Child Day Care Safety Tips

The recent sexual assault of a 4-year old girl at daycare center should get the attention of any parent who is thinking about using a child daycare center. Police in Springdale Arkansas arrested 18-year-old Cesar Monarrez who worked at the Royal Children's Academy part time. The 4-year old girl told her parents that Monarrez touched her with a knife. It is my understanding that this happened during nap time and the daycare center uses video surveillance which captured the assault.

Millions of parents drop off their small children each day at daycare centers with the thought that their children will be safe because these centers are regulated and you don't hear of many cases where kids are assaulted at these locations. For the most part the vast majority of daycare centers provide a safe and loving environment for our children. Many daycare centers utilize video surveillance to further protect children from abuse and neglect. The use of video surveillance also affords parents the opportunity to check on their children from the internet while at work or home. I applaud the daycare centers who utilize video surveillance systems that have the feature where parents can watch the video feed from home or work. If I was looking for a daycare center for a small child I would most definitely select one that has this type of video surveillance.

An important safety element of daycare centers is the selection of employees who will be caring for your children while you are at work. I think many daycare centers are lacking in this area because they do not pay their employees well which leads to high turnover. Look for a school that has teacher/caregivers that have been at the facility for a long time. Stay away from daycare centers who have new teachers/caregivers starting every other month. Ask the daycare that you are considering about their employees and ask if they do thorough background checks. If the owner/administrator of the daycare center appears uninspired about safety precautions, leave and never look back.

In the Springdale Arkansas case, the suspect was an 18-year old male part time employee. As a father who has had his daughter in daycare I can tell you that I would not choose a daycare center that uses male employees. It has been my experience over the past 19 years in law enforcement that men are more often the offenders in assaults on children, it's a fact. If you visit daycare centers you will see that 99.9% of the employees are women and there is a reason for that. Most daycare centers understand that parents are not comfortable leaving their small children with men they do not know.

When you have found a daycare center that you like, check with your state business office and see if there have been any complaints or violations. Call your local police agency and try and ascertain if there have been any investigations/complaints at the daycare. Sometimes there may be a police investigation at a daycare center and it may not have been reported or logged with the state business regulation department. Crime stats are public information and many police agencies have log books that you can review to see where crime has been reported.

Once your child is going to a daycare center that you have chosen you still need to be alert for your child's safety. Make unexpected visits to the daycare center at different times to see first hand the environment your child is in. When my daughter was 3 I had to find another daycare center for her because the travel time to her current daycare center was too great. I found a daycare center at a local church and a fellow police officers mother was the administrator. I toured the daycare center and found it to be very modern and fully staffed. The administrator was a very loving and safety oriented older women who had been working at the daycare center for years. The only concern that I had was the fact that the daycare center used 18 year old college students as part time teacher's aides in each classroom. This was a concern to me because it is my belief that young women do not have the patience or experience to be caring for my child. My ideal daycare teacher/caregiver is mother or grandmother over the age of 30 who works in the daycare field because they love children and not because they are desperate for work.

I decided to go with this church daycare and I felt confidant that I had made a wise decision. I think that due to my job as a Police Officer I am more cautious and safe than the average parent. I would pick up m child in the late afternoon when my shift was over and my ex-wife was responsible for dropping her off in the morning. 2 weeks passed and all was well with the new daycare center. I was pleased that the entire staff was very safety oriented. One afternoon I arrived at the daycare center in my police cruiser and in full uniform. My daughter was on the fenced in playground with 2 teachers that I had not seen before. I walked to the playground and one of the teachers demanded picture identification from me in order to pick up my daughter. I was pleasantly surprised that she asked for my identification and I gladly gave it to her. Daycare centers must demand picture id from anyone picking up a child that is not known by the staff.

Several days later I was off and had the opportunity to take my daughter to the daycare center. I arrived at the school and walked my daughter to the classroom that is used for playtime in the morning. I walked into the classroom and observed a horde of kids playing and a teacher that I had met before and a student aide that I had not seen before. I then observed a girl sitting on the ground crying for unknown reasons. The female student aide looked down at the child and said "you know I don't like cry babies, now stop crying" The aide then called a nearby boy by his name and said "Johnny, tell Abby that I don't like cry babies" I kissed my daughter goodbye and left the school.

While driving home I thought about the incident with the crying girl and the student aide and it disturbed me. The parents of that child had no idea that their child was laying on the ground crying and the teacher and student aide did nothing to comfort her. The only action taken by the staff was the student aide ridiculed the crying girl and made fun of her in front of the other children. I turned my truck around and drove back to the school where I marched to the administrators office. I spoke with the administrator and informed her of the incident and the told her that I was extremely unhappy because that could have been my daughter that was being treated in such a cold manner by the staff. I told the administrator that I demand loving care for my daughter and was I observed earlier was cold and inappropriate behavior. That was my daughter's last day at that daycare center.

I was referred to a large church in the city that has operated a daycare for years and all of the employees have been there for a very long time. The teacher in my daughter's new classroom was very involved in that church and I found her to be a very loving teacher who thought of her job as a calling. My daughter spent 2 years at the new daycare and I have since referred many people there because I firmly believe that is a complete safe learning environment for small children.

As parents we owe to our precious little ones to be thorough in our search for a daycare center that is safe and employs the right people to care for our kids?

Author is a current Police Officer with 19 years of experience & webmaster [personalsafetyheadquarters.com] a blog with articles and information on how to keep you and your family safe.

3 Keys to Marketing a Home Daycare and Getting Customers Before Your Open Day

The way you choose to market your home day care will make the difference between your success and failure. Like any other business, a child care center provides a service that people want and must purchase. Only your marketing plan will help you achieve your goals in starting your home daycare.

Know Your Customers

Knowing your customer is the key to successfully marketing your center. The more you know about the parents' expectations, the easier it will be to develop a program that meets their needs, as well as the kid's. You can also, develop a list of questions to help you identify what the parents will likely need, want and expect of your center.

The questions may include:

1. What type of service will be provided?

2. What are the operating hours?

3. Do the operating hours match the parents' work schedule?

4. Is extended evening care available?

5. Where is the center located?

6. Is the location convenient and easily accessible?

7. How many staff members training in early childhood education or a related field?

8. What is the teacher-to-child ratio?

9. Will there be a curriculum? Will it be structured?

10. Will you create an activities schedule?

11. How will the center be operated? Hours? Activities?

12. Have medical/first aid policies been developed?

13. What will the sleeping arrangements be?

Once you have answered these questions, you will have a foundation from which to develop your marketing plan.

Know the Competition

A vital rule of marketing is to know your competitors. Although operating a home daycare won't require you to compete for business like a daycare center would. It is still best to know who your competitors are.

Your competitors should include all those who offer related services. They may be in the same geographic area or another area that is accessible to your clients. To determine the competitiveness of your market, find out...

1. The location of other childcare services in your area.

2. Who your major competitors are?

3. How long your competitors have been in business.

4. How your center will benefit the clients more than your competitors' centers.

5. If there is a need for additional centers in your area or in an area that is easily accessible?

6. How competitors' centers are like or different from yours.

7. What your competitors' strengths and weaknesses are?

8. How competitors will act when you enter the market.

9. What competitors' are your competitors' reputations, etc., are.

Find out as much as possible about your competitors.

Get The Word Out

Marketing your daycare center will require several strategies. The best on that I recommend is word of mouth. Tell everyone you know about your business, most likely they will know someone who needs your services. By the way word of mouth marketing is the cheapest of all.

However, any other method of advertising you use, you will have to spend money and costs will very.

You should put your marketing plan into action at least five months before you open for business. Make sure your advertisements match the image you are trying to project.

If you are going to pay to advertise, try to meet your competitors head on. Look at your competitors. In what sections do they advertise? What size advertisements do they use?

Inexpensive Advertising Techniques

If you do not have the money to advertise by television, newspaper, or radio don't here are other inexpensive, yet effective ways to do so. Here is a list of some of the things you can do:

Fliers and brochures

business.educationeasy.net Business cards

Referral agencies

Networking

Yellow Pages

Classified ads

A successful marketing plan, carried out effectively should render your business successful. Again know who your customers are, find out who and where your competitors are, and then market your business until you reach your opening day goals.

To find more in-depth information on the ways to market a Home Daycare please visit: [asapchildcare.com]

Renting Out Homes Has Never Been Easier

Whenever we have to leave a home or house that means something special to us, we often do not want to sell it on. Rather, we would rather keep it in the family so that we can come back to it one day. When this happens, we often need some help with mortgages and such so we have to rent out the place so that financial burdens are kept to a minimum. To look for experts in this area, try entering 'property management' or 'property management' in a certain city into a search engine to see what is listed.

What these people do is to monitor exactly who will be living in the house. This obviously involves background checks or credit checks to see if these people are bona fide. Of course, no one would like the idea of having a felon in their beloved home, or someone who does not take care of the place as we do. As far as that is concerned, these background checks go some way to ensure that disruptive or unruly people do not get the opportunity to damage a home that has been well-loved.

Then of course, the rent must be paid on time. By doing the credit checks, with perhaps a reference check of past and present employers, the agency can make an educated guess on who would be the most suitable tenant. Some people know how destructive kids and even pets can be and will not want them in their homes. However, some families are great and will certainly have good references from past houses which may be better in the end.

For some reason, those who are on government benefits are often perceived as undesirable tenants although this is a little harsh to say the least. If the rent is being paid, these could be high level executives who have just fallen on hard times so people should surely take this on a case by case basis for sure.

These agencies also tend to do spot checks to make sure no damage is being done around the home, as well as sending on the rent to the owner at regular intervals. The owner merely has to collect the rent and make sure that any mortgage and land taxes are paid so that the tenant too has confidence in his new, if temporary, home.

Finally, for those who are wary of having strangers in their homes, it is obvious that there are some bad eggs amongst the batch. Normally though, these people are earmarked very quickly so the owner can rest assured that his agency is providing him with a good service.

Check out their website before signing any contract and look at the testimonials from satisfied customers so that a true picture can be gleaned from that information. If in doubt at all, there are many organizations which take on this type of work so it is not necessary to choose the first one on the list that is brought up on the internet.

Stewart Wrighter recently met with an expert in realpropertynh.com nashua property management area to help him find office space in the area. He hired a realpropertynh.com manchester property management company to find tenants and maintain his apartment building he recently purchased.

Senior Home Care - Simple Ways to Handle Stress When Providing Care For Elderly Parents

Life is a never-ending rollercoaster. The house needs to be cleaned. The kids have a project at school. The dog has an appointment at the vet. You have to make cupcakes for the Mother's Club. And to top it off mom and dad just moved in providing you with a new job title. You have become the care provider. You feel stressed out. Sometimes you are being pulled apart in so many directions you forget about yourself. You don't even have a minute to yourself. We all handle stress in different ways. Some people get nervous. Some people worry. Some people may even get angry. Taking on too much responsibility can make you emotionally and physically feel ill and sometimes angry. Stress can affect your whole life. Stress can make you feel bitter. Stress may cause things like headaches, fatigue and even high blood pressure. When you provide care for an elderly loved one, you need to care for yourself as well.

Not having a minute to yourself can make you feel depressed and agitated. Especially individuals or family members that take on the added responsibility of care provider of a loved one.

There are many simple things you can do easily to reduce stress each day:

1. A quick walk around the block.

2. Go outside for a minute, look at the nature around you and breathe.

3. Sing a song to yourself or aloud.

4. Call a friend.

5. Take a few deep breaths and let your body be still.

6. Have a cup of hot tea, close your eyes and think of how good it tastes.

7. Play some soft music in the car, at home and clear your mind.

8. Buy a journal- write down things that stress you out.

9. Bake a cake or some cookies- enjoy eating one piece.

10. Take a hot bath.

11. Praise yourself for doing so many things.

12. Do most important things first- make a list.

13. Be honest-ask for help when you can't do everything.

14. Tell yourself a joke- laugh.

15. Reward yourself-buy yourself something for all the things you do.

16. Buy yourself a certificate of achievement- fill in your name, display it.

Remember, the day only has 24 hours. Some things can wait. Your health cannot. You are the most important person to yourself. For families that decide to take on the added responsibility of providing care for mom or dad remember there are simple ways that you can reduce your stress everyday.

A licensed senior home care agency can also provide the supplemental support and care for your loved one when life becomes overwhelming. Enlisting senior home care agency from time to time allows you to take time so you can have that peace of mind and care for yourself, your family and your needs. A senior home care agency can provide service for a few hours a day so you can run errands, get your hair done, or go shopping. You can still take time for yourself. Your try your best to ensure that mom or dad can live a better quality of life. Retain a better quality of life for yourself as-well through the services of a home care agency. When daily life becomes overwhelming, the most important thing is to take time for you and relax.

Your health impacts your life daily. Good health and well-being ensures you can continue living independently for longer. We specialize in providing individual solutions for home health and senior home care sevices for seniors and families in the Lake County IL area. Helping you retain your sense of independence. We care about you and your loved one. Personal Care Aides, Certified Nurse Aides, Private Duty Nurses, Homemaker Services and much more available for hourly, daily, weekly or live-in care. Invest in your quality of life. Invest in your peace of mind. Invest in yourself. To find out how Hearts of Gold Senior Home Care can help you or your loved one you can visit us at: heartsofgoldhomecare.com heartsofgoldhomecare.com Home Care IL, Senior Care, Elderly Care, Alzheimer's Care, Dementia Care, Senior Home Care, Assisted Living Care, Companion Care Provided in Lake County IL, Chicago and the McHenry County IL are, and visit our blog at: seniorin-homecareclub.blogspot.com seniorin-homecareclub.blogspot.com

Start a Talent Agency Business - Building Your Agency From Home

Are you wondering how to start a talent agency business? Well, it's certainly a lot simpler than it used to be, "back in the day". The use of computers and the internet have drastically reduced how time consuming the whole communications part if it all used to be. This, as well as finding and keeping contacts and all the record keeping in this way, has also reduced what start up costs needed to start a talent agency business.

The two most important things to remember when you start a talent agency business are that you need to conduct your business both professionally and most importantly, ethically. Your business's reputation will evolve and spread like wildfire by word of mouth, and this can prove to be very good for your business... or it can prove to be your ultimate downfall. Obviously, you want to shoot for the first of these. Without professionalism and ethical business practices, you'll find it very impossible to keep your agency afloat in this field today.

The two major activities you'll learn when you start a talent agency business is finding the talent you wish to represent, and finding work for these talented people. Now, there's no end to the talent you can find. There are the bands we find playing at the local bars, up-and-coming young comedians we see performing on "open mic" nights at the local clubs, hopeful models looking to get discovered at auto shows, and even that talented illusionist performing tricks at your little sister's birthday party.

Finding work for those you represent when you start a talent agency business is as simple as the resources are plentiful. Actors can be placed in TV commercials, plays and corporate training videos, models can be placed in magazine ads and catalogs, musicians can be placed in jazz clubs, radio stations and recording studios, and the list goes on. To start a talent agency business just takes a little know-how - care to learn more?

Building your own Talent Agency from home can be a daunting task, but with the right help its a lot easier than you think! Synergy Talent can guide you through every step of the process - For more information head over to squidoo.com/synergytalentreview squidoo.com/synergytalentreview

How Complete Beginners Can Invest in Foreclosed Homes

If you want to invest in a foreclosed home, though, you will have to understand a little more than that. It's not very complicated. Quite simply, a foreclosed home is a home that has been legally repossessed by a lender or government agency, usually because the homeowner did not pay their mortgage as promised. Since the lender has lost money on the bad loan, the home is offered for sale right away so that the lender can regain the money lost.

Since lenders or government agencies holding the bad loan want to earn back their money quickly, they often price a foreclosed home low - sometimes below what the home is actually worth. In some cases, the home has not been carefully maintained due to the owner's financial problems. This can drive the price down further. Sometimes, the property assessor sent by the lender does not carefully consider the true value of a home and prices the home too low. All of these factors can mean that a home is priced below its actual market value. For the buyer considering the home, this can mean a great bargain.

For a buyer considering buying a foreclosed home as an investment, this is even better news. Every time an investor buys something for less than it is worth, he or she can make a good profit.

For the complete beginner, the best way to invest in foreclosed homes is to carefully select one home to buy. It is best to look for a good home in a nice neighborhood. Look for a property that does not need major repairs, only a little cleaning. While this means that you may save only a few thousand dollars over the market value, those few thousand dollars mean instant equity. If you occupy the home as an owner-occupant and fix up the property so that it is as nice as surrounding houses, you will have a valuable asset that can boost your credit score and can provide you with a nice nest egg against retirement. If you buy a foreclosed home near a college, consider renting a part of your home out, if zoning permits. This is a good way to ensure that someone else pays all or part of your mortgage while your equity in the property grows.

Reality television shows promote house flipping and other more advanced methods of real estate investing. If you are just getting started in investing, though, buying a good home at a slight discount and holding onto that property makes more sense. There are far less risk and far fewer tax disadvantages when you buy a home as an owner-occupant. Once you have plenty of equity in your home, you can always consider buying a second home to rent or own. For the new investor, though, gradual gains are best.

Joseph Smith has been educating buyers on the finer points of Invest in Foreclosed Home at ForeclosureDeals.com for over ten years. Contact Joseph Smith through ForeclosureDeals.com if you need help finding information about foreclosuredeals.com/how-to-invest-in-foreclosures.php investing in foreclosure homes. Or, simply foreclosuredeals.com visit ForeclosureDeals.com to find the latest professionally-compiled listings of foreclosure homes across the country.

Caregiver Personal Assessment

Personal care attendants (also called home health aides or caregivers) are people who provide assistance with activities of daily living (ADL) or instrumental activities of daily living (IADL) to other individuals. Personal care services are usually used by functionally frail seniors suffering from conditions that limit them from functioning independently, such as seniors suffering from Alzheimer's, stroke, multiple sclerosis, spinal cord injury and other brain impairing conditions. Personal care attendants (PCAs) usually provide assistance with activities such as personal hygiene, bathing, dressing, meal preparation, transferring, bowel and trach care.

Defining Your Care Needs

It is important to create a list, so that both you and your caregiver are clear on expectations. If you do decide to write out a formal job description or write a independent consulting contract, make sure that you lay out all activities of daily living requirements. Depending on where you live, you can receive a formal personal care assessment by a care manager. These care managers can be found either through home health happinesslifetime.com care agencies or nursing homes. Care managers are usually specially trained Registered Nurses or social workers that have extensive experience in dealing with home health care.

In most cases you will decide to do the assessment yourself and must consider three general types of needs:

1.) Activities of Daily Living (ADLs)- direct assistance in hygiene, eating, bowel, and bladder care

2.) Instrumental Activities of Daily Living (IADLs)- indirect care such as laundry, groceries, driving, and cleaning

3.) Medical-Related Functions- managing medications, trach tube, and ventilator care

If you are hiring an independent caregiver, it is wise to enlist the help of a trained registered nurse to instruct your caregiver on medically related activities such as medication, pressure relief, positioning, suctioning, respiratory care, and skin inspection. If you decide to do physical therapy at home, you may want to have a physical therapist help you and your caregiver in range of motion exercises.

For more information concerning respite care and personal care attendates please visit our connectingcaregivers.com/blog blog