Links
.: Organizations :.
Minnesota Association of Child Care Professionals MACCP is a state family child care association for and run by family child care providers. Its mission is to strengthen the family child care profession by advocating for policy improvements, offering additional support and services to providers, and by promoting family child care as an exceptional option for quality care and early childhood education.
Wright County Family Child Care Association An organization of licensed family childcare providers in Wright County committed to further development of childcare programs through cooperative action, further guiding providers to quality care. It provides opportunities for growth, training, networking, and peer support to providers.
Wright County Human Services Info about becoming a provider, licensing requirements, and finding childcare in Wright County, plus many other resources.
Minnesota
Association for the Education of Young Children
The Minnesota Association for
the Education of Young Children is a nonprofit association of over 1,500
professionals in Early Childhood Education and related fields working together
on behalf of young children and their families.
The National Association for the Education of Young Children (NAEYC) is dedicated to improving the well-being of all young children, with particular focus on the quality of educational and developmental services for all children from birth through age 8. Founded in 1926, NAEYC is the world's largest organization working on behalf of young children with nearly 100,000 members, a national network of over 300 local, state, and regional Affiliates, and a growing global alliance of like-minded organizations.
Eager-to-Learn, a program of the Minnesota Child Care Resource & Referral Network, is designed to provide high quality, affordable in-service training opportunities using electronic or E-Learning technologies and experienced, well-trained instructors.
The National Center on Shaken Baby Syndrome (NCSBS) is the only worldwide organization that is dedicated solely to the prevention of this form of child abuse. The National Center has been providing leadership in the development of prevention programs, training courses and public education campaigns.
The Center for Inclusive Child Care is a statewide network for promoting and supporting inclusive early childhood and school-age programs and providers in Minnesota. This network provides leadership, administrative support, training and consultation to early care and education providers, school-age care providers, parents and the professionals who support providers and parents of children with special needs.
Minnesota Autism Center (MAC) provides early intervention services for children with autism up to age 6 (approximately) and educational programs for people providing care for autistic children.
The Minnesota Department of Human Services has much information about child care programs, licensing, resources for families, and more.
Minnesota School-Age Care Alliance MNSACA is an association of 700 child/youth focused professionals who provide care to school-age children and youth in school, park, home and agency settings during out-of-school hours.
Council for Professional Recognition--The governing body for CDA (Child Development Associate) credential.
Minnesota Association for Family & Early Education The professional organization for administrators, providers and supporters of high quality family and early childhood education for all families with young children throughout the State of Minnesota.
Safe Kids Worldwide Safe Kids Worldwide is a global network of organizations whose mission is to prevent accidental childhood injury, a leading killer of children 14 and under. Lots of information about how to keep children safe, including seat belts, car seats, etc.
US Consumer Product Safety Commission--Check out product recalls on items you may have in your child care home. Also has Kid Site with lessons on safety and fun games to play while learning.
Achieve recognizes and supports the providers in the field of early childhood and school age education throughout the state. In all settings of early childhood and school-age care, the provider's experience and professional development is the key element to children's successful learning.
.: Resources :.
Caring for Kids are four page information sheets on a variety of topics. The files are in PDF format, so you will need to have Adobe Reader installed and working on your computer to open these.
These are two page information sheets from Penn State. The files are in PDF format, so you will need to have Adobe Reader installed and working on your computer to open these.
Rule II for Family Child Care, Chapter 9502 Minnesota Statues, Regulations governing in-home licensed family child care.
Early Childhood Environmental Rating Scale
Child Development Associate Council
Early
Report Report Card for Minnesota School Districts
.: Lesson Planning :.
Perpetual Preschool Free site with Science, Game, Art, Book, and Food ideas for hundreds of themes
Everything Preschool Site full of ideas for the most popular themes...search by theme or season.
Preschool Express Activities for Preschoolers
DLTK-Kids Printables, games, and craft ideas for everyone!
Wonderful Stories for Your Child!
.: Retailers :.
Amazon My favorite retailer EVER! The best prices on almost everything (yes, everything), no sales tax, and free shipping...plus, they have the best customer service around. I buy ALL of our electronics, kitchen tools and gadgets, movies, music, toys, and most books from them!
Target is cheapest for the groceries we buy--besides Trader Joe's--and they have a nice organic and natural selection. Their Archer Farms and Market Pantry brands are great. They also meet competitors' prices and you can actually make money with coupons there (and at CVS and Walgreen's) by following the coupon blogs I have listed under "Resources." If you want inexpensive shelves for your childcare, Target makes nice ones; though I recommend spending more to buy sturdy ones.
Who doesn't remember the fun of Scholastic when they were a kid? You can offer the fun of reading to the children in your care simply by signing up on their website. Earn free books with each family order and bonus points on everything!
for cubbies, mats, cots, mirror, shelves, and other furniture (check Amazon, too).
for craft and art supplies, smaller toys, manipulatives, etc.
I purchased all of my shelves from them because I wanted colored ones, but they are generally expensive. I use them for large lamination projects ($.29/linear foot for Teacher's Club members...join for free), bulletin board supplies, calendar shapes, posters, storytelling sets, and some manipulatives.
Great for decorations, posters, and prizes. Look online for promotion codes.
They've added so much in the past year alone! They are great for large stickers, prizes, some posters, and art supplies. Compare with Discount School Supply.
Staples My favorite office supply store. I've been a Teachers Club Member for more than 10 years and love it. Free shipping on all orders, huge discounts in store (especially during Teacher Appreciation Days), and great prices. Compare with Amazon for more expensive items.
eBay I Love eBay for felt sets, rare and hard-to-find items, and cool book collections.
Craigslist When you're starting a childcare, Craigslist is much easier than driving around to tons of garage sales. Look for sets of toys, daycare closings, tables, shelves, cots, and baby items here first. It's also great when you need to sell something. Oh, did I mention that it's FREE??!!
Costco Get a Costco
membership! So much better than Sam's and only $50...you'll save that
in your first few visits. I buy the Executive Membership for $100 and
earn 2% on all purchases. They refund you the $50 difference if
you don't earn it, so you can't lose. I buy the organic chicken
nuggets, some casseroles, fresh fruits, toys, books, trash bags, plates,
spoons, forks, tissues, Dixie cups, Xerox paper, natural detergent,
curriculum books, clothes (great Carter's selection), Organic Chips and
Salsa, and more.
