Child Care Resource and Referral Monthly Newsletter

1 July/August Office Closed July 1/13 & Aug. 5/13 Candace LaFlamme - Childcare Consultant Email: Carmen Kallman - Subsidy Consultant Email: Shawna Sellars - Office Assistant Email: Ashlee Turatus - Event Coordinator Email: Beulah Munson - Manager of Children Services Email: WOMEN S CONTACT SOCIETY - 250-392-4118 OUR STAFF Address: 301-19 North First Avenue Williams Lake, BC V2G 2V2 Office Hours: Monday, Tuesday, Thursday, Friday - 9:00 am - 4:00 pm Wednesdays - 12:00 pm - 7:00 pm Fax: 250-392-4145 Funded by the Province of BC Inside this issue: Page Item 2 Playgroup in the Park & Summer Reading Club 3 Thoughts for Tots & Lending Library 4 For Sale 5 Pediatric First Aid 6 Good Food Box 7 Membership Form Child care Resource and Referral Monthly Newsletter CCRR Memberships are only $ per year for toy, book and equipment lending!

2 Check out our new website! Join the celebration for Canada s Birthday on July 1st, 2013 in Boitanio Park from 2 pm to 4 pm! Activities include: Performances Face Painting Cake Check us out on Facebook! Child care Resource and Referral Monthly Newsletter Women s Contact Society - 250-392-4118 Page 2 Playgroup in the Park For caregivers: including parents, grandparents and all families in Williams Lake Every Tuesday, weather permitting, during the summer, come join us in Kiwanis Park for our Playgroup in the park. Bring your little friends out for an adventure with the CCRR staff. Playgroup in the Park is from 10:30 am to 11:30 am. Come join us on these Tuesdays: July 2nd, 9th, 16th, 23rd & 30th August 6th, 13th, 20th & 27th NEW! Tuesday Wednesday Thursday Friday Time Age Time Age Time Age Time Age 10:15 - 11:15 am 3-5 1:00 - 2:15 pm 6-8 1:00 - 2:30 pm 9-12 10:15 - 11:15 am 3-5 1:15 - 2:30 pm 6-8 4:15 - 5:15 pm 3-5 3:30 - 4:30 pm 3-5 12:15 - 1:45 pm 9-12 3:30 - 5:00 pm 9-12 6:15 - 7:45 pm 9-12 6:30 - 7:45 pm 6-8 3:45 - 5:00 pm 6-8 Summer Reading Club at the CRD Williams Lake Library in July & August Come and register for any of the following sessions (Everything is FREE!)

3 !) This year we also have TWO evening sessions (we welcome children from Glendale school in the alternate program to join as well). For more information, or if you would like to volunteer at the Summer Reading Club this year, contact Jenny, the Williams Lake Branch Summer Reading Coordinator at 250-392-3630 or Child care Resource and Referral Monthly Newsletter Women s Contact Society - 250-392-4118 Page 3 CHECK IT OUT! Come on in and borrow from the CCRR Lending Library. The staff is continuously working to bring new, exciting Resource boxes for people to share with the children in the community. We are revamping our library! We have our very own dehydrator to promote healthy eating in children. This item is available for Thoughts for Tots - Children Have Stress Stress is a normal, everyday occurrence. It s our body s response to feeling afraid, overworked, overstimulated, threatened or excited.

4 We tend to think of stress as a bad thing, but a certain amount of it actually helps us feel alert, energized and interested in life. Even very young children experience stress, and it s important for adults to recognize and help preschoolers deal with it. High levels of unre-lieved stress can lead to behaviour problems and can interfere with a Child s inability to function normally. When we help children deal with stress, they begin to build coping skills they will need throughout life. Here are a few tips to help you help your preschooler through stressful situations: Transition times Remember that feeling rushed puts pressure on children. Look for ways to make your morning less rushed. Try getting up a half an hour earlier. Get clothes, lunches and backpacks ready the night before. Talk to your Child about the day ahead - that she is going to pre-school and you are going to work.

5 Remind her that she will spend the day with her friends and that you will see her again that the end of the day. Drop off or pick up time can be an opportunity to have a brief chat with the caregiver about how your Child is doing, for example to explain that your Child had a difficult morning or slept poorly the night before. At the end of the day, find out how her day went. If one parent is responsible for dropping off and picking up the Child , the other parent should occasionally do so in order to get to know the caregiver. Make sure your Child knows in advance who will be picking her up. Make time to tune in, connect and cuddle. Try to spend the first few minutes after you return home giving your Child undivided atten-tion. Some children would love to be held or rocked for a few minutes to reconnect. Other children might just want tot be near you, do-ing quiet things, but able to have your attention before you get involved in chores.

6 Don t be surprised if your Child falls apart shortly after you pick him up from Child care . This is normal. Children often save up their strong feelings all day and let them out when they get home. Child care Resource and Referral Monthly Newsletter Women s Contact Society - 250-392-4118 Page 4 Some items from the CCRR Lending Library are for sale! Pictures and prices are on the Williams Lake Purge and Indulge Facebook page. Items include toys that are not being utilized and books for $2 each. FOR SALE! Fisher Price and Little Tikes fire truck and school for $5 Balance Beams $25 Baby Stand-up Toy $10 Red Barn $10 (comes with animals) CALL THE CCRR OFFICE FOR MORE INFORMATION This book has sold! Plastic Buckets 3 for $10 This book has sold! INSPIRE~ENCOURAGE~SUPPORT You are invited to our 1st Annual Cariboo Chilcotin Early Years Conference When: October 4th & 5th, 2013 Location: Thompson Rivers University Registration Packages available in July (Early Bird Fees Available) For more information, please call the CCRR office at 250-392-4118 Child care Resource and Referral Monthly Newsletter Women s Contact Society - 250-392-4118 Page 5 When: Saturday July 13, 2013 Where: Thompson Rivers University (TRU) Time: 7:45 am - 5:00 pm Cost: $ per person *Please bring a lunch and a photo ID.

7 Payment is needed in order to register for the course. Refunds can only be made until 48 hours before the course minus $ for administration fee. The course will be rescheduled without adequate attendance. If you are interested in any other First Aid other than the one provided here, feel free to contact TRU directly for information or to register for a different course in which you are interested. To register please call 250-392-4118 Water safety for young children Water wings, bathing suits with flotation devices in them, inflatable wings and other swim toys ARE NOT safety devices. *Drowning is the second most common cause of death for children under 5 years of age. Children can drown in as little as cm (1 inch) of water. Babies who cannot sit without support and are too young to wear a portable flotation device (PFD) should be held by an adult at all times.

8 Toddlers should always be within arm's reach of an adult when they are in or around water. This includes pools, bathtubs, and beaches, and other water sources. Swimming lessons are a great opportunity for families to participate in fun activities that contribute to a healthy lifestyle. But on their own, they will not protect or prevent a Child from drowning. All children should be supervised by an adult when they are in or around water and should never be left alone in a pool or bathtub, even for a moment. The Lifesaving Society recommends a supervision ratio of at least 1 adult for every 2 young children, and 1 adult for every baby. Should I use a life jacket or a personal flotation device (PFD) for my Child ? Life jackets are different from PFDs. A life jacket can turn the person over from face-down to face-up. A PFD will keep a person floating, but not necessarily face-up.

9 It is lighter and less bulky than a lifejacket. PFDs also keep people warmer in the water because the foam in the vest is spread more evenly around the body. You can use either a lifejacket or a PFD for your Child , as long as it is designed for children. *In Canada, approved life jackets and PFDs are not available for infants who weigh less than 9 kg (20 lb). There is no safety standard for smaller infants. Check the label to be sure that your Child 's PFD or life jacket meets current national safety standards. It should be approved by at least one of the follow-ing: Transport Canada, Canadian Coast Guard or Fisheries and Oceans Canada. It should be the right size for your Child 's weight. Make sure it stays buckled up. Keep all safety straps fastened, including the crotch strap. What should we do if we have a swimming pool at home?

10 Swimming pools-whether in- or above-ground-should be fenced on four sides. (That means NOT having direct access to a pool from a deck, patio or back door (the house doesn't count as a "side"). The fence should be climbing-resistant and at least m (4 ft.) high. Any gate to the pool area should be self-closing and self-latching.) Make sure that hot tubs and spas not contained within the fenced pool area have a locking hard cover or are located in an area that can be closed and locked. Empty toddler and other portable backyard pools after use (at least once daily if you are using them every day). By not having standing water, you also help reduce the risk of West Nile Virus. Parents and pool owners should learn how to swim and how to rescue a drowning victim. They should also maintain certification in first aid and cardio-pulmonary resuscitation (CPR).