Ms. Amy's Blog @Child Central Station

"You talk talks... and your walk talks... but your walk talks louder  than your talk talks." Most of you know from my last post that I have recently quit my job. I just couldn't do it anymore. I was working long hours, a lot of which were on the road away from my family. I was burnt out, trying to work within a system for change, where I just didn't feel like I had the impact or the ability to advocate. I didn't feel as though my voice or the voice of my colleagues or the providers I was representing was being heard.  It was beyond exhausting.... sleepless nights, and I've been sick, really sick. Enough was enough.....  You, see here in Michigan, we are about to "go live" with our new tiered quality rating and improvement system. I was working as one of the "quality improvement consultants." My job was to work with sites participating in this voluntary program to assist them through coaching and consulting to improve qual...

The last six months have been a whirlwind. Are you kidding me, it's almost Christmas... how on earth can that be possible... I've been living in a time sucking vacuum... and I'm not getting any of that time back. Most of you know that back in June, I opted to take a "real" job, because you know working at home as a child care provider isn't really a real job. (Insert sarcasm here).  Contrary to popular belief, working with children is probably the most real job that there is.... well, that and being a mom. As a consultant, I had big hopes and dreams. I took a job too good to be true, that well wasn't true. In a rosy glasses kind of world the job was ideal. I really had the opportunity to influence change, to make a difference on a larger scale. To help mold the future in the field of early childhood in our state.  In reality, I had little power in my position. I worked long hours, and was continually struggling with my integrity. Although the goals of...

Yup.... I kissed a dolphin..... Little Hurley :).  I swam with a movie star! Don't you recognize Cindy from Jaws 3?  My not-so-baby boy turned 10..... We spent the week in Florida.  Lots of new experiences. Time with family,  dolphins,  gators, (We even wrestled them!) tortoises,  tapirs,  sting rays,  giraffes,  killer whales,  manatees,  Commerson dolphins, ......... Early closings because of inclement weather- 70 and overcast! Oh, well... We still had fun :).  After all, you only turn 10 once!

Last week, I introduced you to my new weekly topic for posting on Tuesdays, "Let's Talk Tech Tuesdays".  If you missed that post, you can find it here! Last week, I spent a little bit of time sharing with you an app that I use for taking anecdotal notes on my iphone/ipad. This week, I have a computer program/app that is more universal for use as you can utilize it from your computer, iphone/ipad, or android phone. This program allows you to track your daily information sheets through the program and to link individual children to their parents. Parents will then have the opportunity to receive up to the minute information on their child in care or opt to have a daily digest of information. You can log all activities including arrival/departures, feedings/meals/snacks, naps, learning activities, first aid, etc. You an also add photos and videos! I know that many sites use paper versions of daily sheets. This app is handy because it saves paper, and there is a lasti...

Often times, our view is distorted based upon our perception.  What is seen and experienced can often be simply only what is right in front of us.  The pieces that are clearly at our level. Sometimes it is more difficult to see the bigger picture.....  And sometimes, the bigger picture is so overpowering we forget about the little things.... We forget about the importance of looking at all perspectives...... Have you taken the time to really get down and look at the pieces from another perspective. Looking at things from another angle or perspective might just surprise you.... Have you taken the time to really look?  Looking at the BIG picture..... can be important, but so is spending time looking at all of the pieces..... It is important to work to find the balance.... What perspective are you taking today?

If you've been following my blog or spent any time at our place, you know that the children in our care have limited access to "technology".  I try to encourage creativity and exploration through play, real unplugged play.  We don't even have a television in the main area for our childcare. Out of sight, out of mind. As far as I'm concerned, children spend enough time watching television elsewhere, and it is not my place to make the decisions in terms of what is or is not appropriate for children to watch. (That is the job of the parent.) That does not mean that the children have no connection to technology here. They have all become quite good at taking photos, and I use voice recording software on my phone and computer to record some of their stories and songs. We do spend time looking at photos and recalling previous activities and events. There are even a couple of programs on my computer that I allow the children to use.  However, my primary foc...

The children helped to create this postcard for an international post card exchange awhile back. We talked about what is cool about where we live, which included various aspects of our local culture.  One of the areas we are working on as part of our Quality Improvement Plan is promoting more cultural competency in our classroom. As I have been working with a number of other sites to help them with their goals, it has become clear to me that the concept of culture is often misunderstood. For many sites, when I mention cultural competency folks tend to think directly to the outer rings of the world with multiculturalism and diversity. This is wonderful if you live in an area with a lot of ethnic or racial diversity. However, for most young children in our community this is not true. We have very little diversity when we think of it in this realm. So, although having things like multicultural dolls and various skin color crayons/paints are important,  if you do not have t...