In House Position Newsletter
June 2016
Education Specialist
The Learning Environment Standards: Learning Center Management System:
The Learning Center Management System is an organized tool to indicate how many children are able to play in each learning center and provide a visual planning tool. All learning centers should be open daily and children should be allowed to select which center they would like to explore. In order to maintain high-quality care and education in your classroom, it is important to have a learning center management system. Allowing children to be in charge of their learning provides them with an opportunity to learn to make choices, take responsibility, and make social connections.
Learning Center Management System Requirements:
· One hour of uninterrupted learning center exploration in the morning and afternoon
· All centers must be open during learning center time
· Children must have the ability to select which learning center they would like to explore
· Children must have the ability to freely move from center to center at their will
· The management system will indicate how many children are allowed in each center
· The teacher will guide children in using the learning center management system accordingly
Things to consider:
· In order to develop an age-appropriate learning center management system, please consider using the children’s pictures and names on the check-in tool
· The Learning Center Management System should be integrated in Toddler through Varsity Club classrooms
Are the centers in the classroom full? Are the children having a hard time waiting? Try implementing a “Wait List” in your room! When you have a limited number of materials in your room that you know children will want a turn with, create a sign-up sheet for them to be able to sign up for a turn. Encouraging children to sign up for a turn allows children to practice their fine-motor skills, it engages them with phonological awareness and the alphabetic print, and it encourages patience and understanding of what it means to wait for their turn.
For more information regarding Classroom Management Systems visit:
SharePoint > Education > The Learning Environment > Learning Center Management System
or
The Learning Environment Standards Book Pg. 5
Rainbow Representative
WARM WEATHER IS HERE!! Well, at least for those of us in MI that is a very exciting statement! We know you are busy getting Summer Camp rolling and preparing for Summer Social in July! Below we have provided you with a couple suggestions to foster great relationships with your staff and families.
Each month we will continue to provide ideas as well as general tips for connecting with staff and families. We would also love to hear your ideas and see your hard work! Please send ideas and pictures of completed activities to education@rainbowccc.com.
Staff Connection Idea- “Be Somebody Who Makes Everybody Feel Like a Somebody!” Place the above quote in the staff break room or bathroom and fill the rest of the board with ideas of things that can make someone feel important. Things like “Make eye contact and listen!”, “Smile”, “Wave hello!”, “Give them a high five!”, etc. June 27th is Sunglasses Day, provide the staff with fun sunglass and a note that says “Thank You for helping us Shine!”
Family Connection Idea- Father’s day is June 19th! Set up “Doughnuts with Dad” in the morning and have a small art project for the children to give their fathers. June 29th is National Handshake Day. Put up signs and encourage the children to come up with special handshakes for hello’s and goodbyes! Warm weather means there are lots of opportunities to get outside. Set up a nature hike or trip to a local park where families and staff can mingle after center hours or on a weekend.
Health and Safety Coordinator
Cleanliness and sanitation are two very important things to remember while in your classrooms. At some point during the day, please take a moment to dust the tops of your cubbies, organize items that may look out of place, be sure to properly sanitize toys, and remember to sanitize the tables and chairs properly. The best time to wash the floors in your room would be during nap time when all the children are quiet and safely out of the way. Take time to wipe the bathroom down when it is not in use. We want to ensure that our rooms are clean for the children in our care. It is important to show children, families, future families and guests that we take pride in our classrooms here at Rainbow Child Care Centers. Many of our schools do not have janitorial staff, which means that our teachers need to be responsible for their own rooms, as well as the center as a whole. A little bit of TLC can go a long way!
Each classroom should have the 4 Step Sanitizing Method poster on a cabinet or wall where it is visible. All teachers should be familiar with how to properly sanitize items in the classroom, including toys that have been in children’s mouths.
4 Step Sanitizing Method:
1. Spray/Submerge with soapy water
2. Rinse in clean water
3. Spray/Submerge in bleach or sanitizing solution for at least 2 minutes
4. Let air dry
These are the required methods by RCCC employees; however State Regulations may supersede the 4 step sanitizing method.
The Health, Safety, and Licensing Coordinator should be aware of what the proper strength is for the sanitizing solutions, according to each state’s licensing standards. They should ensure that the people making the solutions are aware of what strength it should be and how to properly test the solution. The Health, Safety and Licensing Coordinator should also test the solution monthly to ensure that it is being done correctly.
If you are using a “Yuck Bucket” in your classroom for toys that have been mouthed by a child, please be sure that after you have removed the toys and placed them in the correct bins to be sanitized, that you are also properly sanitizing the yuck bucket. This too should be washed with soapy water, rinsed in clean water, and spray with bleach water solution and let air dry. Even though it collects mouthed toys, it is still important to clean it properly to prevent bacteria from growing!
Each classroom should also have a completed Cleaning Checklist posted in their room. This is to ensure that the classroom is clean before the last teacher leaves the classroom. Each teacher should sign off on each of the items after they have been properly carried out according to Rainbow Child Care Center standards. This checklist should be turned in on Friday to your director along with any Name to Face sheets that also need to be turned in. Please be sure that each classroom in the center has a new sheet for each week, and that it is being implemented! This will help cut down on germs spreading and just the overall health of each classroom.
SharePoint>Operations>Center Forms>Weekly Cleaning Checklist