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A Message From Kathy.

Child care costs are as varied as the care models themselves, all with a diverse demographic that adds to the complexity of coming up with average costs you can use as a guide. The Child Care Council of Nassau, has a chart that breaks down the range of weekly costs for a variety of care types and for various age groups.  It’s the closest I can come to helping you make a financial plan without knowing the specific circumstances.

If you find that you might need assistance in paying for your child care, here’s what the New York State Office of Children & Family Services has to say about financial assistance for low income families: “ In general, families are eligible for financial assistance if they meet the state’s low income guidelines and need child care to work, look for work, or attend employment training. You are guaranteed child care if you are on Temporary Assistance and need child care in order to meet any work participation requirements. You are also guaranteed assistance in paying for child care for one year after leaving Temporary Assistance if you left Temporary Assistance for a job and need child care to go to work. Your County Department of Social Services (in New York City, the Human Resources Administration and Agency for Child Development) determines family eligibility based on income, reasons for needing day care, and your child’s age and individual needs. In most cases, families receiving a child care subsidy can choose any legal child care provider.

If you are interested in finding out if you are eligible for a child care subsidy, or if you would like to apply for a subsidy for your child, contact your local Department of Social Services. If you want general information about child care subsidies, your local Child Care Resource and Referral Agency (CCRR) can also help you”.

Finding a caregiver is difficult enough, but planning how to pay for it can be equally daunting.  This is why you have to get all your ducks in a row early on. For more on this, I once again turn to the Child Care Council of Nassau and their Financial Information guide that offers you additional ideas and options for affording your child care. It’s an in-depth look that explores the many areas of assistance.  I urge you to check it all out before you make your final plan.

What's next on the agenda?...read:

Things To Look For In a Quality Child Care Program For Your Child

★ CHILD CARE Tips

Preparing To Give Your Child Some Necessary Downtime.

You just told everyone about how even-tempered and predictable your child can be and “pow”, here comes your first and totally unexpected meltdown. Do you follow with one of your own or do you calmly right the situation.

Welcome to the normal world of preschooler emotions. It happens when you least expect it and it seems, most often in public settings.  It’s some kind of scientific formula that occurs when your child is mixed with a little bit of family gathering and one part of too little space, stirred with an equal amount of a whole lot of noise.

Children often lose it when they’re tired, at the end of their rope (so to speak), and downright hungry. It happens in a blink of an eye and is triggered by something as simple as a sideways glance of a sibling or a request by you to put on their shoe.

So what is it that set that little cutie into a tizzy and how can you avoid that kind of reaction in the future?

Start looking at their sleep time.

Has some loss of nap time become a norm due to some rescheduling issues in your household? Have you changed preschools? Are there new members in your home?  

Children usually need more sleep than they’re used to receiving.

For preschoolers, between 7:30 and 8:30 should be a reasonable bedtime for most, with activities that prepare them for bed at least a half hour ahead of time. Those should be soothing and quieting times such as reading stories and playing gentle music.

Before leaving for any long day away or a family gathering, make sure they eat well before leaving.

Keep a few healthy snacks with you if you find yourself stuck in traffic or waiting somewhere in a long line before arriving at your destination. That’s because your children need regular “fueling”, and their tiny tanks can’t hold them for too long a period of time. In fact, if you’re in a restaurant, ask your waiter for a simple child’s appetizer or some breadsticks or other snacks to share while they wait.

Take a break from time to time and ask them to accompany you outside for a walk. You can talk with them about how much fun the day has been thus far and all the fun they anticipate having when they return for more.

If your child is a very positive and normally cheerful preschooler that seems to be falling prey to losing it more often than usual, try to discover what’s contributing to this change. Are the grownups in the home being less attentive due to some negative work or family issues? Could your child be coming down with something that has her feeling off center? Is there a noisy, evening activity that’s disrupting her sleep pattern? There just might be something obvious that you have overlooked.