3 Social Benefits of Daycare for Children
Often parents feel guilty for sending their children to daycare. However, there are many benefits children experience from attending daycare. The following are three significant social benefits that daycare can offer your children.
Build Relationships
Attending daycare gives children a chance to interact with other kids and make new friends. While this interaction works for children with brothers and sisters, children with no siblings at home find it especially beneficial. Daycare offers an excellent opportunity to build essential social skills that will carry them through life. It allows them to learn the importance of empathy and sharing and teaches them how to be a part of a team. When they spend so much time with other children, they learn how to get along with each other, play together, and be tolerant of others.
Reduces Anxiety
Experiencing separation anxiety is common for children. This issue usually triggers when they turn one year old. Eventually, it can make it difficult for them to attend school. Children who attend daycare find it easy to handle this transition because they’ve already dealt with the separation from their parents. Spending time outside of their home setting makes them more adaptable, and therefore, they don’t find it challenging to be in new situations with new people.
Encourages Independence
Children who attend daycare are pushed to be on their own and away from their parents. This fosters a sense of independence and reduces the fear that comes naturally with trying new things and interacting with new people. This ultimately makes them more confident, which is key to achieving success as an adult.
The Heaven’s Elect staff is committed to helping the children in our care to build and strengthen social skills. Heaven’s Elect Christian Learning Center and Daycare is a Non-denominational Christian childcare center fully licensed by the state of Michigan. Our Midland daycare center has been serving the community since 2000. Please contact us at heavenselect.com.
Amazing Ways Daycare is Benefitting Your Children
Sending your child to a daycare center while you head to work is never easy. However, we would like to share how daycare can benefit your child’s growth and development in ways you may not realize. Maybe it’ll make it just a little bit easier for you when you drop your child off in the morning.
Improves Your Child’s Behavior
Contrary to popular belief, a daycare center may actually make your child better-behaved than children who don’t go to one. Studies show, spending more time with other children under the supervision of a friendly adult improves the ability to interact with peers and develop their social skills. Moreover, exposure to a positive daycare environment during the early years helps in your child’s cognitive and emotional development. It can also prevent emotional difficulties later in life and encourage prosocial behavior in children.
Promotes Effective Communication
Daycare helps to make children effective communicators. By learning to adjust how they communicate with different people, the skill soon becomes intuitive. This skill is also enhanced because they are exposed to various social situations regularly.
Improves Overall Development
According to a seminal study conducted by the National Institute of Childhood Health and Human Development in 2006, the development of children attending daycare isn’t hampered compared to those who don’t. In fact, it was shown that language skills and cognitive development were better than other children. Not only does this happen during the first four or five years of their life, but it tends to last through to at least 15 years of age.
The next time you feel a tug at your heartstrings while sending your child off to a daycare center, remind yourself of these benefits. The Heaven’s Elect staff and program are focused on every child’s development. Heaven’s Elect Christian Learning Center and Daycare is a Non-denominational Christian childcare center fully licensed by the state of Michigan. Our Midland daycare center has been serving the community since 2000. Please contact us at heavenselect.com.
Fun Christmas Activities for Children
Christmas is just around the corner! Have you planned any Christmas activities for the children? Having all the kids join in is a great way to create heartwarming traditions and strengthen the family bond in the holiday season. Here are some Christmas activities for children that can brighten the season!
Fill a Box for a Food Bank or Homeless Shelter
The Christmas season is the perfect time to do something for the less fortunate. When you fill a box with food for charity, you teach a valuable lesson in giving while helping your community and remind them what the season celebrates.
Make a Festive Wreath
Who doesn’t love Christmas wreaths? This year, you can ask your kids to join in and display their creativity by decorating it with ribbons, bows, and other Christmas ornaments. Another option is to take a quick walk outside to gather pinecones and tree branches with your children. This option will give you exercise and add a natural element to the wreath. Once you have your decorations, take a wire ring, or simply bend a wire hanger to make a circle. Then ask your kids to decorate it with the items you’ve collected. Your children will feel a sense of accomplishment when you hang the wreath on the door for every guest to see!
The Holiday Tour
For kids, Christmas lights and outdoor displays are a particular delight of the season! They’ll love a light tour to see Christmas light displays in surrounding neighborhoods. While on the roads, don’t forget to enjoy your favorite Christmas tunes to keep the holiday spirit up. You can also turn the tour into a game by having the kids count the different items they spot, such as reindeer, snowmen, or nativities.
Candy Cane Hunt
This is the Christmas spin on an Easter Egg Hunt. All you need is a box of candy canes and a group of kids to find them after you’ve hidden them. You can make the hunt more interesting by setting some rules. These guidelines could include excluding any canes that are hanging or setting a time limit to see who finds the most the fastest.
Have a Toy Drive
Donating toys to underprivileged children is a simple act of kindness that will brighten someone’s Christmas. Of course, you can always buy toys for the drive. If you don’t have the time to go to the toy store with your kids, you can ask them to pick a few new or rarely used toys from their collection and set them aside for charity. It will be a poignant lesson of selflessness that they’ll remember it for years to come.
Heaven’s Elect Christian Learning Center and Daycare is a Non-denominational Christian childcare center fully licensed by the state of Michigan. Our Midland daycare center has been serving the community since 2000. Please contact us at heavenselect.com.
Fun activities for Halloween!
Your kids must be looking forward to trick-or-treating and dressing up in costumes but who said Halloween can’t be more than that? With Halloween just around the corner, it’s the perfect time to start planning fun activities for kids!
Pumpkin Jars
First up is creating a pumpkin jar! Pumpkin jars are not only fun and easy to make but also make for the perfect Halloween décor! All you need is a few glass jars, glow sticks, and pumpkin stickers. Start by emptying the contents of the glow sticks into the jars and close the jar lids tightly. Then, let your kids enjoy decorating the lanterns with Halloween stickers and other craft supplies. Once the jars are ready, shake the jars and enjoy the excited looks on your children’s faces as the come to glowing life! And these fun glowing lanterns will make great nightlights for them.
Halloween Slime
What’s Halloween without a little slime? To create your own slime, you’ll need a ½ cup of washable school glue, 4 tbsp of liquid starch, and 1 tsp of washable liquid watercolor. Simply shake the liquid starch and pour it into a tub before adding the glue. Mix until they are blended. Add the watercolor of your choice and mix again. You can even get some googly eyes for a creepy effect! That’s it –the gooey slime will keep your kids entertained for hours!
Poke a Pumpkin
Poke a Pumpkin is one of the most engaging Halloween activities for kids. To create this mystery prize game, take a few plastic cups and fill them with trinkets. Wrap them with orange tissue paper and then glue them to a poster board in the shape of a pumpkin. Then line up the children to poke a hole in the tissue pumpkins to see what’s inside and whether they win a trick or a treat!
With these Halloween activities for kids, get your family in the Halloween spirit and make the occasion memorable! Heaven’s Elect Christian Learning Center and Daycare is a Non-denominational Christian childcare center fully licensed by the state of Michigan. Our Midland daycare center has been serving the community since 2000. Please contact us at heavenselect.com.
Fun Fall Activities for Children
Are you looking for some fun activities to do with your kids this year? Here are some ideas to enjoy in between the chilly breeze, bonfires, pumpkin pies, and those orange autumn leaves!
Raking leaves
While it may sound like a chore, raking leaves can be fun and gratifying. Your kids will love getting outdoors, the spectacular fall foliage, and the obligatory leap into the leaf pile. See if there are any elderly or disabled people in your community. Your children could volunteer to rake leaves outside their home. They will have fun and also get a sense of accomplishment and community pride. Most importantly, if you volunteer to help a neighbor, it will teach them the valuable lessons of kindness and concern for others.
Planting a fall garden
If you like gardening, you can get your kids involved in growing a garden with you with colorful fall flowers, such as mums. Or plan ahead by planting spring bulbs. This great activity is both exciting for the kids and beneficial for the environment.
Baking Halloween cookies
On chilly weekend nights, you can get your kids in the kitchen and bake together!
They’ll enjoy the baking and frosting process – and will love eating fresh cookies while they snuggle in for a movie night! To make things even more interesting, you can choose a Halloween theme for the cookies and let your kids embrace their creativity.
Doing handprint crafts
Using your child’s handprint in a craft project is simple and inexpensive. A handprint can become an autumn tree. By tracing their hand on a white piece of paper, it can be the tree trunk and branches. When you cut out small pieces of colorful tissue paper and glue them to the fingers of the handprint, you have the leaves. And don’t forget the tried and true handprint turkey at Thanksgiving!
With these fun activities for children, get ready to make the most of your family time this fall season! Heaven’s Elect Christian Learning Center and Daycare is a Non-denominational Christian childcare center fully licensed by the state of Michigan. Our Midland daycare center has been serving the community since 2000. Please contact us at heavenselect.com.
Four Factors to Consider When Choosing a Daycare Center
One of the biggest decisions in a parent’s life is to send their child to daycare. The anxiety of leaving your child under the supervision of strangers is entirely understandable. To alleviate the concern, you need to understand that you are making the right decision. Make sure you opt for the best daycare facility. Here are four essential factors you should consider when making such an important decision.
The Program
It is never too early to start age-appropriate learning, and your child can begin at a very young age. Therefore, when choosing a daycare facility, going through the program and the curriculum is essential. Make sure that the center you choose has age-appropriate programs and curriculums. Interact with the staff and ensure that what they teach is designed according to your child’s developmental stage.
The Environment
You must review the daycare’s environment as your child will spend most hours of the day in that facility. A warm and welcoming atmosphere will be attractive to children and be comfortable surroundings for them. The environment must give friendly vibes. Moreover, choose a daycare facility that is located at a safe location. Be sure to check whether the building and the equipment are maintained and secure.
The Staff and the Materials
The teachers and the other staff are a vital factor to consider when choosing a daycare center. It is important because your child will interact with these people daily. Make sure that the teachers are trained, verified in CPR, and have experience in dealing with children at the ages they are supervising.
Heaven’s Elect Christian Learning Center and Daycare is a Non-denominational Christian childcare center fully licensed by the state of Michigan. Our Midland daycare center has been serving the community since 2000. Please contact us at heavenselect.com.
Summer Safety: 4 Tips for Protecting Your Child from the Heat
Summer vacations for children mean they get more time to play outdoors and have fun with friends. Everybody loves seeing kids beaming with joy while running, jumping, and enjoying a refreshing swim. But it also means a boatload of additions to the ‘worry list’ of parents! Here are a few helpful tips for protecting your child from the heat.
Sunscreen is a Must!
For kids over six months, a sunscreen with an SPF of 15 works great for protection against the harmful UV rays of the sun. Make sure you apply on your child’s skin at least 30-40 minutes before they head out in the sun. This practice will increase absorption for the best results. Also, reapply it after every 2 hours and after activities causing sweat, taking a swim, or using a towel.
Dress Them Appropriately
Choosing the right summer clothes and hats is the key to shielding your child from the sun. Pick lightweight and airy garments that cover the neck, elbows, and knees. Also, don’t forget to complete their summer look with a cool hat and cute sunglasses!
Encourage Early Morning Play
It’s best to plan your child’s outdoor activities early in the morning in the summer season. Typically, 10 a.m. to 4 p.m. is the peak sun time. So, make sure that they spend as less time as possible outdoors during these hours. Moreover, plan enough breaks in between to ensure that your child is hydrated and well-rested.
Beware of Bugs
Unfortunately, bugs and mosquitoes love coming out in the summer season, especially at night. Be sure to spray your kid’s clothes, exposed skin, as well as your home to ensure they stay safe from insects.
Furthermore, always be on the lookout for any allergic reaction. Seek medical help as soon as you identify one.
These summer safety tips will help you take better care of your child during the summer season. Heaven’s Elect Christian Learning Center and Daycare is a Non-denominational Christian childcare center fully licensed by the state of Michigan. Our Midland daycare center has been serving the community since 2000. Please contact us at heavenselect.com.
Allergies and Your Child
Allergies are among the highest rated of chronic conditions in children. Not surprisingly, allergy symptoms rank at the top of the frustration scale for parents looking to uncover the causes behind their child’s allergies and a possible solution. Being a parent with a child suffering from allergies means that you must have a sound knowledge regarding both indoor and outdoor allergies.
For example, common types of food allergies include tree nuts, soy, wheat, peanuts, egg, and milk. Non-food allergies can be caused by ordinary things, like house dust mites, insect bites, pets, plants, and pollens. Children may be allergic to medications or rubber, as well. Typical allergic reactions include runny nose or congestion, itchy, eyes, and ear issues. More severe reactions could be rash, hives, swelling, stomach discomfort, vomiting, or diarrhea.
In order to keep your child safe from allergic reactions when at daycare, you need to know precisely what will cause an allergic reaction with your child and share it with the daycare provider.
Exposure to allergies at our center would be similar to those found in the home. Before sending your child to Heaven’s Elect, it is crucial to meet with the staff to discuss the allergies of child and any concerns regarding medication. It is particularly significant if your child would your have a critical allergic reaction that may require auto-injectable epinephrine. If your child is allergic to any food item, you must make sure that our daycare staff is well aware of your child’s food allergy to avoid those items.
Heaven’s Elect staff is dedicated to your child’s well-being. When made aware of food or other allergies, we take every step to protect the children in our care. We regularly request that parents keep us informed of their child’s allergies. If you have any new information or that questions, please contact us.
Heaven’s Elect Christian Learning Center and Daycare is a Non-denominational Christian childcare center fully licensed by the state of Michigan. Our Midland daycare center has been serving the community since 2000. Please contact us at heavenselect.com.