Month: November 2019

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How a Daycare Center in Tarrytown, NY Benefits Both Parents and Kids

daycare center near Tarrytown
How a Daycare Center in Tarrytown, NY Benefits Both Parents and Kids

Every experience and event during the formative years of your child’s life shape the foundation for later learning and their relationships with others. In a daycare center, you can expect your child to have plenty of exploratory time, free-play and play-based learning. Some even provide some structure learning activities to hone the children’s academic skills and knowledge, including solving numbers, reading and writing. 

Working parents in Tarrytown, NY, need and want accessible, high-quality, and affordable daycare centers for care, supervision, and learning that their children deserve. But with the plethora of options in town, the juggle is real in finding the right place to care for them.

Daycare doesn’t just help kids; they help parents too! 

Many parents agonize and feel guilty about enrolling their child in a daycare. But if you take a look at what a daycare center has to offer, that guilt is not necessary. Whether you are working or a stay-at-home parent, sending your kid to a daycare facility benefits your child, but also you. It gives you the time you need to fulfill your corporate and personal duties while your child socializes and learns in a caring environment.  

Some parents also need a break from their little one sometimes, so there is no shame in sending your child to a daycare center for a few hours a day. For instance, moms have one of the toughest jobs in the world: working for a living, taking care of their child and performing home duties. It can take a toll on their mental health, so having free time is a blessing for them. They can use the time without their kids to go grocery shopping, catch up on household chores and maybe even pamper themselves for some relaxation. The best part is that their children get to have fun and socialize with other kids close to their age as well. 

5 Benefits of Enrolling Your Child in Daycare

Did you know that putting your kid in a daycare center can help in enhancing their communication skills? If you send your kid to a daycare facility, and you feel guilty about it, you will love to learn how it benefits your little one. If you are pondering the idea of a daycare that best fit you and your child’s needs, here are some points to consider:

It prepares your kids for school

Sooner or later, your child will leave his nest to attend formal school. But if he has been going to daycare centers for a while, the transition of leaving home will be a lot easier as the time preschool and kindergarten rolls around.  

It has flexible hours and regular schedules

Daycare centers are flexible when it comes to hours – they open early and close late to cater to busy and working parents. It is also a place where your child can learn about routines while partake in a sequence of fun and different learning activities like singing and storytelling. Moreover, the structured time for playing, napping and eating can also shape your kid’s behavior at home, which can benefit parents too. 

It can make parents happy

While some parents have the means to stay home and provide their own childcare, not all can follow this path. For instance, some moms prefer or have to return to work after a few months of giving birth. Knowing that your kid is in a warm and safe daycare can help you feel content and give you peace about your choice to return to work.  

It’s fun!

Daycare is not only a place where kids stay while their parents work – it’s more fun than that! Your children spend their day playing with toys, interacting with others and assembling puzzles. They also learn better while playing outside and partaking in fun activities. 

They can adapt better behavior

A daycare center provides children an opportunity to socialize and play with other kids their age. Working with others can show how to behave and become a team player. Moreover, they also learn to play and share while their personalities develop and their minds grow. 

Parents should not feel guilty because they have to work or cannot afford a nanny, or because they want to take some time off to do some grocery shopping without a toddler. It takes a village to raise a child and if you are fortunate enough to live in a village such as Tarrytown, you can find high-quality daycares like Discovery Village Center. Let us help your child experience the love of learning and you benefit from it in more ways than one! Call (914) 631-1009 and see how we go beyond daycare. 

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Celebration as Self-Expression in Early Childhood Learning

Celebrations in Early Childhood Education
Celebration as Self-Expression in Early Childhood Learning

Villages are places of warmth and nurturing; extensions of family. They are also places of celebrations and commemorations. Since ancient times, communities have joined together to express their deepest ideals and emotions through holidays – festivals marking the seasons, historical events, and core values. Celebrations remain central to the self-expression of children in early childhood education programs.

At Discovery Village, designed to offer a village environment of nurturing and creativity to children, celebrations are very frequent, typically occurring once a week. They are not just “add ons”, but are among the most central ways that we playfully embed in our program our three pillars – Relationships, Experiences, and Values. (REV – REV it Up with Discovery Village!) Celebrations are central to learning in exemplary early childhood education programs.

“Celebrations not only enrich our program, they are core to our understanding of ourselves as a village” explains Anna Hobbs, Assistant Director, who has both inspired and organized our robust calendar of events. “Festivals create opportunities for children to experience our ideals and values as a community in ways that are exciting, meaningful and so much fun.” 

Some of the Discovery Village core values celebrated at our festivals include creativity, caring, community, and discovery.

Celebrations of Creativity

Some celebrations of creativity are whimsical like 

National Play-Doh Day 

and

 Talk Like a Pirate Day.

Others are more substantive investigations into the arts such as

National Color Day 

(which was actually an interdisciplinary celebration of art and science)

and

 Pablo Picasso’s Birthday.

Celebrations of Caring

Celebrations of Caring (for others and for the world) have included 

National Do Something Nice Day (caring for others)

and

National Recycling Day (caring for our earth)

 

Celebrations of Community

Deliberating building community we include days in which we celebrate Discovery Village as a home away from home. We had an especially good time on 

Pajama Day

Community celebrations also include festivals connected to the seasons such as 

Fall Festival and Harvest Parade.

We’re now gearing up for Friendsgiving.

Celebrations of Discovery

We also enjoy celebrations connected to learning and Discovery. A favorite was our recent

STEAM (Science, Technology, Engineering, Art, and Math) Day

 

All of this, and we’ve only been open a little over four months. 

There is so much more to come as we consider our core values and days to commemorate them. 

 

What holidays and festivals would you like to see? 

We are truly looking forward to celebrating with you!

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How to Get Your Child Eat Healthy with a Childcare Provider in Sleepy Hollow

featured image of blog titled "How to Get Your Child Eat Healthy with a Childcare Provider in Sleepy Hollow"
How to Get Your Child Eat Healthy with a Childcare Provider in Sleepy Hollow

Kids either love or loathe veggies – there is usually no in-between. Most parents experience an uphill battle with feeding their little ones due to peer pressure and TV commercials. Once you factor in their hectic schedules it is no wonder that their kids’ diet includes takeout food and meals with little nutritional value. 

Food is a vital part of life, especially for kids – a time to nourish their bodies and minds. But what’s the harm a burger or fried chicken? And what’s wrong with keeping a pack of chips or even crackers in the cabinet? While these choices might seem harmless, it turns out that poor eating habits tend to stick with kids as they grow up. Thus, it is essential to teach your kids how to make healthy food choices at an early age.

If you’re a busy parent with loads of tasks on your plate, childcare is a fact of life — and this is where a childcare provider in Sleepy Hollow comes into play. When parents choose trusted people to care for their kids in their absence, they are valuing their child’s early development. Nutrition should be as vital to parents since your kid may never outgrow poor eating habits.

How Healthy and Nutritious Food Benefits Your Kids

It is challenging to feed children nutritious food. Then if you have a picky eater on your hands that challenge becomes even greater. They tend to refuse foods based on color or texture that doesn’t seem pleasing to their eyes. 

However, children need to receive the necessary nutrients in their body for growth and development. When your little ones start a life with healthy meals, they can avoid several health issues. This can have a massive impact on both their childhood and adulthood years. 

Aside from avoiding health problems, children under a balanced diet also see benefits in brain development. A child who is not receiving an adequate amount of iodine and iron may experience both motor development and cognitive delays. 

5 Ways to Promote Healthy Eating Habits 

Is your kid hooked on junk food? Does your little one turn up their nose when they see the salad and casserole on the table? They would probably ask for macaroni or chicken nuggets. As you tear open the bag of frozen chunks, you ask yourself: “What can I do to get my child to eat nutritious foods?”

Whether you’re a childcare provider in Sleepy Hollow or a frazzled parent, you need a few tricks up your sleeve to get your kids to eat healthily. Here are five simple tips on how you can get your child to eat better without turning mealtimes into a battlefield: 

Sneak in some greens

If you’re tired of arguing with your child about eating vegetables, you can sneak in servings of greens without them knowing it. If they love eating pizza, you can make your version and spice it up a bit by making the tomato sauce even healthier by adding unseasoned pumpkin puree. You can also make homemade french fries by baking the potato instead of buying them deep-fried from fast-food chains. 

Talk to them about eating healthy

You can talk to your kids about eating healthy even if they can barely understand it all. By teaching them where the food they’re eating is coming from, how to make and how to grow them, they can develop a frame of reference about making healthy choices. In addition, give your kids praise and encouragement when they try new foods.

Involve them in food choices

When you’re grocery shopping, make it a habit to involve your child and create a healthy food shopping list with them. You can also present them with some healthy snack ideas and have them pick the ones they want (avoiding unhealthy options). By doing this, your kids will acquire the habit of searching out and selecting nutritious foods.

Please don’t force it

As you expose your children to different foods and flavors, always encourage – not force — them to eat healthy food. Pressuring or bribing them to eat a particular food will do more harm than good in the long run. 

Be a role model

We all know that learning does not only happen inside the four corners of the classroom. If you have a picky eater, you can be a positive role model by eating nutritious and balanced meals as well. Drink water with your kid, eat your greens and try new foods with a smile on your face to encourage them to do the same. 

Now that you have an idea of how to get your child to consume healthier foods, put them into good use. Childcare providers should prioritize children’s health and wellness. Children under care should have regular healthy meals, snacks, and fluids while at the same time enjoy positive meal experiences. So if you’re looking for a childcare provider in Sleepy Hollow, let Discovery Village Center help you in getting your little one to eat better. We support families in the process of ensuring good health for future generations. Call (914) 631-1009 today!

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The Reggio Emilia Educational Approach

featured image of blog titled "Reggio-Inspired Learning and Care"
Reggio-Inspired Learning and Care

In the days and weeks following the end of World War II, the area of Reggio Emilia in Northern Italy was left in ruins. The combination of military action against resistance to the Nazis and allied bombings had devastated the region. Amidst the rubble, on land contributed by a local farmer, using materials from bombed-out buildings, a small group of parents set out to build a preschool for their children. Funding came from the sale of an abandoned tank, three trucks, and a few horses remaining from the war. The parents, having just emerged from the horrors of World War II, envisioned a school that would prepare their children to stand strong against oppression, injustice, and inequality. 

Having heard rumors of the preschool being built out of the rubble, a young educator named Loris Malaguzzi, himself strongly shaped by growing up under fascist rule,  set out on his bicyle to see what was happening. Inspired, he commited the rest of his life to working with families in the region to create a school, then several schools, then a municipal network of schools, and over the years an international network of schools. 

Core to the Reggio approach is the belief that children form their personalities during their early years and possess “a hundred languages”, or a multitude of ways to express their personalities, ideas, feelings, and creativity. These “languages” include painting, storytelling, movement, dramatic play, and so much more. Teachers work with children to plan both long and short term projects based on children’s interests. They document children’s activities and work, using photos, videos, audio, and written descriptions. This documentation is used to reflect on children’s learning, and to plan ongoing learning experiences. Nurturing strong relationships between children and their teachers as well as their peers is central to the approach. Respect, responsibility, and community are highly valued. 

Reggio-Inspired

Schools adopting the Reggio philosophy typically call themselves “Reggio-inspired”. While embracing core principles of the Reggio approach, each Reggio school designs its own program reflecting the interests of children, educators, and families at the school. There is no one “Reggio Way”, no certification process to become a Reggio school, nor any particular curriculum that must be followed. Such standardization would be antithetical to the Reggio approach, which embraces exploration, creativity, and discovery based on children’s interests. 

The Reggio Approach at Discovery Village

Offering our own unique flair to a Reggio-inspired approach, Discovery Village’s name speaks to our three core pillars:   Relationships, Experiences, and Values (REV – REV it up with Discovery Village!) With the warmth of a close village, we focus on developing caring, trusting relationships. Experiences are viewed as the key to learning and creating with a robust project based approach. Children and teachers transform their classrooms into places that could exist in our village, stemming from children’s interests. Learning in all subject areas is carefully integrated into the experience of designing and living in these village places.  Inspired by the vision of the founding families of the first Reggio school, who focused on preparing children to oppose oppression, injustice, and inequality, we embed an emphasis on living out core values within our village.  

Key principles of Discovery Villages Reggio-inspired approach include:

Student Interest: Our curriculum emerges directly from student interest. We integrate learning experiences into the design of our village places and into activities children engage in within these places.

Self Expression and Creativity: We embrace the Reggio notion of “100 languages” or the many ways children can express their ideas, feelings, and creativity. These include painting, storytelling, theater, sculpting, music, science, math, dancing, and so much more.

The Physical Environment as a Teacher: Our classrooms are quite literally transformed again and again into places of interest to our children.

The Flexible Use of Time: Village places shift with student interest. They can last for as short a time as a week. Alternatively, as students become more deeply engaged and invested in a place, they can remain much longer.

Documentation and Sharing: Student work is documented in a range of media. This enables teachers, and children themselves, to reflect on learning. It also enables children to share their work with others. Children will publish their learning in our Village Magazine. They will also present to family and community members at Village Festivals, celebrations featuring what children have designed and learned in our village spaces.

We look forward to documenting our journey in designing and redesigning our village.