Daycare vs Educational Child Care

Educational Child Care is about learning and fun!!

“Daycare” and “Childcare” are terms that are often used interchangeably. In some cases, that is appropriate. But childcare, especially educational child care, offers more in the way of programs than traditional daycare supervision.

Day care is most accurately described as a daily babysitting service. There is nothing wrong with traditional day care. Children are supervised, fed and given some fun activities to do while their parents work. But you may be looking for a little more for your child and the money that you will be spending.

Educational childcare is a rung above traditional daycare. Educational Childcare offers programs and activities that contribute to your child’s growth and learning in a safe well supervised setting.

Types of Educational Childcare

Educational childcare is usually designed for children from infant to preschool age. But there are also some great programs that cater to school age children as well. Summer camp programs are often a great way to keep older kids engaged and learning during the summer break.

But the most popular and most well-known type of educational childcare is preschool education. There are many benefits of preschool child care for both parents and students, including preparation for kindergarten, social engagement and cognitive development.

Preschool is not just daycare. It is a place where your child transitions from the at home informal learning of early childhood, to the more formal classroom based learning of kindergarten and grade school.

There are also great educational toddler programs that focus not only on play but also on learning and cognitive development and motor skills. Before enrolling your child in a child care program, don’t be afraid to ask the center staff exactly what their philosophy and curriculum is. If they are a quality child care center, they will gladly offer you their information and educational policies.

Educational Child Care Programs with Noah’s Ark Reno 

Noah’s Ark Child Center in Reno is dedicated to providing children and families in the Reno / Sparks area the quality educational child care they deserve. Our child care programs are designed around the educational and learning potential of all children. We offer child care programs from preschool to after school age. And we even offer a engaging school age summer school program. Come check out all our programs and contact us today! We look forward to hearing from you!

School age childcare programs are fun programs and engaging programs that kindergarten children and older can attend before school, after school, and during the summer and holiday breaks. Often, parents who have work schedules or family situations that make it difficult for an adult or guardian to supervise their child after the school day use school age child care to provide their child with a safe environment in which to spend their after school time.

Benefits of School Age Childcare Programs

Research has shown that quality school age childcare programs can provide children with a variety of developmental and intellectual benefits including improved academic performance, task persistence, improved work habits and study skills, and improved feelings and attitudes. These benefits are so comprehensive that federal, state and local initiatives are increasing the funding and support for school age child care programs. Approximately 6.5 million children participate in a school age after school program, and an additional 15.3 would attend if there were programs available.

The demand for school age childcare programs is increasing for two reasons. The first reason has to do with the fact that many parents are working hours that extend many hours beyond the length of the typical school day. For these parents, before and after school child care ensures that their children are supervised and safe while they are at work. The second reason has to with the many benefits of school age programs.

No matter what your reasons, below are some things to look for when choosing a quality child care program.

Not Just Daycare

A quality after school or school age childcare program of any type should be more than just a supervised day care. School age programs should be designed to complement and enrich the learning

Our staff is committed to exceptional school age childcare.

that takes place at school. Before choosing a school age program, ask the program director about age appropriate learning activities they offer.

Balance

While it is important that school age childcare offers learning activities and time to do homework, you don’t want your child to burn out on learning. That is why it is important that the school age program allows an appropriate level of autonomy and play time to the children. Research has shown that exercise and play are vital to child development. Before choosing a childcare program, ask the director about the amount of time that the kids are allowed to be kids.

Variety

Make sure that the school age childcare activities are varied and won’t risk your child becoming bored and tired. Ask about how the childcare staff come up with new, fun an exciting daily activities for your child.

Safety

Any school age childcare setting, no matter what the ages it caters to, should be devoted to the safety of the children. Make sure the child care facility is designed for safety and maintains a low child to caregiver ratio.

School Age Childcare Programs at Noah’s Ark Child Center

At Noah’s Ark Child Center in Reno, we provide high quality before and after school age childcare programs as well as programs during the holiday and seasonal breaks. Come check out all of our  program offerings and contact us today. We look forward to hearing from you!

Since birth, your child has been soaking up a lot of knowledge. Much of this knowledge isn’t taught in schools. Though we may not think of it in these terms, something as seemingly simple as learning to crawl and then taking those first steps requires both a tremendous amount of biological development, growth and cognitive acquisition.

Preschool Programs help prepare your child for kindergarten.

By the time a your child reaches three years of age, they are likely talking and interacting with the world and others in ways that are going to have profound effects later in life. At around this stage, you may start thinking about the exciting day that they start their first day of kindergarten. But you may have some concerns about kindergarten readiness. Is your child ready for kindergarten? Below we will examine some of the kindergarten readiness indicators.

Is My Child Ready for Kindergarten?

The question can cause many parents anxiety, especially if they are sending their first child off to kindergarten. There are both social and cognitive benchmarks that indicate kindergarten readiness. The social indicators include the ability to play and interact with other children in an appropriate way, an awareness of sharing and taking turns, handling toys and other materials properly and putting them in their proper place. Other behavior indicators include an understanding of basic safety and asking for help when it is needed.

Cognitive and intellectual indicators of kindergarten readiness include the ability to sustain engagement with an activity and a genuine interest in learning. The ability to follow along with the words of a song, form complete sentences most of the time, and has little difficulty with simple puzzles are also good signs that your child is ready for kindergarten learning.

For a detailed list of kindergarten readiness indicators, check out this great kindergarten readiness checklist. It will help you track and document your child’s progress towards that first day of school!

Kindergarten Readiness Programs

Kindergarten preparation programs are a great way to ensure that any gaps in our child’s readiness are filled.

Kindergarten Readiness Programs help prepare your child for school!

Preschool is a great way to prepare your child for kindergarten. Preschool programs have been shown to give kids the social and intellectual skills they need to have a successful kindergarten experience.

Choosing a preschool is not an easy task and it is important that you ensure that you are enrolling your little scholar in a quality preschool experience. Make sure you consider the things that indicate a quality kindergarten readiness program. Here is an article that can help you to choose a good preschool or kindergarten readiness program.

Kindergarten Readiness at Noah’s Ark Child Center

At Noah’s Ark Reno, our preschool programs are developed with the goal of ensuring that your child is ready for kindergarten. Preschool is the first step towards a successful kindergarten experience and we at Noah’s Ark would love to help you start your child’s journey off right. The friendly and nurturing staff at Noah’s Ark Child Center is dedicated to making learning a fun and engaging adventure! Come by and visit us or contact us online today!

Academic research and studies into healthy child development has continued to record the positive impact that preschool programs have on the development of children. The developmental benefits are not just academic. Preschool programs have been shown to impact nearly every area of a child’s life, learning and development, even many years into the future. And the benefits are seen across the socioeconomic spectrum.

The benefits of preschool education programs for children from low income families are especially remarkable, leading to the creation of a number of state and federal programs designed to increase the enrollment of low income children in preschool.

So you might be wondering about some of the details. Keep reading for an introduction to some of the benefits of preschool programs on child development.

Preschool prepares your child for social learning.

Academic Benefits of Preschool Programs

The academic benefits of preschool programs have been well studied and documented. According to a report on the effectiveness of New Mexico’s Pre-K initiative released by the National Institute for Early Education Research, four year old participants showed increases in math, early language and literacy skills.

Another study of Oklahoma’s preschool initiative reported that the study results “provide solid support for the benefits that such a program can have on the test scores of young children of differing ethnic and racial groups and from differing socioeconomic backgrounds.” The authors of the study go on to say that “the program appears to have its largest effects on the Letter– Word Identification subtest, which assesses pre-reading abilities; followed by the Spelling subtest, and finally the Applied Problems subtest.” Because of these statistically solid results, the authors conclude that “our research supports the proposition that a universal pre-K program financed by state government and implemented by the public schools can improve pre-reading, prewriting, and pre-numeracy skills for a diverse cross-section of young children”

Click the link for more information on the benefits of preschool.

Socialization Benefits of Preschool Education

It should be noted that preschool is first and foremost a bridge between unstructured and structured learning. From

Preschool Programs teach your child about learning with others!

birth to preschool age, your child has been learning a ton about the world and developing verbal and large and fine motor skills. These skills are generally acquired naturally during the course of normal family socialization.

But just because they appear to be easy developments doesn’t meant that they are. In fact, the first years of life are some of the most rigorous and rapid periods of intellectual and emotional growth human beings ever undergo. By the time they are ready to start preschool, children are already well adapted learners.

The role of preschool is to guide learning in a more structured way and to ensure that age appropriate social skills are developed and reinforced.In preschool, children are exposed to learning that is both hands on and gropu oriented, allowing them to develop a sense of a social self. This development in preschool gives them a head start on the type of learning they will be doing in kindergarten.

Preschool Programs at Noah’s Ark Child Center

The preschool programs at Noah’s Ark Child Center are designed to give your child a boost before entering kindergarten. The professional and caring preschool faculty at Noah’s Ark is dedicated to making learning a fun and engaging experience for your child. At Noah’s Ark Child Center, your child will learn about the world, themselves and others in a safe, healthy and nurturing environment. Come visit us or contact us online today!

One of the best indicators of a quality childcare provider is a good student teacher ratio. The student teacher ratio is simply the number of teachers or childcare professionals on hand at any given time in a childcare, preschool or daycare setting in relation to the number of kids. For example, a preschool class of 20 children and 2 teachers has a student teacher ratio of 10:1. One teacher for every 10 kids. A class of 18 and 2 teachers has a ratio of 9:1 and so on.

A good student teacher ratio needs a well qualified team of teachers!

There are many factors that go into determining what a good student teacher ratio is, including the age of the children and the type of program – educational or simple childcare. And what is considered good in one scenario may be considered inadequate in others. But generally the lower student teacher ratio the better the quality and safety.

What is a Good Student Teacher Ratio?

The most ideal circumstance, and one that many parents dream about, is if your child were paired up with a single adult childcare provider who could provide individual attention and support to your child and no one else for the entirety of their school days. Unfortunately there are not enough teachers and child care providers to create a 1 to 1 ratio between every student and teacher in the country.

Instead, child care providers try to maintain a student teacher ratio that is within the acceptable range. The acceptable range of class size to number of teachers is the subject of much study and debate. But the general consensus is that a student teacher ratio of 10:1 is more than sufficient for preschoolers and older.

What are the Benefits of a low Student Teacher Ratio?

The lower (better) a student teacher ratio becomes, the more expensive the childcare usually becomes. But the quality also increases dramatically.

According to research conducted by The National Bureau of Economic Research, small class size and low student teacher ratios were one of the most vital elements in early childhood education settings to future academic achievement.

It’s not surprising why. A lower student teacher ratio allows for more personalized learning and care. A teacher who has to juggle too many kids is just not going to be able to make sure that all of them are performing at a decent level.

Children learn best in a setting with a low student teacher ratio.

Another factor of teacher student ratio is safety. A teacher who has too keep his or her eyes on 25 preschoolers – just imagine that for a moment – by themselves may become distracted and not be able to make sure that the kids are not getting themselves into unsafe situations. While most childcare facilities are safe places to be for all children, making sure that there enough adult eyes and supervision per child is a childcare safety essential.

Student Teacher Ratio at Noah’s Ark Childcare.

In support of all your childcare safety and education needs, Noah’s Ark Childcare Center maintains a minimum student teacher ratio of 1:10 with all of our programs and age groups. We strive to be there for your child whether they are playing, learning, dancing or socializing. Noah’s Ark Childcare staff have extensive experience and undergo 24 in service training classes per year, ensuring that we are up to date on all the latest research and news in early childcare education. Contact us today for more information on our childcare, preschool and daycare programs. We look forward to hearing from you!

Though it can sometimes be very cold and nasty, depending on where you live, winter can offer you and your family a variety of fun outdoor activities and experiences that rival those of the summer months. From snowball fights to snowboarding and skiing trips, no matter what you plan for, as we head into the short days and cold temperatures of the winter months, keep these winter safety tips for kids in mind and ensure that you and your family have a fun and healthy winter experience.

1. Keep Warm!

The first winter safety tip for kids seems obvious. Making sure that you and your kids are warm during winter activities is instinctual. But there are a number of ways to dress properly for winter weather that have to be learned.

Winter offers fun and exciting outdoor activities.

It is important that you layer your child’s winter clothing. Layers provide more efficient insulation than just one bulky coat and can easily be removed and added to suit the temperature.

Frostbite is one of the most common winter freezing injuries. Frostbite is most frequently seen on bodily extremities and exposed skin. If not properly protected, your child’s fingers, toes, nose, ears, and cheeks can become numb, pale, gray or bluish in color. This discoloration is the first sign of frostbite. The American Academy of Pediatrics recommends that you apply warm water – not hot – to any suspected frostbite areas (around 104 degrees). If the numbness and blisters persist, call your child’s doctor immediately.

Another winter condition resulting from exposure to cold air is hypothermia. Hypothermia is when the body temperature of your child drops below normal levels, usually as a result of prolonged outdoor activity in freezing temperature. This condition can occur more quickly in children than adult, so it’s important to keep a lookout for it.

Common hypothermia symptoms include shivering, lethargy, clumsiness and loss of motor control, slurred speech and confusion. If you suspect your child is hypothermic, call 911 and take them inside.

In order to prevent hypothermia, set reasonable limits on outdoor play in cold conditions.

2. Winter Activity Safety

While it is important to keep warm during the winter months, that is not the end of the story. Many of the activities that both kids and adults enjoy are hazardous in their own way. These quick winter safety tips for kids and adults will help make your winter activities with you family safe and fun.

When sledding, skiing or snowboarding it is important to inform your child about how to keep as safe as possible and avoid injury.

All children should be supervised while sledding. It is recommended that children use steerable sleds, not tubes or disks, and that they be prevented from sledding in a head first position.

Skiing and snowboarding should be taught to your children by a qualified instructor in a kids program.

Never ski, sled or snowboard alone. Make sure you child has a buddy or is properly supervised.

When ice skating, make sure that the ice has been approved as safe before letting your child venture out. Never go out on ice that you are unsure of.

3. Health

Winter is known as the flu season because, according to statistics, that is when most flu infections occur. However, cold weather is not the cause of the flu. There do happen to be more flu viruses during the cold months, but the primary reason for infection is because we stay indoors longer and are exposed to other people’s germs more frequently than in the summer months. The best way to prevent the flu from spreading is to teach your kids the importance of frequent handwashing.

Another, often overlooked, winter safety tip for kids is the need to ensure proper protection from the sun. Snow and ice reflects sunlight and can easily cause sunburn on exposed skin in a short period of time. Make sure your child is properly protected from the sun’s rays.

Winter Safety at Noah’s Ark Childcare

Noah’s Ark Childcare Center is devoted to the safety of your child no matter the weather. Whether it is snow, sleet, ice, rain or a exceptionally hot day, the staff at Noah’s Ark are trained to spot the signs of possible safety and health issues resulting from weather. Contact us today for more info on our safety training and experience. We look forward to hearing from you!

As a parent, one of the things you may find yourself worrying about a lot is the health of your child. You are often overwhelmed by the constant reports of illnesses and “bugs” going around and want to find ways to prevent your child from becoming sick. Having a sick child can be stressful and scary. Seeing them suffer and knowing that they feel bad can be heartbreaking. As we move into the flu season, it is important to remember the most effective preventative health measure of child care: hand washing.

The Science of Hand washing

The importance of hand washing in preventing the spread of illness cannot be overstated. According to research from the Center for Disease Control,

Regular hand washing is the best way to prevent illness.

community hand washing education reduced the number of people who got a diarrheal illness by 31%. Hand washing education also reduced the number of diarrheal illnesses in people with weakened immune systems by 58%. Further, respiratory illness, including colds, were reduced by 16-21%.

The reason handwashing is so important in preventing the spread of illness is because your hands and the hands of your child can carry a lot of germs. Anytime you touch something there is a transfer of germs, especially if that object is frequently used by others, such as a doorknob. These germs can then enter the body from contact with the eyes, face and mouth.

While visible dirt on your little ones hands after a day of play is always a good sign that they need to wash their hands, even when their hands appear clean there can be bacteria lurking on them that can get them sick. Kids often tinker with dirty things and have a tendency to touch their eyes, nose and face more than adults. This increases the risk of germs getting your child sick. Children are also at a greater risk because their immune systems are not as fully developed as an adult’s. It is therefore very important that you teach your children when and how to wash their hands. Here are some tips to help make sure your child gets in the habit of hand-washing.

The When and How of Good Hand washing

When teaching your child to wash their hands, it is recommended that you do it with them.  Take the time to show them how to do it and tell them about the importance of hand washing. How many times have your kids asked a “why” question? When you can show them the why and the how, your child will be more likely to make this a regular habit.

Make sure you wash with the right technique.

To make sure you scrub all those germs away, follow these tips:

1. Wash your hands in warm water. You don’t want to make it too hot for your little ones hands!
2. Use soap, preferably antibacterial, and lather for about 20 seconds. Teach your child to wash in between the fingers and under the nails. Those are the areas that bacteria like to hang out.
3. Rinse and dry well using a clean towel.

You should teach your child to wash their hands before and after every meal, after using the potty, after blowing their nose or coughing, touching animals and playing outside.

The Importance of Hand washing in a Child Care Setting

When kids are brought together in a child care setting, such as preschool or daycare, the importance of hand washing is even greater. When playing and interacting, kids can share a lot of germs and the best way to prevent the bad germs from being spread around is to make sure that everyone washes their hands frequently.

At Noah Ark Child Center, we take the health and well-being of your child very seriously. When you leave you child in our care, we ensure that your child and the other children in their class regularly wash their hands before and after eating, using the bathroom or any other activity that might cause your child to come into contact with germs.

We look forward to providing a fun, safe and healthy environment for your child to learn! Contact Noah’s Ark Child Center today!

Starting Preschool is an exciting yet intimidating time.

For both parents and their children, starting preschool is an exciting milestone that brings great joy and pride. But, for both parents and children, the first day can also arrive with some anxieties. The start of preschool is likely the first time parent and child have been separated for any real length of time. Naturally, there are some worries, doubts and concerns that come along with this.

If you are a parent of a child who is starting preschool, you may be just as nervous as your little one about the big day. You may be even more nervous than your child, especially if this is your first time sending a child to preschool. You may be worrying about whether your child will make friends and behave, how they will do academically and whether they are prepared for all the new things they are about to experience.

To help you and your little one navigate the butterflies of starting preschool, here are some tips that you can use to help make sure the first day of preschool is a positive and happy experience.

For a Nervous Child Starting Preschool

At first, a child starting preschool may not show very much anxiety about the first day. Children usually don’t become nervous until the realization sets in that they are going to be separated from you for a good portion of the day. This anxiety is very common and sometimes it causes parents a great deal of anxiety as well.

To help keep you both calm, here are some tips to make the transition easier.

Talk to you child before the big day

Before starting preschool, talk to your little scholar about your experiences in preschool. Tell them about what to expect and how much fun it was for you, about all the neat things you learned and all the friends you made. Letting them know that you have been there too is a great way to relieve some of the anxiety your child may experience. Having this conversation with your child while allowing them to pick out a new backpack ad get other supplies reinforces the positive message.

Give them something of yours to hold onto

If your child is expressing worry about you leaving, give them something of

yours that they can hold onto for the day. It can be anything you like. To them that you are giving to them for safe keeping until you get back. This gives them something to focus on assures them that you will come back to get it.

Arrange play dates with the children in your child’s class

Arrange a play date with your child’s classmates!

If your child already knows someone in the class before starting preschool, the transition from home to preschool will be much smoother. Before preschool begins, get in touch with some of the other parents who have children in your class. Arrange a few play dates and foster a new friendship before preschool even starts.

Remember, even after doing some of these tips, your child may still be anxious and unsure about starting preschool. This is normal. The separation experience is a process that may take your child – and you too – some time to feel comfortable with.

For the Nervous Parent Starting Preschool

The process of starting preschool can be just as nerve racking for parents as it is for children. As the parent, you may also experience some of the same separation anxiety as your child. After being with your little one for so long and tending to their every need all the time, it can be emotional difficult to let go.

On top of that, you may feel hesitant to leave your child under the supervision of someone you may not know that well.

Here some tips to help you cope with the process of starting preschool.

Talk to The preschool Teacher and Director.

These anxieties are all very normal and preschool teachers are experienced and trained to address your concerns.

Before your child starts preschool, get to know the teachers and preschool directors. Ask them about their experiences and training. Try to get to know them on a personal level, too. Preschool teachers are naturally very friendly and gentle and will happily share who they are with you. Talking to the people who are going to be supervising your child on this level will turn them from strangers to trusted friends.

Take some time for yourself

While your child is at preschool, take some time for yourself that you would otherwise not have. Do something for yourself. Treat yourself to a massage, lunch with friends or start reading that book you have been trying to get to for the last couple of months.

Develop new friendships

Talking with and getting to know the parents of other children in the class is a great way to relieve the anxiety of starting preschool. They may be sharing some of your same feelings. Having someone to talk to who is experiencing the same thing can really help the both of you. You never know; a shared concern may become a great life-long friendship.

Starting preschool can be hard for both you and your child, and while these tips are not exhaustive, they are a good start to ensuring that starting preschool is an exciting, positive and formative milestone for you and your future scholar. At Noah’s Ark Childcare Center we strive to make sure that preschool is an inviting, warm, fun and creative space for your little one to develop their potential. We can’t wait to share the first day of preschool with you!

When taking care of children, we can recognize that boo-boos happen. While injuries and accidents are a part of growing up when you’re a kid, ideally we minimize the severity and frequency of accidents in order to keep the children happy and healthy. Our job is to prevent injuries and promote child care safety as much as possible in order to limit the occurrence of owies.

Child Care Safety in the Summer

Many day care programs may extend play hours outdoors when the weather permits. Make sure your child has proper sun protection and drinks plenty of fluids to prevent dehydration.

Sanitation for Child Care Safety

Since illnesses spread quickly with children, make sure your child center safety has effective practices for sanitizing. If a child is ill, make sure the child care center employees have a protocol for taking care of a sick child or sending that child home in order to prevent the illness from spreading.

One of the most important parts of sanitation is sanitizing toys. With all the little hands that touch just one toy, toys carry many germs when shared with various other children. Child care centers can use sanitizing wipes, hand sanitizer, and other sanitation products to keep the center clean and keep the kids safe.

Supervision for Child Care Safety

Child care safety starts with adequate supervision.

One of the most important factors in improving child care safety is an adequate amount of supervision. When you are looking at different child care centers, ask them about their child-to-adult ratio. A lower child-to-adult ratio means that are more sets of eyes per child, and many believe that a lower child-to-adult ratio has a significant correlation to lower injuries and accidents at child care centers. Noah’s Ark Child Center maintains a ratio of 1-10 with all of our groups from 3-12 years of age.

An important aspect of knowing your child is in good hands is by the training of the child care staff. The Noah’s Ark Child Center Staff has been trained with 24 in-service training classes per year, in accordance with the requirements for Washoe County Social Service licensing. The staff also trains annually so we can  keep teachers up to date on education research, teaching methods, and licensing requirements.

Noah’s Ark Child Center

Child care safety is important to our staff.

Noah’s Ark Child Center offers a safe, healthy, and loving environment to supplement your child’s schooling. Our faculty and staff’s dedication to your child’s safety is steadfast. Our curriculum shapes and helps children grow with creativity, self confidence and responsibility.

Noah’s Ark is a non-profit out-reach mission of St. Paul’s United Methodist Church. Our childcare program has been in operation since 1972. Noah’s Ark began in a small space with only 15 children and over the years has grown to encompass 115 children and an expanded faculty.

In 1987 the “educational wing” of the church was built by St. Paul’s with the Ark, to accommodate youth programs of the church and the growing child care population. St. Paul’s United Methodist Church, hand in hand with Noah’s Ark Child Center, reaffirms daily their commitment to the needs of the community, childcare and childcare excellence. We welcome you to our Noah’s Ark family.

Sunshine, green grass and fresh air is an important part in the day of a child at Noah’s Ark Child Center. The children love their outdoor play time. Little bikers follow the figure 8 track as they master coordination and pedaling.  Climbers tackle the rock wall and the challenge of the “zipper” on the Big Toy.   If sliding is their joy they have the pick of three slides .  Diggers fill their buckets for sand castles, mud pies or dirt car tracks.  The green grass invites the children to enjoy a story on the hill, a sniff of the flowers or just a frolic in the leaves and blades of green.  In the winter the hill is covered with snow and a perfect place for a winter saucer spin.  Painting with water or paints on the sidewalk allows the children to mark their artistry on a cement canvas. There is never enough time in the  day for fun but there is always time for outdoor play.