This is a friendly reminder from your Child Care Solutions Registrar . . .

 It’s that time of year when snow and ice accumulates around the child care center program and child care home exits and walkways.  Regulations require child care providers/programs to keep exit doorways and exit pathways free from snow and ice.

It creates an unsafe situation for emergency evacuation, and may cause injuries, which sometimes result in complaints, and/or insurance claims. Here are some tips:

- Develop an early morning and afternoon routine before parent and child arrival and departure: get in the habit of shoveling and checking for icicles hanging over doorways before children and parents arrive or leave your home and program.

- Remove snow during outdoor play: Remember outdoor time is required on most days even in winter months (see attached chart when outdoor play is not possible due to temperature or wind chills).

*** Don’t allow children to hit icicles, nor should you, when they are hanging and could be a fall/safety hazard.

- Involve program staff and children in snow removal during lunch breaks, as they arrive and leave the program, while waiting for school bus arrival or departures, or after school. Most pre-k and school-age children can help shovel or sweep the snow.

- Keep ice melt or kitty litter in an enclosed container (with a very tight lid so that it’s not a hazard accessible to children), near your exit door to help prevent trips and slips on the ice. 
 

While staff and children are shoveling and sweeping snow on walkways, below are some activities you might also provide for winter play:

“Paint the snow” with food coloring and water in an empty squeeze bottle.

Build a snow man or snow sculpture.

Scoop a small amount of snow into a clear container and bring inside to measure/graph how quickly the snow melts. Discuss solids and liquids and measure both.

Create a small shallow hole or depression in the snow, and pour some of the colored water in the hole/depression. Keep checking to see how long it takes the water to freeze.

Look at the snow with a magnifying glass to see the crystals and snow flakes.

Collect pine cones while outside.

Make a bird feeder out of a pine cone, peanut butter and bird seed to hang on trees and discuss why feeding wild life during the winter is important (food supply, body temperature, etc).

Make a chart of snow fall totals for the winter season.

Research the snowiest places on earth. 

You can find recipes and activities like this one during our training. Have some holiday fun in the kitchen with your little ones. Try this festive recipe.

Homemade Banana Pudding

Sweet, rich, and creamy pudding goes light on added sugars and big on fresh banana flavor! 

Prep Time: 5minutes minutes
Cook Time: 8minutes minutes
Total Time: 13minutes minutes
Servings: 4 servings
Calories: 235kcal
Author: Natalie Monson (https://www.superhealthykids.com)

Ingredients:

2 cups whole milk
1/4 cup sugar
2 large egg yolks
3 tablespoons corn starch
1 teaspoon vanilla
1/4 teaspoon salt
2 large bananas
whip cream for serving, optional

Instructions:

1. In a medium saucepan whisk together sugar, cornstarch, salt, milk, vanilla, and egg yolks.
2. Cook over medium heat, whisking frequently. Cook until bubbly and mixture begins to thicken, about 6-8 minutes. Remove from heat.
3. Transfer the pudding into a serving bowl or individual cups. Chill to desired temperature, then place sliced bananas on top and serve immediately.

Nutrition:

Calories: 235kcal | Carbohydrates: 40g | Protein: 6g | Fat: 6g | Saturated Fat: 3g | Polyunsaturated Fat: 1g | Monounsaturated Fat: 2g | Cholesterol: 106mg | Sodium: 197mg | Potassium: 438mg | Fiber: 2g | Sugar: 27g | Vitamin A: 364IU | Vitamin C: 6mg | Calcium: 165mg | Iron: 1mg