Family Day Care A Caregiver S Guide

Undoubtedly, cultural and social class differences contribute to these struggles, but it is from more universal human dynamics that these conflicts arise.

The demand for child-care spaces is huge. According to the National Center for Education Statistics, approximately 13 million children under the age of six spend some or all of their day being cared for by someone other than their parents. The child-care shortage is everyone's problem – for parents (whether you work outside the home or not), employers, and the children. The prospect of choosing the right childcare can be overwhelming. Put your mind at ease with Choosing Childcare For Dummies. This reference guide is brimming with practical advice to help you find high-quality childcare for the child in your life – whether he or she is a biological child, stepchild, grandchild, foster child, or the child of your significant other. From figuring out affordability to knowing what to do if you suspect neglect or abuse, Choosing Childcare For Dummies covers it all. Inside the book you'll find out how to Weigh the pros and cons of your various child-care options Determine high quality childcare Evaluate out-of-home childcare Hire a nanny or a relative for in-home care Get guidance on the legal issues of being an employer Conduct a reference check Determine if you need a "nanny cam" Recognize the ten signs that your child-care arrangement is in trouble Ease your child into a new child-care arrangement Find back-up childcare Because the United States has no countrywide child-care “system” in place, we’ve ended up with a patchwork quilt of regulations that don’t quite mesh the way they should. This is why so many child-care programs are exempt from the child-care legislation that’s intended to protect children. The bottom line? You can’t count on anyone else to guarantee your child’s health, safety, and well-being in a particular child-care setting. Like it or not, the buck stops with you. That’s why you owe it to yourself and your child to read books like this one that show you how to be a savvy day-care consumer.

Of course you want to make a great choice for your family's childcare needs?but help! Who has the kind of time needed to read volumes of research? So many things to think about, so many things to look for, right? Utilizing simple photos and straightforward concepts, professional caregivers Matt and Denise Tapscott outline some of the key quality indicators all high-quality childcare and early learning programs need to demonstrate in their care environments. Topics such as making transitions, guidance, nutrition, hygiene, and several other indicators of quality are presented in the book so the child and the adult caregivers can recognize and talk about them. Actual childcare environments are highlighted in this user-friendly guide. The book is as appropriate for the child as for the parent or guardian choosing care. Journal pages provide space for parents to record their thoughts, needs, and experiences. This book is not intended as an exhaustive?nor exhausting?resource. Rather, it is a parent or guardian family-friendly resource to be shared with every caregiver involved in the reader's childcare experience. It takes a village!

Caring for a loved one at home. What’s really involved? And what does it mean for your family and future? Tens of millions of Americans have had these questions and more as they prepare for this unsettling yet necessary task. The Family Caregiver’s Guide fills in the gaps, connecting the dots between research and real life. Drawing on the author’s extensive caregiving experience, this book provides strategies to care for your loved one, inside and out, as well as for yourself—including how to use your natural skills in your new role, and which skills you may need to add. You’ll discover how to set up your home for caregiving, including a safety checklist, equipment suggestions, and words you should know. And for those days that are more than a handful, you’ll find positive affirmations, a section on facing and accepting illness, and smart steps at the end of each chapter, in case you need guidance in a hurry. Caregiving has both rewards and challenges. But through it all, you’ll discover what’s most important—that caregiving is love in action.

An increasing number of people in our country today acknowledge the fact that there is an enormous crisis in the field of early child care. The first chapter of this book examines the major reasons for the crisis and why the economic reality for most American households will cause the problem to continue to grow in the coming years. Following this, the second chapter discusses the criteria of a good early child care setup, based on professional literature in the field and the author's experience. The remainder of the book addresses the serious problem that most day-care workers are very poorly trained for their jobs. Six chapters are devoted to providing a practical guide for people who work with young children. They discuss, from current research in the field but without using technical language, current practical methods of working with children-at-risk or those who may potentially be at-risk. The focus is on working with children in groups, helping day-care workers and substitute parents to minimize or remediate the at-risk factor in the children in their care. The book also addresses parents of these children and emphasizes the need for cooperation between day-care workers and them so that child care providers can effectively convey the skills presented here. There is also a chapter on approaches to working with special children, such as children with autism, and those with physical or neurological impairments. This informative and sensitive book will be useful in advancing the training of workers in infant and early child care settings.