Do you know an early childhood educator or local early childhood leader who is making a difference in the lives of young children and families? If so, nominate them for one of two honors 4C for Children awards at the annual Leadership and Early Childhood Conference on Oct. 10-11, 2025, at the Sharonville Convention Center. The deadline for submitting nominations is Aug. 29.
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The 4C for Children Leadership and Early Childhood Conference kicked off each day by recognizing an early childhood educator who has positively impacted the children and families in their communities.
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Inflate the pools, get the water toys, and take the sensory tables outdoors! Water play is a great idea for a hot summer day. Playing in water not only fosters sensory development but can also help children develop lifelong math skills.
Here are some ideas for water play to incorporate on the next hot summer day.
A 4C for Children survey shows child care programs continue to struggle with staffing issues that result in needing to close classroom. Recently, WLWT highlighted this issue in an interview with Vanessa Freytag, 4C for Children president and CEO.
“Unfortunately, we hear stories of many families who are expecting a child, and they do have to put their name on a waiting list, typically nearly the minute that they find out that they are pregnant,” Vanessa Freytag said in the June 12 segment.
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Building Brain Activities 
Children learn and practice important executive function skills through games and playful activities. For babies and toddlers, play can start to build brain architecture and the foundation to lifelong learning and healthy development. Use the tools in the 4C for Children quality practices library to support the following skills:
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4C for Children delivers nearly 750 gifts on National Provider Appreciation DayIn-home child care providers often care for children whose parents work non-traditional hours like third shift and weekends. This type of care allows adults to go to work and provide for their families.
“This is a day to honor child care professionals who run in-home businesses to provide care for infants, toddlers, and children in our community,” 4C for Children President and CEO, Vanessa Freytag said. “It’s important that 4C for Children and others recognize their hard work and dedication.”
Take a look inside the special delivery in this video.
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The current professional development (PD) biennium comes to an end on June 30, 2023.
This means all administrators, lead teachers, assistant teachers and family child care providers working in Step Up To Quality star-rated programs must have completed 20 hours of Ohio Approved training.
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