How to Pick Great Childcare

Susan Price offers some really super suggestions for picking a day care setting for your child. This is one of the most important preschool lessons you can learn. I have had my kids in a total of five different day care centers over the years, and there are definitely things to look for when picking a home day care or child care setting.

Some of her best suggestions:

• Be sure to conduct phone interviews
• Make two onsite visits at different times of day
• Be especially aware of safety issues
• Check references

I would add that it is very important to check the qualifications of the teacher (educational degree, etc.) and the center director. The director sets the tone for the entire center, if you are not comfortable with her (or him), it can be difficult when things go wrong.

You might want to check out Susan’s book:

Working Parents Help Book: Practical Advice for Dealing with the Day-to-Day Challenges of Kids and Careers

Careful What Your Kids Learn at the Movies!

I consider movies and TV to be an important part of my kids’ preschool education. So I try to make sure the movies they watch show positive images, offer limited violence, and take them to exotic worlds.

With the winter months in full force, there are many weekends where the best activity we can come up with at home is a good ole’ fashioned family movie night. We like to get some yummy popcorn, grab a cozy comforter, and pile onto our couch for some fun. It’s a great way to get a break while keeping our preschool son entertained.

If you’re tired of watching Cars or Finding Nemo for the zillionth time, you might feel tempted to pick a movie that you’ve never seen. But sometimes even rated G movies have shocking scenes that you wish you could have skipped.  To be honest, I was a little uncomfortable the first time my son watched Nemo’s mom and all his siblings perish at the beginning of one of the best Disney movies ever.

Now there’s a great, free, web site to take out the guesswork when you’re choosing family films. www.kids-in-mind.com rates movies on three scales: sexual content, violence, and profanity. The site also gives shot-by-shot descriptions of every questionable image in the movie.

It’s been an indispensable tool to help us share lots of laughs and avoid nightmares on these special nights. And by the way, check out The Sandlot – it’s a super movie!!

Preschool Lessons – Words of Wisdom from a Mom of 3

As a mom of three, one of whom is still a preschooler, sometimes I feel like I’ve seen it all. There were countless times when I wished I had a manual of preschool lessons – that is, a guide on how to manage the crazy preschool years. So I thought I would start a resource for those of you out there who have some of the same questions I had. Hope it helps!!