Talking with babies and toddlers is a brain building activity! Every time you talk to a baby and have a high-quality back-and-forth interaction, new connections in that baby’s brain are made. The... Read more
Talking, reading, and singing with young children every day helps build their language skills and supports early brain development. These simple shared activities also strengthen caregiver-child bo... Read more
Week of the Young Child activities celebrate young children's learning and development through play-based, hands-on experiences that spark curiosity and creativity. Popular activities include art p... Read more
If you have no childcare experience, emphasize transferable skills like patience, communication, reliability, and any informal experience (babysitting, tutoring, volunteering) when applying for ent... Read more
Dopamine is a key neurotransmitter in children’s developing brains that helps regulate reward, motivation, attention, and motor control. Proper dopamine signaling supports learning, goal-directed... Read more
The child care workforce requires clearly defined qualifications such as minimum education levels, background checks, CPR/first aid and early childhood credentials or state licensing to ensure care... Read more
Celebrate the last day of winter with low-prep, hands-on activities for birth through school age including sensory play, movement games, winter-to-spring art, and simple STEM experiments that help ... Read more
Signs of #abuse and #neglect can vary depending on the ages of the individuals involved. In #children, some common signs may include unexplained bruises, withdrawal from normal activities, sudden c... Read more
Engaging in a #family walk or bike ride can be a suggested daily activity for individuals of all ages to promote #health. It allows family members to spend quality time together, while also improvi... Read more
Not vaccinating children poses serious risks to their health and well-being. Without vaccines, your child is vulnerable to a range of preventable diseases, some of which can have lifelong consequen... Read more
The Universal Checklist and Cover Letter Form is a highly versatile and essential tool for #administrators, as it provides a comprehensive checklist for various #administrative tasks and a standard... Read more
Safe #sleep practices and #swaddling are essential for ensuring the #safety and well-being of #infants and #toddlers. It is recommended to place infants on their backs to sleep in a crib or bassine... Read more
Illnesses and Reportable Diseases Guidelines serve as a crucial tool for #teachers, #administrators, #directors, and #family-child-care providers to monitor and control the spread of #infectious-di... Read more
Let’s count down to Valentine’s Day with kindness! 14 days of simple, kid-friendly actions that build friendship, empathy, and classroom community for mixed ages (0–12). #valentine-day #acti... Read more
Daycares can support children with special needs by creating inclusive communication environments that use predictable routines, visual supports, and clear, simplified language. Implementing augmen... Read more
Effective behavior support in daycare for children with special needs uses individualized, proactive plans that focus on understanding the purpose of behaviors and teaching replacement skills. Cons... Read more
Daycares can support children with special needs by creating inclusive routines, adapting activities, and using visual supports so each child can participate at their own pace. Trained staff, stron... Read more
Create an inclusive environment by training staff in disability awareness, using predictable routines and visual supports, and arranging the space with sensory-friendly areas and accessible materia... Read more
From birth to age five, children rapidly develop social and emotional skills—forming secure attachments, expressing basic emotions, and beginning to regulate feelings with caregiver support. Resp... Read more
Fostering healthy social and emotional development in young children begins with warm, responsive relationships that provide consistent routines, clear boundaries, and a sense of safety. Caregivers... Read more
Maryland Window Covering Guidelines aim to ensure the #safety of individuals by implementing regulations and standards for window coverings. These guidelines are designed to prevent accidents and i... Read more
Assistive technology for infants and #toddlers refers to a variety of tools and devices designed to support their developmental and communication needs. These technologies can include communicatio... Read more
The American Academy of Pediatrics (AAP) has updated its recommendations for #safe_sleep practices for infants and toddlers to reduce the risk of sleep-related deaths. The updated guidelines includ... Read more
Preventing accidental drowning in #child-care settings is a crucial responsibility that requires constant #supervision and safety measures. This can include ensuring that all pools and bodies of wa... Read more