Summer is fast approaching. Soon, your child or children will be out of school and amped up to enjoy the warm summer weather and all the fun activities it can bring. However, from experience you may know that after a few weeks of summer fun the “I am bored” declarations start. On top of the boredom that can accompany the long, sweltering days, is your need of good childcare for your little ones while you are at work. Child care summer school programs can solve both of these problems. Summer school offers you a break from 24 hour care and gives your child fun and exciting things to do child in a social environment. Let’s take a look at some of the great benefits of summer camp!

Boredom Be Gone with Summer School

Prepare for adventure in summer camp!

As the novelty of the summer weather wears off and kids get bored, they can often become affixed to their computer and video games and end up spending most of their summer indoors. For those of us who spent most of our summers outdoors exploring, playing and having fun, seeing children glued to the screen for hours on end makes us worry that they are missing out on all the adventure! Summer camp and other summer programs offer your children fun and engaging activities that will get their body moving, mind thinking and curiosity piqued.

Hands on Learning in Nature with Summer Camp

Summer camp and summer programs are a great time to teach children that not all learning occurs in the classroom. At summer camp kids will soon find out that learning can mean dirty hands and exploring nature. Summer camp will teach your kids outdoor skills and allows them to experience mother natures classroom.

Unstructured Playtime

Along with structured activities designed to get your child’s mind thinking and curious, is time for free unstructured play and exploration. Summer camp allows kids to relax away from the classroom and explore their interests. Summer camp will give your child the ability to explore their inventiveness in play, problem solving and learning.

Social Skills

Summer school not only brings kids to nature and great activities. It also brings kids to each other. Summer camp activities are designed around group learning and problem solving. They learn to cooperate with other children, share resources and participate in group learning that prepares them for both the classroom and the real world.

Independence

Summer camp gives kids the opportunity to make choices and decisions as individuals away from their parents. Whether it is a day camp or overnight camp, the time at summer camp is spent learning to be themselves.

Summer School at Noah’s Ark Reno

Summer camp at Noah’s Ark Reno is a great way to keep your child busy this summer. Our summer school age program is built around a monthly activity calendar and many outings and field trips. There is a theme for each week of the summer program and daily activities and field trips are planned around this theme. Come check out all our programs and contact us today!

When a child starts preschool, they are invited into a whole new world of learning and exploration. The preschool environment is a place where they begin to learn the basics of what they will later learn in grade school. The preschool curriculum includes learning the alphabet and simple reading, learning to play and interact in groups, and exercising creativity in arts and crafts. In addition to crafts and the learning that goes on in socialization, preschool children are introduced to math and number. Preschool math is designed to introduce the children to the concept of number, comparisons and the many ways that number is used in daily life.

The Importance of Preschool Math

As education becomes more focused on math, science and technology, it is important that children are introduced to numbers and become comfortable with

Preschool math is an essential part of early childhood education.

using them. While preschool math curriculum doesn’t guarantee that your child will be a math wiz, they will enter kindergarten and grade school with a solid foundation in math and the various ways it is used.

Preschool math is a transitional curriculum based on the assumption that the child knows very little to nothing about math and is designed to be the bridge to kindergarten learning.

How is Math Taught in Preschool?

Like many preschool subjects, preschool math is taught primarily by play, games and song. Preschool math curriculum is designed to introduce the child to number and many of the everyday uses of number. As adults, we forget how thoroughly numbers are a part of our lives. From the date to the time, numbers are everywhere. The purpose of preschool math is to expose children to the concept of number and engage some of the ways we use it in everyday life.

What are Children Taught in Preschool Math?

The beginning of preschool math education is the introduction to numbers, counting and number recognition. Games are used to help the preschooler recognize the numbers, learn to count and match numbers to their names. Children will learn to count the days of the school year, will be put into numbered groups and will begin to learn the concept of time and date.

Some of these mathematical concepts, however, are too hard for young learners to fully grasp. At this age, there is not too much to worry about if your child is struggling with numbers and their associated concepts. Telling time on a clock, for example, because it uses two sets of 12 distinguished by a.m and p.m. to account for a 24 hour day, introduces a second layer of possible confusion for a first time learner. Preschool math will give your child the building blocks of to learn further in kindergarten and grade school.

Preschool Math at Noah’s Ark Reno

Noah’s Ark Child Center is dedicated to providing excellent quality preschool education to the families of Reno, Nevada. In pursuit of this goal, the Preschool program at Noah’s Ark encourages children to discover number and learn how it is used in their daily lives. Children learn to recognize number, count and are introduced to the days of the week and the calendar. Come check out our programs and contact us today to get your child started on the path to future academic success! We look forward to hearing from you!

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.

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!

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.