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Congratulations to our very own Theresa Ryan! Theresa won the Individual Award of Excellence for Children's Services at the Child Care Conference held in Durham Region today!
We at AskanECE, acknowledged her first, but nice to know that all of Durham Region acknowledges her effort and passion for child care too!
Way to go, Theresa!

The Durham Region Child Care Forum is holding its Annual Conference at the Durham District School Board Office on Saturday, Oct. 18, 2008. Last year’s conference was fantastic and I came away with tons of free stuff, information, contacts and I had a lot of fun too. There are door prizes, a great lunch, a vendor and service provider fair, keynote speaker and of course, workshops.

As a childcare provider, and parent, the topic of childcare is important to me when it comes to election time. I was very frustrated to not have all the information I wanted from the different Parties at my fingertips. I heard more about what other parties were not going to do, then actual campaign platforms from the Parties themselves.

After some digging, I have found some information from the 4 main political Parties about their campaign platforms as they pertain to childcare.

I used to read a novel or two a week. Then I became a parent and my reading consisted of I Will Love You Forever and Dear Zoo over and over again. I am still a parent, but battling the "terrible twos" has forced me to seek outside help. So off to www.amazon.com I went and ordered my own library of toddler survival guides. It's been a few weeks and I must admit I am in love with three of these books. So much so, I am using their advice at work and at home.

http://www.citynews.ca/news/news_26989.aspx

Dollarama, long been my go to place for ECE supplies, is upping it's prices. Come early Spring it will no longer be a dollar store but a $1 plus store. This chain has single-handedly kept my programming budget, within budget, for the past 6 years. I am sure you've noticed, there is not a lot of money to be had in child care these days. Where will we go for cheap craft supplies now?

Let’s face it; daycare is not a big money business. Year after year, Supervisor’s and Daycare Boards scratch their heads for creative new ways to fundraise for program supplies, furnishings, trips and playground equipment.

Here are some ideas of events and programs that have served my centers well over the years:

A few weeks ago, I posted Interview questions for ECE Teachers. Since then, I've also been interviewing for a cook for our daycare. This is a part-time position, and we really need to find someone who is reliable, and enjoys spending time with kids. Not only that, as someone preparing food for children, it's important that they are able to create nutritious, tasty foods, that also meet any medical needs - like the ever present nut allergies.

I have recently gone through the process of hiring an ECE for my centre. Hiring new staff is never an easy process. In a small centre, hiring a new ECE is especially difficult. Not only do you need to find someone qualified, that is capable of dealing with the children, they have to fit in with a small group of other staff.

How many of you work with a man in the child care field or have a male child care provider at your child's centre? How do you feel about men in the child care field?

I took my Early Childhood Education Diploma both through Seneca College and Loyalist College. Out of all the courses I took to get my diploma, I had only one male in any of my classes. This student was fantastic. He had a real love for children, a willingness to learn, his projects were fantastic and creative. He would have been great addition to any daycare centre.