Joyful Noise Day Care -- 2012 Archives

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New Year, new entry, new intentions, new wisdom, new life.   All of these things are true and so many other new beginnings.   Right now, just the "news" as I still am trying to get my land legs under me after the holidays!

One big bit of news is that Lily will be re-joining us after school on Tuesdays!   We're so excited to see her again!

Another big bit of sad news is that Mary and Collin's Mommy has moved out of the house next door so they are no longer our next door neighbors.   She didn't move far though and they'll still be here all the time so nothing else has changed.   Oh.   Except that for the time being, Collin's cat, Salmon, now lives here.   He's been here quite a bit during the past couple of years anyway, so this isn't a big change for us except that he'll be in the house a little more.   We don't really trust the kids to be gentle around him, so we'll be keeping him safe from all their grabbing hands.   He loves the children, but at a distance, so he has a bed in the back porch for when they're awake and he's also used to going outside.   We're confident that this won't be a problem for anyone since almost all the current families have pets of their own.   Mostly it's an adjustment for Ben and me, but we have loved him for quite awhile and he's very good mannered.   And a good mouser.

Any minute now I'll be having my surprise inspection from DHS for my license renewal.   Thank you for your patience if you're trying to conduct some business here when this is occuring.   It's all part of the job and though interruptions to our day are difficult for all of us this one is very important.

Dan Hodgins has a newsletter this month that's a reflection on the assessment program that child care is being herded into in our state.   He asks the same question that we all will be asking as a result of this new standard being imposed on us; what is quality child care?   This isn't going to go away any time soon and there will be more explanation of the assessment tools and how I'm being coached through them here in this weblog.   Stay tuned.

And last, but not least, Aaron and Mason are expecting their new brother or sister no later than the 21st of February, so all good wishes and prayers and helping hands as their Mom is trying not to slip on the ice are appreciated!   Your reward will be a sweet little baby to coo over and hold before we know it.   Remember that the daycare will be closed for a few days then while we help out with all the work those tiny little ones can bring when they first arrive on the scene.

We usually think of these winter months as quiet and uneventful, but not around here!   This last week we got the sad news that Rebecca and Madeline will soon be leaving us to spend all their days home with Daddy.   Lucky for the three of them but it will be a big hole left here for us.   SO the next couple of weeks will be spent trying preparing the children for this huge change and also trying to find someone to fill those little big shoes around here.   We already have three interviews scheduled, so be prepared for some conversation about the new little children who will be coming to visit us.   Of course, we still haven't had the surprise visit from DHS so I'm expecting that will probably happen right during an interview....

We had a snow day last week so Aaron and Ashlee got to come and play for a day, much to the delight of all of us here.   Now tomorrow TCAPS has a holiday so Collin and Aaron will be here and next Monday Kingsley school has a holiday so Ashlee and Elliott will be here and we're really so excited to be able to spend some time with our long lost big kids.   As they walk among the little ones they seem so wise and graceful and are so admired.

Salmon is adjusting very well to life in his new home and to being primarily an indoor cat.   He's found that he can escape the children by going upstairs or in the back porch, much to his and our relief.   Amid all that is new this year he is one change that's proving to be peaceful, comforting and fun.

When we're all sick it seems like the days are all 48 hours instead of 24, but nonetheless we made it through the week and lived to tell the tale.   Everyone with these low-grade "cruds" that are going around feels a little silly complaining about sniffles and coughs and crankiness, but when your body is telling you to curl up and rest but you have to keep working and cooking and scraping the ice off the car it's just natural to whine a little bit.   Hopefully as we turn the page on the calendar we will also turn the page on these maladies and start to perk up a little bit.

My DHS worker, Marie, came for my renewal visit on Wednesday so the suspense has ended.   We had a very nice visit and if any of you are ever curious you can always read the latest reports on their website.

Now this next week we'll have a visit from Hilary who is validating the information on my Self Assessment Survey that the state is implementing.   If you've been reading this blog you know that many child care professionals have very mixed feelings about this program, including me.   However, I've always held to the notion that you shouldn't complain about something that you have no understanding of, so I feel like first I have to get my brain wrapped around exactly what's going on here before I make too many disparaging remarks that I may be sorry for later.   You can rest assured that as soon as I do understand, to the best of my ability, what The State is trying to do here, I'll pass that understanding on in this weblog.   The process is so confusing that Child Care Connections is offering classes to providers to help them through the process of filling out the "self" assessment and then to help them fulfill some of the areas where they may be deficient so that their ratings can improve.   It all speaks to the larger question, "What is quality when it comes to caring for young children?"

Last but not least, please pass the word around that we have two full time openings for children 1 year old and older.   This is usually not a time of year when people are looking for new child care and since we had just exhausted the waiting list a couple of months ago, there weren't too many people on it that needed full time care.   That means we're casting our nets wider and waiting to see who might call.   I never worry when we have these unexpected openings because it seems that always we get such perfect surprises when they happen.   Still, those perfect surprises always come by "word of mouth" advertising, so help us get the word out!   Thank you!

Well, some weeks are so packed with surprises that by the end of them you think the only surprise might be if something goes as expected!   This past week some people had a snow day and some people had pink eye and all of our interviews either canceled or rescheduled and we still have not had our DHS visit!   By Friday night we were exhausted just from being flexible.

It seems there are about five different ailments that are cycling around town and all of them have made their presence known in our home.   Ben and I are blessed with good health which we never take for granted, but even so we're feeling the effects of our immune systems being challenged.   The tissue companies I'm sure are seeing an uptick in sales just from our renewed business and we're looking forward to the light at the end of this little tunnel as I'm sure all of the children are as well.   Because of this we've been very cautious about outdoor time.   We know that the fresh air is good for them but we also respect the age-old wisdom of keeping them warm and dry in the northern winters.   Our policy in this weather is to take each day and each hour as a separate decision that's based on our group as a whole and the individual needs within it as well as the instincts and needs of the adults.   Complicated metrics, but they work for us!

On the topic of children and nature, a good article is on page 9 of the autumn issue of Connections for a Great Start.   Even when the weather is prohibitive, nature is still the best teacher and we can incorporate her lessons into our day.   Our windows are low and offer views to the west of branches where the birds sit, the back yard to the south is full of snow and crows and squirrels and the sidewalk to the north of us where often the wonderful sidewalk plow gives us a brief, spectacular show as it goes by.   There is no end of discussion about nature around here.   Just a couple of days ago we spotted a small falcon in the tree by the bird feeder and the older children got to use the binoculars to try to get a close up view.   Not easy, but SO interesting!

Lily came back this last week and boy is she a ray of sunshine for all of us.   Talk about rock star status!   Tuesdays are suddenly special for two reasons; toy day and Lily!

I was gifted at the holidays with a set of test tubes from Steve Spangler Science and boy are they cool.   We had fun mixing water and oil and food coloring in them and watched how they mixed and then how they settled and then we took them outside and dumped them in the snow.   Stay tuned for more cool test tube fun!

We still are holding in our hearts and minds the prayers for our new little children to come this way.   Always when I have openings I don't worry but send out my heart for those children that need me and who I need.   If you think you know those children, be sure to give them my number!

Little by little we're all feeling better, but even Garrison Keillor, in The News From Lake Wobegon mentioned that this warm weather has everyone a little cranky and blue and sickly, so it's not just us!

Some of you have been wanting the recipe for the home made hand cream that we sometimes use on the kid's faces, so I've posted it as the Recipe of the Month for February.   Print out a copy because those recipes are only up for two months!   Either that or buy the book that it comes from; well worth it for all the good information about herbs!

Dan Hodgins has his newsletter for February out, Are They Friends or Intruders?   As always, Dan is a great resource and a breath of fresh air.   As it becomes more politically correct to be concerned about young children, we find that there are suddenly many "experts" in the field, by virtue of having read a study or taken a few classes.   Dan is a TRUE expert in the field.

Another good article that came across my desk this week is in the current issue of Great Start Connections.   Two articles, actually, but you'll have to scroll down to page 13 to find, Young Children And Creativity: Getting Out Of Their Way... and then, after it, an article about "loose parts" which you see a LOT of around here!   Please take a moment to look these articles over.   They support how we do things around here, which isn't always the conventional way!

We had an interview last week for our two openings and more scheduled for the coming week, which is exciting for all of us.   No decisions made yet, but a lot of prayers for guidance and wisdom!   Now, it's time to make some popcorn; almost time for Downton Abbey!

Well, the snow has come to brighten things up and the month-long illness that we've all been wrestling with is beginning to lose its grip on us, so things are a little more cheerful around here.   But they're also a little more sad since Friday was Madeline and Rebecca's last day.   Every time a new child comes into our home we know that the sad last day is somewhere on the horizon, but that doesn't make it any easier when it does arrive.   So much of this week was just spent emotionally preparing for this transition.

Now the next couple of weeks we'll be preparing emotionally for the arrival of Aaron and Mason's new sibling.   Remember next week we'll be closed for a few days to help out with the new grandbaby.   To say we are excited doesn't really even begin to encompass what our hearts are going through!

We still haven't filled our openings so keep spreading the word!

Most of you know by now that our little Annamay Rose arrived right on schedule, February 21st, making her a Mardi Gras baby!   The whole family is doing well and Aaron and Mason are thrilled to have a new little sister.   At our house, Grandpa and Grandma (especially) are breathing a huge sigh of relief and wallowing in a do-nothing weekend that involves mostly catching up on ignored mail (it can sure pile up fast!) washing the extra laundry created by our rousing sleep-over guests and walking downtown to a movie.   This is our idea of a nearly perfect weekend.

In the meantime, though things have been a little quieter than usual around here, we've not been idle.   Little Emory and her Mom came to visit this last week and if all goes as planned she'll be coming here on a regular basis!   Stay tuned!   We still have one part time and one full time opening left for the time being; also, stay tuned!   Our family is growing and changing!

Some of you will be getting your yearly paperwork to fill out.   I know...groan.   Sorry.   DHS requires that this paperwork be updated annually and they consider it expired after a year.   Don't shoot the messenger: just fill it out and return it as quickly as possible!   Thank you!

Wow!   I think March came in like a lion this year!   We had a huge dump of very wet snow on Friday night which resulted in major power outages in our whole area.   Because the problems were all caused by branches falling on wires the problems were spotty, unpredictable and often very difficult to find and fix.   As a result, some of us feel very lucky and spoiled while others are going through these very cold days with no electricity.   We know the power crews are working overtime and our hearts and prayers are with everyone as they weather this storm.

This past week Emory got her start at Joyful Noise and it seems like she's just always been here.   We're all so happy to have her sweet little self here among us!   Now this next week will be bringing some more interviews and promises of new friends!

This weekend is one hour shorter because of the confounding idea that to set the clocks forward will somehow save us electricity or improve our quality of life because now the sun sets at 8 instead of 7.   Personally, I was just starting to love that it was light when my workday started, but now it will be dark again for those who arrive first in the morning.   Ah well.   The politicians have to do something to earn our tax money, don't they?

This last week we were very busy interviewing and discovering that little Ellie will be joining our daycare family tomorrow.   We're all very excited and feeling very good about this new relationship!   All these changes are hard for all of us, but especially the new children who are experiencing the equivalent of a job change, so please help us as we coddle and cuddle them a little extra while they figure out their new surroundings.   Before long they'll be just as comfortable as everyone else is around here.

The process of interviewing these last couple months has been, as always, instructive.   It's always a little disconcerting to be forced to look at yourself critically through a stranger's eyes, and that's exactly what the process of inviting folks into our home during the workday does for us.   Especially since caring for someone's child is such an intimate relationship, those who come to visit are forced to confront many of their unspoken fears, prejudices and embarrassments when they set about to choose someone to trust with that job.   To add to that discomfort, a day care home in the doldrums of winter is not really at its best, between colds, flu, muddy boots and cabin fever!   Because of all this emotional work that gets done during each interview, I come away exhausted but also filled with new insights into families and also a gigantic appreciation for those who are already with us and the sweet bonds that we're forming.   Thank you, one and all, past, present and future!   This is truly such wonderful, blessed work we do, bringing up these children.

To keep up with the times as I do this work I'm attending the Make Me a Star program through Child Care Connections.   There are many changes coming toward us in this community in the area of early childhood and Child Care Resources has always been the agency that provides day care homes with the support and education they need to navigate these hurdles.   As governments and the big box preschools get more and more involved in the lives of infants, toddlers and preschoolers it will become increasingly important that we are able to sort out the truth from their sales pitches.   I'll be using this website to highlight some of the areas that are bound to become more confusing for parents and the changes that new legislation will be bringing about, as well as the changes in our community as new players get involved.   I also welcome your questions and input about these topics!

Our beacon of wisdom, Dan Hodgins, has put out his March newsletter to help us keep our bearings in this ever changing landscape of childcare.   He has warned us that he'll be discontinuing this newsletter in its present format and rethinking how to communicate with us in a more efficient way.   As soon as he figures it out you can be sure we'll continue to pass along his message.   In the meantime, just keep enjoying the last little bits of winter.   Before long, we'll be complaining about the heat!

This week we had a lovely, joyful time here at the daycare as we watched the snow disappear before our very eyes and the children went from snowpants and boots to tennis shoes and sandals in five short days!   Ah the magic of Michigan!   We also welcomed Ellie into our fold and discovered that she is as happy to be here as we are to have her, adding her sweet, peaceful joy to our days.   Sometimes everything just seems to all go right and we can only smile and be completely grateful and this week was one of those!

Really, though I have so much to say (are you surprised?) it was just much too nice outside to focus on putting it all into words.   I'm sure that once we all get used to the nice weather and/or it goes away, I'll come back to my senses.   But for now, I'm preoccupied with saying good-bye to winter and hello to spring by soaking up some sorely needed sunshine vitamins.   See ya' later!

April!   Here we go, the slippery slope into summer!   Are you ready?   We are!

Last weekend we had a precious visit from family so no weblog entry while we spent every possible minute with them.   Then last week was spring break so we were graced by the elegant "big kids" who were free from school.   We were all sad to have it end, though this Friday they also have a day off so we get a little treat again then.   After that it won't be long until summer when they're here every day!   Hooray!

Any of you who still have your paperwork lolling around at home, please remember to bring it back.   A small detail but important!

I've posted a new recipe for the month of April and the calendar is updated to include the three, count 'em, three birthdays this month!   Take note and remember to make plans for the days in May when Joyful Noise will be closed.   Vacations ARE necessary!

We've been so happy to have Ellie and Emory settling in to their routines with us so well and it feels like they've just been here forever, we're all so happy with each other.   This past week we've all been struggling with a little cold but even so, spirits have been high and my heart is so full of love and gratitude for this wonderful work.

It seems that we have new neighbors who have moved in next door and they have little children who LOVE to come over to the fence and talk to us.   We haven't had the pleasure of meeting any grown-ups yet, but if your children start talking about the "little boy and girl at the fence" you'll know what they mean!

After taking last weekend 'off' from my office work, coupled with month-end duties this will be all I write; so much to do, so little time!   I will leave you with this cute article by W. Bruce Cameron called Hop-along Boy.   Though it was first published a few years ago I think in light of some of the new trends in early childhood "education" in our country and also locally, it seems still very timely.   Remember, keep laughing!

Some changes come with horns and whistles and sirens and some changes sneak in on mouse feet.   This month will see the quiet closing of a humble local agency, Child Care Connections, formerly the 4C Council.   They had reached the point where they were completely reliant on the Great Start grant money and had thrown all their staff into fulfilling the requirements of the program.   However, procuring the grant is a competitive process every year and this year another group joined in the competition and was awarded the contract.   This means that after decades of serving the parents and providers in a ten county area, Child Care Connections will cease to exist.   You will notice that I have now changed this page to direct parents only to two websites if they need to find child care, not to Child Care Connections.

It's usually hard to predict if a change like this is "good" or "bad."   Not having been privy to the inner workings of Child Care Connections for many years now, or the (so far unnamed except that we know the Charlevoix-Emmet Intermediate School District is their fiduciary) group that will be taking over the Great Start program, I don't fully understand why it was necessary at this point to pass the baton.   Oh, of course I've heard LOTS of rumors!   But it's certainly not appropriate to repeat rumors in print.   Only time will tell if this was a political power grab (early childhood "education" is very popular these days,) or the only way to breathe new life into an agency that had outlived its usefulness.   There are lots of questions and concerns about this shift and as of this writing all of them remain unanswered.   Rest assured that as I learn bits and pieces of information I'll be passing them along.

One interesting new child development tidbit in our town is the new child care center that our Chamber of Commerce is getting involved in.   It seems that our Chamber is one of the partners in the Great Start program.   If they're truly becoming concerned about child care in our community that could be a very good thing.   Perhaps they'll be able to assist me in convincing our city commission to lift the restrictions on Group Day Homes in the city limits!   In 2010, with the help of Russ Soyring and Ross Richardson I managed to convince them to loosen up a bit but they refused to abolish them entirely.   These restrictions do nothing but make it harder to have enough quality child care within our city limits.   Hopefully the Chamber will be involved in true advocacy for small, intimate child care and not just big box interests.   Stay tuned!

This weekend Ben and I went to Cadillac to hear one of my favorite child development gurus, Dan Hodgins.   We got all kinds of support for the way we do things now and lots of ideas for how to change things to make Joyful Noise an even better place for children to grow.   His new book, Boys: Changing the Classroom, Not the Child, is now part of our library and you can expect to see some great quotes from it here on the weblog.   Also good news from Dan; he'll have another newsletter out very soon.   Be sure to read them as they are some of the most valuable information about raising children on the market today!

One other article that appeared in a local, FREE paper called the Grand Traverse Insider is a wonderful explanation of how to use Praise and Encouragement with your child.   It's not what you're used to hearing but this is what all the research is starting to show so it's such a worthwhile article.

The sun is setting and the children will soon be on my doorstep, so though I'd love to stay and chat some more, I've got to go get some much needed rest.   Be sure to do the same; we can't be there for the kids if we're half asleep!

Some of you may have noticed that I got my picture in the paper yesterday; under protest, I may add.   I suggested to the Record-Eagle that Child Care Connections deserved a farewell story since they had served the community for decades, growing up from a grassroots group of women.   Unfortunately, the news that they were closing was news and as Loraine Anderson started to investigate they decided that there was more to report than just the disappearance of our humble little agency.   Once she started making phone calls boy did the pot get stirred!   I even had people calling me and wondering if I had to close down.   No, not at all.   The agency offered support for parents in the way of referrals and for providers it offered training, lending libraries and professional guidance; it has nothing to do with me staying open.   The new consortium that will be taking over the services have yet to explain how they will be providing those trainings for us but, as many of you know, the referral service has all been moved online, which is why Mary Manners can be quoted in the article saying that "The shift won't disrupt northwest Michigan day-care providers and parents seeking referrals in northwest Michigan."

What will impact us directly about this agency's closing is that now we will have to switch our sponsor for the food program.   On Wednesday morning I'll be meeting with a representative from Association for Child Development who will be our new sponsor.   Their office is in Lansing and they have field reps that travel to our homes, but they have been serving providers in our community for decades.   At this point we have no local options for this important subsidy that helps keep your daycare costs down and helps me to afford the high quality of food that I serve your children.   Remember this as you (I'm bracing myself for the collective groan) have to fill out new enrollment forms.   Sorry.

The newest issue of Young Children had a lovely, concise article about Emergent Curriculum, which is what we use here at Joyful Noise.   Before your eyes start to glaze over, let's get clear that curriculum is what happens during our day, NOT a stuffy, dry outline on paper.   Rather than take a cookie cutter approach to how we guide and support the children's learning, we allow the curriculum to emerge from their unique interests and needs.

To develop curriculum in depth, adults must notice children's questions and invent ways to extend them, document what happens, and invent more questions.   The process is naturally individualized.   In contrast, standardized curriculum comes from unknown experts outside the classroom.   It relies on generalization rather than on an individual teacher's creativity and attentiveness to individual learners......The more standardized the curriculum, the less children's individual needs are met and the more likely it is that many children will fall behind.

Those who are skilled at such teaching are often unable to communicate to parents, colleagues, or the public what intuitively they are doing superbly well.

This is what we are striving for.

Again, I've run out of time before I've run out of things to say.   Those who know me well are not surprised.   I'm often asked how I find time to maintain the website and this blog and my answer is that I love this tool of communication so I find bits and pieces of time, mostly on the weekends, to add to it.   If you care about children and are reading this, thank you.   Let me know how I can make it better and then, be patient.   My first love is the children, so most of my time is spent there.   But talking about child care is important, especially in these times when more and more "unknown experts" are starting to get involved and become the hands that rock the cradle.

We have survived our vacation.   I'm sure that we've gained new knowledge, perspective, energy and credit card charges.   I'm not sure we're ready to come back to work.   It always seems like in one short week I can forget so much, and then in one day I remember it all again.   Today is the day I am feeling forgetful.

There are some changes coming in the next few weeks.   The most obvious is that school will get out and our numbers will swell.   Ready or not, here come the big kids!   Nobody new, just our familiar family members, older and more elegant than ever.   We're so looking forward to them, even as we brace ourselves to prepare bigger lunches, have more beds down at nap time and more joyful noise around the house.   Another change is that we've had to contract with a new food program provider.   This will for sure mean that you'll need to be signing new enrollment forms.   It may also mean that you'll be asked to fill out income statements; stay tuned.   As soon as I learn I'll be passing all information on to you.

Of course, even though I've had days and days off, this is getting typed at the last minute on Sunday.   This is because most of those days were spent visiting my parents in Wisconsin, with a little side trip to see the Tigers play the White Sox in Chicago.   Only four of all those days off were spent at home.   We're exhausted, physically and emotionally.   Thorton Wilder wrote: When you're safe at home, you wish you were having an adventure, and when you're having an adventure, you wish you were safe at home.   We're happy to be back, safe at home.

Getting back into the swing of things is not always as easy as it seems, but we're working at it here.   The swing of things is going to start to get a little more lively this week as school lets out on Friday and the big kids all return.   We're so excited to see them!

June also marks the month that we'll be switching sponsors for the food program.   Just today I was allowed to log in to the new sponsor's website and start to familiarize myself with their online system.   This will involve signing new enrollment forms in the next week or two.   My new worker will be back next week for my "make sure everything is ok" visit and I'll find out then if there will be income forms for you to fill out.   Changing sponsors may or may not mean that my reimbursement "tier levels" change and I will be getting a substantially lower reimbursement amount which may result in a steeper rate increase in January than I had originally planned.   However, if enough incomes in the daycare qualify as low enough, the reimbursement will be boosted accordingly.   Since the income forms that you fill out are completely confidential, I will have no way of knowing who qualifies as low income and who does not, so it's a complicated affair that doesn't really make sense, but when we get assistance from the government we have to just say "thank you" and go with it.   Stay tuned.

Also as we step in to summer we already have our eye to the autumn and the end of the year.   Many new changes are coming up on the local scene for early childcare providers.   Sometime at the end of this year the rating system (this opens a pdf file; see page 15 for a description) for early childcare providers will be made available to parents looking for childcare.   This rating system is the focus of the Great Start to Quality funding that was recently awarded to the Great Start Consortium and the onus is on this group to help child care facilities in northwest Michigan achieve the quality outlined by The State in this program.

However, this task may prove impossible and The Consortium may very well be way over their heads here.   Already they've had the grant for a month and as far as I know not one program has even been introduced, let alone implemented to help day care homes comply with some of these standards.   Quite the contrary.   The toy lending library that had been assembled for providers has been partially dispersed and the remainder inaccessible except by specific item request.   (How can we request something if we don't know what's there?)   The long term training program that was under way, specifically to help home providers excel in the rating system, has been discontinued, in spite of assurances that none of our services would be lost in the transition to the new Great Start provider.   Two emails that I've sent to my new Great Start "Quality Improvement Consultant" inquiring about the library, the continuation of our training and assistance with the rating system have gone unanswered for over a week now.

You may wonder why the big fuss, right?   A quality rating system seems like a good thing.   Well, a rating system is only good if it's an accurate measure of true quality and not just a series of irrelevant standards, unnecessary tasks and misguided goals.   And unfortunately it seems that at this point our Great Start to Quality is just that when it comes to day care homes.   Once it goes "public," consumers will see that a child care facility has one to five stars.   But what we've been told is that you will not be able to see just what criteria were used to determine how each facility got those stars.   So, bit by bit, I will show you here the Self Assessment Survey (SAS) that we are to fill out.   Of course we can say anything we want on this survey; we do it ourselves online.   But our information is then validated before it is approved.

The very first section on the SAS is Early Childhood Educator Qualitfications and Professional Development. The first part of part one is Administrator Qualifications.   Already this doesn't sound like it applies to a day care home, does it?  And yet, these are our choices.

Administrator Qualifications

• CDA or Montessori Credential.
  • (Chris' note: In 1967, the US Patent Trademark Trial and Appeal Board ruled that "the term 'Montessori' has a generic and/or descriptive significance."Therefore, in the United States and elsewhere, the term can be used freely without giving any guarantee of how closely, if at all, a program applies Montessori's work.)
• Associate's Degree in Early Childhood Education or related field.
• Bachelor's degree or higher in a child-related field including a minimum of 18 hours in Early Childhood Education / Child Development.
• Bachelor's degree or higher with a major in Early Childhood Education / Child Development.

You can see that many people who run a day care home will not be able to check any of these things.   Even I, who have an Associates Degree, cannot check anything because I lack the three classes necessary to get the Early Childhood endorsement on my degree.   I lack them because, even though I took all the classes available in the Child Development department, at the time I received my degree there was no such endorsement at NMC.   To take the classes now I would have to hire an assistant since they're only offered in the daytime.   Will this be quality child care or just jumping through unnecessary hoops?

The SAS is designed so that unless you can check one of these Administrator Qualifications, no matter how highly you rate in any of the other areas, (we'll look at these in upcoming posts) you will only have one star.   But all licensed facilities automatically have one star, just by virtue of being licensed.   Now does this seem like a fair, valid, accurate measure of quality when it comes to child care?   Leaving out the obvious question, (does a degree or CDA credential insure that the person who has received it will provide the best possible environment and care for your child,) this glaring fault at the very beginning of our survey leads us all to wonder what the motives are in creating a survey that is so heavily weighted in the formal education category?   We have been told that the survey was created hastily and is bound to be modified, but so far we've not seen those modifications.

If you're still with me at the end of this long post, please consider the questions raised here.   When you see in the news how businesses are now endorsing preschooling and our public schools are expanding every year to include younger and younger children we notice some disturbing changes in how our government is looking at childhood.   What do you think about this?

Happy Father's Day to all the good Dads out there and to all the people, male and female, who are surrogate Dads.   Children need good male role models and they are often in short supply since the role of men in relationship to children is hard to pin down.   It is helpful for all of us to remember that one of the most important things we can do for children is to cultivate our own moral character.   To each moment of the day be mindful of the tasks that are put in front of us to do and to do them with reverence and clarity.   When we have struggles, inner and outer, to fight the good fight and win or lose with grace.   When children have these kind of adults in their lives, it benefits them far beyond any other influence or opportunity they might be exposed to.

The switch to the new food program sponsor is going fairly smooth.   At this point I can tell you that I will not be asking you to submit income forms.   They are too detailed and intrusive for me to feel comfortable about it.   At this point I am not even sure which tier I have been assigned, but my workers who are sweet and pleasant and helpful all assure me that they're working on it and we should have some more answers in the weeks to come.   However, if I do get bumped down to teir II, my rate increase this January will have to be larger than anticipated, so keep your fingers crossed.  Also, after a couple of weeks with their new online claiming system I found that my suspicions were confirmed and I just do NOT have enough time at my computer to add one more daily task there.   I'll be using the good, old-fashioned paper system after all.   Can't say I didn't give it a whirl though.   I have to use the online system for the rest of the month however before switching back to paper, so that means, unfortunately, that the weblog is going to take the hit here.

I had hoped to get back to dissecting the new Great Start to Quality Self Assessment Survey, but because of all the extra business that's been going on around the computer, that will have to wait a few more days.   Until I can get to it though I'd like to give you some nice little links to look at.   The first one is a beautiful article from Ode magazine called Singing is Healing, an interview with Jan Kortie.   One of the best things he says is You can only sing off-key if you compare your voice to someone else's.   I always try to remove that comparison.   No one ever decides by themselves that they can't sing.   A child sings, dances and draws without preconception, until an authority figure steps in to express an opinion.   Let's try to never be that adult, o.k.?

Another quick article I want to share with you is from the May issue of Young Children, the magazine put out by National Association for the Education of Young Children.   This article, Supporting the Scientific Thinking and Inquiry of Toddlers and Preschoolers through Play by Maria Hamlin and Debora B. Wisneski, seems like kind of technical, teacherish stuff but I want you to just skip down to the end of it all to the easy-to-read chart.   Notice that this chart explains to you in great detail how just a few of the things your children will do all by themselves if you just leave them alone are really very important scientific experiments.   It also gives you some things to do or say if you really feel that you must insert yourself into your child's play.   But I challenge you to just stay out of the limelight and observe (ideally from a hidden location so your presence doesn't interfere with their process) and see if, when left alone, your little genius doesn't think of these things themselves and maybe even go above and beyond and off on their own tangents that you may never have dreamed of but are just as valid, if not more.   Can you do it?

Oh the beauty of early summer!   Though it's hard to tear myself away from gazing at all the glory around us, I'm excited that this weekend offered me a little more time to write here and catch up on some of the news.   There are corners and whole rooms on my website that are really dusty and cluttered and need to be swept out, polished up and revamped, but for now I'm just focusing on the "salon" here.   If you go wandering around, well...enjoy and know that I realize work needs to be done!

First, a topic long ago shelved: milk!   Stan Moore, the extension dairy educator for Michigan State University's Extension office in Antrim County had a very nice, informative article in the Record-Eagle a few weeks ago called What kind of milk is best?.   You may remember that last year I explained here in this weblog the controversial (to some of us) new regulations concerning milk in schools and licensed child care facilities.   While Mr. Moore is very careful never to recommend that those of us caring for children become criminals by giving them whole milk past the age of 2 years, he encourages us to look at our diets as a whole and use (gasp!) common sense.   I would also encourage you to dig deep when researching what foods are healthy for you, not just blindly trust the latest issue from the food lobbies.   There are some links in the dusty corners of this website to get you started and on those pages you'll find even more links.   What we put in our bodies is not a no-brainer.   And our children are the victims of our choices.   They are not giving you informed consent to poison or malnourish them.

Moving right along, I'm looking forward to attending a hopefully informative meeting this week about the Great Start program.   They sent out a Mythbusters and FAQ letter this past week which gives a few straight, helpful answers and a few answers that a friend of mine calls "tap dancing."   But read it yourself and see what you think.   The meeting is only an hour long so I don't have high expectations.   My burning question to the earnest folks who are putting it on is how important it is to partake in the Great Start program and the rating system as it is set up now. Is this REALLY a reflection of true quality and as business owners will it give us a return for the time it asks us to invest? I'm not sure the folks who are sponsoring it can honestly discuss that.   I'm also quite concerned when I see that Leelanau Early Childhood Development Commission wants voters in November to support a millage that would fund their efforts to provide access to "high-quality, comprehensive and accountable" child care to all families in the county.   Players in the Great Start program are quoted as supporting this millage and the most concerning part is that

Funds would go toward four different programs: tuition assistance; quality assessment of existing child care facilities; support for parenting communities; and research, coordination and evaluation.

I've been told that future funding opportunities may very well be tied to this Great Start quality assessment program and this Leelanau Early Childhood Development Commission seems to be hoping to do exactly that.   While this may have little impact on providers like me, it will have a great impact on many other providers.   More importantly, it will have a great impact on young chidren and their families by limiting the options that they have for true quality in child care and by limiting their perceptions of what exemplary chid care looks like.

So without further ado, let's jump into the next part of our Self Assessment Survey that all this judgement about quality rests upon, shall we?   If you're just joining us, the Survey is explained earlier this month.   Part two of Part one (see below, I KNOW this is confusing, believe me!) is

Early Childhood Educator Qualifications

• Early Childhood Educator Qualifications
  • Lead Early Childhood Educator has at least a CDA appropriate to age served.
  • Lead Early Childhood Educator has at least an Associate's degree in Early Childhood Education or a related field.
  • Lead Early Childhood Educator has at least a Bachelor's degree in Early Childhood Education or related field.
• Assistant Early Childhood Educator Qualifications
  • At least one assistant has at least a CDA appropriate to age served.
  • At least one assistant has at least an Associate's degree in Early Childhood Education or a related field.

These are similar to the requirements for the Administrator and are as heavily weighted.   You can see that for a home based daycare the administrator and lead teacher would most often be the same person.   My survey includes assistant because I run a group home and could possibly have an assistant.   While I realize that education can of course improve the quality of child care, I maintain that the kind of education one obtains through a CDA or college degree program is not always the kind that furthers quality.   On the contrary, I have attended classes, workshops and seminars given by speakers on the cutting edge of child care who bemoan what is being taught in colleges and universities today as ineffective and even harmful to the development of children.   These are very controversial times in education.   We need better tools to measure quality, and yet, this tool gives the most weight to the least important measure.   We have to ask why?   I have no answer.

All my website time today was spent posting the recipe for this month which is a yummy cookie.   Never too hot to eat cookies, right?

I did go to a meeting about the Great Start program this past week but there wasn't much new information to pass on.   Mostly the hour was spent getting the people who attended all up to speed which was pretty hard.   The most important new information that I gleaned from it was that in September the People In Lansing will review and make changes (perhaps) but not one minute earlier.   Seems to me that the wisest thing to do is to wait until AFTER the changes are made before springing into action, eh?

This begins three crazy weeks of odd days off, house guests, holidays, parades, more tourists than anyone should every have to look at in one place and hot weather to make sure we're all a little cranky.   I recommed water and sand therapy in generous amounts, alternating with air-conditioning, quiet time and iced beverages.   That's my plan anyway.   Happy July!

I'm a complete heat wimp, so this last week of 90 degree temperatures coupled with houseguests over the holiday has turned me into a mental dishrag.   Thank goodness that the thermometer backed off a little bit this weekend and we had very little on our calendar so we could pause, catch up on the paperwork a little and get the laundry done.   This coming week is a short one for the day care but in our personal lives it's action packed, so we needed this little breather to get our land legs back and wipe the sweat off our brow.   I really feel quite ashamed to be rendered addle-brained by the heat when so many people live in war, famine, persecution and blistering temperatures, but it's the truth, so I speak it.   Hopefully I won't be tested too much more this summer, but we still have quite a bit of it left, so I'm not getting up any false hopes and trying to toughen up a little bit!

We keep the kids cool by getting out the hose and the sprinklers and keeping them wet in the mornings.   At nap time, during the hottest part of the day, we're in the shady house with the ceiling fans all going.   We're concerned enough about our carbon footprint to do without air-conditioning, not to mention the prohibitive cost.   When we lost power for two hours on Friday, fortunately the temperature outdoors was starting to cool off so we got the kids out of the house and into the (slight) breeze for snack.   The little ones don't seem to mind the heat, in fact they aren't smart enough to stay out of the sun.   So we have to be smart for them, putting ice in their water bottles, pulling them back into the shade and encouraging them to slow down when their cheeks start to get red.

Ben and I were forced to slow down yesterday and grieve when Salmon, our beloved cat, dragged himself into the driveway to die after sutaining a mysterious injury.   We guess that he was run into or over but we will never know; it was a miracle he got himself home.   We are glad that we have this peaceful day to ponder and be sad by ourselves before we're called on to help the children learn one more lesson on death from that admirable pet.   He was originally Collin's cat so he is also especially sad and though we know in time the wound will heal, for this week it's fresh and tender and we'll move carefully around it.

Here we are at the mid-point of the school summer holiday.   This year our season is making up for the recent cool summer, so you can expect fewer posts here until I lose the whiny attitude and lack of focus that descends upon me as the temperatures rise.   Just call me a pansy.   Ben and I had our birthday vacation which gave us time to ponder the joys and sorrows of growing older; thank you to all who wished us well, showered us with gifts and cards and allowed us a break from responsibilities.   Mostly we are joyful to be alive again to celebrate one more year.   Life is the biggest gift of all.

On the ACD Food Program front I've neglected to update you that my status as Tier I has been reinstated with the switch, so my reimbursement rate stays the same thus the rate increases this January will be no higher than previously discussed.   Big woo hoo for that one!!

I've been invited to attend a meeting for a Great Start advisory group tomorrow.   Should be interesting.   I'll let you know how it goes.

We're in that slippery slope of summer that finds us scratching our heads and wondering how the days can just disappear the way they do.   With any luck at all, you have been like me; putting aside all of your regularly scheduled activities to enjoy out of town guests or poking through garage sales or chatting with long lost friends at the farmer's market or baptizing yourself in the nearest body of water.  

Dan Hodgins August newsletter is now posted for your enjoyment.   It's really quite serious though and, as usual, is food for debate!

I promised a report about the advisory group that I was invited to for our local Great Start program.   To sum it up I think it's fair to say that the meeting succeeded in establishing how much work lies ahead of the new Consortium in order for them to develop a working relationship with home based child care providers and, to my surprise, even many of the child care centers.   The meeting was scheduled to last an hour and a half and after two hours and ten minutes we still had much to discuss, but had to cut it short.

For those who are hungry for more details, I will say that I went into the room with perhaps unrealistic expectations of the facilitators.  I felt that too much of our time was spent on "ice breakers" and too little time spent discussing exactly why we had all been called there together.   Marsha Miller of Head Start did most of the talking, assisted occasionally by Kathy Kudrat of Head Start and Mary Manner of the Chamber of Commerce.   Marsha spent quite a bit of time going over what the Great Start program was, emphasizing that lots of money was available for child care from the federal and state governments, but not really who was going to get that money.   She went over the members of the consortium, putting a lot of emphasis on how lucky we are to have Pine Rest as a member, (which I strongly disagree with, though it was not the time or place then, or now, to go into that.   Later.)

Then she got down to asking us for our input on the whole long list of subjects that the Self Assessment Survey covers, asking us to describe things as either "needs" or "concerns" and putting them on two different colored sticky notes to apply to a large poster board on the side of the room.   She also asked us to please dwell more on the "needs" and not so much on the "concerns."   Long story short, the list was way too long to address in the time we had left, our need was to first address our concerns and very few sticky notes ended up on the poster board.

We were all asked to attend another meeting next week, though we weren't really given an idea of how long the Consortium wants this advisory committee to exist and what, if anything, they'll do with our needs and concerns.   I have the feeling that all the players here have every good intention for children, but I also get the impression that there are some HUGE gaps in communication and comprehension between the small child care provider and the agencies facilitating the Great Start Program in our area.

From my point of view I think that our particular Great Start Consortium is unique in Michigan in having usurped a community resource and referral agency, Child Care Connections.   Because their clients are rural, scattered far and wide, many of them did not understand how Child Care Connections was slowly becoming a Great Start agency.   Child Care Connections had begun the Make Me A Star program which was slowly introducing providers to the Great Start concept in a way that we could begin to understand.   However, not all providers were taking part in the Make Me A Star program and even those who were didn't all understand completely the big changes that the Great Start program is trying to bring about in Michigan.

So when the Consortium won the grant, put Child Care Connections out of business and discontinued the Make Me A Star program, there was a house of cards that fell.   Some providers are still expecting the Consortium to simply take over all the services that Child Care Connections ever offered, wanting some "storefront" office that is a central clearing house for all of our unique needs.   The Great Start program isn't really designed for that.   Those who attended some but not all of the Make Me A Star program understood some of the Great Start components but not all, so the Consortium has to service a group of partially informed professionals, each informed about different parts.

I think the Consortium had no idea how unpopular the Great Start program is with the small, privately owned child care business, nor did they realize what a public relations problem they would have when Child Care Connections folded.   It's really quite a mess that they inherited and I get the distinct impression that there's not one person involved that really knows what to do with this mess, nor was there ever a competent plan in place to take it on.   I would love to find out that I am wrong, or to be part of the solution, but only time will tell.

In the meantime I'm going to discontinue my explanation of the Self Assessment Survey since we've been told that after September it may all change.   (eyeroll..)   Stay tuned....

Some of you know that our little Bode has his new little brother, Kailer, now and he has made quite a splash into this world!   Not only was his birth fast and furious and barely made it to the hospital, but then he had some health problems and has just this weekend returned from DeVos hospital where they still didn't find out what was wrong with him, but he's doing fine.   Though all children are a miracle, Kailer qualifies for double status in my book at this time.

After being gone for so long there's so much more to say, but so little time left in my Sunday, so til next time, get out and enjoy the rustle of the leaves and the splash of the water!

A whole month has flown by.   I've not forgotten or forsaken you, just apparently forgotten any time management tricks that I used to know!   The end of summer and the beginning of autumn have left me dizzy but also with a few moments to catch us up here.   Breathe deep, smell that delicious crisp air and take a minute with me.

We had a second meeting of the Great Start advisory group and it was a bit more encouraging than the first, which is the right direction to be headed.   There was a clear agenda to follow and some important topics were touched on, including the free preschool offered by TCAPS, one provider's QRIS experience and the pros and cons of Pine Rest as the sole source of social-emotional support for our community's Great Start.   Less child care providers attended this meeting but we had an excellent cross section of types of businesses so that we could contrast, compare and reflect on the similarities and differences in our clientele, business practices and impact that Great Start can have for us.   At this point I'm still quite taken aback at how irrelevant the whole Great Start program is for a provider like me and how long it seems it will take before having a truly positive impact for small, independently owned childcare.   Let's be clear, I'm referring to the statewide program, not just our local "collaborative."   It seems that whoever developed this whole concept really had no concept of the true nature of child care as it relates to families, children and child development.   The advisory group is scheduled to meet again which gives us hope.   At least we can say that we were given a chance to voice our needs and concerns.   Time will tell if our voice is heard and if any action comes from all this talk.

On a more cheerful note Dan Hodgins has put out his September newsletter.   If you read this you'll notice first that my printer was running out of colored ink; sorry.   You may also notice that Dan and I do not always agree on everything and I don't expect that you should take his word, or mine, as gospel.   I do expect that you'll read, think, pray to your own personal deity and raise your children in a way that your heart can feel good about.   But Dan makes a lot of sense almost ALL of the time and where he and I differ we each have well thought out reasons for these differences.   If you want to hear my reasons, let me know and I'll GLADLY expound on them.

In the last few weeks we sadly said good-bye to Mary and Elliott as they joined the rest of the "big kids" going off to school.   We surely miss all of them these past few weeks as we try to adjust to the new rhythms and requirements of new group.   Adelaide is back to full time and we have two new faces, Lil and Connor to cheer us up, so there's never an end to the changes in the world of children and always new reasons for joy.   Also, after a big scare, Bode's new baby brother Kailer is doing great.   Hallelujah!   If all goes as planned he'll also be joining us in November.

Well, the tomatoes are stewing on the stove and will not wait much longer for me to start turning them into sauce and packing them into glass jars for the winter.   I promise that I'll be back sooner next time.   Hopefully the change in seasons is finding you just as happily busy as I am so that you don't miss me too much!

Are you ready for Halloween?   Somehow, October slipped by me way too fast and I'm feeling a little blue about it.   I love November, but this autumn is so spectacular I just want to freeze it in time for just a week or two more before we start down the slippery slope into the holidays.   Long walks and crunchy apples are the antidote I think.

Speaking of freezing, now is the time to start bringing warmer jackets, hats and mittens for the children and proper shoes and socks.   Remember that our primary outdoor time is at ten in the morning, well before we reach our "high for the day."   So just because the weatherman says it's going to be sixty degrees don't dress your child for sixty degrees!   It will still be forty degrees when we're taking them outside.   And since the grass is always dewy and damp in the morning, crocs and sandals that allow their feet and socks to get damp are no longer appropriate.   If you have a hard time getting them out of their jammies in the morning, that's fine.   Just put all the proper clothes in the car the night before so that there's no chance of forgetting warmth for their vulnerable little bodies.   We've had lots of runny noses lately.

We went to the Little Free Library again this last week; what a wonderful blessing that is.   The kids have so quickly embraced it and the concept of library books!   It's really opened up a new way for them to love reading.

With the littlest ones that we have in our daycare, Halloween is a very confusing time.   We don't make a big deal of it here but we do hang up our ghost and skeleton and have little treats on the big day.   Celebrations at this time of year are found in many cultures and go way back in time, so it's natural to mark the changes in some way.   I like cookies, apple crisp and candy corn personally.   How about you?

I've been working a little bit on some website changes.   Since I don't have a whole lot of spare time, those changes go slowly, but the part that's been bugging me the most is the page that I call My Corner and the book review page.   I've posted a new review today, but since it's not very favorable I'm not going to make a big deal of it.   If you're curious, check it out.   I'm always grateful for any feedback or suggestions about the website.   My wish is that it can be a resource for all those who have children in their lives.   As I grow, the definition of that resources grows and changes too.

Back at last, here in the most beautiful part of the year.   The last four weeks brought us a glorious vacation to the U.P. where we deemed the colors perfect and perhaps better than ever.   Here at home we continue to be breathless as each day the trees turn and drop and amaze us again and again.   Only one more week for the farmer's market downtown, but there will be one up at The Commons through the winter, so we can continue to enjoy the local bounty and keep our food dollars from straying too far from home.

Dan Hogins put out his October newsletter while we were gone and it's a good one.   A lot of people wonder why we don't do field trips with the kids except to go to the park or around the block.   Maybe Dan can explain it a little better than I do.

The Great Start advisory committee that I sit on continues to meet more or less monthly and will be convening again next week.   The discussion is stimulating but I'm not yet convinced that we're accomplishing anything.   Each meeting seems to underline how out of touch the Great Start program is with the real world of child care and the people who provide it.   The handful of women who comprise this group are staying somewhat informed of each other's plight, but most of us are powerless to change any of it and those who have the power are unsure of how to use it.   The Powers That Be in Lansing still aren't sure when they're going to Go Public with the survey that rates providers with little gold stars since they're really not sure how much of the gold star rating system is going to change in the next few months.   While before it seemed that there would be room for quite a bit of change, there are mixed opinions about that depending on who is talking.

This last week our kids took a walk around the block with a mission of donating a book to our neighborhood Little Free Library.   Miss Teresa, whose yard holds the library, happened to be home so came out of her house and greeted the kids, then helped them see how to use the library.   They all came back with books and handmade bookmarks which have been getting a lot of use ever since.   It's been a wonderful experience for the kids who initially thought that the goodies were theirs to keep.   No one was too disappointed to learn that the books had to stay here and eventually be returned to the library.   This coming week we'll make sure that the same children who took out a book are present for the walk to return them.   There may or may not be other children's books there to bring home but what a great way to learn about sharing, lending, returning and caring for books.   From my point of view this is head and shoulders above a trip to the "big" library since it's closer and the children don't have to go into an environment where they'd be asked to have manners which they may not have acquired yet; so much easier for the adult managing the group.   Also, if the books get ruined here (a distinct possibility) we can replace them with a different book; not an option with a book that's formally checked out.   There are several Little Free Libraries around town so if you have some books in good shape that are looking for a home (especially children's books) you may want to pop by and drop them off in one.   Who knows?   Maybe there'll be a book in that cute wooden cupboard that's just calling your name.   It is getting to be that good season for curling up with a good book and a hot cup of something.

We made it through Halloween, the time change and Poet's Night Out!   In that time we also gained a new addition, Bode's little brother Kailer, who has been welcomed into our home!   These events are explanation enough for the twenty days without a blog entry!

Infants are a great blessing in a day care home and Kailer and Annamay are no exception.   They both have very sweet dispositions, making eye contact readily and smiling easily.   Those of you lucky enough to see them at drop off and pick up time know what I mean!   Unlike a center we have no special room for each age group so the children get to experience the cries, smiles, snores and wiggles of our babies right up close and all day long.   This is such a special time; even the smallest child feels old and wise next to an infant and yet, I'm sure that a part of them still remembers what it feels like to be so helpless and pampered.

We had a morning of snow to tease us last week and all the kids were SO excited.   Be sure to send proper clothing for all kinds of weather.   We have quite a few spares in our basket, but not every garment in every size and soon we'll be donating some to charity just for lack of storage space!   Also PLEASE write your child's name in their outerwear.   More often than not all the clothes get mixed up in a big pile as we wiggle the children into them and after awhile they all start to look alike, (the hats and mittens and snow pants, not the children..) especially at the end of a long week.

Thanksgiving is early this year; four more days!   Please take a peek at the calendar page to refresh your memory about upcoming days that we'll be closed.   Also remember that our rates will be going up a little at the start of the New Year.   Since no one gave me their notice yet I'm presuming you all think we're worth a little extra.   It sure is hard to ask for it when the economy is so low up here, but groceries and other expenses are going up and we need to compensate to stay afloat.   Thank you all for your understanding.

I finally got the recipe for November posted: better late than never!   Take a peek; it's quick, easy, yummy comfort food.   Just what the doctor ordered as we head into more darkness and the celebrations that go with it.

As we celebrate this time of harvest let's remember those who have less to pad them against the chill and walk the talk of our gratitude a little bit.   Father Fred is one of my favorite charities as well as St. Vincent de Paul.   From my experience these organizations make very good use of every cent and article of clothing given to them.   I'm sure most of you have your favorites too, but if not, you can trust these two.   Most of us are only one disaster away from having to depend on the kindness of strangers.

Unfortunately there were no weblog entries for December this year!   Too busy making memories.