Often families, especially for their first child, are worried about sending their baby to group care, having absorbed the idea of a single primary caregiver being the ideal. But Babies in Groups: Expanding Imaginations, by Ben S. Bradley, Jane Selby, and Matthew Stapleton, is a painstakingly researched book demonstrating how infants are socially engaged and engaging creatures from birth, and from six months can observably take pleasure in interacting with other babies. This article from The Conversation offers some of their findings, and would make a great addition to your enrollment packet!
For reflection:
How do the babies in your care participate in the group?
In what ways can you facilitate their participation?
Has this article changed the way you see their interactions?
This printable PDF can be used to help you reflect on your program when you’re starting to notice building frustrations. Take the time to reflect and use the questions as writing prompts as they resonate with you.
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March 28th, 2024
2:00-2:30 PM EDT
Encourage young ones to share their thoughts and stories as they gather around the dining table- family style. This interactive experience fosters not only healthy eating habits but also helps them learn the art of conversation, where little voices can be heard and cherished. Receive tips on how to make family style dining kid-friendly and discover resources to start conversing with children at the table!
Isabel Ramos-Lebron, MS,RDN, LD
Nutrition Education Specialist
National CACFP Sponsors Association
Family Style Dining: Conversations Around the Table – Event Registration (growthzoneapp.com)
CACFP Week is a national education and information campaign sponsored annually the third week of March by the National CACFP Sponsors Association. The campaign is designed to raise awareness of how the USDA’s Child and Adult Care Food Program works to combat hunger. The CACFP brings healthy foods to tables across the country for children in child care centers, homes, and afterschool programs as well as adults in day care.
The theme of CACFP Week in 2024 is eating the rainbow!
When you register for National CACFP Week to let us know that you’ll be participating, we’ll send you a sample menu that focuses on eating a different color of the rainbow each day.
Visit the Campaign Page for resources, recipes, advocacy opportunities, and social media contests!
Home Grown organizará seminarios en línea para proveedores de cuidado infantil a domicilio sobre cómo prepararse para la temporada de impuestos. Los seminarios web repasarán temas clave, incluyendo: la identificación de un preparador de impuestos, la comprensión de los documentos que necesita para sus impuestos, y qué hacer para empezar a prepararse para el próximo año. Habrá una sesión en inglés y otra en español.
Sesión en español el 6 de febrero a 18:00 la hora del este
Home Grown, in collaboration with Civitas Strategies, will be hosting webinars for home-based child care providers on how to prepare for tax season. The webinars will review key topics including: identifying a tax preparer, understanding the documents you need for your taxes, and what to do to start getting ready for next year. There will be a session hosted in English and in Spanish. The English webinar will be held on Jan. 30 at 6 p.m. ET/ 3 p.m. PT.→ Register for English session here
Starting and growing your business will require advertising and marketing. This will look different for every provider, based on your location, target market, and what you offer to families.
This resource from First Children’s Finance offers family child care providers a full overview of creating a marketing plan customized for your program, including a sample budget.
Developing a Marketing Plan from First Children’s Finance. Before you get started, Town Square Resource Mission and Philosophy Statements might be helpful for their first steps of stating your mission and vision to find your market.
What do you do when you first meet a family that is looking for care? Know who you are and what you value in your program. When you are clear about who you are and what you offer, families can and will self-select out if their values strongly differ from yours. It can be difficult to do tours and not end up with families enrolled, but it will save a lot of stress down the line in the form of fewer unmet expectations and less conflict.
Start by showing off your worth and your values. Your QRIS rating and an explanation of what you had to do to accomplish it will show families that you are dedicated to the profession. Show families how safe your environment is and what children do there throughout the day–or what they will do, if you don’t have children enrolled yet!. Talk about your schedule, show photos if you have them of children engaged day to day, and talk about anything you provide– snacks and meals, special activities, field trips, newsletters or an update app, or anything else. Share your mission and vision with them, so they understand how you see your role in the care and education of their children. Have a handout or follow-up email to leave them with that has some information about your program they might want to review later, such as hours of operation and calendar of closures, meals provided, your mission/vision statement, philosophy, anything else that will make your program stand out, along with enrollment information including deposit and materials fees, tuition amount and frequency, and any required application paperwork. Some providers also include a small “about your provider” section, where they outline their qualifications and write a very short autobiography.
Now how can you assess whether a family would be a good fit for your program? Keep in mind that you should have and follow a nondiscrimination policy; consult with your licensor and/or child care resource and referral agency or see your CACFP Civil Rights Training for more information. Also keep in mind ADA requirements for enrolling children with disabilities. More information on that can be found here: Know the Law about the Americans With Disabilities Act — Child Care Law Center.
Now, provided you are not turning a family away because of their demographic or perceived abilities, what are you looking for? What creates “goodness of fit” between provider and family? One phenomenon to be aware of is “ingroup bias,” where people are more likely to give the benefit of the doubt to people who they believe are more like them, whether that is cultural background, religious beliefs, or even something as minor as sports team affiliation. When you need to choose one family to offer care to, consider whether ingroup bias may be impacting who you are and aren’t offering spaces to.
Ask families about themselves. Why are they looking for care now– are they leaving another program? What do they need and want from a child care program? Have they had experiences previously of their needs being met or not met at another program? Be honest with them and yourself about whether your program is designed to meet their needs.
Being able to turn down families if you see that this would not be a good fit is difficult, but necessary. This is one reason to interview families even when you don’t have an immediate opening– it can be much easier to end interviews with “I’ll be in touch if there’s a space for you” rather than determining on the spot if you think the family would or would not be a good fit.
One of the best ways to find families that will be a good fit for your program is word of mouth. When a current family recommends another, you start off with a good impression on the new family and is a good indication that your values are likely to align as well. You can let families know in your newsletter or other updates if you know you’ll have spaces coming up or ask current families to “share” social media posts or post reviews on Google or Facebook.
Taking the time to plan out your interviews and tours will pay off in the form of long-term clients and positive relationships with families. This is a process that will take some refining, so don’t be afraid to experiment and play with your approach until you find something you’re comfortable with.
Need to find the regulations about ratios, supervision, or anything else? Go straight to the source!