It is that time of year again: back-to-school preparation, excitement and first day jitters! The busy-ness of summer is soon to be replaced by the busy-ness of school. As summer begins to wind down we begin to see large, colorful back-to-school displays. Often times these store displays help parents have a mind shift on what you need to do to prepare children for back-to-school routines and schedules. Preparing children for back to school includes helping our children prepare both mentally and physically for the school year ahead. Read More about Start Your Back-to-School Plan! »
Excited to Help Kids Learn!
Lisa Greene is the administrator for YMCA Batavia Heights Christian Child Care. While participating in 4C for Children’s Step Up Direct series in January, 4C coaches worked with her program to prepare for and then apply for a one-star Step Up To Quality (SUTQ) rating.
“Having a rating adds a depth of quality that wasn’t there before,” Lisa says. “It’s like a stamp of approval for parents to know that we have been through this process and it’s an opportunity for our teachers to shine and feel motivated to do more for the kids in their classrooms.”
Thank You For Answering the Call!
4C for Children wants to extend a heartfelt thank you to the community members who have helped us meet the needs of those impacted by the Memorial Day tornadoes that struck the Miami Valley.
Because of your support, 4C has been able to provide clothing, hygiene necessities, and art supplies to child care providers in the region as well as with the children and families they serve. Read More about Thank You For Answering the Call! »
4C for Children Receives CDA Gold Standard!
4C for Children has been awarded the prestigious CDA Gold StandardSM following a quality review of training and student services by the Council for Professional Recognition. The CDA Gold StandardSM is part of the Council’s early childhood education effort to help CDA (Child Development Associate) students find the high-quality training and student services they need in preparation for the CDA exam and a career as an early childhood educator. Read More about 4C for Children Receives CDA Gold Standard! »
Miami Valley Tornadoes—You Can Help!
This is a letter that was sent out by 4C for Children’s President/CEO Vanessa Freytag to the communities served by 4C. We are committed to supporting the child care providers and children in the Miami Valley region. See contact information below.
Dear Friends of 4C for Children,
The Memorial Day tornadoes that struck the Miami Valley region were devastating. Among those impacted by the devastation are many child care programs who are struggling to regain their footing. 4C for Children serves as the state designated resource and referral agency for all licensed child care programs for 15 counties in the Miami Valley and the Cincinnati regions. In that role, we are asking you today to help these programs in their moment of need. Read More about Miami Valley Tornadoes—You Can Help! »
Building Your Parenting Village
Parenting is wonderful and rewarding, but it’s also hard. To navigate through some of the difficult times, you need the support of other parents who are struggling with some of the same issues. So sometimes you may need a sounding board to brainstorm ideas to address your children’s challenging behavior. Or sometimes you may need someone to watch your kids because you have an appointment or want a fun night out with your partner. Or sometimes you just might need to share about your day with a person whose vocabulary extends beyond the phrase, “Cookies for dinner, please!” or make sure your child has a friend around their age to play with when you go to the park.
Regardless of the scenario, parents need a village of support! Read More about Building Your Parenting Village »
Know Your Summer Care Options
It’s time for summer planning! Have you decided whether your child will attend summer camp, child care, or be at home? Research has shown students experience learning losses when they don’t engage in educational activities over summer break. One way to prevent this from happening is to make sure that your child is in a quality care setting during summer vacation—as well as all year long! Read More about Know Your Summer Care Options »
Call for Presenter Proposals: 4C Leadership and Early Childhood Conference
The 4C Leadership and Early Childhood Conference is comprehensive and relevant to all who touch early care and education—including teachers, center-based child care providers, family child care providers, home visitors, directors, community partners, librarians and schools. This innovative conference will provide current, research-based strategies and pertinent information so that all will leave feeling empowered and fueled with knowledge, passion and inspiration to lead.
This year’s conference theme is “Grow the Good: Embracing Empathy and Equity.” We need your expertise! Consider submitting a proposal for a conference workshop session—your workshop session will provide high-quality professional development that paves the way for high-quality early care and education so that we can build our future, together. Read More about Call for Presenter Proposals: 4C Leadership and Early Childhood Conference »
Congratulations CDA Graduates!
Congratulations to this recent class of 4C Child Development Associate (CDA) Preparation Program graduates from Southwest Ohio!
This group of early childhood professionals not only finished this step on their journey to increasing the quality of their child care programs—each of the family child care providers in the class also completed registration for and received a Step Up To Quality rating! Read More about Congratulations CDA Graduates! »
Kentucky Survey of Transition Practices
The Kentucky Governor’s Office of Early Childhood is conducting a survey of early childhood education professionals to learn more about what your county is doing to help parents and children manage different transitions, with a focus on the transition into kindergarten. Your responses will be used to help Kentucky develop a new early childhood strategic plan for the state.