Join us in celebrating the Week of the Young Child! The Week of the Young Child™ is an annual celebration hosted by the National Association for the Education of Young Children (NAEYC) celebrating early learning, young children, their teachers, and families. This year's event starts today, April 16th, with Music Monday, and runs through the end of the week:
       - Music Monday: April 16th, 2018
       - Tasty Tuesday: April 17th, 2018
       - Work Together Wednesday: April 18th, 2018
       - Artsy Thursday: April 19th, 2018
       - Family Friday: April 20th, 2018
Visit NAEYC’s website for free tools and resources you can use to help plan your Week of the Young Child events!

Child Care Solutions is conducting a parent survey about childcare in Cayuga and Onondaga Counties. We are looking for parents who have children (ages 0-12) currently in child care, who are looking for child care, or those who have used child care in the past to complete the survey. The information we gather will help us to improve our services to families in our area and across New York State. All survey participants who enter a valid email or telephone number will be entered to win a $100.00 Visa gift certificate. The deadline for this survey has been extended to April 30, 2018. Please help us spread the word to parents! You can print out these palm cards to pass out at your program, or direct parents to visit our website, where they can access both online and PDF versions of the survey.

The April Dear Provider letter from OCFS covers a number of different topics and includes helpful reminders for springtime. The letter discusses a number of new training options for both providers and directors to explore. It also reminds us that April is Child Abuse Prevention Month! OCFS included a calendar that you can post in your program and/or share with parents – it encourages parents to participate in activities that promote strong families. Download a copy of this calendar here. A copy of the April Dear Provider letter is also available on our website. If you have any questions about the letter, please call your registrar or licensor!

Warm weather is just around the corner! If your program uses outdoor play equipment, it’s a good idea to give it a throughout check to make sure your equipment is still in good condition after winter. The Consumer Product Safety Commission’s Outdoor Home Playground Safety Handbook recommends the following maintenance schedule:
• Check nuts and bolts twice a month and tighten as needed.
• Oil moving metal parts as directed by the manufacturer.
• Check to make sure protective caps and plugs that cover bolt ends and ends of tubing are in place and tight. Inspect twice a month and replace as needed.
• Check the condition of the equipment, looking for signs of wear and tear such as broken or missing components, bent pipes or tubing, and splintering wooden surfaces. Repair as necessary.
• Check swing seats, ropes, chains, and cables monthly for deterioration and replace as needed.
• Clean, sand, and repaint rusted areas with a non-lead-based paint, as needed.
• Remove plastic swing seats in cold weather, if recommended by the manufacturer.
• Rake protective surfacing periodically to prevent compaction and maintain appropriate depths.
You can read or a download a copy of the full handbook here. If you have questions about using outdoor play equipment in your program, please give our Registration department a call at (315) 446-1220 - we are here to help!

This month we have for you a handy tip sheet full of “Best Practices” for CACFP. These tips are great not just for providers enrolled in the program, but for anyone looking to take additional steps to offer high quality and nutritious meals in their program. If you still aren’t sure about how enrolling in CACFP can benefit your child care program, please, give us a call – (315) 446-1220! A member of our staff will be happy to explain all the benefits of the program as well as explain in detail the program requirements. Information about the program can also be found on our website.

The Child Development Associate (CDA) Credential™ is a nationally recognized credential in the early childhood education field and is a stepping stone on the path of career advancement for family child care providers, center-based or school setting staff. Whether you’re just beginning your career or an established provider looking to grow your program, we offer a six-month CDA course that will give you the confidence and motivation to advance your career as an early childhood educator. Financial aid is available! The next session of this popular course begins July 10th at our Syracuse office – visit our website for all of the details and to download the registration packet.

Have you been to one of our Super Saturdays yet? Join us the first weekend in May at our Syracuse office and earn up to 6 OCFS hours by attending three workshops covering 6 different topic areas. Financial assistance for ANY of our workshops is now available through CSEA/Voice – learn more here. Complete workshop descriptions (including fees) and online registration are available through our training calendar.

Monday, April 23, 2018
Auburn Workshop
Fostering Healthy Habits
Time: 6:30 PM - 8:30 PM
OCFS Categories: 1 , 2 , 3

Wednesday, April 25, 2018
Big Body Play
Time: 6:30 PM - 8:30 PM
OCFS Categories: 1 , 2 , 3 , 4

Thursday, April 26, 2018
Supporting Parent & Infant Relationships
Time: 6:30 PM - 8:30 PM
OCFS Categories: 1 , 3 , 4

Monday, April 30, 2018
Head Lice - Knowledge is Power!
Time: 6:30 PM - 8:30 PM
OCFS Categories: 2 , 3 , 4

Super Saturday!
Saturday, May 05, 2018
Keeping Infants Safe
Time: 8:30 AM - 10:30 AM
OCFS Categories: 2, 4, 7

Saturday, May 05, 2018
Fostering Healthy Habits
Time: 10:30 AM - 12:30 PM
OCFS Categories: 1, 2, 3

Saturday, May 05, 2018
Taking Action: Protecting Against, Documenting & Reporting Incidents That Occur in Childcare
Time: 1:00 PM - 3:00 PM
OCFS Categories: 4, 5, 7

Wednesday, May 09, 2018
Pyramid Model Infant Toddler Module 2
Time: 8:30 AM - 3:30 PM
OCFS Categories: 1 , 3 , 4 , 5

Wednesday, May 09, 2018
Beyond the Book
Time: 6:30 PM - 8:30 PM
OCFS Categories: 1 , 3

Saturday, May 12, 2018
Adult and Pediatric CPR/First Aid
Time: 8:30 AM - 3:30 PM
OCFS Categories: 2

Monday, May 14, 2018
Outdoor Gross Motor Play
Time: 6:30 PM - 8:30 PM
OCFS Categories: 1 , 2

Tuesday, May 15, 2018 &
Wednesday, May 16, 2018
MAT: Independent Study
Time: 6:00 PM - 8:30 PM
OCFS Categories: 2 , 4 , 7

Saturday, May 19, 2018,
Wednesday, May 23, 2018 &
Saturday, May 26, 2018
Health and Safety Training
Time: 8:00 AM - 4:00 PM (Saturday) &
5:30 PM - 9:00 PM (Wednesday)
OCFS Categories: 2 , 4 , 5 , 6 , 7 , 8 , 9

Saturday, May 19, 2018
Pyramid Model Infant Toddler Module 3
Time: 8:30 AM - 3:30 PM
OCFS Categories: 1 , 3 , 4 , 5

Monday, May 21, 2018
Communicating as a Team
Time: 6:30 PM - 8:30 PM
OCFS Categories: 3 , 4 , 5

Wednesday, May 23, 2018
Renewal Ready
Time: 6:30 PM - 8:30 PM
OCFS Categories: 3 , 5 , 7

Thursday, May 24, 2018
Auburn Workshop
Basic Baby Sign Language
Time: 6:30 PM - 8:30 PM
OCFS Categories: 1 , 3

Wednesday, May 30, 2018
Playground Readiness
Time: 6:30 PM - 8:30 PM
OCFS Categories: 3 , 4