Two Children, Inc. In-School Preschools Awarded Accreditation through the National Accreditation Commission for Early Care and Education Programs

Posted on June 4, 2013 by Tess

The National Accreditation Commission for Early Care and Education Programs announced on May 22, 2013, that River Ridge Elementary In-School Preschool and Walton-Verona Elementary In-School Preschool have been awarded Accreditation.  These centers are two of the eight accredited centers Children, Inc. operates in Northern Kentucky.  Only nine other such accredited centers operate in the 15-county Greater Cincinnati area.

As an Accredited center, these Children, Inc. preschools have been recognized as early care and education programs exemplifying excellence in the care of young children.  By achieving accreditation, these preschools provide high quality programs for children, professional development for staff, and an environment for children that is conducive to their individual growth and development that exceeds state licensing requirements.  This accreditation is the second consecutive accreditation – the most possible – for both Walton-Verona Elementary In-School Preschool and River Ridge In-School Preschool, which serve approximately 60 children in total each year.

The accreditation process included a self-study process in which administrators, staff, and parents evaluated the programs in accordance with Accreditation Standards.  After the self-study process was complete, an onsite observation was conducted at each center by an early childhood professional.  Based on the information collected, the two preschool centers were awarded accreditation through the National Accreditation Commission for Early Care and Education.

“Everyone involved in this process – teachers, parents, staff members, and administrators – has achieved something great, which demonstrates our core value of providing quality education to every child,” says Children, Inc. Executive Director Rick Hulefeld.

About Children, Inc.

Children, Inc. provides a wide range of high quality, readily accessible childcare, preschool and school-aged education programs with an emphasis on school readiness and family success.  Founded in 1977 in Northern Kentucky as an early childhood learning center, Children, Inc. has grown to become the largest private, non-profit childcare provider in Kentucky.

Visions Early Learning Center of Children, Inc. in the West End of Cincinnati is the organization’s newest program, and supports young mothers in achieving postsecondary education while preparing their children for success in kindergarten.  Children, Inc. is a United Way Agency Partner and others.  For more information, visit www.childreninc.org.

The sophisticated network of education centers extends its services by building in resources: home-based visitation for young mothers, service learning programs that respond to community issues through community service, training programs for parents and early childhood professionals, advocacy, and research-based music production.   Children, Inc. is a nationally recognized innovator in early childhood services and continually collaborates to increase opportunities and resources for families.

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CCAP Cuts are Perpetuating Poverty

Posted on May 24, 2013 by Mike

Young children are ready to succeed in school and in life.  That’s the vision of Children, Inc. We thought that that was the vision of the Beshear administration as well, but in spite of warnings and pleas from parents and childcare advocates from across the state, the Cabinet for Health & Family Services is slashing childcare assistance for low-income families to the lowest level in the nation. The Cabinet says it will only serve 28,000 children – down from 75,000 reported in this year’s KIDS Count book. This is a crisis for every family affected and will hurt the economy, cost the state more in the long run and lead to fewer kids being ready for Kindergarten.

Low-wage parents are generally low-skilled workers. They move into higher paying jobs only after they get training and job experience. The problem is that low-wage jobs don’t pay enough to support a family. With the drastic cut in eligibility down to 100% of poverty, a working parent in a minimum wage job will no longer qualify for child care assistance. They would have to use half of their wages to pay for it and not have enough left to pay for rent, food, transportation or for any other basic needs. Many or most parents in this situation will be forced to quit their jobs or place their children where they won’t receive stable and safe care where they can learn.

federal poverty4C for Children White Paper Child Care Costs 2013

If working parents give up their jobs, they fall backward on the difficult path to self sufficiency. They lose whatever health insurance they had through their employer and many would then qualify for Medicaid, which will cost the state.

For those desperate parents who try to keep working and find childcare that they can afford, too many of their children will lose the rich learning experiences provided by high quality centers such as those operated by Children, Inc. And unfortunately, some will suffer from inappropriate and unsafe settings that not only do not help the child grow well, but actually harm them.

If the cuts eliminate 35-40% of children receiving assistance, it’s reasonable to assume that child care providers will reduce staffing by a comparable amount. Center staff will be cut back and laid off. The latter will qualify for unemployment, which will cost the state.

Businesses that rely on low-wage workers have benefited from childcare assistance for their working parents. One large employer estimates that it could lose 10% of its workforce that will no longer qualify for the subsidy. It’s likely that many other businesses will suffer too.

The childcare cuts have a huge impact on families, children, employers and the state budget. It’s hard to imagine any other public policy decision that has such a far-reaching effect.

We can avoid these cuts if we raise our voices loud enough to influence policy makers that funding must be found. Be sure to respond to Kentucky’s Voice for Early Childhood’s action alerts and tell your friends to subscribe so they can too. If you have connections in the Legislature, ask them to find funding. Let’s use our influence to help our children.

For more information about how high costs of child care impact local families, see 4C for Children’s white paper:  High cost of child care a barrier to local employment

Join the conversation with Kentucky’s Voice for Early Childhood

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The Effects of the Father – Daughter Relationship on Self-Esteem

Posted on April 21, 2013 by Jordan

A girl’s father plays a significant role in her life, from infancy to adulthood. A father’s impact in his daughter’s life forms her self-esteem, self-image, confidence, and ideals about (towards?) men. According to experts, daughters establish their personal

and independent life later on, using their father’s approach in life as a foundation. What is important in this relationship is that the father seeks to set an integral and honest lifestyle, avoid hypocrisy, and accept his faults and problems, so that his daughter gains a realistic and positive example of how to face real life situations. He must emulate a reflective approach to life’s critical questions, so that she can and will do the same. If you’re a new or expecting father of a little one, here are some things to keep in mind.

Infant to Toddler
In this day and age, fathers have the same responsibilities in caring for their children that mothers do. From day one, it’s now common for fathers to participate in hands-on activities like changing diapers, putting them to sleep, feeding and taking your daughter to regular checkups. This presence is the start of a very crucial stage in the life of the daughter and these responsibilities shouldn’t be shirked. Fathers have to allot time to their infant daughter, caring for her, playing with her, and making sure her physical needs are met. Even something as simple as shared daily playtime is crucial to the father-daughter relationship.

Tween to Teen
During these years, hormones spike and many daughters tend to be moody and distant, which some fathers simply ignores until the relationship with their daughter slowly diminishes. At this stage in their daughter’s life, fathers must concentrate on developing a trusting relationship. It can take time, but it’s simply a matter of communicating to them in their way. In doing so, daughters will feel must more comfortable approaching them with problems or questions. For instance, fathers should never be afraid to apologize, as this indicates respect. Though they’re not an adult, daughters want to be treated like one. At the very least, they want to be treated as equals.

Effects on Self-Image
As mentioned earlier, a father’s relationship with his daughter is a vital piece in the cultivating of a positive self-image. Experts have determined many ideal attributes of the so-called “common sense” parenting for fathers, such as words of encouragement, a consistent presence in her life, and making an effort to be aware of and sensitive to whatever it is that their daughter might feel or go through.

Relationships
The father-daughter relationship may also influence the kind of partners that a woman prefers, especially those they might have long-term relationships with. Many believe that girls learn relationship queues from their parents. For instance, assuming your daughter is attracted to men, it would make sense that she would gravitate toward men with similar attributes to her father. This holds true no matter if a father is a good parent or bad one. This can be illustrated by the tendency of women with alcoholic fathers to marry alcoholics.

Being a parent can be scary, and is definitely a big responsibility. It’s good that you’re concerned, but that’s likely enough to ensure that you’re making good parenting decisions. No parent is perfect, but a concerned and dedicated parent will normally be on the right track.

Barry Rivers writes about parenting, education and more. His most recent work lists the Top Colleges Online for busy parents

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