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This is tied in a way to AfterSchoolMom's quesiton on playing with your daycare kids. What type of daycare do you consider yourself to be? For the longest time, I have been very down on myself because I wasn't offering a preschool based program. I wanted to, I would make lesson plans, at one point i ordered different preschool programs, however, with 8 to 10 kids in care ranging from infant to 5 I just couldn't make it all work. Over the weekend I thought a lot about it and realized the fact that I have a very family style daycare. They don't sit around and watch tv all day, however, I don't have activities organized for them all day either. We very seldom do crafts as again, the age ranges and needs of all of the children always seem to conflict and when I have tried to do craft activities it seems that is when chaos insues. I have a daycare where the children are cared for, read to, sung to sometimes, and pretty much are just able to be kids and play and have fun. We do playdough, color/draw, and puzzles. My families are all happy, yet I still have a voice in the back of my head that says I should be DOING something with them. Where does your program fall?
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I am both. Very family oriented, with a preschool component. I am a credentialed Master Teacher in ECE, and take great pride in my work with the children. My environment, on one side of the house is very preschool, the other side is very homy. The children have access to both, as they choose. So when they need the comforts of home, they have it, but the rest of the environment is conducive to their ongoing play and learning. -
I would say I'm similar to yours...family style. I do try to have a set schedule and we do planned activities/projects, but it isn't extensive and it's probably more for my sanity and need to feel like I did something that has an end product. Hope that makes sense! I use to feel like I needed/should do more, but I'm starting to get over that feeling. My goal is to provide a caring environment where the kids will learn how to be caring, well mannered, and contributing citizens to the community and I've realized that I don't have to kill myself doing things to reach that goal.Comment
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You read, you sing, you color/draw, you do puzzle, you do playdough, you are doing a lot with those kids. Don't sell yourself short and think you need to do more. Kids don't need all the crafts that most curriculums go for.
I consider myself to be a family style daycare. I raise these kids as I would raise mine if I had any. I do my own curriculum which is very, very communication based rather than craft and activitiy based like the popular boxed curriculums.Celebrate! :
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Oh, yes, the activities that you are doing with the children would be considered "preschool" activities. You're doing fine
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I guess I consider mine a daycare with a learning environment. I don't advertise as a preschool but I offer preschool activities. I call mine a "Kindergarten Readiness" program. I take bits and pieces from two main curriculum/activity guides that I use as a reference plus the internet for coloring pages and stuff. Licensing requires us to have a daily schedule but it rarely gets followed. We do everything each day but hardly ever in the order listed on my schedule. That's next to impossible when you have infants in care. When my own kids were in daycare, they brought home something every single day - even if it was one cotton ball glued to a plain sheet of construction paper:
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Oh, and I agree that crafts for mixed age groups can be challenging. I was driving myself crazy with this when I first opened. Now, depending on the difficulty of the project, I sometimes just get ONE craft and have each child help with a different part of it. For example Susie will put on the googly eyes, Bobby will do the cutting, Sally will do the painting, etc. It's so much easier this way. We are doing one large candy gingerbread house this year instead of individual ones.Comment
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I do a preschool curriculum that I pieced together from the Internet and curriculum books. I am a credentialed teacher and love teaching. The main part of the preschool is in the am (circle time, lesson, craft) then some in the afternoon (centers and guided activities). The rest of the time the kids have free play outside and inside. Kids learn so much from eachother and independent play. It sounds to me like a lot of what you do is preschool. When I first started I tried doing crafts and writing with a 2 year old and infant present...impossible and always got frustrated. Now I only have 3-5 year olds and my 10 mo old. We do crafts and structured activities around his nap schedule.Comment
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Do not beat yourself up about it at all. It sounds like you are doing a wonderful job, otherwise you would not have so many clients. Providing a safe and loving enviroment should be of the uptmost importance and that is what you are giving these children.
I am very new to daycare and I beat myself up all the time but I am learning that as long as the children are engaged in activities..toys..each other and are happy then I am doing a good job. Besides half the projects that come with the curriculums they are not interested in at all...they just want to go run and play. I would say you are doing a wonderful job!Comment
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Two years ago I watched a few kids my ds' age, and it was very family style. They played, I played, they ate, I did laundry, etc. The kids were all under 1 when they started with me, it was very relaxed.
Last year I did after pre-k care, and it was also pretty relaxed / family style. Some more projects, some cooking with them, but lots of free play and park time and games.
Next year I will be working for an organization that certifies day care for under 3s. I will have to do a schedule, curriculm, projects every day, etc.Comment
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crystal,
what is a master teacher? i've seen you mention this before, but i think (could be wrong) you were still working on your ECE bachelor's so i assume it's not the same as a "mentor teacher." I don't know - that's why i'm asking! my mentor teacher was a teacher working in a classroom and had to have been doing it for 5 years as a licensed teacher.Comment
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usually you can look on your state's website at the state standards for education. i don't know about all states, but TN has a list of preschool standards for those children who do attend preschool (not all do).
it gives a guide of what the children should know each term or by the end of the year - however you want to do it. point being: you can look at those standards, and i think if you do, you'll see that your kids are probably learning what they "need to know" without having a structured curriculum. they aren't expected to read or anything like that when entering kindergarten, but things like recognizing their name (in print), following simple step by step directions, etc. are things they should be able to do and typically can without a structured curriculum. you can even print the standards off and put each child's name at the top of a page so you can check off the things they do know and see what you might want to work on. i think you'll be pleasantly surprised if you check it out.
btw, if kids know things like "front cover, back cover, title page, author (writes the words), illustrator (draws the pics)," etc...they are doing good! and that's something they learn just by you going over it every time before reading a story.Last edited by QualiTcare; 12-06-2010, 10:15 PM.Comment
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CHILD DEVELOPMENT MASTER TEACHER PERMIT
Authorization
A Child Development Master Teacher Permit authorizes the holder to provide service in the care, development,
and instruction of children in a child care and development program, and supervise a CDP Teacher, CDP
Associate Teacher, CDP Assistant, and an aide. The permit also authorizes the holder to serve as a coordinator
of curriculum and staff development in a child care and development program.
Requirements for the Child Development Master Teacher Permit
To qualify for the Child Development Master Teacher Permit, individuals must satisfy all of the requirements
listed in one of the following options:
Option 1
1. Complete all General Requirements (see Terms and Definitions)
2. Complete 16 semester units in general education, including at least one course in each of the following
areas: humanities and/or fine arts, social sciences, math and/or science, and English and/or language arts
3. Complete six additional units in one area of specialization, which may include, but is not limited to the
following:
• Infant and toddler care
• Bilingual and bicultural development
• Children with exceptional needs
• Preschool programming
• Parent/teacher relations
• Child health
• Specific areas of developmentally appropriate curriculum
4. Complete an additional two semester units of adult supervision course work
5. Complete 350 days of experience in an instructional capacity in a child care and development program,
working at least three hours per day within the last four years (this experience must be verified by
submitting an original letter from the employer on official letterhead)
School-Age Emphasis under this option requires that 12 of the 24 semester units of early childhood
education or child development be in school-age course work.
Option 2
1. Complete a baccalaureate degree or higher
2. Complete 12 semester units of early childhood education or child development course work
CL-797 10/08 Page 5 of 8
3. Complete three semester units of supervised field experience in an early childhood education or schoolage
setting
School-Age Emphasis under this option requires that six of the 12 semester units in early childhood
education or child development be in school-age course work.
Term and Renewal
The Child Development Master Teacher Permit is issued for five years and is renewable for successive fiveyear
periods upon completion of 105 hours of professional growth. This permit may be renewed online. Permit
holders who complete the requirements for a higher level permit within three years of the date of initial issuance
may submit verification of completion of requirements, an application (form 41-4) for the higher level permit,
and half the application processing fee.
Crystal has the option one with an Associate Degree.
It's something California does but I don't believe it is being done in any other State. From what I understand (Crystal will correct me please if this is wrong) It's specifically for child care programs. It doesn' allow one to be a teacher in a Public School K to 12 program. You can be an aide in the rooms but not the Master Teacher or Lead Teacher. You have to have a baccalaureate degree or higher for that. You could however work in the preschool child care program or their before and after school school aged programs if you have part of your training for school aged kids.
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I offer babysitting.
We provide excellent supervision. (1 adult to 4 children max)
We provide health assessment (I'm a RN)
We provide the highest quality home made from scratch foods that are purchased locally, directly from the Farmer, in season, grass fed, free ranging, sustainable, and chemcial free.
Daily exercise
Deep restorative sleep
Dedicated space for sleep and play.
Extensive toy collections for each age group.
So we use our fees to provide supervision, food, exercise, sleep, and toy play.
Pretty old school but it sells well.
Our State calls us Child Development Homes now. They used to call us Family Child Care Homes. I just want to be called the Babysitter
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i like that. mind if i steal it for advertising purposes and convincing parents their kids need a nap? LOL
i am definetely a family style daycare. parents choose me for that purpose. i do have dedicated daycare space, set up like a classroom with centers, but i have decorated the room in such a way that it looks more "homey". neutral colors, plants, "country" type decor like berry wreaths and rusty stars, etc. all of the "kiddy" decorations are more real life looking, not cartoonish, and most of the stuff hanging is their artwork. we still have a schedule we follow, but its set by the kids, (as far as activity choices. meals, naps, diapers, are the same everyday). educational activites are offered most of the day, but they choose what they want to do, (math, science, free art choice, dramatic play, you know, the usual stuff). i try and have less transitions throughout the day. to me, telling them "OK art time is over, time for math" or something to that effect, just isn't natural to a home like environment. and alot of my "curriculum" incorporates daily life skills like potty training, setting and clearing the table, helping with food prep, handwashing, nap routines, getting dressed, social skills, etc.
i tried once to follow a boxed curriculum and a more structured schedule, and i only lasted a week
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Nannyde summed it up! And she is correct that I cannot teach K-12 for the schools. I have all the MT requirements, as well as site supervisor requirements, with a total 0f 90 college units.
And, correct, it is not the same as a mentor teacher. To be a mentor teacher, I was asked by the local mentor program coordinator to apply. I then had to submit a detailed app, and had a FCCERS conducted on my program by the college. Then a selection comitte met and selected me to be a mentor for their practicum students.
BTW, I will be waiving my Bachelor requirements, based on credit for life experience and begin my Masters program in January at Pacific Oaks College. Then I'll be teaching at the college level.
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