22FebInspiring your preschoolers to be readers and artistsby Jamie Le Sesne Spears, in Activity Ideas, Families, Family Engagement, Preschoolby Jamie Le Sesne Spears, Family Engagement Specialist Even before your little one can read, their journey to becoming a reader begins with you! Story time is more than just fun for children; reading aloud is an essential part of supporting literacy and developing language skills. Encouraging your preschooler to participate in story time TheRead More09DecChoosing the Best Toys for Your Childby Lauren George, in Activity Ideas, Families, General, Infant and Toddler, Pre-K, Preschoolby Lauren George, Family Support Specialist Children are explorers and inventors who learn by doing. Play gives children an opportunity to develop and practice new skills at their own pace by following their unique interests. With hundreds and hundreds of options in the store, and thousands online, choosing toys should be easy, right? The toysRead More15NovThe ABCs of Toddler Nutritionby Child Care Answers, in Families, Food and Nutrition, Health & Safety, Infant and ToddlerGuest post by Alzein Pediatrics You’ve celebrated your baby’s first birthday with candles, balloons, and cupcakes and suddenly, you have a toddler. Suddenly too, while the candles were still sending tendrils of smoke into the air, your toddler seems to have become a picky eater. Your baby who was once eager to try everything isRead More26MayHelp for “Quarantine Fatigue”by Kristin Cofield, in Families, Health & Safety, Providersby Kristin Cofield, Family Engagement Specialist After two months of social distance and stay-at-home orders, many people may experience physical and emotional drain. As our awareness about COVID-19 heightened, we went into crisis mode. There was a lot of anxiety, panic, fear, and a need to make quick decisions for the best interest of ourRead More20AprParents Need Love Too: A Guide to Self-Careby Kristin Cofield, in Families, Family Engagement, Health & Safetyby Kristin Cofield, Family Engagement Specialist Being a parent has never been easy, but we all know in this age of social distancing and COVID-19, it’s only gotten harder. Many of us are experiencing the current events personally. You may have loved ones suffering from the coronavirus. You may have lost a job or financialRead More14AprHelp for Local “Front Line” Child Care Professionalsby Child Care Answers, in Health & Safety, ProvidersUpdated as of July 22, 2020. There’s been so much talk about the “front line” during the COVID-19 pandemic: medical professionals, emergency personnel, grocery workers. But, we know that there are so many child care programs who are still open and still providing quality care for the children of those going in to work everyRead More18MarCOVID-19: Your resource for resourcesby Child Care Answers, in Businesses, Community, Families, Health & Safety, ProvidersUpdated July 22, 2020 You may feel like the world we’re living in has gone wild- it’s definitely not the same Central Indiana we were living in during February. It can be overwhelming to digest all of the ever-changing news about COVID-19, whether you’re a parent, a teacher, a child care administrator, a business owner,Read More16JanAll aboard for potty trainingby Lauren George, in Families, Infant and ToddlerAs our resident infant/toddler expert, our Family Support Specialist Lauren George talks the talk (but most, importantly, walks the walk). When she’s not busy corralling her active first-grader, she’s living the dream of toilet training her two-year old. WHEN’S THE BEST TIME TO TOILET TRAIN? There is not one “right” way or one “right” ageRead More09SepChanges are coming to Child Care Answers!by Child Care Answers, in ProvidersAs a child care provider, we hope that you’ve been hearing about the statewide changes in your support set forth by the Office of Early Childhood and Out-of-School Learning. Starting October 1, things will look different in Indiana’s child care resource & referral agencies, which means the support you’ve been receiving from Child Care AnswersRead More31JulLast Day Q&A: Kristin Kahlby Child Care Answers, in Last Day Q&AKnowledge Manager Kristin Kahl generally works behind the scenes to get the word out about what we do here at Child Care Answers. Now it’s her turn to step into the spotlight! Come back on the last day of next month to find out more about our other staff. Or, click “Last Day Q&A” at rightRead MoreCategories Activity Ideas Businesses Community Families Family Engagement Food and Nutrition General Health & Safety Inclusion Infant and Toddler Last Day Q&A Pre-K Preschool Providers School Age