How To Get It In In One Short (Long?) Day?

[Missani]

Thanks guys! I knew you would have the answer. I really like the idea of going out right after breakfast, having dcg meet us out there, undressing her first and feeding her then. I think that would work.

I'm not opposed to serving an am snack, but if I do, I think I'd like to do it only in the winter. The rest of the year, they eat breakfast at about 8:30-8:45, lunch about 11:45 and snack about 2:45. Since that is eating every 3 hours, and I serve hot hearty meals, I feel like there is really no need for morning snack. However, it is an idea to do it only in the winter if our lunch continues to be so late.

No, there is no required time that we have to be outside. My only new concern is that we may miss out on a lot of outside time because we so often have a windchill below 0 early in the morning and it warms up enough a bit later that we can go out. I might have to come up with an alternative if it's happening a lot, but I'll keep track of it. Otherwise I say, bring on SPRING!

PS: I agree that they are learning a lot by dressing themselves! I do allow plenty of time for trying on their own because I think it's really important. That's probably why I'm having this problem in the first place, but I think it is an essential skill...especially when you live in Minnesota!

[momatheart]

I will not serve breakfast any later than 8:30 (my contract says 8). We have morning snack just before we go out (9:45ish). Looking at your schedule I would end breakfast and have preschool at 9am, then a snack at 10:00. Could you do that?

I was thinking this same thing. End breakfast earlier. I would say have your child fed if arriving after 7:30 or 7:45.

Abigail my schedual is about the same as yours. Times are a little different but not by much.

[Abigail]

Your schedule looks structured and very organized!

Thank you Littlemonkeys! It's right from our local child care resource sample with a few adjustments I made for it to make sense to me.

Abigail my schedule is about the same as yours. Times are a little different but not by much.

Want to send me your schedule? Mine is just tentative, but I like how most of it is worded. This will be hung up on my parent board by the entryway and I will create a picture schedule to hang up in the daycare room in order for the children to view what activity is next. I have not thought of what pictures I want to print yet besides the basic book for reading after lunch and sleeping children for nap time, etc.

[Unregistered]

I understand about the time thing. I was wondering if maybe you could drop the am snack and just do pm snack. That may give you a few more minutes? Also dropping your curriculum to 3 days a week sounds like it may work. I have a smaller group than you and still struggle with the time crunch. Occupational hazard! Hang in there! You will figure it out and remember spring is coming soon.
Debbie

[Unregistered]

I like to do alot of preschool activities as all my parents were looking for that. Also I consider myself more of a preschool than daycare. We go outside ALOT once it get warm but we live where most of the time it is cold or very rainy! This week I've decided to go outside no matter what. Everyone has to bring rainboots and we went for a walk today. Everyone's pants are haning by the fire as they are all wet from splashing in the puddles but guess what that is part of being a kid!

Here is my daily schedule-

6:45-8:30=Arrivals and free time
8:30=SA's to the bus/bathroom/diaper changes
8:45-9:30=Circle time-reading of a Bible story, sing songs, calendar, and then I put STARFALL on the computor and we have music time
9;30-10:00=Snack/bathroom/diaper changes
10:00-10:30=Storytime/craft
10:30-11:00=ABC Time (Starfall again on the computor) and then something to do with letter of the week
11:00-11:30=123 Time (Starfall again on the computor) and then something to do with numbers
11:30-12:00=Shapes/Colors

12:00-12:30=Make lunch/eat/Set up for lunch
12:30=Bathroom/diaper changes/go for a walk or playoutside
1:00=Storytime/nap
3:00=Start getting afternoon snack ready/bathroom/diaper changes as they wake up
3:45=SA's come home snack
4:00-5:30=Free play or during nice weather outdoor time

This will mostly change because once nice weather happens we will be outside probably most of the time. I also ordered MGT so once it arrives I will more than likely redo everything depending on their lesson planning.

[Meyou]

I find that if I'm prepared to get them all dressed that it goes smoother. I get the kids busy with centers (which they love) and go get all the outside clothes ready. I set out the clothes for the kid over 3 in piles with everything they need and I put the piles for the little ones I need to dress next to me.

I help "big kids" with zippers and mittens only unless they want to wait until all the littles are done dressing. The big kids are dressed 99% of the time now before I'm done with the littles. We make it a race, first one done gets to open the door to go outside, I give lots of praise for working hard getting ready too.

We're out the door in 15 minutes with full winter gear. I dress 3 and 3 others dress themselves. But the key for me is to be TOTALLY ready before they even know we're going outside so they don't go crazy with excitement. When we get back inside I strip them quickly, get them settled doing something they like and then go back and hang up the coats etc.

[Hunni Bee]

I live in VA...it gets very hot here in the summer. Once it Memorial Day passes, we have 90+ degree days til October...usually 97 - 105 throughout the summer. According to our licensing standards, we are supposed to have the kids outside everyday unless the air quality is at red or purple level.

About half my kids have asthma or bronchitis. If the air quality is yellow or orange, "sensitive groups" are supposed to limit time outdoors. What are sensitive groups? The elderly, young children and those with breathing problems. Mostly, its too hot to be outside for more than 15 -20 minutes anyway. So, I put my common sense above standards in this case.

They also say even in "bad" weather...snow, rain, etc...kids should be taken outside...the parents should just provide the gear. Um, nope! We can barely get the parents to put caps on these kids in January...they are definitely not going to buy snow or rain boots, snow pants, slickers, etc.

So if its very hot, very cold, raining, snowing, etc...we just stay in. I'm not going to compromise the health of my kids so they can play outside