As loving parents or family members, you want to provide the best care for your child. We have compiled the following tips to help you make important decisions about your child's care. For additional ideas, visit our Resources and Links page to access a variety of Web sites dedicated to enhancing early learning opportunities for children. Strengthening Communication Skills
Finding Quality Care
Effective Disciplining
Children with Special Needs (Inclusion)
Resources

• Spend time each day reading to your growing child, starting at birth! Watch for your child's cues to continue or quit.
• Talk about the pictures and the story and try different voices for the characters in the book.
• Help your child notice words and other print in the world around you.
• Reading offers children a wonderful opportunity for exploration and imagination.
• Reading sparks language development. Take your child to story time at the library or book store. Your child will enjoy sharing books with you as well as with peers.
• Get a free library card so that you can visit the library often and check out a variety of books.
• Play alphabet games to teach your child letters. Recite letters as you go up and down stairs, or give pushes on a swing. Use letter-play workbooks, games and puzzles to engage your child in learning the alphabet.
• Play word games to challenge your child to play with words.

• Talk to your baby even before he or she seems to understand what you are saying. Soon your child will talk to you.
• Listen to your child. Valuing your child's words will help him or her build confidence as a strong communicator.
• If your child tries to make the same sound you do, repeat the sound.
• When your child points to an object or gives you something, talk about the object.
• As your child gets older, encourage the use of short, simple sentences.

• Understand that singing and listening to music are good for your child's development.
• Sing or hum to your child because infants and toddlers prefer parents' voices to anyone elses.
• Act out the songs you sing with your child (i.e., when singing Itsy-Bitsy Spider, use your fingers to show the spider climbing and the rain falling).
• Sing a lullaby to your child at sleeptime.
• Dance with your child.
• Music can be a good way to draw out your child's feelings.

• Provide a safe place for your baby or toddler to roll, crawl and explore and, if possible, child-proof the entire home.
• Recognize that daily supervised outdoor play including running, climbing, swinging and sliding helps children develop strong bodies and minds.
• Sit and play on the floor with your child daily. Children learn through play with simple toys and household items such as pots, bowls and wooden spoons.

High quality early childhood programs do much more than help children learn numbers, shapes and colors. Good programs help children learn how to learn; to question why and discover alternative answers; to get along with others; and to use their developing language, thinking and motor skills. Ask if the program is accredited or certified by a recognized, national agency such as the National Association for the Education of Young Children (NAEYC) or the National Association of Family Child Care (NAFCC). Within Georgia, visit Bright from the Start: Georgia Department of Early Care and Learning. DECAL's Standards of Care program is designed to guide child care centers in maximizing learning opportunities for children birth to five and to raise the level of awareness about appropriate for young children. Click here for a list of centers designated by Standards of Care as "Centers of Distinction", an award recognizing centers that provide high quality care to young children.

The Homes of Quality Program recognizes registered family child care providers and group day care providers who provide a rich, interactive environment for infants, toddlers, and preschoolers that enhances the children's ability to learn. Click here to find the Homes of Distinction and Homes of Merit in your area. Some things to know when deciding on the best care for your child:

• The children in the program are generally comfortable, relaxed and happy.
• Daily schedules should include active and quiet play, rest time and outdoor play.
• Teachers and administrative staff should have education and training in areas such as safety; nutrition; children's physical, intellectual and emotional development; and child abuse prevention.
• In licensed and regulated settings in Georgia, caregivers should meet the minimum annual training requirements of 12 hours.
• Licensed and regulated centers must meet the adult-child minimum ratio requirements of DECAL based on the ages of the children.

Georgia Licensing Regulations for Maximum Staff-to-Child Ratios and Group Sizes

Ages of Children	Maximum Staff-to-Child Ratio	Maximum Number of Children in the Room
Infants less than one year old or children under 18 months who are not walking	1 to 6	12
One year olds who are walking	1 to 8	16
Two year olds	1 to 10	20
Three year olds	1 to 15	30
Four year olds	1 to 18	36
Five year olds	1 to 20	40

The National Association for the Education of Young Children recommends the following staff-to-child ratios and group sizes:

Ages of Children	Maximum Staff-to-Child Ratio	Maximum Number of Children in the Room
Infants	1 to 4	8
One year olds who are walking	1 to 5	10
Two year olds	1 to 6	12
Two and a half year olds	1 to 7	14
Three to five year olds	1 to 10	20
Five year olds	1 to 20	40

• Ask about staff turnover. Low staff turnover is an important indication of the stability and quality of a child care provider.
• Interactions between children and caregivers should be pleasant and caring.
• Child care providers should welcome a parent's active participation in the care provided for the child.
• Quality centers should be clean and safe. For instance, rooms, play areas and playgrounds should be uncluttered and free of barriers and obstructions. Toys and equipment should be stored on easily accessible shelves. Bathrooms and diapering areas should be sanitized continuously and smell clean.
• Child care providers should be warm and friendly to both children and parents, maintaining an open-door policy for visiting whenever parents or family members want.

• Be warm, loving and responsive.
• Pay attention to your child's clues and cues.
• Talk and sing with your child.
• Read with your child every day.
• Help your child recognize that reading is important.
• Set up a reading area in your home.
• Provide your child with writing materials (e.g., crayons, markers, chalk).
• Limit television watching. When you allow your child to watch television, sit with him or her and talk about what you see, remembering that young children should not watch the news or adult programs.
• Establish routines and rituals.
• Feed your child nutritious meals and snacks for better concentration and healthy development.
• Recognize that your child is unique.
• Encourage your child to explore and play in a safe environment.

• Understand that discipline should teach, not punish; it is setting limits both firmly and kindly.
• Understand that children express themselves differently.
• Show respect for your child so that he or she will learn respect for others.
• Reinforce positive behavior.
• Learn about stages of child development and what is appropriate behavior for each stage so that you will know what behavior you can expect at different ages.
• Prepare your child for new situations, so that he or she will feel confident and secure.
• Encourage exploration and curiosity, but keep your child safe.
• Create dependable and predictable routines for your child.
• Infants and toddlers test limits because of their curiosity and eagerness to learn, not to make you angry.
• Avoid calling your child negative names when discussing the behavior.
• Avoid labeling your child. Instead label the behavior.
• Try to understand what your child is communicating and respond appropriately.
• Redirect your child's attention when he or she is doing something you don't like.
• Spanking, hitting or shouting may stop behavior immediately, but it does not help a child understand that the behavior is not acceptable. It may teach that violence is the way to settle issues.

The Americans with Disabilities Act (ADA) prohibits child care programs from discriminating against children, employees or parents based on the fact that a person has a disability.

An inclusive child care program places children with disabilities into a typical learning environment and enables them to participate in all daily activities with typically developing children. Any supports or services needed for the children with disabilities are brought to them in the classroom.

The Inclusion Project is an effort of the fourteen statewide members of the Georgia Association of Child Care Resource & Referral Agencies to create high quality inclusive child care for all children. The Inclusion Project offers a lending system of toys, books, puzzles and resource books for parents and child care providers of children with special needs. For more information, contact your local Child Care Resource and Referral Agency (CCR&R). Visit the My County section of this Web site to access contact information for your local CCR&R.

• Play alphabet games to teach your child letters. Recite letters as you go up and down stairs, or give pushes on a swing. Use letter-play workbooks, games and puzzles to engage your child in learning the alphabet.
• Play word games to challenge your child to play with words.
• Keep writing materials nearby so that your child can learn how to write letters, numbers and, eventually, words.
• Read to your child and have him or her read to you.
• Select activities that contribute to building skills and self-confidence.
• Activities should be meaningful; your child needs to feel that the family appreciates his or her efforts.
• Keep instructions clear and simple.
• Set routines and discuss desired outcomes and plan routines.
• Minimize distractions such as television and establish specific places for work that are distraction-free.
• Be patient and offer helpful reminders.
• Reward efforts and good work with positive feedback, praise, or prizes.
• Don't bribe with gifts and don't make promises that depend on factors outside of your control.
• Be consistent with discipline and praise.
• Keep a sense of humor and maintain a positive outlook.
• Seek out other parents with whom you can share experiences and gain new information.

We found the following Web sites useful:

Better Brains for Babies
http://www.bbbgeorgia.org

Brain Wonders
http://www.zerotothree.org/brainwonders

Care Solutions, Inc.
http://www.caresolutions.com

Children's Healthcare of Atlanta
http://www.choa.org

Early Connections
http://www.earlyconnect.org

I Am Your Child Foundation
http://www.iamyourchild.org

KidSmart
http://www.kidsmartearlylearningorg

National Center for Learning Disabilities
http://www.ncld.org

TryScience
http://www.tryscience.org

Zero to Three
http://www.zerotothree.org