We've got the blues...

There's probably no better way to beat the " we have to stay inside again" blues than a dance party!
















Or maybe a train around the room...

Today was the first day in my 90 day window for a quality inspection. The Arkansas Child Care Approval System is a voluntary accreditation system that allows child care facilities to receive state recognition for meeting specific quality criteria. Created by the Arkansas Legislature in 1993, the Division of Child Care and Early Childhood Education offers an assessment process that verifies that a facility offers the following to its children:

• A program that views parents as an important part of the early education of their children
• A physical environment that is supportive of the physical and mental development of each child in your care
• An educational program that prepares children for success in school
• Trained professional staff who know how to work effectively with children and who continue to pursue educational and training opportunities

I think we do all that... and strive to be better each year. There really isn't any " getting ready" for a quality inspection. It is something we do all year. Sure... last night I took extra time to move the stack of resources behind the door so it would look a little nicer and I took a checklist that I made up several years ago to make sure all the components I needed were in place ( They count in detail. 10 types in instruments, 3 types in interlocking blocks, 4 pictures of diversity... etc... ) and they all were. The picture at the top is a shelf on our science center. I did take out the pine cone collection( which is what slacker teachers usually have ) and put out a collection of peacock feather.. little touches to feel better about myself really. But, we are ready. They pay attention to our resources , files, children's hand washing routines and even what we say. It isnt easy... but it is worth it and doable. So.... here's today to being the first day of 90 that we anticipate our " report card" on how we are doing with your children.

Another thing we did today was a color mixing experiment. We mixed white shaving cream and a couple drops of red food coloring in a baggie and let them squish and rub until it turned PINK! Red and white make pink.

Now for your viewing enjoyment.. a couple videos of our day. Randy was a little energized today. We went to Weight watchers last night and his total loss so far is 53 pounds . Mine is 25. That is enough to make you want to dance.