| President's
Notes Choosing Better Day Care!
101
Ways to Praise A Child
Work
Habits
Bus
Tour
Curriculum Writers Needed
Helpful Links
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| Technology is
changing rapidly and it is not going to
wait for our slow moving institutions to
catch up. I hope that our schools do not
get hopelessly behind in this exciting,
information revolution. Please let us
know what is happening in the schools in
your area. We will tell some of your
stories in the months ahead. Choosing
Better Day Care!
 Mothers
who stay home can provide children with
their continuous presence and love, but
as many families know, sometimes the
choice to work outside the home becomes
imperative. The Working Parents Help Book
contains common-sense advice from working
parents who are experts at helping others
choose the "right" child care.
They list 10 steps parents should
consider before choosing a facility.
- Plan on
spending several hours, in at
least two visits, observing a
center before deciding. One visit
should be unannounced.
- Observe the
staff relating to children and
find out the employees'
qualifications, education and
child-development training and
experience.
- Learn about
the turnover rate in staff.
- Note class
sizes and child-to-staff ratios.
- Is there
active and quite play, as well
as, rest time?
- Are there
age-appropriate materials and
toys, and an outdoor play area?
- Is the
facility clean, cheerful and
well-maintained? Do staff wash
hands frequently?
- Notice safety
features, such as, fire
extinguishers, smoke detectors,
covered electrical outlets, stair
gates, playground cushioning.
- Parents should
be allowed to visit thier child's
class whenever they want.
- Does the
center have accreditation by the
National Association for the
Education of Young Children?
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As the summer winds down,
teachers are preparing for new students,
administrators are rushing to make sure
buildings are ready for students, parents
are checking supply lists and purchasing
needed items, and our children are trying
to pack into the remaining days of
vacation as much fun as they can imagine.
Our anticipation grows also, as we look
for positive change in the educational
organizations we work with. Education
seems so very slow to change, but as we
work with other institutions we see the
same reticence to adopt new policies and
procedures and ultimately a new
philosophy. Because a majority of parents
view technology as the vital link between
the classroom and the work place,
technology will continue to serve as the
agent of change in public education. 
This summer we had the
opportunity to work in several school
districts with administrators and
teachers on incorporating technology into
the curriculum. We were surprised to find
that there were few computers in the
classrooms, and if they were, they were
old. Most of the schools had computer
labs or media centers with computers, but
few had more than one computer connected
to the Internet. Now, these were
elementary districts, we assume high
school districts are better equipped. We
have heard a lot in the press about the
growing numbers of computers in our
schools. Our findings indicate there is a
long way to go, especially in using the
Internet to support instruction. 
Be accountable for outcomes.
Take responsibility for outcomes. Take
responsibility for the results you
produce. When the results aren't good, do
what you can to correct the situation. 
This is the month that many families
go on vacation, some go on tours. We invite you
to 
E-Tutor is hiring curriculum writers
to write lessons for E-Tutor, an on-line,
interactive web site. 
