Starting kindergarten is a big deal! It is the first day of “big kid” school and your child’s first steps into classroom learning. But starting kindergarten may bring with it some nerves. And as a parent you want to be on top of all the things that your child may experience on the first day. Keep reading for some starting kindergarten tips to help both you and your little scholar start off on the right foot.

Visit the Classroom before School Starts

Get your child ready for kindergarten with these kindergarten readiness tips.

If your little one – or you, for that matter – have some butterflies or nerves about starting the first day of kindergarten, the best way to calm them down is to go and visit the place that is causing them. If it is possible, and very often it is, take your little scholar to meet their new teacher and visit their classroom. Doing this will show them – and you – that there is nothing to be worried about. Meeting the teacher will make the first day less foreign and more familiar.

Talk and share with your child

Let them ask questions and share positive memories that you have about school, the fun you had, the teachers you enjoyed, the friendships you made. Take time to answer your child’s questions, validate their concerns, and remain positive and enthusiastic about their upcoming experiences.

Hit the books.

But not school texts. Go to the library with your child and check out stories about the first day of school. Discuss the feelings outlined in the stories and answer questions your child may have.

Plan for a smooth first-day experience by preparing the night before.

Help your child pick out their “first day of school” outfit, pack their lunch, and set out their backpack.

The first day is just the first day

Don’t stop checking in with how your child feels about transitioning to kindergarten after Day 1. It is important to check in with your child and communicate about their experiences throughout the year.

Kindergarten Readiness Programs

It is important to start your child down the path of transitioning into kindergarten early. The best way to assure that your child is prepared for kindergarten is to enroll them in a preschool or other type of kindergarten readiness program. Preschool offers a transitional bridge between home life and formal classroom learning; you know, big kid school.

Starting Kindergarten at Noah’s Ark

At Noah’s Ark Reno, your child will get the robust and professional kindergarten readiness programs they deserve. Kindergarten readiness at Noah’s Ark provides your child with the knowledge and social skills necessary to make a smooth transition to kindergarten and beyond! Our caring and professional staff are dedicated to ensuring that your child is safe and secure while learning and growing. Come check out our programs and contact us today!

Boo-boos happen. They are a nearly unavoidable part of childhood. And as every parent knows, children are more likely to get hurt at play than at rest. It is just a fact of life. And every teacher knows that the children in their care are more likely to get hurt on the playground than in the classroom. That’s why it is so important for parents, teachers and children to have a good handle on playground safety techniques and practices. Keep reading to get some tips on how you can keep your child safe while they are on the playground.

Tip 1: Adult Supervision

The first and most obvious way to keep children safe on the playground is to make sure that they have adequate parental supervision. The adult should be familiar with the playground equipment and its intended use and what kids should and should not do on it. The adult responsible should keep children from climbing on the equipment in a manner that can cause injury. For the most part, playground equipment is safe as long as it is not abused. An alert, safety conscious adult can go a long way to ensuring playground safety and fun.

Tip 2: Playground Design and Area 

Good playground design is essential for playground safety.

If a playground were 100 percent safe, it wouldn’t be a playground. There is always a chance that falls, bumps and bruises are going to happen. But there are some things to be on the lookout for when it comes to playground design.

Playground surfaces should be soft and impact absorbent. Concrete and asphalt should be avoided. The best surface materials for playgrounds are rubber fillings or rubber safety mats. The rubber mats allow access to people and children in wheelchairs and is the preferred surface material in modern playground designs. The surface should be clear of rocks, glass, sticks and other debris to avoid falls.

Tip 3: Age Appropriate

Many playgrounds are designed around a specific age group. The spacing and height of the playground is determined by the average size of children in the age group. Make sure that the playground that young children are playing on is properly designed for their age group.

Tip 4. Maintenance and Inspection

Before every play time event, the supervising adult should do a brief inspection of the equipment to make sure that there are no loose or broken parts that can cause an injury. Any play equipment that is found to be broken or defective should not be used, unless the damage does not make the equipment more dangerous.

Tip 5. Teach Children about Safe Play

Make sure that the children are aware that pushing or roughhouse while on a jungle Jim or other elevated equipment. Make sure they understand that they should go feet first on all slides and to hold the handrails on all climbers.

Playground Safety at Noah’s Ark Reno

Playground Safety is our highest priority at Noah’s Ark Reno.

At Noah’s Ark child care center in Reno, Nevada, playground safety is one of our top priorities. Our professional and caring staff are trained to recognize when a dangerous situation is brewing and stop it. Children are taught the proper way to play on our jungle Jim and avoid falls, bumps and bruises. If you are looking for a fun, engaging and safe child care center for your child, come check out our programs at Noah’s Ark and contact us online or stop by our Reno location.

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!

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.