family

Choosing a Daycare or Pre-School:
Top Ten Safety Tips
by Michelle Annese

When it's time to put your child into a daycare or pre-school, there is some homework involved. Here are the top ten safety tips that are useful when looking for a pre-school or daycare center.

   1. Take the time to make sure the program is reputable and whether the facility has had any past complaints. Either with parents, previous teachers or care-givers. You also want to know about the existing teachers.

   2. Talk with other moms on where they bring their kids. They will let you know if they had good experiences or not.

   3. If you are new to the neighborhood, go to the receptionist at your area's pediatrician. They know everybody! They pretty much have a pulse on the community. Nurses and doctors are okay, but busy. Receptionists will have the time to answer your questions.

   4. Learn about the school or center's hiring policies and practices. Find out whether they check an applicant's references, perform background checks, and verify previous employment history before hiring.

5. Learn whether the center or school welcomes and supports parental participation.

6. Make sure you have the right to drop in and visit the facility at any time.

   7. Make sure you are informed about every planned field trip and outing. Never give the organization general permission to take your child off the premises.

   8. Make sure that the facility has you sign a release to publish your child's picture in any local newspapers. And it is definitely okay if you don't what to have your child's picture in the paper for their safety.

   9. Prohibit, in writing, the release of your child to anyone without your explicit consent. Make sure the program knows who will pick up your child on any given day.

10. Ask the facility what their policy is on strangers or unauthorized persons that might come into the facility. Do they have any type of safety measures when someone who does not have custody or right to a child, show up. What is their protocol? What would they do?

You want your child to have an enjoyable and fun experience in their first learning facility. By asking questions and doing some investigating, you can rest assure that they will be in a safe environment as well.

About the Author
Michelle Annese is a 3rd degree black belt with 15+ years experience teaching self defense and safety for women and children. She is a World Martial Arts Hall of Fame inductee for Achievement and best selling author of The Realtor Survival Guide, Protection for Women, and The SafeGuard System for Kids. For more information on how to protect yourself and your family go to www.michelleannese.com and check out other articles by Michelle Annese and get her free safety tips e-newsletter. michelle@michelleannese.com

Do You Play with your Kids?
by Mark Brandenburg MA, CPCC

"Daddy, will you come and play the farmer and the mouse game with us?" my daughter called to me. My heart sank. This was about the last thing I wanted to do right now. I was bone-tired, had a million other things to do, and just didn't feel very "playful." But, I did manage to give myself a fair-sized dose of guilt

"Sure," I heard myself say. "Let me just finish the dishes and I'll be right there." I had a few moments to get myself ready to play.

So, if it's so difficult for me at times to follow their rules and agenda, how is it for them to follow mine? When we think about how many times our kids have to follow our rules, can we be surprised when they occasionally resist us? When we think about how intensely they play, is it any wonder they get upset when asked to stop their activity and do what we ask? Can you imagine what that would be like, day
after day?

I could hear my son and daughter talking excitedly about the rules of the game. Their excitement made perfect sense. Finally, a chance to "call the shots!" "Dad, you're in the kitchen, and I'm a mouse in the cupboard in a little car that's driving around and making noise. You get mad because you don't know how to get me!"

The rational-parental side of me wanted to question the possibility of a mouse driving a car in the cupboard. And I knew if I questioned the "validity" of this scenario, I'd be lessening the joy of pure play. Before long, the mice were
tormenting me again, and I was helpless to defend against them.

So the next time your kids ask you to play, remember a couple things. Remember how often you ask them to follow your rules, and remember that following their agenda shows you value them and their interests.

Most kids do their very best in following their parents' rules. In fact, they show an amazing amount of tolerance and patience when we ask them to comply. So, the next time they ask us to play, we can ask ourselves a question:

Can we do as well?

About the Author
Mark Brandenburg MA, CPCC, coaches busy parents by phone to balance their life and improve their family relationships. For a FREE twenty minute sample session
by phone; ebooks, courses, articles, and a FREE newsletter, go to www.markbrandenburg.com.

What makes playing with kids so hard at times?

One of the things we struggle with is allowing ourselves to follow the rules and agenda of our kids. Especially when we're tired. We'd much rather dictate the rules ourselves. But if you consider it, why wouldn't they want to make the rules? My kids, like most other kids, spend much of their life following the rules of others. Whether they're at home, school, or at team practices or lessons, they're expected to follow the rules. And they're expected to do this virtually every day. My job as an effective parent is to occasionally play with my kids. And when I do, my job is to follow their rules and agenda.