 pm in Huntington County

· Tuesday, May 11^th 6:30 pm-8:30 pm in Jay County

· Tuesday, June 8^th 6:30 pm-8:30 pm in Wabash County

· Tuesday, July 13^th 6:30 pm-8:30 pm in Howard County

· Tuesday, August 10^th 6:30 pm-8:30 pm in Wells County

· Tuesday, September 14^th 6:30 pm-8:30 pm in Grant County

Bona Vista’s Child Care Solutions

123 N. Buckeye St, Kokomo

*Providers outside Howard County may be scheduled on an individual basis

Paths to QUALITY is a voluntary quality rating system. All regulated child care providers have the opportunity to participate. Introduction sessions offer providers the opportunity to become acquainted with the statewide Paths to QUALITY program. Attending an introduction session is also the first step for those who plan to enroll in the program.

To register for the session of your choice contact Tiffany Newman, Paths to QUALITY Specialist, 765-452-8870/toll-free 800-493-3231; tnewman@bonavista.org

Paths to QUALITY Accomplishments

Congratulations to the following providers who enrolled in Indiana’s Paths to QUALITY program between December 1^st and January 22^nd:

Kokomo-Center Schools Head Start Program- Julie Worland

Westminster Presbyterian Preschool- Elizabeth Schlesinger-Devlin

Emanuel Lutheran Child Care- Christi Dolezal

Play N Learn Childcare- Patricia Copeland

Tender Needed Childcare- Treva Cobb

Teaching Little Tykes- Tracey Terry

Teaching Little Tykes II- Tracey Terry

Mae’s Fun House Child Care- Mae Clayton

Lezlie’s Day Care- Lezlie Cousins

Congratulations to the following programs that increased a level in Indiana’s Paths to QUALITY between September 1, 2009 and January 25, 2010:

From Level 1 to Level 2:

Kidz Korner- Linda Garmon

Camden Kid Care- Donna Scharrer

The Tot Spot- Cynthia Tobin

YMCA Child Care Development Center- Trish Severns

Russell Family Day Care- Jill Russell

Little Feet on Marshall Street- Kendra Schlemmer

From Level 2 to Level 3:

Creative Child Care- Sheri George

Our Kids Child Care- Ada Ebert

Kiddie Kaboodle- Barbara Merkel

Huntington Head Start- Beth Wickham

Educare Child Care Services, Inc.- Danielle Hurt

Educare Child Care Services, Inc.- Brian Hurt

Do you have a child or children in your care with an IEP who are having a CCC and the parents have invited you to be part of the committee that is talking about the LEA and the LRE for the child and all of a sudden you just want to say “WAIT! What are you saying?”

The world of education can quickly become full of acronyms and letters that sometimes need to be deciphered. The following are some of high occurrence acronyms.


ADA - Americans with Disabilities Act
ADHD - Attention Deficit Hyperactivity Disorder
ASD - Autism Spectrum Disorder
EI - Early Intervention (First Steps)
ESL - English as a Second Language
FAPE - Free, appropriate, public education
IDEA - Individuals with Disabilities Education Act
IDEA-Part C - Programs for infants and toddlers with special needs
IEP - Individualized Education Program
IFSP - Individualized Family Service Plan
LD - Learning Disability
LEA - Local Education Agency (local school district)
LRE - Least Restrictive Environment
OT - Occupational Therapy
PDD - Pervasive Development Disorder
PBS - Positive Behavior Supports
PLOP - Present Levels Of Performance
PT - Physical Therapy
SLP - Speech Language Pathologist
SPD - Sensory Processing Disorder
TOR - Teacher Of Record

Hopefully as you are reviewing any IEPs or IFSPs of the children in your care, you will now be able to decipher some of the alphabet soup that you may see.

In child care we are supposed to be the experts in helping soothe the fussiest most challenging babies. Even the greatest infant teacher will from time to time come across a baby who is difficult and seems impossible to soothe. When this happens there can be a mix of emotions from guilt to frustration to anger. It is easy to blame the parents, “this baby is spoiled” or to blame yourself, “I don’t know what I am doing I must be stupid”. The blame game is never helpful in fixing a situation so here are some tips and techniques to keep in mind to help you problem solve with the babies family how to soothe the fussiest baby.

1. Make sure you have run through your basics- food, diaper, calm period to rest etc.
2. Strip the baby down and make sure nothing is irritating her skin. Remember for a sensitive baby socks that are too tight can cause a day of crying.
3. Find out what works at home. Does mom use a cradleboard? Do they have a special CD that plays? How does the family hold the baby? All of this matters. Compare it to how you relax. We all have specific things that we do to calm ourselves down and what works for me might not be at all what works for you. Just because I like a cup of hot tea and a jazz CD does not make that the only way to calm down. This is true for children too. Take some time and have a conversation where you listen to the parents share what they do to calm the baby at home. Who knows maybe it is a combination of rap music and fan that works wonders at home. Do not judge parents, just listen and keep an open mind.
4. Try to adapt techniques used at home to the child care setting. This often takes creativity since there are more complications in a child care setting (i.e. other children playing laughing and even hollering), but you can adapt almost anything with a little creativity.
5. Do not expect miracles. Especially when babies are new to care, everything is different. Smells, sounds, temperatures, and you are all new. All that change is scary so expect some crying. Even if a child has been in your care for some time, as children go through different developmental stages crying at change is normal. As you make your adaptations, give each adaptation at least a week, preferably more, to work before changing anything else. Nothing works instantly and patience is essential when working with young children.
6. Ask for help. If you have tried to adapt and use different techniques and it is not working, call your mentor or infant toddler specialist and ask for help. Also keep in mind that there can be medical reasons for a child to cry. If the baby is crying and is inconsolable both at home and school, you should keep a log of the times the baby cries and what you have done to soothe. This log can be helpful for the child’s family to take to the pediatrician to talk about what else could be causing the crying.

Try not to be too hard on yourself or on parents. Babies cry for a reason. They are not spoiled nor are they out to get you. By working patiently with the family you should be able to help soothe most of those babies through even the roughest patches.

For more information on helping out parents click here

When thinking about helping babies sleep always remember Safe Sleeping guidelines check out this article for more information

For more great Infant & Toddler Information Check out these websites:

Zero to Three
National Association for the Education of Young Children
The Program for Infant & Toddler Care