Choices CCR&R

4421 Emerson Ave,

Suite 102

Parkersburg, WV 26104

(304) 485-2668

(304) 485-7024 (fax)

Kids Quarterly PressA Newsletter of Choices Child Care Resource and Referral

October, November, & December 2015

In this issue:

News Flash 2

Adventures in TRAILS Land 4

Professional Development Schedule 6-7

Infant Toddler Times 9

Behavior Consultant Corner 10

Health and Safety Check 11

Valuable relationships can be formed through social media. We would like to invite you all to visit and like our new Facebook page. Our Facebook page provides information that can be useful to parents, child care pro-viders and others in the field of early childhood. We post information about important events and addition-al training opportunities within our state and surrounding areas. If you

have an event or information that you would like to be shared on our Facebook page, please email me at Kristy.A.Ritz@wv.gov. You can also find information about our programs, along with current newsletters and training schedules on our website. Visit us at http://www.wvdhhr.org/choices/ or scan the QR code below with your smartphone.

From the Desk of the Director: Relationships in the Digital Age

Choices CCR&R

315 North Ohio Ave.

Clarksburg, WV 26301

(304) 622-6528

(304) 622-6092 (fax)

Join the Afterschool Alliance

and communities nationwide in calling

attention to the importance of

afterschool programs on October 15, 2015.

Download a Complete Event Planning Guide

www.afterschoolalliance.org

News Flash

2Kids Quarterly Press

Coming Soon -- Using Technology to Engage

The WV Family Child Care Association would like to help you build your business. Join today and we can show you valuable ways to increase your profits, be more professional, and be that positive influence the children in your area need. We offer online class-es to our members for an additional $20.00. These classes will give you 15 hours of STARS credit, and you can take as many as you would like to meet your state requirements. Due to budget realignment we no longer receive state funding, so your membership is more vital now that it ever has been. Let your voice be heard and let your state officials know that you are a family child care provider and you’d appreciate their support. We welcome everyone to join us. State employees can join as advocates if they would like or you can make a one time donation. Everything is tax deductible. We value your support!

For more information call Lorna at 304-730-4710 or Tammy at 304-634-4806. You can also email us at wvfamilychildcare@yahoo.com or find us on Facebook!

Let us help you build a bet-ter and stronger child care business today!

The beginning of the month can seem challenging for most- getting paperwork in order to submit by the end of the week and still giving great care to your children. Writ-ing the day of the week along the side of the attendance sheets can be a big help when parents are in a rush to get the paperwork done before leaving for their activities. Remind parents to enter the time in and out along with their signature on a daily basis. Attendances without the required information cannot be paid.

Keep in mind that a valid Child Care Certificate is your only guarantee of payment. It is your client’s responsibil-ity to give you their certificate. Pending clients have (13) thirteen days to submit any missing documents needed for services. You are not guaranteed payment on a pending case.

Request for Payment forms are due by the end of the first week of the following month. Payments are not considered late until after the 20th of the month. When you bring in your request for payment forms, please pick up new forms for the next month.

Provider payments are now only deposited via direct de-posit. Remember if you change banks or from checking to savings, request a new direct deposit form to change the routing of your payments.

Feel free to call our office at 1-866-966-2668 for assis-tance, or email me at Paula.A.Taylor@wv.gov

Paula’s Payment Pointers WV Family Child Care Association Update

The next stage of collaboration is coming. A new collaborative project, tentatively titled Engage, is under devel-opment with collaborative funding from Home Visitation, DHHR Division of Early Care and Education, OM-CFH, and the Office of Head Start. Engage will utilize the Blackboard Platform and Blackboard technology to bring online professional development to each early childhood professional across the state of West Virginia. The goal for the project is for all early childhood professionals, regardless of setting or sector, to have access to com-prehensive, high quality, and collaborative professional development opportunities.

Sponsored by West Virginia Early Childhood Training Connections and Resources, Engage will allow early childhood professionals to complete professional development in a variety of online formats from many content experts. No longer will professionals be limited to training offered by location and by individual agencies, but the options will be open to access professional development at any time from their personal or work computer on various topics.

Look for more information about this exciting project in upcoming months. For additional information contact Natalie Snider, Distance Learning Statewide Coordinator, at nsnider@rvcds.org.

Kids Quarterly Press 3

2015 NAEYC Annual Conference & ExpoNovember 18-21, 2015 Orlando, FL

Visit www.naeyc.org for more information.

Who’s New At Choices?

Training Tidbits

Professional Development Advisory Council

Choices CCR&R would like to invite all child care providers to attend the next Professional Development Advi-sory Council meeting. By participating in this group you help to ensure that the training needs of all providers in our region are being met. Your input helps us know what types of training to offer, along with the best times and locations for providers. The next Professional Development Advisory Council meeting will be:

October 22, 201510:00 AM to 12:00 PM

Choices CCR&R Parkersburg Office

Please contact Theresa Wascom at 304-485-2668 for more information or to register to attend. Two hours of WV STARS training credit will be provided.

Hi! I am Christi Calvert, the Early Childhood Specialist in the Choices Parkersburg office. I have over ten years of experience working as a teacher in child care centers and have a Master’s degree in Early Childhood Education. I am married and have a grown son who is currently studying in Ireland. As an Early Childhood Specialist I will be working mainly with Wood, Gilmer, Calhoun and Wirt Counties. I am eager to utilize my experience, education, and interest in children and the people around them to enhance the lives of children. I look forward to meeting others who have a passion for children and experiencing the environments you provide for the children in our communities.

67th Annual SECA ConferenceThe Whole Child in Harmony

February 11-13, 2016Tulsa, Oklahoma

Visit www.southernearlychildhood.org for more information.

Hi, I’m Brittany Shutts and I am the new Early Childhood Specialist on the TRAILS Van. I graduated from WVU-Parkersburg this past May with my Regents Bachelors of Arts with a specialization in Early Childhood Education. Before I came to Choices, I worked as the Infant Lead teacher at North Christian Early Learning Center and as the Director/Manager at Lillie’s Childcare and Learning Center here in Parkersburg. I currently live in Little Hocking, OH with my husband (David) and our 2 ½ year old daughter, Gracelyn. I am excited to begin getting to know everyone and helping to improve education for young children through the TRAILS Van program!

Adventures in TRAILS Land

4Kids Quarterly Press

Promoting Positive Relationships Between Children

Have You Checked Out TRAILS?

The Choices TRAILS van offers developmentally appropriate toys, games and books for the use of children in family childcare homes, centers, and facilities. A wide variety of resource books and assistive technology items for children with special needs are also available. To schedule an appointment to see all of the items TRAILS has to offer call Brittany Shutts at 1-866-966-2668 today.

There are many ways you can promote positive relationships between children. This can be done by using yourself as a model and teacher, creating an environ-ment that promotes positive rela-tionships and allows for children to practice communicating and problem solving, and by moni-toring the children’s interactions. You can also help the children recognize, acknowledge, and ex-press feelings appropriately.

The TRAILS Van has many mate-rials to aid in creating an environ-ment that provides opportunities to learn positive communication techniques and enhance relation-ships between children.

InfantsThe majority of infant relation-ships are dependent on the care-giver actions. Caregivers can model positive relationships to infants during routine caregiving (feeding, diapering, rest times). The TRAILS Van has resource books for teachers to look through with activities and suggestions on communicating and forming posi-tive bonds with infants available for checkout.

ToddlersToddlers learn communication and relationship skills by watch-ing their caregivers and recreating what they see. Dolls, doll cloth-ing, feeding/diapering doll care items, blankets and a play crib are all wonderful items to have in a toddler classroom to allow the children to recreate and act out relationship scenes they have witnessed. By watching, model-ing and playing with them, the caregiver can provide appropriate examples of healthy relationships for the toddlers.

PreschoolPreschool-age children begin to interact and want to play and in-teract more with each other rather than alongside each other. The TRAILS Van carries magnetic fishing sets that contain 4 fishing

poles and 18 magnetic fish in each set. These are great sets to use in a preschool classroom because it allows for multiple children to play with each other, practice tak-ing turns, verbalize their wants and feelings, and celebrating each other’s accomplishments togeth-er.

School AgeSchool age children are more likely to be able to verbalize their thoughts and feelings, and may just need help honing their com-munication and relationship skills. Games that provide opportunities to work together, problem solve, and help each other are fantastic for giving children the opportu-nity to practice communication skills, therefore strengthening their relationships.

If you would like to check out items from the TRAILS Van, please contact Brittany Shutts, TRAILS Early Childhood Spe-cialist in the Choices Parkers-burg office at 1-866-966-2668, or by emailing Brittany.N.Shutts@wv.gov.

www.wvccu.com

Kids Quarterly Press 5

www.wvayc.com www.naeyc.org

Ethics in Work Relationships

Family Child Care Provider Association: Choices encourages all facility and family child care providers to join the local provider association. Contact your local Choices office for more information.

Provider Associations offer: • A support system for child care providers • Advocacy for child care issues • Networking opportunities

Child Care Provider Associations

www.nafcc.org www.westvirginiafamilychildcare.com

Christi ‘s Corner

Relationships at work are impor-tant and can determine our job satisfaction. What can we do to have work relationships that sup-port us and our work? The Na-tional Association for the Educa-tion of Young Children (NAEYC) has a Code of Ethical Conduct that gives us guidance. Listed in the Code in Section III, Ethical re-sponsibilities to colleagues, Ideal relationships include:

Trust• Respect• Confidentiality• Collaboration• Cooperation• Support• Recognition•

We can look to the principles in the Code for guidance in building these qualities of ideal relation-ships.

Do:Recognize the contributions • of those you work with. Talk to them, even saying a simple “Good morning!” Smile and point out something they are doing that you appreciate or

admire. Be positive! It is eas-ier to get along with positive thinkers.Take your concerns about a • person’s behavior to that per-son first. Talk respectfully, and attempt to resolve the matter confidentially. Be sure and listen when your • co-workers talk to you. You earn respect by giving people your full attention.Exercise care in express-• ing your views about oth-ers. Think before you speak! Make sure you have firsthand knowledge of what you speak and are not just repeating what someone else said.

Don’t:Don’t be a part of activities • or talk that lessen a person’s

reputation or make the person less effective. Reflect on your own feelings of self-worth. We sometimes put others down when we ourselves feel threatened or inadequate. Don’t be a part of activities or • talk that discriminates against a co-worker. Respect people’s differences and use the aware-ness of those differences to help yourself grow.

The Code of Ethical Conduct is a good place to start for establish-ing positive work relations. For more information on co-worker relationships, or any other topic related to caring for young chil-dren, contact Christi Calvert, Ear-ly Childhood Specialist, at 1-866-966-2668 or by email at Christi.Calvert@wv.gov.

References:Aurora Health Care. (2008). Principles of Positive Co-Worker Relationships. Retrieved from www.arura.org/eap.

NAEYC. (2005). Code of Ethical Conduct & State-ment of Commitment.. Washington, D.C. NAEYC Publishing.

6

Date and Time Title and Description Core Competency Location

Wood CountyOctober 6, 2015 Mind in the Making Overview

6:30-8:00 PM This session will provide an overview of Mind in the Making, a seriesof learning modules about the science of early learning. PM Choices

October 13, 2015 Mind in the Making

5:00-8:30 PM11-part series that uses research on how children learn to encourage engaged learning. Sessions will meet each Tuesday for 6 weeks. Limited seats available. Registration deadline is September 11, 2015.

Various Choices

October 15, 2015 Daily Schedules to Support Social/Emotional Development

6:00-8:00 PM Routine with less emotional drama. This session will explore how to create a daily schedule that supports your children’s social/emotional development. C Choices

November 5, 2015 Lesson Planning & the WV ELSF’s

6:00-8:00 PMThis training will focus on lesson planning, considering the West Virginia Early Learning Standards Framework (WV ELSF), the children’s interests and abilities, and curriculum.

C Choices

November 11, 2015 Medication Administration

9:00 AM-1:00 PM This session will discuss proper administration of medication in child care settings. HSN Choices

November 11, 2015 Making a Difference: Preventing and Reporting Child Abuse & Neglect

1:00-3:00 PM This training is a comprehensive training session for mandated reporters of child abuse and neglect. HSN Choices

December 2, 2015 Early Childhood Positive Behavior Support

5:30-8:30 PM

This training is a three part series that will explore the Positive Behavior Support pyramid and provide participants with tools and strategies for preventing and managing challenging behaviors. Participants must attend all sessions to receive credit. The second and third sessions will be December 9, 5:30-8:30 PM and December 16, 5:30-7:30 PM.

Various Choices

December 3, 2015 Supervision and Interaction of Infants and Toddlers

6:00-8:00 PM This training will cover the basic principles of supervising and interacting with infants and toddlers. PIR Choices

December 10, 2015 Planning Activities for Multiple Age Groups

6:00-8:00 PM This class is especially designed for those of you with school age children or groups with mixed abilities to maximize the fun and learning for all. C Choices

Calhoun/Gilmer/Wirt CountiesNovember 19, 2015 Planning Activities for Multiple Age Groups

6:00-8:00 PMThis class is especially designed for those of you with school age children or groups with mixed abilities to maximize the fun and learning for all. Call 1-866-966-2668 to register.

CGilmer CountyLibrary

Kids Quarterly Press

STARS Core Knowledge Key: CGD: Child Growth and Development; HSN: Health, Safety and Nutrition; PIR: Positive Interactions and Relationships; C: Curriculum; COA: Child Observa-tion and Assessment; FC: Family and Community; PM: Program Management; PRO: Professionalism.

Important Reminders: Call to register at least 24 hours in advance•Children are NOT permitted to attend training sessions•Anyone arriving more then 15 minutes late will not be permitted to •sign in or receive a certificateTrainings may be cancelled due to insufficient enrollment or in-•clement weather

Kids Quarterly Press7

Date and Time Title and Description Core Competency Location

Harrison CountyOctober 2, 2015 WVIT II Administrator’s Course

10:00AM-4:00 PM An overview of the WVIT II Relationship Based Care Course for center directors or administrators. PM Choices

October 6, 2015 WVIT II Relationship Based Care

5:00-8:30 PM This course will cover the importance of relationships and primary Care. Participants must be STARS registered and have completed WVIT. Various Choices

October 9, 2015 WVIT Administrator’s Course

10:00AM-4:00 PM An overview of the West Virginia Infant Toddler Professional Development Program for center directors of administrators. PM Choices

October 21, 2015 West Virginia Infant Toddler Professional Development Program (WVIT)

10:00 AM-3:30 PM This course provides information about working directly with infants and toddlers. This is a ten session course. Participants must be STARS registered. Various Choices

October 21, 2015 Planning Activities for Mixed Age Groups

6:00-8:00 PM The training will provide a framework for planning activities for mixed age groups in child care centers, facilities and family child care. C Choices

October 24, 2015 Super Saturday

8:30AM-3:00 PM Amazing Art (E. Cool); Desirable Drama (C. Calvert); Magical Music (A. Hundley) Various Choices

November 5, 2015 The Keys to Observation and Assessment Overview

6:00-8:00 PM This training is an overview of observation and assessment: why we observe, when, where and how to observe and the purpose of assessment. COA Choices

November 12, 2015 The Keys to Observation and Assessment Module 2

5:00-8:00 PM This training will take an in depth look at Observation, and how it should be carried out. We will have many opportunities to practice our observation skills. COA Choices

November 19, 2015 The Keys to Observation and Assessment Module 3

5:00-8:00 PM This training will take an in depth look at assessment and how it should be carried out. COA Choices

November 21, 2015 Supporting Artistic Expression in Children

10:00 AM-12:00 PM This training will focus on the benefits of providing opportunities for artistic expression in the classroom. C Choices

December 5, 2015 Building Positive Relationships through Communication

10:00 AM-12:00 PM This training will discuss ways to communicate with preschool children that fosters positive relationships. PIR Choices

December 9, 2015 Medication Administration

9:00 AM-1:00 PM This training is a comprehensive training session for mandated reporters of child abuse and neglect. HSN Choices

December 9, 2015 Making a Difference: Preventing and Reporting Child Abuse & Neglect

1:00-3:00 PM This training is a comprehensive training session for mandated reporters of child abuse and neglect. HSN Choices

December 17, 2015 Let’s Be Friends

6:00-8:00 PM This training will discuss the importance of friendships skills and strategies for encouraging them in young children. C Choices

Doddridge/Pleasants/Ritchie CountiesNovember 19, 2015 Supporting Artistic Expression in Children

6:00-8:00 PMThis training will focus on the benefits of providing opportunities for artistic expression in the classroom. Call 1-866-622-6528 to register. C

DoddridgeCountyLibrary

Cool’s Tools

To learn about WV Birth to Three services

in your area, please call:1-866-321-4RAU

or visit www.wvdhhr.org/birth23

Kids Quarterly Press 8

Choices CCR&R offers

free vision screenings for children ages 3yrs-4yrs. To find out how you can take advantage of this free service, please call your local Choices office.

Partnering with ParentsFamily-teacher relationships are es-sential for learning about the chil-dren from an additional and valuable source, promoting children’s emo-tional health, and helping children deal with difficult problems that may have lifelong consequences. Fami-lies and teachers each have a unique knowledge about a child. How will teachers and families see the “whole child” if they never hear the unique perspective that only the other can provide?

The following lists some common barriers between a positive Family- Teacher Partnership:

Differences in backgrounds• Stress• Differing values• Differences in viewing roles• Types of experiences• Notions of openness• Differences in experiences• Communication abilities• Need to feel valued• Differences in viewing child’s • needs

Teachers should be aware of these is-sues to help them readily recognize potential blocks to productive and positive family-teacher partnerships. Once the teacher identifies the issue, the following communication tech-niques can help.

Two-way communication and one-way communication are the two cat-egories of communication between teachers and families. Two-way communication is when interactions between teachers and families go both ways. One-way communica-tion occurs when the child care cen-ter informs the family of something. The most valuable form of commu-nication is two-way communication because the teachers learn from the parents and the parents learn from the teachers.

Not all parents can come to the center at a prescribed time for a conference. Parents care about their children, and usually want to participate in their education; they may just need the center to accommodate in different ways. The following are the types of two-way communications that have been found to be helpful in commu-

nicating effectively with parents:Email• Phone Conversations• Leaving recorded messages• Personal visits• Group visits• Opportunities for family mem-• bers to be part of the classroomSocial events• Parent-teacher conferences•

One-way communication can also play a role in building positive rela-tionships with parents. The following are some examples of one-way com-munication:

Newsletters• Handbooks• Family Bulletin Board• Notes•

Family-teacher relationships are vital for the optimal care of children. For more information or ideas on how to partner with parents, please contact Erika Cool, Early Chidhood Special-ist, at 1-866-622-6528 or by email at Erika.J.Cool@wv.gov.

Reference:Klein, Amy Sussna, Ed.D, and Marian Miller, M.Ed. "In Support of Family-Teacher Partner-ships." Earlychildhood News. N.p., n.d. Web.

Kids Quarterly Press9

Building Secure Attachments

Infant and Toddler Times

Attachment is the process of forming a relationship between the infant and parent, guardian or caregiver. It is developed through warm responsive care and positive interaction, and is revealed by strong emotions of love and caring from the infant.

Healthy development requires strong attachments between caregivers and babies. These attachments develop through the daily care routines. Tak-ing time to gaze at each other, share smiles, talk, sing and otherwise in-teract while changing diapers, bath-ing, dressing, and feeding supports the process of attachment.

When babies have strong attach-ments they are more open to others. Without these strong attachments, babies can be insecure and avoidant. Babies can become attached to more than one caregiver. They form a hier-archy of preference. If the time spent together is predictable, sensitive, and responsive, the person who is caring for the baby while parents must be away is part of that hierarchy.

Frequent changes in caregivers in-terfere with babies’ attachment. De-velopment will emerge best from a

consistent caregiver every day for at least a year.

The relationship a caregiver has with a baby is the foundation upon which development is based. Therefore, in considering ways to guide babies in understanding the world, it is impor-tant to focus on the relationship. Op-timal development will emerge from healthy, warm, responsive interac-tions. Beginning in the early weeks, babies start a “dance” with adults. They take turns looking, smiling, and progress to cooing and babbling with the adult. This is an important part of attachment and the beginning of language. Here are some other tips based on the baby’s age that caregiv-ers can do:

Newborn - 2 monthsSmile, laugh, sing, cuddle, hold and otherwise positively interact with the

baby whenever possible. You cannot “spoil” a baby with too much atten-tion. Respond to a baby’s crying im-mediately, helping the baby learn to trust. 2 - 4 monthsBabies like routines. They help the baby feel more secure. Try to keep feeding, diapering and nap time more or less the same.

7-12 monthsAs the baby grows, it is important to engage face to face, and follow his lead when it comes to play. Try and understand what she is telling you whenever she cries, smiles or turns away.

In time this close relationship that is formed is not only beneficial to the infant, but to the caregiver too!

For more information on building attachments or other topics related to infant toddler care, contact Alicia Hundley, Infant Toddler Specialist, at 1-866-622-6528 or by email at Alica.M.Hundley@wv.gov.

Reference:Honig, A. (2002). Secure relationships: Nurturing infant/toddler attachment in early care settings. Washington, D.C.: National As-sociation for the Education of Young Children.

Join the FUN, and earn a chance to WIN an iPad mini™!Have you participated in the EarlyCareShareWV.org exciting SCAVENGER HUNT? Don’t miss your chance to win an iPad mini™ with case and key-board!

Remember, you can’t win if you don’t play! Open your e-mails from TheTeam@EarlyCareShareWV.org to be on the lookout for our next challenge!

Not yet a member of EarlyCareShareWV.org? You are missing out on to up-to-date early childhood information, cost savings, and management resources. Join for free now at http://www.earlycaresharewv.org/new_member_request.aspx.

Have a question? E-mail Help@EarlyCareShareWV.org for help.

CPR/FIRST AID TRAINING RESOURCES

Kids Quarterly Press 10

Behavior Consultant CornerPositive Relationships for Positive Behaviors

Parkersburg & Surrounding AreasAmerican Red Cross Mid-Ohio Valley Chapter: Call 304-485-7311 for course schedulesRESA 5:Call 304-485-6513 or for informationMarietta Memorial Hospital: Call 740-568-1677 for informationMid Ohio Valley Health Department: Call 304-485-7374 for more information.

Clarksburg & Surrounding AreasAmerican Red Cross:Call 304-624-7689 to register.City of Clarksburg Fire Department:Call 304-624-1665 for information.RESA 7:For more information call 304-624-6554 Ext. 5, or visit http://resa7.k12.wv.usUnited Summit CenterCall 681-342-1000 for information

In any training you have been to you have heard about how important it is to form positive, trusting relation-ships with the children in your care. One of the reasons relationships are so essential is that a positive relation-ship encourages appropriate behav-iors. Every child needs to know that they have at least one adult in their life that truly believes in them and supports them. You can be that per-son!

So where do we begin with forming strong relationships? Think about building relationships as filling a piggy bank. We want to make depos-its to fill the bank, and not do things that would cause the bank (or rela-tionship) to crumble. Here are a few ideas to make deposits in your rela-tionship piggy bank:

Star of the WeekHave a star of the week who can bring in special items from home and share them with the class. This could be a favorite toy, shirt, or picture. Allow them to talk about the item and explain why it is important to them. Having this connection between home and childcare helps create comfort for the child as well as shows them that their caregiver and peers are interested in their life at home.

Send Home NotesWhether it is saying thank you when having their lunch delivered or han-dling a conflict without hitting, there is something good in every day! Even the most challenging child has appro-priate behaviors and does things that are worth recognizing. Take a few minutes to write a note to the child’s parent about one positive thing that happened that day. You could also create certificates that allow for you to fill in what happened for the child to take home. Encourage the parent to ask the child about it, reinforcing the positive behaviors to continue. This is also a great tool to form rela-tionships with parents. When parents hear a lot of positive things about their child and form a relationship with the caregiver, it is easy to discuss more challenging topics if they arise.

Super FriendSuper Friend is a tool from the Early Childhood Positive Behavior Support modules that recognizes children’s friendship skills. Friendship skills are essential for children forming re-lationships with one another and this tool is designed to encourage those behaviors to continue. This tool con-sists of a book, stickers, and a shirt or hat. The book tells the story of what it means to be a Super Friend and talks

about appropriate behaviors. Stick-ers can be used to recognize when a child is being a Super Friend. A shirt or hat that has a Super Friend logo or design can be worn by the child showing these attributes and acts as reinforcement for these to continue. Additionally, recognizing the child’s positive behaviors is another great way to strengthen your relationship with him/her.

If you are interested in using the Su-per Friend tool the behavior consul-tant at Choices can provide you with the story electronically or one in print, and would be available to explain in more detail how to use this tool.

For this or other ideas for forming relationships with children please contact Meagann Morris, Behav-ior Consultant, at 1-866-966-2668, or by email at Meagann.E.Morris@wv.gov.

Health and Safety Check

Kids Quarterly Press

West Virginia WIC provides nutrition & health education as well as other services free of charge to pregnant women, postpartum women, infants, and children up to the age of five.

West Virginia Children’s

Health Insurance Program www.wvchip.org

Health Care Coverage for children & expectant moms Apply online www.wvinroads.org

CChild Care Food ProgramWood County: 304-485-9238 ext 18

Harrison County: 304-203-3711www.frac.org

Benefits to child care providers include: • Reimbursement for food costs • Nutrition education & support • Meal and snack planning • Workshops & newsletters

11

www.wvdhhr.org/ons

Take Care of Yourself: How to Keep Your Work From Breaking Your BackWorking as a child care provider means that you spend many hours a day bending, lifting and moving objects. These everyday activi-ties can cause injury to your back if you don’t use care in how you perform them. Here are some tips from the American Physical Ther-apy Association on ways to work safely and prevent injury.

Bending down is one of the most frequent movements during the day. Bending from the waist ap-plies tremendous force to the discs of the lower back. To prevent in-jury, bend at your hips and knees while keeping you back straight. Keep your feet shoulder-width apart and move your body as a unit.

Lifting children can be particu-larly hard on the lower back. The APTA recommends the use of the half-kneel lift. Stand close to the child to be lifted. Keep your back straight and put one foot slightly in front of the other foot and low-er yourself to one knee. Grasp

the child with both arms and hold them close to your body. Push with your legs and return to the standing position. Use this same technique to place a child on the floor. Avoid twisting your body while lifting. Complete your lift then move your feet in the direc-tion you want to move.

When holding or carrying a child, always hold them close and cen-tered on your body. Holding in one arm and balanced on your hip increases the pressure on the lower back and can contribute to injury.

When pushing a wheeled object stay as close to the object as pos-sible, keeping your back straight and your shoulders back. Use your legs as the pushing force, not your arms. Pushing is always preferable to pulling.

Finally, don’t be afraid to ask for help. If you are moving a heavy object ask someone to help you. Have the children pick up their toys and put them away. Prac-ticing good body mechanics is a good habit to develop and can help keep you safe and strong.

For more information on health and safety related topics, contact your local Nurse Health Consul-tant!

Choices Child Care Resource and ReferralC/O River Valley Child Development Services611 7th Avenue, Suite 300Huntington, WV 25701304-485-2668 or 1-866-966-2668

Choices Child Care Resource and ReferralChild Care Providers’ Newsletter and Professional Development Information

Choices Child Care Resource and Referral is a program of River Valley Child Development Services. This program is being presented with financial assistance as a grant from the West Virginia Department of Health and Human Resources.

Visit us on the Web: www.wvdhhr.org/choices.