Play with a Purpose … KaBoom!

by Janinne Gardner

During our April Business meeting we were pleased to have Kiva Wilson, a Training and Education Coordinator for KaBoom!. Ms. Wilson graduated from Dartmouth College, and worked in the Peace Corp as a volunteer and youth development technical trainer. KaBoom!, is a national non-profit organization that is dedicated to bringing play back into the lives of children. Their vision is to have a great place to play within walking distance of every child in America. They believe that play has a purpose, and they are driven to create a movement in support of this belief.

The first question she asked us was, “What do we remember about our childhood, what memories do we have?” As we shared our memories we realized that none of them took place in front of a TV or with video games. We have a play deficit she declared, “children spend four hours a day viewing electronic media and 51% of parents have complained that they do not have a playground in their neighborhood.” She lists many reasons that playgrounds are very important to our children. A playground brings self-esteem, caring, learning to share, compromise, getting along, social education, and running is allowed. If Ms. Wilson is any indication of the drive and excitement of a typical employee of KaBoom! then this is an organization that gets things done.

Making a playground in your neighborhood starts with a need. An individual or neighborhood association can contact KaBoom! to submit an application they are currently in the USA, Mexico, Canada and Puerto Rico. You will then be assigned a project manager who will begin the twelve week planning process. Generally parents and organizers contribute 10% of the cost and business partners 90%. They start with a design day; children from the community draw their dream playground. From these designs by the children Playworld Systems will make three different design plans to take back to the community for selection. Then committees are formed: food and donations for volunteers, volunteers, construction, safety, and logistics are a few that might be needed. This proves the community is invested in the project. If all goes well, the day arrives when the playground is assembled; yes it is actually assembled in one day. Click here to see a time-lapse playground being built. The volunteers are 50% parents and 50% funding/business partners. A playground is born.

Maybe your neighborhood has a playground but it needs a little help, either it is lacking something like picnic tables or maybe the landscaping needs some help. For help with small project visit: KaBoom! Side Projects. This is where you can get step by step plans to build projects that are easy, medium, complex to very complex. Maybe you are looking for a table top chess board or a mural. How about full plans on how to paint a basketball court or a map on the blacktop, maybe a sandbox, or even a planter bench combo; get the plans here!

Are you looking for volunteer projects? Kaboom! has many playground projects that you can help build. How about hosting a KaBOOM! Play Day, in your neighborhood and be part of a national celebration to save play in the lives of children. When: Plan your Play Day to take place on any day during the week of September 18 – September 26, 2010 Who: Gather outside with your community for fun games and improvement projects that celebrate play. Maybe you are on vacation and need a playground. KaBoom! can locate a playground in your neighborhood or Grandma’s neighborhood. Visit the KaBoom website to check out all its possibilities.

Protecting Children from Window Falls

Springtime Window Dangers??
Protecting Children from Window Falls

The winter hibernation has finally come to an end, bringing warmer weather and fresh breezes. During this season, Safe Start Baby wants to remind you that while Spring brings fresh air and outdoor fun, it is also the time of year when window injuries and deaths are at their highest. Prevent injury and follow these important window safety tips:

Avoid placing furniture near windows to prevent children from climbing.

Don't rely on insect screens to prevent window falls. These screens are designed to provide fresh air while keeping bugs out. They are NOT designed to prevent a child's fall from a window and can pop out with as little as 1-pound of pressure!

Install window stops designed to limit how far a window will open or window barriers that block the window completely. Windows should open no more than 3 ½”. Your window guards should be designed with a quick release to allow escape in the event of a fire.

Keep windows locked and closed when they're not being used.

Keep children away from windows and patio doors when playing.

Supervise children at all times, especially around open windows.

A fall from a window can happen in a matter of seconds and the consequences can be devastating. Don’t wait for a tragedy, practice window safety today!

About Safe Start Baby: Safe Start Baby services the Metro DC area & offers babyproofing installations, in-home assessments, babyproofing products, CPR training & an on-line webstore. Call today for a free phone consultation. Special Offer: book an assessment and mention ADCAN to receive free window guards for the nursery (for standard windows).

To reach us, call Safe Start Baby at 888.240.7233, or visit our website at www.safestartbaby.com. Safe Start Baby is a proud member of the IAFCS.

Certifikid!

Introducing …. Certifikid!

Attention: DC Area Parents, Grandparents, Parents-to-be, and Childcare Providers

We are happy to announce the launching of Certifikid (http://www.certifikid.com/)!

If you are familiar with the websites Groupon, Living Social, or other group buying sites, Certifikid is a similar concept, however, it is a website specifically geared to parents, grandparents, parents-to-be, and other childcare providers in the Greater Washington area.
If you are unfamiliar with the notion of group buying, it is basically a win-win proposition for the business and its customers. Each day Certifikid will feature a single, daily, unbeatable, family value. You will be able to purchase and print your Certifikid certificate directly on the website. The deals will lead to savings of at least 50%!

We already have a fantastic lineup of deals on board for you and other families and the excitement is spreading. Some of our first exclusive deals will include a performer for parties and schools, family photographer, muralist, play gym, dance classes, and a cupcake shop.
Please subscribe on the website NOW at http://www.certifikid.com/ to ensure that you receive the first daily deals offered coming this May.

Also, in order for many of the deals to become active, a minimum number of buyers will need to go for the deal. Thus, we need you to help us spread the word so that everyone can benefit from these great family values. Please help us (which will ultimately help you) get more people subscribed by telling your playgroups, schools, neighbors, friends and family about Certifikid. One easy way to do this is to click on our Facebook link to become a fan and suggest to your friends that they become fans and check us out. You can also follow us on Twitter.
We hope you subscribe! Let's all work together to make Certifikid the online playground for great DC family values.

- Your Friends at Certifikid

Screening the Screener

by Janinne Gardner
ADCAN vice president

During our first 2010 meeting we were privileged to have the co-owners of Nanny 365, Marcia K. Thompson, J.D. and Dr. Kim Barnett PhD, LPC as speakers. Nanny 365 is one of ADCAN’s wonderful supporting agencies. They discussed how we can use public source information to conduct research on the people & neighborhoods where we are considering working. During the session, we learned professional interviewing techniques to screen the employer and make sure they are a right fit for us. The goal of the session was to empower us to have the confidence that we need to select the right family.

Ms. Thompson, an attorney and public source researcher, has many years of experience serving as a child legal advocate in the Commonwealth of Virginia. Dr. Barnett, a licensed professional counselor and a Professor of Children's Studies at Bowie State University came loaded with a sheets and a power point presentation that captivated us from the get go.

Unlike the book The Nanny Diaries by Emma McLaughlin & Nicola Kraus, we do not get a job by being in the right place at the right time; it takes a lot of patience and energy to find the perfect position. As we all know just filling out the agency application “book” takes thought and consideration and a lot of time. However, it is all worth it if we do manage to find that perfect fit.
We started the discussion with preparation for the interview. Ask questions on the phone, decided if this is a job you are interested in pursuing. If you are looking for a live-in, is the job live-in? Are you looking for set hours, does the family want more flexible hours then you prefer? What are the ages of the children? Are you comfortable with a newborn and a school age child? Get as much information upfront as possible before you set up a meeting with the parents.

While on the face to face interview they suggest using these effective communication skills: listening, tone, content vs. process, body language and open questions.
Listening: try to figure out what they are not saying.
Tone: is the interview relaxed and are they focused on you? Do you feel like they have other stuff they would rather do? Did both parents attend the meeting? Where are the children? How do the parents interact with the children during the interview?
Content vs. Process this is about what you say (content) and how you say it (process). If the two are not congruent the message can get lost.
Body Language: Watch the parents and see how they react to your questions. Does their body tense up when they talk about going back to work, maybe they relax and they become very focused and excited while taking about work?
Open ended questions: Try not to ask too many questions that can be answered with a yes or a no, make the parents think about the answer. Some good open ended questions may be: What will my day look like? How will you feel about having a new baby & a nanny in the house all the time? What attracted you to have an in-home provider rather then a daycare center? How do you see the nanny fitting into your family? What other support system do you have besides your nanny? Have you ever had a houseguest or household staff who did something that bothered you, what did you do about it? What did you like and dislike about your last nanny? Can you tell me about the last time you had to discipline your child and what you did about it? In your mind what is the best way to keep open and consistent communication?

They also suggest the website www.searchsystem.net. This directs you to other websites that give public information on people and businesses. Some of the information you can get on it is: criminal background check, background check, public records, people search, criminal records, business licenses, & property search. They also suggest going to the bar association to check out any lawsuits on lawyers or to get information about a DWI in the criminal report of public records.

How To Photograph Your Baby

How To Photograph Your Baby by Melissa Doran

The February featured speaker for the meeting was none other than our own Jen Goin. She gave a presentation on how to take pictures. After a brief speech by Jen in the beginning, we watched a video by Nick Kelsh called “How To Photograph Your Baby”. The video was very informative. It gave a lot of helpful tips for taking great photos. There is also a companion book that goes with the video, “How To Photograph Your Baby”. The book is available at most book stores. The DVD is available at http://www.howtophotographyourbaby.com/dvd.

Use natural light whenever possible and turn off the flash. The flash adds too much harsh light and the natural light adds dimension to your pictures. Save the flash for snapshots. For best results set your ISO to 400 when your flash is off.

Slow down when taking the picture. Take a breath in and when pushing down the shutter button exhale. Only move your index finger when pushing down the shutter button, not your whole hand to keep your pictures from turning out blurry.

Instead of just taking one picture at a time, just keep snapping away. Since most of us now own a digital camera, you can delete the bad ones without wasting film. This is especially helpful when you are shooting a moving target like kids, babies or animals. You might have to take 100 shots, but out of those 100 you might only get 10 good pictures.

Zoom in on your subject. When you are zoomed out you get a lot of unnecessary clutter and background objects. It takes the focus off of what you are really taking a picture of.

If you’re looking to edit your photos, here are some helpful websites: http://www.piknic.com/, http://www.picasa.google.com/, http://www.lunapic.com/, http://www.photoshop.com/, http://www.fotoflexer.com/. If you have an Mac computer, IPhoto (another editing program) comes standard on your computer.

Backup your photos. Make a folder of all your favorites and save them to an external hard drive. If something happens and your computer crashes at least you have saved all your pictures. The other option is saving them to a website. There are some listed on this website. http://reviews.cnet.com/4520-6451_7-6245115-1.html

Most importantly have fun!

This article originally appeared in the March/April 2010 issue of ADCAN Happenings.

Does Your Child still need a Rear Facing Car Seat?

courtesy of ADCAN

January / February 2010 newsletter

by Janinne Gardner

The District of Columbia and the States of Maryland (June 30, 2008) & Virginia (July 1, 2007) all require children be in a car seat or booster through age seven. On their eighth birthday they may begin using the car seat belts. Is this good enough, are your children safe? Interesting enough none of them have requirements for rear facing car seats. Traditionally we use an infant-only seat or a convertible in rear position until the baby is twenty pounds and over 1 year. Again, is your child safe?

Kathy Gutierrez a Car Seat Technician, Nanny & Mother, states an unequivocal, NO to both of these questions! At our November business meeting she educated us on car seat safety. She sites Pediatrics, a professional journal, who says a child under the age of two is 75% less likely to be killed or suffer severe injuries if they are riding in the rear facing position. Kathy also states she believes in the “laws of physics” not the State Law when it comes to the safety of her children and the children in her care. It seems the car seat manufacturers are catching on to this since convertible car seats have a rear facing maximum weight of at least 30/35 lbs and a few are 40/45 lbs. In Sweden, in contrast to the US, where children remain rear facing until they are between 3-5 years old they have substantially lower death and injury rates, about 1 to 2 a year. “Keeping the child at a rear facing position takes the force of an accident off the child’s spinal cord and neck. In a forward facing position the body is held back by the straps but the head is not. The head is thrust forward, stretching the neck and the spinal cord. In the rear facing position the head, neck and torso are cradled by the back of the safety seat in a frontal crash (SafetyBeltSafe USA). A human’s neck bones are not mature until between four and six years of age, spinal cord between 3 years and six years.

While legally your children are “allowed” to be in a vehicle seat belt at age eight most children should use a booster until between 10-12 years old so that the shoulder belt and the lap belt are the right fit for the best crash protection. A simple test will determine if your child is ready to be moved from a booster.

Does the child sit all the way back against the auto seat?
Do the child’s knees bend comfortably at the edge of the auto seat?
Does the belt cross the shoulder between the neck and arm?
Is the lap belt as low as possible, touching the thighs?
Can the child stay seated like this for the whole trip?

If your answer to any of the above questions was no, then you should keep your child in a booster seat (SafetyBeltSafe USA).

Kathy gave us some interesting facts to think about:
1. Car seats expire about every six years. A few have a life expectancy of seven or eight years. All car seats have a date that they were made, and should be retired when the instruction manual states. This is because plastic gets old and fails. Check out youtube.com and watch “car seat expiration”.
2. Your child has outgrown his rear facing car seat when he has reached the maximum weight stated by the manufacturer or his head is less then an inch from the top of the seat.
3. Newborns need to be at a 45 degree incline until they can sit up by themselves generally about 6 months.
4. When a child is strapped in, the straps should be tight enough that you can not pinch a horizontal line at the shoulders.
5. Mirrors in front of a rear facing child are dangerous unless they are soft. In the case of an accident the child could rebound into it and may be injured. The Mirrors could also become unattached (no matter how secure they seem) and injure the child or someone else.
6. Mighty Tight only stretches the seat belt, do not use. Your vehicle’s seat belt may need to be replaced if you have been using one.
7. Children in ill-fitting seat belts tend to ride in an incorrect position, either sliding forward to the edge of the seat or slouching downward. Some children are less likely to buckle up, perhaps because the auto seat and belts are not comfortable for them (SafetyBeltSafe USA).
8. In the case of an accident your car seats should be replaced, Britax car seats have a few exceptions (see your manual). Your insurance company should pay for the replacement because it is required to drive your child.
9. Car seats & vehicles have a 40 or 48 lb weight limit on LATCH system. This means if your child weighs 50lbs you will need to use the car’s seat belt to install his car seat. However if your car seat has the new super latch & the car was manufactured after Sept 2005 then you can use latch up to the usable weight of the car seat manufacturer. So in this case if you have a 50lb child and your car seat and car match the criteria for a super latch you may use the LATCH system until the child weights the maximum for the car seat.

I hope this has given you something to think about. It has certainly made me think. I know you are thinking, “my child is uncomfortable sitting rear facing, his legs will be bunched up, what if he breaks his legs” or “my 9 year old will rebel and I can’t make him use a booster when everyone in his class doesn’t.” or “I have driven children for years and never had a problem.”

If you are hesitant to put your two year old back in rear facing he will figure out a way to be comfortable, she will generally cross her legs or put them up on the back seat. Actually with rear facing she will be able to retrieve fallen object much easier making it a less stressful trip with toys and cup falling on the floor, rear facing it will fall in her lap. Go to http://www.cpsafety.com/ for some pictures of rear facing older children. As for her legs breaking: there is no documented case of a rear facing child damaging their legs, hips or internal organs. However the most common injury for forward facing is broken legs (2), and a chance of so much more. If you still don’t believe go to www.joelsjourney.org and just read.

As for the nine year old, safety issues are non-negotiable. You wouldn’t allow him to ride his bike on the highway! Choices regarding his car seat safety are just as important and should not be up to him. Try using a small backless booster that can not be seen from outside the car. This will help position the car seat belt correctly while being less obvious. We can only change the acceptance of this one child at a time.

As for being lucky and never having a problem, great! Just don’t play Russian Roulette with her life. Okay at some point in writing this it has become less about describing our meeting and more about convincing you. I am not sure at what point I became a firm believer, probably between YouTube and JoelsJourney however, I feel as though I have so little control driving around the DC area. I guess I feel that in the car is one place I do have control and if rear facing until four or boosters until ten just helps for that one second…Great! If you would like more information on car seat installation please contact Kathy Gutierrez at kegutierrez@yahoo.com or read her blog, http://www.carseatnanny.blogspot.com/.


SafetyBeltUSA PO Box 553, Altadena, CA 91003; http://www.careseat.org/ 310-222-6860/ 800-745-SAFE
http://carseatqueen.com/rf.aspx

Parent Gifts for any Season

by MaryAnn X. Meddish

2009 INA Nanny of the Year

reprinted with permission Regarding Nannies

Once again it is that time of year where we all start scratching out heads trying to figure out what to get our employers. I have been asked for ideas so many times over the years that I started keeping a list of ideas, it keeps changing so here are some tried~n~true and some new ideas for you to refer to all through the year as anniversaries, birthdays, Mother’s and Father’s days, Grandparent’s day, and next years holidays start to gang up on you. Craft gifts you can make with your charges: These ideas can also be used to make gifts for extended family members and the household staff (i.e. an apron for the cook, flowerpots for the gardener, a scrapbook for the Au-pair). Remember that the expense of craft supplies is usually covered by the employers or you can ask for a Christmas allowance for the children to make gifts.

Read the entire article at Regarding Nannies