New Year, new you; and don't forget your daycare too.
So, Winter is almost officially here. And we are smack dab in the middle of the holiday season. But wait, what comes next?
Right when you think you can take a breather. The Christmas rush is over, the hangovers from a New Years spent seeing off the old and bringing in the new has just about eased; with lot's of liquids and pain relievers. Now it's time to start your year off fresh. See about setting up a plan for your resolutions, new body, new hair. Maybe get a few new outfits to round out a new look for yourself.
But wait, what about your daycare?
Don't you think it needs some freshening up too? Maybe a new coat of pain on the walls. New carpets or a good floor waxing.
This is a great time for you to give your childcare business a new look. Rotate out some toys. Take the break time to maybe hire a painter or carpet cleaner. Mabe get a cleaning service in to give it a nice deep clean in time for the new year.
Take this time to reflect on the past year. What worked for your program, the space, the set up, the toys, the curriculum even.
Open that FCCERS book and see what you may need to work on. (For those of you who don't know about FCCERS it's the Family Child Care Environment Rating Scale).
Call a fellow childcare povider or the local CCR&R and ask them to visit for a quick observaton. The new year can mean changes to yourself. Your look, attitude, wardrobe. But also, let it be a time to look into your business and see if there are any changes the you should make. Something you've been wanting to edit or try for a while. Now is the perfect time to give it a go ahead.
If you are in need of some inspiring ideas, take a look at pinterest. It has great class set ups for both center and home based childcare programs. I've even included a few in this article.
And if you do decide to change something. Make sure you take before and after pictures. You want to see the improvements you made, why and how it looked before your makeover.
As always keep the children's best interest in mind. Don't change something that is working for both you and them "just because". Always, start with the end in mind. And remember to keep it DAP. (Developmentally Appropriate Practice)
For ideas and inspirations check out pinterest using the search words, Montessori, or Reggio. Those are my favorite pictures to look at and give me great ideas and inspirations for childcare spaces.
