COVID-19 Update from BPFC
We know you are probably receiving many emails this week with…

Long Summer Days
Question: Our children are out of school and child care for the summer. What are some things I can do with them to fill these long summer days without losing my mind?
Answer: Ah, Summer days! In our minds, we envision tropical beach vacations, Pinterest-style picnics with those cute bento box lunches, and our content children, merrily catching fireflies well into dusk with their friends and siblings while we gaze at them lovingly from the porch. Wait—what? This is not a reality? Oh, your summer looks more like an endlessly empty fridge (“Didn’t I just buy groceries yesterday?!”), finding dirt and wet socks in every crevasse of your household furniture, and a lot of vocalizing from children about boredom? Well, at least we are all in this together, right? While we can’t guarantee a perfect summer, we hope these tips and ideas will help you enjoy this time of year with the children in your lives!

Upping Their Game
Question: I’m a new director at a private child care center, and I really want my staff to get on board with raising the quality we are providing children and families. Some of the staff has been there...

Learning Language Learners
Question: I’m a Head Start teacher, and my class this year has more children than ever who don’t speak much or any English. It's hard for them to learn the rules or even…

Child Care By Any Other Name
Question: Can you explain the difference between daycares, child development centers, and preschools? People use all these different terms when they ask what I’m planning…

Best Laid Plans
Question: I’m a toddler teacher and my director has been talking about how I need to do lesson plans for my kids. My center doesn’t have a particular curriculum we have…

Anxiety and Bleach
Question: My two-year-old son is getting ready to start child care, and my friends have told me he needs to stop using his pacifier because it won’t be allowed in the classroom.…

Early Intervention Worries
Question: My child’s teacher gave me a form the other day asking permission to get her evaluated for speech delays. I know my daughter is shy and doesn’t talk much in…

Ready for Kindergarten Readiness?
Question: I’m the parent of a 4-year-old, and I keep getting questions from my friends and family about what I’m doing to get her “ready for kindergarten.” I’ve…

Whether the Weather
Question: My director is always bugging me to take my kids outside, even when it’s cold or wet. I don’t mind that much myself, but as soon as they get out there they get…

Intentionality
Intentionality
Question: I am a director at a large center, and some of my teachers are showing signs of burn out. They seem uninterested in their jobs, and are not receptive…

Family Child Care Homes
Question: Ever since I had my first child, I’ve been taking care of my kids and some friends’ kids while they are at work. I’m a stay-at-home mom with a big basement…

Inclusion and Special Needs
Special Needs & Inclusion - February 13th, 2017
Question: It seems like every year I have more kids with “special needs” in my room. They can be really hard to deal…

The Art of Art
Question: My consultants keep talking about “child-directed art” and how I don’t have enough of it to satisfy ECERS requirements. What exactly is the difference between…

Down in the Dumps
Down in the Dumps - February 3rd, 2017
Question: My center is going through rating scales, and my consultant keeps talking to me about how I need more materials in my 2-year-old…

Why Ask Why?
0 Comments
/
Why Ask Why? - February 8th, 2017
Question: I’m a pre-K teacher, and my director keeps telling me I need to “interact more” and “talk more” with my kids. I love…
Tags
- academics
- advocacy
- art
- behavior
- child care
- child-directed
- coaching
- communication
- community
- curriculum
- day care
- delay
- developmentally appropriate
- directors
- disabilities
- disability
- dual language learner
- dumping
- early intervention
- ECERS
- education
- emotional
- ESL
- events
- family
- family child care homes
- fundraising
- gross motor
- Head Start
- IEP
- IFSP
- inclusion
- intentional interactions
- intentionality
- interaction
- ITERS
- kindergarten
- language
- lesson plans
- licensing
- materials
- outdoor environments
- pacifiers
- play
- playground
- pre k
- preschool
- professional development
- quality care
- quality improvement
- readiness
- safety
- sanitation
- social emotional
- special needs
- speech
- summer activities
- talk
- teacher-directed
- teachers
- toddlers
- toys
- training
- transition
- weather