Journal 12

Preparing for Family-Teacher conference

Over the past four months Kyler has made the most progress in joining in at music & movement.  He is beginning to express himself and open up with teacher and friends.  When Kyler first joined our class in January he would stand to the side and not participate at all with the other children.  If someone said anything to him, he would scream at them to leave him alone.  By March Kyler would join the group but was still reluctant to join in with the singing, dancing, or exercise movements.  Here it is April and Kyler led a song at music time.  He likes pass out the musical instruments and even suggests songs for everyone to sing.  He has made tremendous progress.

Kyler enjoys block play with the dinosaurs.  Given a choice, he would play with the dinosaurs all day.  His fascination with dinosaurs leads him to paint pictures of dinosaurs, pretend to be a dinosaur, and he enjoys the dinosaur counters.

Kyler is most excited and attentive when it is snack time.  He especially looks forward to the day he is snack helper. He always encourages the other children to prepare for snack and to sit quietly so they can get served.

The best form of redirection for Kyler is to request his help with something. If he gets in a squabble with another child, all I have to do is ask him to help me and it immediately defuses the situation.  He loves to help and feels special and important when asked to perform a task and he completes it.

Although Kyler has come a long way from when he first joined our class, I feel one objective you could work on at home would be to encourage him to be more open.  Interact with him in a way that he will learn to more freely express himself. Give him developmentally appropriate task to do and acknowledge when he completes them.  This will help to build his self-confidence and self-worth.  Ask him questions and listen when he answers them.  Also, ask his opinion on certain matters and let him help make decisions. 

Journal 11

Considering that I have a very bad memory and have to journal everything for myself, I try to document everything that I learn (be it from hearing, reading, participating in, or witnessing).  Documenting and filing information I learn allows me to share with my parents in so many different ways.  For the parents who are visual I put information in print (flyers, letters, notice to parents, etc...)  For the parents who are auditory I talk a lot (family meetings, parent conferences, resource numbers, etc...)  For the parents who are kinisethic I encourage them to participate (volunteer for activities, coordinate with other parents in helping with creating policies, networking to find resources to meet certain needs, etc....)  I try to connect and share with parents in any way possible.  I know that, like me, some parents have to see it to understand it; some have to hear it to understand it; and some have to see it done to understand it. I am a paper person and put everything in writing but not all parents understand what they read. It is necessary for me to communicate and share with parents in whatever way I need to.

Journal 10

Kiddie Haven Childcare

5805 Northwest 40th Street

Warr Acres, Ok 73122

HEALTH ALERT !!

November 1, 2011

Dear Parents,

Please be advised that there has been a confirmed case of Mononucleosis.  Attached is a list of symptoms pertaining to the virus.  This virus is spread by saliva and discharges from the mouth and throat.  Coughing, sneezing, kissing, direct contact, such as eating or drinking after an infected person or handling personal items. Should your child show signs of any of these symptoms, please have your child checked by their pediatrician as soon as possible.  Should any child be sent home with one of the following symptoms; a doctor's not will be needed for readmission into the center.

Symptoms:

1. Fever
2. Loss of appetite
3. Sore throat
4. Skin rash
5. Fatigue
6. Swelling of lymph nodes

If you have any questions, please contact Ms. Leslie at 789-5408.  Thank you

Journal 9

Dear parents, the following is an amendment to the parent handbook effective November 2011.


Starting November 1, 2011 all parents receiving DHS childcare assistance will be required to swipe their child in at time of drop off.  Any parent that does not have their card will be required to pay a drop off rate of $30.00.  Should you swipe your child in and out at the end of the day, the $30.00 will be refunded.  If you do not swipe your child in and out at the end of that day, then the $30.00 will go for that days tuition.  Previous ins and outs will not be allowed.

Please sign acknowledgment page and return to Ms. Leslie by October 28th

Journal 8

KIDDIE HAVEN

NOVEMBER NEWSLETTER

EBT Cards

Parents receiving DHS subsidiesfor childcare assistance, please make sure you swipe your child in and out daily.  Although DHS allows previous ins and outs, if you go past the ten alloted days, DHS will not pay us and you will be required to pay cash for the missed days.  Thank you, Ms. Leslie

CHRISTMAS BREAK

Putnam City Christmas break is from December 22nd thru January 4th.  Please let Ms. Leslie know if your child will be here.

Absent or Late Calls

If your child is going to be late or absent, please give us a call.  In order to assure proper staffing and lunch portions, we need to know by 9:30 who will attend.

Also, please remember if your child is absent for five consecutive days without notice, they are automatically dropped and tuition is still due for that week.

UPCOMING CLOSINGS

November 24th and 25th
December 26th


Winter is Coming

Winter weather is coming and the temperatures are getting colder.  Children will still have outdoor time if temperatures are above 50 degrees.  Please dress children accordingly and label all clothings, hats, scarves, and gloves with your child's name.

HAPPY BIRTHDAY

Ms. Victoria         11/28/??
Jaxon Shoeman        11/16/05
Destiny Wright:      11/11/00

Tuition and Co-payments

Tuition is due either weekly or bi-weekly and co-payments are due by the 5th.  Late or no payment will result in your child(ren) not being admitted to the center.  Please let know if you will be paying weekly or bi-weekly.

Thanks, Thanks, Thanks, Thanks

Many thanks to all the parents who donated time and items to the Halloween Parties.  The children had a wonderful time and enjoyed themselves immensely.  Thanks from the Kiddie Haven Staff. 

Journal 7

I had not really put much stock into how I dressed as long as I was clean, presentable, and always had a pleasing disposition.  Being in this class has taught me that Dressing for success is accomplished by wearing clothes that accent your shape, skin tone, and eye color.  Having the basics is a must.  That includes suits, slacks, and skirts in the colors of black, brown, grey, and navy.  Jeans are supposed to be in a dark wash and all pants should have the legs that go straight down and not tapered.  Being fashionable yet not flashy is easily done if you find out what styles go along with your body type.

Dressing professionally does make people look at you differently.  I have learned that people tend to take you more seriously and listen more intently to what you have to say when you look a certain way.

Journal 6

I believe the code of confidentiality was broken with the mother the moment the Director had a lengthy conversation with the teacher from the old school without the mother's permission. Giving the new teacher his entire file was also wrong. Posting the child's registration form on the door with the father section highlighted was a violation of both the child's and mother's confidentiality. Posting his phone number on the family bulletin board without getting permission from his mother was wrong. Telling the other parents that he was a biter was wrong.  I believe there should have been a discussion concerning Eric's disability prior to his enrollment.  The meeting should have included the 2 directors, the mother, and the new teacher. I think a meeting discussing his medical history, his behavior, and how to make his transition easy for all should have been discussed.  Even taking Eric over to see his new classroom, meet his new teacher, and new classmates would have made it better. I think it would have been easier if the class had been told about Eric and shown his picture before he arrived. That way they would be prepared and could actually greet him when he arrived.  The teacher was wrong for discussing the children in public and mentioning names just make it worse.  It doesn't matter where the conversation took place, it was wrong and inappropriate. I would have an immediate staff meeting to discuss the incident, reiterate confidentiality policies, and discuss a plan of action to repair the damage done.  My first reaction would be to tell the mother to take her child and run but what would that say about me. The child may soon begin to feel that it is all his fault that he keeps getting moved and instability is so damaging for a child.  I would start over the next day with a different game plan. One that would ensure that the child was made to feel welcome, the mother is fully aware of all policies regarding lunch time and nap time. Seeing that the child was having problems i would allow a naptime friend just to comfort and make him feel safe. There are a lot of things possible to make this situation work.