Welcome to the December/January 2011 Camden Macarthur Child Care Directory Newsletter.

This month we welcome at Pied Piper Kindergarten at St Andrews to our child care directory, we also welcome Life Skills 4 Kids to our Additional Needs Directory.

We also welcome Ezyshaid® to our Resources for Parents Directory. Read more about these great services below.

Child care services are taking enrolments now for 2011, so be quick to get in contact with the services that you are interested in for more information be sure to check out the detailed listings.

This month our parent resource about Changing Seasons and how to best dress your child to ensure they are comfortable whilst our seasons are changing. Read more below.

WIN...WIN.... This month you have a chance to win a set of Children's Gripable Cutlery as well as our Bumpity Blocks valued at $70.00 from www.pencilgripsplus.com.au.

For your chance to win simply email us to go into the draw and tell us if you have used our newsletter or site to find or look for care or child related information.

We would like to take this opportunity to wish you and your family a safe and happy holiday season! We will back in February with all the latest news.

Pied Piper Kindergarten at St Andrews is a family owned /privately run childcare centre which has been establishesd since 1995.

Children love to play, learn and explore in our childcare centres, our staff love to join in too!  At our St Andrews Childcare centre our dedicated and talented staff create environments where children are encouraged to grow and develop. Our dedicated carers and teachers create educational programs that focus on the development of each child's interests by learning through play. Children meet important milestones and have loads of fun along the way at Pied Piper Kindergarten.

We have a 2 - 3 year olds explore and develop in the Lily Room and 3 - 4 year olds learn new skills in the Daisy Room and in our 4 - 5 year olds make friends & become ready for school in the Daisy Room. School aged kids enjoy our Before and After School Care program and we offer Vacation Care during school holidays.

For many children, it will be their first time in a child care environment away from family and friends, so it is important that they feel comfortable and secure in their environment right from the start. It is therefore necessary for you as parents and us as educators, to work together sharing information about your child and the centre, so that the transition from home to Pied Piper Kindergarten is as smooth as possible. Every endeavour will be made to achieve the highest quality childcare for your child. 

Please contact us to discuss your child care needs or drop in and see us.

We Care, We Nurture, We Develop

Kids Kinder Childcare is dedicated to providing a safe, friendly environment that fosters your child's social and educational development.

Kids Kinder is a privately owned and operated childcare centre operating for long-day hours providing care and education programs for children 2-6 years old.

The centre operates 52 weeks a year Monday to Friday from 7am to 6pm closing only on public holidays.
We have a team of dedicated childcare professionals who each day provide a fun and safe learning environment with daily routines similar to that of home for each child.

Kids Kinder is big enough to provide lots of toys, equipment and great facilities, yet small enough to provide an individual level of care for each child and their family. Our focus is the well-being of each child and their learning.

We believe that all children are unique. It is our hope to extend and compliment the home by providing a happy, stable and secure environment in which each child develops towards their full potential.

SPECIAL OFFER: enrol now for 2011 and receive a FREE LAPTOP or a FREE $300 COLES VOUCHER. Terms and conditions apply.

We currently have vacancies for all ages and look forward to welcoming you and your child to our lovely centre, please contact us

Life Skills 4 Kids
Our mission is to help every child develop the critical life skills necessary for a happy, successful future.
If your child struggles with self-control; self-esteem; concentration; social interaction; sensory sensitivities or Sensory processing challenges you've come to the right place!

Life Skills 4 Kids is a family-friendly source offering help, advice, essential skill-building tools and today's most advanced resources for you and your child. We're easily accessible, and our programs are easy to understand and simple to use.

Every child is different, and at Life Skills 4 Kids we celebrate those differences by presenting a wide range of tested and proven tools and strategies adapted to meet your child's particular needs, including:

• Attention Disorders (ADHD and ADD)
• Autism Spectrum Disorders
• Asperger's Syndrome
• Sensory Processing Difficulties
• Concentration and Attention Difficulties
• Learning Difficulties
• Anxiety and Stress
• Difficulty With Social Skills

With Life Skills 4 Kids, you are firmly in control every step of the way. You have access to today's most effective tools and programs such as:

• SticKids^(TM)
• The Alert Program®
• Weighted Therapy
• Relaxation Strategies and Techniques
• Books and CDs for parents, teachers, and kids
• Newsletters and Information

plus much more! Click here to read all about our workshops.

ARE YOU READY TO HELP YOUR CHILD REACH HIS OR HER FULL POTENTIAL? Let Life Skills 4 Kids help you to help them! www.lifeskills4kids.com.au

The EzyShaid® Colour, FLIPTEZ® Starter Pack
If you are looking for a great gift or for a fabulous activity for children to do in the school holidays, don't go past these unique shading powders. They have been hailed as,' little bottles of colouring magic' and WON 3rd Prize at the International Toy Show in Dubai 2009!

Why? You can shade, paint stamp or simply use a combination of all three to create your works of art. Each Pack has instructions for use and a DVD can be viewed on our website, www.ezyshaid.com  It's a wonderful teaching tool.There are Youtubes for you to watch as well.

FLIPTEZ® Starter Pack contains 13 colours, matching applicators and a funnel to return powder to the tube.

FLIPTEZ®  are a fast and fun way to colour.Each Starter Pack of FLIPTEZ® covers 1400, A4 sheets of paper with colour. 130 tones can be achieved.FLIPTEZ® are appropriate for:

• Creative art work
• Title pages 
• Project work
• Backgrounds for creative writing
• Pre-school colouring
• Scrapbooking
• Special Needs Children
• Child Care Centres
• Fundraisers     or contact us to exhibit at your fete/fair

Our products come with a money back guarantee and have passed all possible safety standards for Australia, America, Europe (EN71) and Art Standards(LHAMA). They are non-toxic. Recommended age 4+ Applicators can be washed and used as a drawing and painting tool. The FLIPTEZ® tubes have minimal spill, minimal pour and snap shut with a 'click' to ensure that the lid is closed.  Have been hailed as, "An art cupboard in a little box". www.ezyshaid.com

Australian Child Care Career Options (ACCCO) an early Childhood Training Institution is an Australian wide organisation which has a locally based office in the Macarthur area. ACCCO offers a range of Nationally Recognised & VETAB Accredited Training Programs delivered on a Full-time, Part-time basis as well as being able to offer external studies and traineeships.

Courses available are:
Certificate III in Children's Services (CHC30708)
Diploma in Children's Services (CHC50908)
Advanced Diploma in Children's Services (CHC60208)
Certificate IV in OSHC (CHC41208)
Diploma in OSHC (CHC51008)

ACCCO is dedicated to improving excellence in training and meeting the needs of industry and clients. All trainers are fully qualified and experienced in the Early Childhood Industry.

Contact our NSW Office on (02) 9618 6263 or nsw.info@accco.com.au

The Gifted Choice is closing down all stock must go!!! 50% OFF ALL our educational toys, educational games, children's clothing, children's accessories and giftware.

Use the promo code "FINAL" and you will receive 50% off the total of your order, (EXCLUDES CLOTHING ITEMS WHICH ARE ALREADY REDUCED BY 60%). Sorry we will not be offering any rainchecks! www.thegiftedchoice.com.au

Bright Star Kids
Cash for a Cause
Cradle 2 Kindy
Enchanted Cubby House
Ezy Shaid
Girl Guides NSW & ACT
Kids Kontact
Maternitywear.com.au
My Mini Munchkin
Pencil Grips Plus SPECIAL For the month of December, mention Local Child Care receive 10% of the price of all Children's Cutlery and Development By Design Products cultural background.
Playsafe Kids
Smart Start Learning Centres school preparation program enrolments for 2011 are now open.
Smart Start Learning Centres is offering a 10% early bird discount on their school preparation programs for 3 - 5 year olds. This discount is for group or private lessons and also extends to our early primary tuition program (K-2). Please phone 9990 6664 or 0414 543 074 to discuss your child's needs. You can also log onto our website for further information on our programs www.smartstartlearningcentres.com.au
Transition into Parenthood & Calmbirth®
The Gifted Choice
Weston Sparkles Domestic Cleaning Service

Ambervale
Kindy Patch

Appin
Bambinos Kindergarten Appin

Bargo
Bargo Child Care Centre
Kids Korner

Bow Bowing
Kool Kids Kindacare

Campbelltown
Campbelltown Prebyterian Community Child Care
Little Einstein's Early Learning Centre - Campbelltown
St Patrick's Child Care Centre
Unique Kids Early Childhood Centre Inc

Currans Hill
UnitingCare Currans Hill OSHC

Denham Court
Leaping Learners Early Education Centre

Glenfield
Playground Learning Centre

Harrington Park
Bambinos Kindergarten Harrington Park
Bambinos Kindergarten Harrington Park (North)

Ingleburn
Little Einstein's Early Learning Centre - Ingleburn

Leumeah
Little Einstein's Early Learning Centre - Leumeah
Little Green Frogs Pre-School

Macquarie Fields
Kids Kinder Childcare

Menangle Park
Skylarks Kindy

Mount Annan
Jenny's Kindergarten - Mount Annan
Leaping Learners Early Education Centre

Narellan Vale
Jenny's Kindergarten - Narellan Vale

Narellan
Gumnutz Kids
Kids Korner

Changing Seasons

Spring/Summer is a time of changing temperatures. It is easy to over dress or under dress children at this time of year so as parents need to be aware of the clothing our children are waring.

Children are less able than adults to regulate their body temperature and need you to regulate how much or little they should wear. It is generally thought that babies should wear one layer more that you when going out, as they are mostly inactive.

Older children and more active children can get overheated quickly. When sleeping their room should be the same temperature as yours and to having the same amount of bed linen as you is a safe bet. If you are concerned about the temperature of their room, check it with a thermometer*. Night-waking may occur when your child gets cold or to hot. For children still in a cot you may like to sleep them in a sleeping bag or an all-in-ones to ensure their bed linen is not kicked off. Sleeping bags are dangerous for children sleeping in a bed. Whether your child in a cot uses a sleeping bag or not it is advisable to keep tucking a child in with a top sheet even if they don't remain under it all night. A top sheet can be tucked in with the length across the bed which gives you more tuck and helps keep it in place. Don't leave it loose over the child. Using a top sheet will help your child adjust when moved to a bed and can even eliminate some problems. Alternatively, with older children, you may like to keep one blanket free to be put on later once they are asleep.

During the day a good indication of your child's temperature is to check with you hand behind their neck. Check their body temperature under normal conditions first before trying to check if they are too hot or too cold. Never over heat a child as this is a SIDS risk.

Tips: A good rule to follow when dressing a child is to put layers on. This way if they are getting hot or cold you can either take off a layer or two or put more on to keep them warm.

Click here to view Cradle 2 Kindy's Clothing Guide for all seasons. * Note: In Australia a comfortable room temperature should be around 22-25˚c. Be aware that some nursery thermometers are made for cooler climates are may state 18 -20 as just right. This may be just right if you are from the UK but not if you live in Australia.

This article was written by mothercraft nurse Sally Hall from Cradle 2 Kindy Parenting Solutions.
If you would like more information on this and other similar topics please visit the Cradle 2 Kindy website at http://www.cradle2kindy.com.au/ You can also download a variety of E-books which are packed full of age related tips for practical parenting.