Past Better Kid Care Satellite Broadcasts

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I want!  I Want! I WANT!!:  Building Good Consumers

Advertising captures children. Take a close look at what advertising doesn't want you to know.  Learn the effects of marketing on children.
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What Does "Time" Mean to Children?

What do children of different ages know and understand about time?  Why do children and adults struggle when it's time to clean up?  Learn ways to build on children's understanding of "yesterday," "today," and "tomorrow.
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Improving Transition Times

Moving from place to place, activity to activity, is often filled with tears, screaming, and tantrums.  Learn how you can smooth transitions to make them productive, fun times for children and stress free for adults.

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Science for Young Thinkers

You don't have to be a rocket scientist to help future scientists learn the basics.  Find out how to make science activities really fun for children and adults.

Math for Every Age

If you're able to add 1 + 1 and get 2, you can do math with children. Learn what young children understand about math at each age and simple math activities to do with infants, toddlers, and preschoolers.

Problem Solving with Children

Hitting, grabbing, pushing, and biting: how do children learn to play nicely? Children can learn to solve their own problems, but they need adults to teach them how to do it.

How to Turn Good Play into GREAT Play

Learn the secrets of how to help children expand their play: when to step in, when to step out, what questions to ask, how to get them to think. AND find out how great play reduces discipline problems.

Your #1 Priority: Keeping Children Healthy and Safe

Keeping children healthy and safe should be the top priority for all child care providers. No one wants to see children get sick or hurt. How do you know that the germs are gone or that play equipment is safe? You'll learn the latest and best ways to keep the children in your care healthy and safe.

Obese Kids: They Are What They Eat

Childhood obesity is a national problem. What children eat is critically important. It doesn't matter if you care for children in a center or a home, every adult that works with young children needs to be aware of what children are eating. This workshop will have lots of ideas to get children to eat healthy snacks and lunches and tips to share with parents.

Fighting Children's Obesity through Active Play

The percentage of children in this country who are overweight has doubled in the last ten years. Keeping children active is one way to help fight childhood obesity. How much active play time do children need each day? Learn great active play ideas for keeping children moving indoors and out.

How to Get Parents on Your Team

Does the thought of meeting with certain parents sometimes scare you? Do parent meetings seem like drudgery? Learn how to plan and prepare for good and useful parent meetings. Analyze the way you communicate with parents and develop strategies for building better relationships.

Parents: Friends or Foes?

How do you feel about parents who work? What do parents think about child care providers? This workshop will examine the mixed feelings from both sides and give strategies for bridging the gap. Come back on May 11 to learn more in part 2 of this workshop.

HOT TOPICS FOR CENTER DIRECTORS: The Director as a Leader

This workshop will be divided into three parts. Part 1: Emergencies can occur. Experts from the National Weather Service and the Pennsylvania Emergency Management Agency will discuss the latest information on recognizing and being prepared for emergency situations. Parts 2 and 3: Discussion will focus on the role of "The Director as a Program Leader" and ways to guide staff in upgrading their professional expectations, including obtaining a CDA.

What is self-control? How does this help active and not so active children? Learn ways for teaching children self-control, which leads to better behavior. Help children develop this important skill to be ready for starting school.

How to Work with Active Children

What's the current thinking on very active children? Are they hyperactive or is this normal behavior? Learn more about very active children and what you can do to help them fit into your program. Come back on December 1 to learn more in part 2 of this workshop.

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The Ins and Outs of Good Circle Times

Are children excited to join in circle times or do you feel like you need to drag them to get started? Learn what makes circle and group times fun for children. The workshop will offer tips and ideas for gathering children and keeping them involved.

See as a Child, Feel as a Child

Why do children act the way they do? Take a look at common practices through a child's eyes. The workshop will help adults to get a better understanding of where the child is coming from to help the ways they relate to each other.

Easy Ways to Boost Kids' Brain Power

Really great caregivers don't have all the answers to children's questions. They turn those questions around to get children thinking and exploring. The workshop will offer ways to help children develop their reasoning and problem solving skills.

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Changing Spaces

The way a child care space is set up can be a key factor in how well the day goes. Do you ever feel like you're in the middle of an indoor racetrack? Do children often get angry when others walk through their play space? The workshop will give ideas for improving child care spaces. Bring pictures of your space to see where changes could be made.

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Improving and Using Your Observation Skills

Learning child observation skills can be a powerful tool for solving some of the most important problems faced by child care providers. Concerned about how to discipline a child? Want to know how to plan successful activities? Observation skills can help.

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Active Play: Fighting Obesity and Diabetes and Keeping Children Healthy

The number of children with health problems due to obesity and diabetes is rising rapidly in America. Find out what you can do to start children on a fit and active lifestyle. Learn appropriate ways to help children build healthy bodies.

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HOT TOPICS FOR CENTER DIRECTORS: The Nuts and Bolts of Operating a Successful Center

Center Directors repeatedly say some of the hardest parts of their jobs involve writing job descriptions, setting fees and wage scales, developing or updating the center's policy manual and dealing with the financial aspects of operating a quality center. Several experienced directors will address these topics, share their experiences, offer tips and answer faxed or phoned-in questions from center directors.

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The Art and Science of Playing with Young Children

Children's play can be even better with a little adult help. Learn when to step in and when to stand back. Find out what can you say and do to help make play more valuable for children.

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Dealing with Anger - The Children's and Yours

Everyone gets angry at times. How that anger is handled is the key. Learn ways to help the children and yourself to work through angry times without hurting others.

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• Prevent behavior problems before they happen
• Teach children to solve their own problems
• What to do instead of "time-out"

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• Learn what children really need (and don't need) before starting school
• Simple things you can do to prepare children for school
• Help parents understand what children need
• Start infants and toddlers on the right path

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• New staff orientation
• Planning professional development for staff
• Innovative training ideas

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• New ideas for math learning
• Low cost - no cost, fun activities
• Helping parents understand what children are learning
• Setting up the room for math learning

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• Nap time, drop off, and pick up
• Fun activities to make clean-up easier
• Ideas for calming the chaos

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Great Transition Ideas

• New twists on discipline
• Finding the roots of behavior problems
• Easy solutions for home and center providers

Part I

Part II

Time to Adapt Tips

• Fun times with foods
• Ten ways to explore foods
• Playing with food... right or wrong

• Easy to make instruments
• Songs for non-singers
• Activities for bad weather days

• Low cost outdoor play
• Keeping children safe
• Great activities for the outdoors

• Discipline how-tos for twos
• Eating times and toilet times
• Learn what to expect

• Activities and spaces for all ages
• Kids learning from kids
• Keeping everybody safe

• How to get started
• Wood activities for toddlers and up
• How to keep working with wood safe

• How to get kids to eat
• Quick, fun snack ideas
• Packed lunches - keeping them healthy and safe

• Effective personnel management
• Tips for better marketing
• How to build staff into a caregiving team

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Handouts

• How to deal with the biter and the bitten
• Talking with the parent of the biter and the bitten
• Learning when sharing is Not okay

• Get advice on choosing pets for home or center
• Learn how to set up an aquarium
• Find out what children can learn from pets

• Easy steps to planning your program
• How to develop activities for mixed age groups
• How to keep parents happy with your program

• Getting to know the world's children
• Exploring food from other countries
• New ideas for celebrating holidays
• How parents can help make your holiday celebrations

• Children's activities for insect-shy child care providers
• Planting kid-sized gardens
• Easy ideas to make bird feeders

• Help for the new parent and child
• Ways to cut costs by parent involvement
• Forming the child care team - parent, child, and provider

• Play and the five senses
• Learning kids don't sit still
• Designing sensory play experiences

• Using puppets to solve conflicts
• Storytelling with puppets
• Learn to make simple puppets from ordinary materials

• recognizing the signs and symptoms of burnout and how to deal with it
• Learn on-the-spot relaxation techniques
• How care giver stress affects the children

• Understand the type of care infants need at different ages
• Make feeding, diapering, and sleeping more than a routine
• Quality interaction with infants

• To share or not share? To sit or not sit? Time out or time in? And more...
• Age appropriate behaviors and how to handle them
• Circle time: a time for frustration or learning?

• Helping dramatic play happen
• When a child is left out of play
• Ages and stages in dramatic play

• Why aren't the ABC's the answer to teaching reading?
• Learn how to "really" teach reading to infants, toddlers, and preschoolers
• How to deal with parents who want their young children to read

• How to deal with aggressive children
• Tips for helping parents who have aggressive children
• Secrets to keeping the peace AND your sanity

• Tips on how to get parents to cooperate
• Ways to build better parent-provider relationships
• What to do with parents who don't pay
• How to keep calm, cool, and collected when dealing with a difficult parent

• How to teach math and reading skills through block play
• What to do when a tower tumbles and tears are shed
• Make your own low cost or no cost blocks

• Learn how to become a storyteller
• Liven up the day with storytelling
• Make kids part of storytelling

• Use junk, natural materials, and recyclables as toys
• Why a junk box is important to your program
• The ins and outs of finding free materials
• How to get parents to bring learning materials to your program

• Develop strategies for helping children learn self-control
• Get ideas on how to handle the big three: biting, hitting, and sharing
• Become aware of approaches for dealing with the out-of-control child and the entire group who reacts to the out-of-control child

• Recognize behaviors that are normal across the ages and how to handle difficult developmental behaviors
• Learn how to get help in your community
• Become sensitized to cultural differences in a Child's development

• Recognize kinds of play and the stages of play development
• Learn the importance of play for children's development and how to set up age-appropriate play experiences
• Learn how to facilitate play for all children including children who have problems playing

• Learn the difference between art and crafts and the different roles they play in development
• Identify how children progress developmentally in their abilities with are materials, including fluid media
• Identify the difference in the child vs. adult view of art, and how to communicate with children about their art

• Develop communication skills with infants, toddlers and preschoolers
• Learn communication skills with children that will help enhance children's communicative abilities
• Learn skills that help to prevent behavior problems

• Use outdoor space for learning activities by identifying opportunities such as sand, water, bubbles, gardening, and bugs
• Learn how to safely use public playgrounds and backyard play sets
• Learn about safe and productive outdoor play for infants, toddlers, and preschoolers

• Stress in Children
• Helping Children Deal with Stress
• Stressful Situations in Child Care Homes and Centers
• Tips on Involving Parents

• Helping Children Separate from Parents
• Easing Transitions
• Naptime: Snuggles or Struggles
• Making the End of the Day Special

• Everyday math activities
• Hand-made musical instruments
• Rhythm and rhyme
• Songs and finger plays
• New books
• Music and movement in other cultures

• Room arrangements that work
• Storage for toys and supplies
• Separating work space from home space
• Safe spaces

• Watching children at play
• Ideas for active play
• Quiet time activities
• Toy safety
• Dealing with super heroes in children's play
• What to do when children play with their food

• Talking with children
• Discussing problems with parents
• Getting children to try new foods
• Interviewing parents
• Listening to children
• Communicating across cultures

• Books for babies
• How children learn as they grow
• Activities for infants
• Learning by watching
• Toddlers are terrific
• Feeding and eating

• Time out or time without
• What's "normal" behavior?
• Preventing problems
• Setting rules
• Why children bite
• Why won't children share?

• Art versus crafts
• Science activities
• Using safe materials
• Encouraging creativity
• Homemade versus store-bought materials