LSU AgCenter
TOPICS
SERVICES
twittertwitter
facebookfacebook
audioaudio
videovideo
labslabs
facilitiesfacilities
weatherweather
calendarcalendar
rssrss
blogsblogs
Go Local
4-H
Forever LSU
eExtension.org
   Be Child Care Aware
 Home>Family & Home>Family>Childcare>Be Child Care Aware>
Child Care Aware is a joint project of the LSU AgCenter and Louisiana Department of Social Services, Office of Family Support . This project is a comprehensive public awareness campaign designed to educate Louisiana families and child-care providers about the importance of quality child care for the development of young children. In Louisiana, research indicates a critical need for public awareness education. Specifically, poor families need to be educated on how to identify and secure quality child care for their children. Additionally, parents need to understand the importance of monitoring for quality child care because it correlates with child development outcomes.

The Be Child Care Aware public awareness campaign uses media of all types to broadcast the message that quality child care is important. By the end of the project, more than 205,000 individuals will be familiar with Be Child Care Aware. Be Child Care Aware will use seven key types of media to distribute information.

  • Radio public service announcements for broadcasting by radio stations
  • Feature news stories for print
  • Educational displays in public places
  • Educational brochures, one for child-care providers and one for parents
  • Educational presentations for child-care providers and other interested groups
  • Educational information on the Internet via the LSU AgCenter Web site
  • PowerPoint presentations for educating child-care providers and parents about quality child care

more topics



Child care facility
Several Factors Come Into Play When Selecting Quality Child Care
Quality child care involves a variety of factors that should be considered when parents are searching for child care for their children. While cost and convenience are important considerations, parents should also consider their children’s ages, abilities, interests and personalities. Beliefs and attitudes about education, training, child guidance, nutrition and health are also major considerations.
pediatrician with baby
Policies That Exclude Sick Children Protect Others
Typically, providers require that children be kept from care for a minimum of 24 hours or until symptoms disappear.
father and son
Be Child Care Aware! Several Factors Come Into Play When Selecting Quality Childcare
A variety of factors should be considered when parents are attempting to find quality child care for their offspring.
kid with caregiver
Be Child Care Aware! Quality Caregiver Makes Difference; Know What To Look For
A quality caregiver makes all the difference during the early years of a child’s development, so parents need to look for indications of quality when entrusting their children to others, says LSU AgCenter specialist Dr. Becky White.
Woman considering
Child Care Center Director Qualifications - Do You Have What it Takes?
A child-care center director's work is critically important as well as exhausting, not to mention complicated, so it is paramount that a dedicated, knowledgeable person oversees these operations. This article will explore some of the many qualifications needed to be an effective child-care center director.
Child and caregiver
Make Sure Children Are Receiving Quality Care
Quality Child Care. Parents should make sure their child is receiving quality child care. One way to check on the quality of care your child is receiving is to plan a surprise visit to your child’s child-care center to observe the conditions. Listerd are a few things to consider looking for and inquiring about on such a visit.
Caregiver reading
Infants, Toddlers Need Environment That’s Welcoming, Responsive
Infants and toddlers need child care environments that are welcoming and responsive.
Adult comforting child
Changing Classes Can Be Stressful For Children
Some of the most stressful times children experience come when they move from one classroom to another. There are many things parents and caregivers can do to facilitate a smooth move from one classroom to another.
Playground
Outdoor Play Provides Rich Environment For Learning
Outdoor playground areas for children are important to consider when choosing a child-care facility. It is just as important to visit the outside spaces as it is to tour the classrooms. Playing outdoors provides the opportunity for young children to use and develop their large muscles and cognitive abilities.
girl
Appropriate Environments Ensure Safe, Healthy Children
One of the most important roles parents and caregivers serve is to ensure that the children entrusted to them thrive in healthy and safe environments.
caregiver with toddlers
Infants, Toddlers Need Welcoming, Responsive Environment
Child-care environments play an important role in the healthy growth and development of infant and toddlers. Since infants and toddlers spend a large portion of their day in routines such as saying hello or good-bye, getting dressed, diapering, toileting and mealtime, the child-care environment should reflect these important shared learning times. The environment provided for infants and toddlers should be welcoming and responsive to both children and their families.
Table activites for children
Daily Routines Offer Children Security
By following a routine and providing a predictable einvironment, children can feel secure in their child care environment and learn that they can trust their caregivers to meet their needs.
Checking for fever
Keeping Sick Children Out Of Child-care Centers Protects Others
Child care and preventing sickness. Parents who depend on child-care centers need to know the policies of their center and to keep in mind that those policies are designed to keep disease outbreaks from spreading to all children.
Teacher with preschoolers
Encourage Pre-schoolers To Explore, Learn
A supportive, nurturing, inviting environment for preschool age children is extremely important in encouraging them to explore and learn. Children learn through their own experiences of trial and error, repetition and imitation. Adults may encourage learning by ensuring that the classroom or day-care environment is appropriate and supports an array of experiences and choices.
playground
Caregivers Should Examine Playground Safety
Most injuries to young children in school or child-care environments occur outdoors, so playground safety definitely should be a concern in a child-care setting. Approximately 40 percent of the outdoor injuries to children are due to poor adult supervision," says LSU AgCenter child-care associate Cheri Gioe. "That means supervision is an essential component of playground safety."
Girl in Garden
Child Safety in the Garden
Spending time in the landscape with children, especially young ones, requires adults to pay careful attention. Just as you would childproof an indoor room, it’s important to take safety precautions in the yard to keep young ones safe.
Be Child Care Aware: Arm Yourself With Skills To Tackle Terrible Tantrums
Temper tantrums aren’t uncommon in young children. The key for adults is learning how to deal with them, says LSU AgCenter child-care associate Cheri Gioe.
child playing in sand
Be Child Care Aware: Can You Recognize Appropriate Toys?
Parents and grandparents often face the challenge of deciding what toys are appropriate for their children or grandchildren. The same thing is true of child-care providers seeking new toys for their child-care centers.
people
Be Child Care Aware! Know What It Takes To Be A Better Consumer of Child Care
Shopping for quality child care? There are things you can do to become a better consumer of quality child care and at the same time help your children by providing the very best in caregiving.
babies
Steps to Finding Quality Child Care
With more and more parents working and the need for child care increasing, parents need to plan carefully for quality child care for their children. You can do many things to become a better consumer of quality child care, according to LSU AgCenter specialist Becky White.
1 2