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The purpose of Accident/Illness/Injury Report Forms is to ensure an accurate tracking and appropriate follow-up of all serious incidents which occur in child care.

Notification of illness or injury is required by all licensing offices. Often a Licensing Officer follows-up all reportable incidents to ensure appropriate action was taken to identify strategies to prevent future occurrence. Reportable incidents include:

* Physical abuse
* Sexual abuse
* Emotional abuse
* Neglect
* Unexpected illness and/or disease outbreak
* Unexpected death
* Fall, other injury
* Motor vehicle injury/accident
* Aggressive/unusual behaviour
* Poisoning
* Medication error

Report All Incidents

Child care providers should report all incidents that involve injury to both the parents and the licensing board as well as their insurance company. Incident forms, like the one included in Caregiver Aids: Business Forms for Caregivers and Parents and in our Business Forms (available on our Exclusive Products page) were developed to assist caregivers in informing parents of all incidents involving their child and to use for insurance purposes.

Parents . . . if your caregiver is not using an incident report, or other forms such as medication administration, travel permission forms, please talk to her about her method of communication with you should your child be injured in care. This is for your information as well as your protection. You want to know at all times when your child is injured, bitten by another child, or other incidents. Only through this knowledge can you talk to your provider about correcting the problems that arose to the injury and take steps yourself to ensure your child is safe and protected in child care

The great thing about designing and making bulletin boards with your kids is that each theme presents new opportunities to enhance language skills, fine motor skills through arts and crafts, social skills as the children build together, and so on. What’s more, you don’t even have to have a wall to hang them on. Simply tuck it behind the couch if you lack space and bring it out just before the kids arrive or during special activity times during the day.

Building a Cultural Community Bulletin Board

Materials:

* An empty bulletin board
* 8 ½” by 11″ sheets of various coloured paper
* Crayons, markers, non-toxic glue
* Various cultural magazines such a National Geographic, Life, etc. that may be cut up

Directions:
Talk with the children and make a list of the different cultures that the children of your centre or home make up your. If there is no diversity in your group, borrow books from your library that depict children of various ethnic backgrounds. Next, let each child pick a culture they would like to be part of if they are not already. Have them cut out pictures that represent their culture and past them on to the paper. Help them label their culture using the crayons or markers. Have the children cut out as many flags as they can to use as a boarder for your board. Finally, discuss with the children a possible name for the new community board you have just designed. For an additional activity, you could have them choose a particular character from their cultural sheet or make one up, and write a story each character and what makes them so special as a human being.

Friendly Notes Bulletin Board

* An empty bulletin board
* 8 ½” by 11″ sheets of various coloured paper
* Crayons, markers, non-toxic glue
* Various colours of Post-It Notes

Directions:
This bulletin board can be designed as a fun place where the children can post little friendly notes to each other during the course of the day. Have each child design their own special place using the coloured paper. Help them make up a series of special notes that can be stuck all over the board so they can grab them and give them out at will. These notes can be friendly notes, thanks you notes, or kind saying directed towards another person. In order for this to help promote reading, writing, and good social behaviors, build this sharing of the notes activity into your weekly or daily planning. This is a wonderful way for each child to learn to appreciate all the good qualities in each of the other children.

Fire Escape Bulletin Board

Materials:

* An empty bulletin board
* 8 ½” by 11″ sheets of large square graph paper (enough for each room in your home or centre)
* Crayons, markers, colored pencils
* Various magazines that may be cut up

Fire safety begins with fire escape planning. To help the children learn how to get out of the facility or home should a fire occur, work with them on the bulletin board using the graph paper using one sheet to lay out each room in your home. Put the sheets together as to depict an architectural drawing of your home. This is a great learning experience for the children on a number of fronts such as engineering, architecture, etc., along with the safety learning. Have the children cut out beds, dressers, doors, windows, etc, that will go into the rooms on the board. When the rooms are complete, use brightly coloured arrows drawn in market to show the children how to leave the room in the event of a fire. Nest, you can go online or contact your local fire hall for pictures that demonstrate how to “Stop, Drop and Roll, and other important safety tips. Place these around the board. (Visit our Oct. Newsletter for links to Sparky the Fire Dog and and the NFPA Web site.)

To emphasize what is being learned with the map, practice the escape drill with the children regularly, along with the crawling out of the building and stop, drop and roll techniques.

ut and about in all kinds of weather . . . ah the joys of going on field trips. Here is a checklist which might help make your neighbourhood excursions a little safer.

Checklist

* State the ground rules. “Walk, don’t run”. “Hold hands.” “Stop at every street crossing.” Practice the rules with the children, “Look to the left and then to the right.” Play “red light/ green light/ yellow light” games.
* If you are taking a stroller, the younger or easily diverted children can be asked to hold on to the other children’s hands.
* Let the children know before you go on a field trip that you return immediately if children act in an unsafe manner. Stay calm if it happens, but don’t back down. You can always try another day and the children will learn that you are serious about safe behavior.
* Notify parents of your usual neighbourhood routes and any special field trips.
* Plan trips based on the ages of the children.
* Plan for rests along the way. Know where the public washrooms are.
* Take a compact first aid kit and your “Emergency/Consent cards”.
* Carry a survival bag with spare clothes, finger food snacks, beverages, Kleenex, etc.

For parents and caregivers alike, stress, even occupational burnout, is a very real and stubborn problem. Terms such as isolation, emotional and physical exhaustion, lack of appreciation, and depression are synonymous with being a parent and/or a child care provider.

The contributing causes of stress and burnout are many. Through interviews with individuals at all levels of the early childhood field and research on stress and burnout, Paula Jorde Bloom, author of Avoiding Burnout, Strategies for Managing Time, Space and People in Early Childhood Education, has narrowed the causes to three main categories. These are: 1) causes inherent in the profession; 2) causes intrinsic in the individual’s personality and behavior; and 3) causes fundamental in our society.

Causes Inherent in the Profession

“Most who enter the field of early childhood education want to do worthwhile things for people,” says Bloom. “When asked what they want to accomplish, teachers say things like, “I want to tap the creative potential of my students,” or “I want to give the children a good self-image.” Burnout can occur when these laudable goals are frustrated, when reality doesn’t quite square with expectations.”

The many demands of the job, the parents and the children is a huge responsibility that as Bloom notes, is often a non-reciprocal balance of living. The teacher or director gives and the child or parent takes, resulting in resentment, in a realization that they can never, despite their exhaustive efforts, satisfy all the needs of the parents and the children they serve.

Other factors, like trying to run a program with limited funds, lack of appreciation or positive job feedback, low wages and few benefits, as well as a lack of professional standards, the view of society that “Anyone can teach,” add to the disillusionment and eventual burnout.

Causes Intrinsic in the Individual

According to Bloom, the effectiveness with which an individual is able to handle the many situations that can lead to stress, is an often overlooked component of the burnout picture. She breaks down the causes intrinsic in the individual’s personality and behavior into 4 areas:

* Stress-tolerance level
* Coping and adaptation ability
* The Type A behavior pattern
* The stress-prone diet.

Stress is unavoidable. As child care providers and parents we must deal with an enormous amount of change and outside demands. “As individuals, we may not always be able to dictate the number and intensity of events that happen to us. But making decisions about changes in our lives and maintaining some control over how we react to those changes gives us a powerful tool for managing stress and reducing the likelihood of burnout.” says Bloom.

Causes Fundamental in Our Society

In all our efforts to make the world a safer and better place for our children, we have lagged far behind in our views about child care. The power struggle between the stay-at-home Mom and the working parent continues. The superwoman image remains a far-fetched dream rather than a reality. Add to that the day-to-day pressures of living in the 20th century, the erosion of our network and support systems and the lack of a national commitment to child care, and you have what Bloom terms the “five aspects of our society that contribute to the burnout phenomena.”

Dealing With It All

Naturally some stress is good for us. It makes us work harder, aim higher. It puts a challenge in an otherwise monotonous life. With an understanding of some of the aforementioned causes of stress and burnout, we can work towards developing personal strategies to restore a sense of balance in our lives. Too, by recognizing the following signs and symptoms of burnout, we can take pro-active steps to make our lives more manageable. In Avoiding Burnout, Bloom lists the following signs and symptoms of burnout:

* Headaches and muscle tension
* Depression/boredom/apathy
* Absenteeism/decline in performance
* Hypertension/insomnia
* Irritability/increased anxiety
* Increased smoking, drinking, drug dependency and other addictions
* Escape activities: shopping sprees/overeating/daydreaming
* Stress related physical and emotional ailments
* Tensions with family and friends.

Parents should be aware of these signs and symptoms in their child care provider. In a centre-based setting, a decline in the quality of a program and/or the overall moral of the staff may also indicate a problem.

The best strategy for dealing with stress and possible burnout is to take stock of your present situation, both personal and professional, listing the strengths, limitations and skills in each area. Then take a closer look at these in terms of time management, space management (your surroundings with regards to lightening, sound, temperature, colour, clutter, etc., do affect your stress level), and people management. By noting the limitations you face in each of these areas, you can apply your strengths and skills to get these limitations under control.

For example, to organize your time effectively you could use a weekly calendar to mark down those activities that are paramount, like the parent’s meeting, or the two evenings you spend at the gym. Next, using a separate sheet of paper, prioritize your other obligations and things you need to do during the week, according to their importance. Fill your calendar in accordingly, marking off activities as you accomplish them. Just realizing how much you actually get done in a week is a great confidence booster.

To organize your space, take a closer look at how you utilize the areas of your home, office or centre, as well as what problems you feel you need to solve, such as cluttered books, the lack of shelving for toys and art supplies, or the overall appearance of the room. Make some time in your weekly calendar to work on these problems. Some may be as easy as rearranging the furniture or purchasing a new shelving unit. Perhaps you need to give the room a face-lift with a fresh coat of paint in warm hues. To help with the noise level, try adding a carpet, more shades and blinds, or some decorative wall hangings.

Managing people requires that you learn what Bloom calls, “the fine art of delegating.” Get the parents involved, the staff trained to handle other duties, your spouse or kids to handle more chores. Then smile. It’s the best stress-buster of all.

Small business is the backbone of our economy, representing 60 percent of all new jobs. What’s more, a survey conducted by Goldfarb Consultants, and sponsored by the Canadian Federation of Independent Business and Scotiabank, shows that small-business owners are among the most respected people in the world for their motivation, professionalism and honesty.

Should that give small child care business owners a warm and fuzzy feeling inside? You bet it should. Especially when you consider that independent business owners, from the dayhome operator down the block to the large daycare centre proprietor on the corner, are responsible for a larger portion of care for approximately 13 million U.S. and 2.3 million Canadian children.

And here’s even more bragging rights: The child care industry is booming and has been targeted as one of the hot growth sectors of the new millennium, according to David Wanetick, author of Hot Sector Investing. Statistics from the National Child Care Association show there are approximately 100,000 licenses child care centres in the U.S., with about 5,000 new centres cropping up each year. Those numbers don’t include the huge private dayhome industry.

Your Contribution

What better contribution can child care operators make to the community and the economy than the care and nurturing of our young people. Each and every child care provider should be immensely proud of what they do. They are passionate about the children in their care and about the quality of service they provide. How many employees in other businesses can say the same?

On top of that, child care operators are highly skilled and excel at a lot more than overseeing the positive development of children. As small business owners they counsel parents, cook, clean and prepare new agendas for upcoming days. They balance books, massage budgets, and perform recordkeeping duties. They conduct research, upgrade their training, market their business, and provide their little clients with immeasurable service.

Child care business owners have to be respected as well for the risk they take being self-employed. The security of a steady paycheck is nonexistent, yet the stress of running the business, the pressure to succeed, and the long hours are ever-present. Not everyone is willing to follow their dream.

Child care business owners, stand tall. Don’t ever offer excuses for your business. Your intelligence, your business acumen, and your contribution to society are to be commended. So hand out those business cards. Speak out loud and clear when someone asks you what you do. Be proud of tending to our nation’s young. Let everyone know that your business is a valuable and much needed asset to our society.

In this day of government cutbacks and increased expenditures, more and more child care facilities are turning to volunteers to lend a hand. From the multi-service daycare centre that depends on volunteers to help with everything from facility maintenance to office administration, to the independent dayhome operator who relies on a volunteer reader to come in once a week to help with a child who is experiencing difficulty in this area, volunteers are a positive force in child care.

“Volunteering is the most fundamental act of citizenship and philanthropy in our society. It is offering time, energy and skills of one’s own free will,” says Volunteer Canada on their valuable Web site, Volunteer.ca. “Volunteers impact virtually every aspect of society, including health, education, social services, youth, culture, sports and recreation, the arts, and the environment.”

Benefits of Volunteering

Volunteering also enriches the lives of those offering the service; it brings meaning, fulfillment, and growth to their lives. Whether the volunteer is taking a scenic stroll with a group of children, or helping a special needs child learn to write, it gives a feeling of pleasure and goodness.

While most child care providers think of parent participation as their sole source of volunteer support, nothing could be further from the truth. Initiatives are being taken across North America to recruit parents, seniors, employees, and anyone looking to local child care efforts through volunteer action.

In North Carolina, for example, the Child Care Services Association (CCSA), a non-profit, United Way agency committed to improving the affordability, accessibility and quality of child care, has set up a program called, With Our Many Voices. Volunteers can access the Our Many Voices Survey online, complete the registration process, and then discuss with the CCSA ways they can assist in a capacity matched to their own interests.

Volunteering Helps Children

Volunteers assist in child care in a large number of ways like:

* Housekeeping duties; setting up and cleaning after snack, cleaning up after playtime, and preparing play activities
* Kitchen duties; preparing nutritious meals and snacks
* Advocating for better child care with local, state, provincial and federal officials
* Providing professional skills and services including secretarial, catering, plumbing, accounting, management, carpentry, tutoring, public relations, fundraising, legal, medical, dentistry, writing, counseling, etc.
* Preparing stories and helping with curriculum ideas
* Transporting children to and from activities and appointments
* Teaching a group of children computer skills
* Collecting books and other learning materials for use in the facility
* Sharing a hobby
* Contributing in-kind services and materials: copying, printing, food, computer equipment and assistance, electrical supplies, building materials, etc.
* Donating household goods or other items: kitchen utensils, furniture, books, toys, games, stuffed animals, dolls, and diapers.

Parent Participation

Without a doubt, however, parent participation continues to dominate the volunteer aspect in child care. In fact, many organizations reward parents to do so, offering 10% to 20% discounts on monthly fees for parents who volunteer a certain number of hours in their child’s program. Other programs make it easy for parents to help out from home with such tasks as preparing mailings, making telephone calls, and writing newsletters.

A Day of Caring, usually one or two weekends throughout the year, is another incentive used by caregivers and centre directors to encourage parents to come out and help paint walls, fix up the outdoor area and equipment, anything that will take a good day to complete when a multitude of hands are available. The participants are then treated to a pizza or potluck lunch hosted by other parents or the daycare owners.

Still other programs offer Read-To-Me Incentives, whereby parent volunteers who participate in reading to the children will receive free book for their child once they have completed so many readings. Books are donated by local bookstores, churches, business, etc.

Finally, volunteer award days offer appreciation for the dedicated people who help make a child’s world brighter through their selfless efforts. These days are as simple as an appreciation tea with the children handing out handcrafted cards and flowers, to gifts the children picked out as a special thank you.

As with any type of volunteer program, providers need to understand that parents who do not participate in their child’s care have their own reasons for not doing so. To that end, a parent’s reasons for not volunteering must be respected. It is extremely important that an issue never be made of parents who do not help, especially in front of the children. To learn more about this topic, childcare.net encourages visitors to read the valuable materials at The Hard-to-Reach Parent – Old Challenges, New Insights, from the Urban Education Web site, ERIC Clearinghouse on Urban Education, Columbia University.

The Power of Public-Private Partnership

Corporate social responsibility is fast becoming a key part of many companies’ social investment programs.

Fall Community Care Day, in Boston, held on Sept. 13, 2001, exemplifies this approach to corporate involvement in child care. One of the largest volunteer efforts in the state, over 1,800 corporate workers from more than 50 local companies stepped out of their everyday jobs to lend a hand at 65 human service agencies throughout greater Boston. They worked on special community service projects, ranging from painting and landscaping, to spending time with elders and taking preschoolers on field trips.

Companies can demonstrate their support for volunteerism in various ways, such as matching volunteer service with cash grants and providing paid time off for volunteer activities. Other examples include:

* Allowing employees to use paid time each month to volunteer as reading tutors at local schools or child care centers.
* Encouraging parents to use leave time to attend preschool events, parent meetings and parent-teacher conferences.
* Adopting a child care center or family resource center as a corporate volunteerism project.
* Offering the use of company resources such as a photo copy matching and paper, etc.
* Giving time off or flextime to encourage employees to serve as volunteers and/or board members of non-profit child care centres or organizations
* Using company communications in the form of an employee newsletter, Web site, paycheck envelopes, orientation sessions, company e-mail or voice mail, management briefings, etc.) to provide information about volunteer opportunities available in the child care sector.
* Matching gift contributions programs to organizations at which their employees are volunteering.

Getting Started

In most cases, when it comes to finding local volunteers to assist with child care programs large or small, all you have to do is ask. Knowing who to ask may take a bit of creative thinking and planning however, especially if you’ve never opened your door to volunteerisn. We’ve provided a fast “how-to getting you started” article in our Management Tips feature below. And we’ve included many valuable resources in our Web Stuff section.

The most important step for recruitment volunteers is planning. Of course, the planning depends on the scope of your volunteer needs.

Needs Assessment

The best place to begin is with a needs assessment.

* What needs will the volunteer program address?
* What will volunteers do?
* Define the job. Determine the qualifications to do the job. Include such things as: a written position description, the purpose of the assignment, suggested activities, qualifications, time frame, supervision, and benefits, etc. Sounds complicated but it’s really not.

Recruitment Message

The recruitment message should be inviting and encourage people to become involved with your program. Develop a recruitment message tailored to the volunteers being sought, such as students, professionals, neighborhood residents, or family members. Each message should identify:

* The specific need the position will fill
* How the volunteer will fill the need and enhance the program
* The benefits to the volunteer.

Extending an Invitation

There are many techniques available for recruiting volunteers. Like the other aspects of recruiting volunteers, it just takes a little planning.

“Start with the resources in closest proximity to your agency. What untapped treasures might be across the street or on the next block”? says Susan J. Ellis, author of The Volunteer Recruitment Book

Ellis suggests you walk out your front door with a clipboard and pen (take along a volunteer for company), and write down everything you see: stores, businesses, parking lots, churches, apartment houses, schools, etc. The idea is to inventory everything you see and to envision each of these as a potential source for volunteers. If your neighbourhood consists of a lot of high-rise buildings housing businesses of allsorts, take an elevator ride and learn who your neighbours are. There may be what Ellis terms a “Mighty Corporation,” in your own back yard who has a Corporate Social Responsibility program already in place and who will be more than happy to let you disseminate your volunteer requirement information within their organization.

Next, take your list and analyze it to see what businesses, schools, organizations, etc. may be able to offer in-kind services and supplies. Are there businesses that operate different shifts? You may be able to recruit daytime volunteers from staff who work afternoon or evening shifts, as would be the case at your local hospital.

Ask yourself:

* If there are any students or seniors with daytime hours available?
* Are there any professionals or sole practitioners such as artists, consultants, accountants, and others with valuable talents and who may be able to donate wither time or pro-bono services. Perhaps some of these resources may be able to donated goods or materials, storage space, parking space, use of various loaned equipment, etc.
* Are their any similar organization you can contact to see if they have an overflow on their volunteer roster or to see if they’d be interested in joining volunteer efforts.

Once you have exhausted all the ways your neighbours may be able to help, it’s time to introduce yourself and get the message out that you are looking for volunteers. Some recruitment techniques to try include:

* Writing public service announcements and sending them to all print and broadcast media
* Dropping off or mailing flyers and a brochure, then following up with a phone call
* Writing articles for local newspapers and newsletters of other organizations
* Attending volunteer fairs
* Putting notices on Volunteer Internet web-sites
* Contacting Volunteer Center referrals, like local union halls, the United Way, etc.
* Sending notices to membership lists from other organizations
* Calling the person in charge of Human Resources at your local business and inquiring about their Corporate Volunteer programs and the possibility of submitting your requirements.

Interviewing and Screening Volunteers

Volunteers are, without a doubt, a necessary and welcome part of any child care or school setting. But in the child care environment, volunteers, like employees, must be interviewed and screened for the safety of the children. In fact, in many provinces and states, it is the law. Screening also ensures the most appropriate match is made between volunteer and task. The following steps help you to ensure you’ve done all you can to screen volunteers for suitability to deliver your program.

1 Getting to Know Each Other (The Interview)
Each volunteer should go through a confidential interview process with yourself and another person or two from your centre, dayhome, or roster of parents. Have volunteers fill out a Volunteer Application Form prior to the interview to give you an opportunity to do a preliminary background check if time permits.

Plan your interview carefully. Refer to your job description. Ask open ended questions that give you more than a simple yes or no answer. Be sure to keep a record of the interview.

2. Determining the Volunteer’s Suitability (Screening)
Once the interview is completed, consult with your panel of interviewers or discuss the applicant’s suitability with the parents.

Most important of all, check the references of any person you consider for any position in your dayhome, centre or school. Ask yourself if you would you be willing to have Dave work one-on-one with your child? This is the most important question to ask a reference when you’re screening adults who wish to volunteer, says Paddy Bowen, Executive Director of Volunteer Canada. in Reference Checks Are Vital! by Bryon Milliere, From the August/September 1997 issue of The Leader Magazine, Scouts Canada.

When a decision is made, let the volunteer know they have accepted for a probationary period to ensure everyone is happy with the arrangement.

3. Placing and Orienting the Volunteer
Take some time prior to your volunteer assisting with your program to show them around, meet the other staff members and parents if applicable. Monitor the volunteer closely for the first little while to ensure they fit in with the group and are a positive influence on all involved.

4. Evaluating and Appointing the Volunteer
Plan an evaluation session with the volunteer after your probationary period (usually three months), and go over their performance. Extend an appointment to a permanent volunteer position if everyone is happy with the arrangements. Your meeting with the new volunteer should provide some valuable feedback on how they have done so far.

5. Ongoing Monitoring
Continue to monitor the volunteer. In the interest of ensuring the safety of our children, we should never take anyone or any situation for granted.

By Catherine M. Pruissen

Craft supplies, books, and staff all cost you and your child care facility a great portion of your income. Luckily there are ways to obtain these and other resources free or next-to-free. Here’s how:

Free Resources

* Conduct a scavenger hunt with your parents. Send home a list of items needed for your art and craft works and see how many each family can scavenge together from their home.
* Ask home decorating stores if they would donate outdated wallpaper sample books.
* Print shops may be more than happy to donate left over paper scraps.
* Check with local businesses to see if you might be able to receive their empty shoe boxes, ice cream buckets (great for storage), or empty cardboard boxes.
* Fabric stores may have fabric ends or cardboard bolts they would be happy to donate.
* Thrift stores are a great way to build or revamp your “dress up” items for mere pennies.
* Local libraries often sell used books for as little as fifty cents. Most hold free story times or will offer to have a librarian bring the wonderful world of books to your kids.
* Some utility companies, airlines, children’s societies have free learn and colour books for children. Call and order as many as you need. Video stores offer free rentals on community based videos like streetproofing, etc. Ask the staff to show you their free rental section.
* Contact your local early childhood teaching facility for volunteers for your centre.
* Often parents know of a retired person who would be more than happy to read to the children, teach a craft, music lesson, dance, etc. Put the recruitment word out to your parents.
* Post notices for volunteers with your local volunteer advisory/contact board.
* Place a free ad in the local bargain newspaper for used computers for your kids. Companies are forever upgrading their computer systems and are looking for great ways to discard old models.
* Contact as many child care organizations as possible to see what free information they have on issues of concern to you. Become a member if finances allow as networking is one of the most powerful tool we have for finding those almost free resources.

From: 101 Tips: Resources for You and Your Centre By Silvana Clark and Priscilla Burris, Warren Publishing House, Everett, Washington.

© Catherine M. Pruissen

Catherine M. Pruissen is the CEO of About Child Care Consumer Services and developer of child care online. She has published numerous child care related literature, including Start and Run a Profitable Home Day Care, The Daycare Alternative, How to Find Good Child Care, Caregiver Aids: Business Forms for Caregivers and Parents, Income Tax & Record Keeping for Child Care Providers, and a host of workshops and workbooks. She was the editor and publisher of the bi-monthly newsletter, Parent Care, Your Child Care News-line. Catherine was also the coordinator and workshop facilitator for The Child Care Information Centre in Calgary, Alberta, and ran a successful dayhome for eight years.

Facilities Look At New Measures To Protect Their Child Care

Excerpts from the article by MONIQUE CURET and RENA HAVNER Staff Reporters – Today’s Mobile Register

Crystal Oates is responsible for 65 children every day, and if she has to demand identification from every adult who walks through the door of her day care in order to protect the kids, she’ll do it, she said.

With her day care located just five miles from another where a 5-year-old child was kidnapped last Monday, Oates said she is not taking any chances. Last week, she talked to security companies about installing video cameras, to parents about the door locks she already has in place and to children about what to do when a stranger approaches them.

Oates put her facility in lockdown mode just after 2 p.m. Monday, when she learned that Garth Harris had been abducted by a gunman who entered Calvary Tabernacle’s Children’s Learning Center in an attempt to rob it.

Joy Shorter, a worker at Calvary Tabernacle, told the man that the day care had no money. He tied her to a refrigerator with a telephone cord took the child with him.

Less than an hour later, police found the man in his green pickup truck in Spanish Fort. He fired at a Baldwin County sheriff’s deputy and ran into a wooded area, according to officers, leaving the child unharmed in his truck. He surrendered minutes later.

The abducted child’s mother, Cindy Harris, said Shorter did everything she possibly could do to protect the children under her watch. And local child-care providers said that the incident was not indicative of vulnerabilities in their security.

Uniform Guidelines

But more uniform guidelines would help heighten safety for all day cares, said Emily Kozyra, communications associate for Child Care Action Campaign, a national nonprofit group that advocates safe and affordable child care. She said that day care centers should at least have to conform to baseline standards for security.

Child care providers should maintain “absolute physical control” of their charges, Kozyra said. The building should have as many barriers to entry as possible, or a system that allows those inside to “buzz in” those outside.

Oates said she contacted a security company after the kidnapping incident to discuss installing video cameras in the foyer of her facility and outside. She is also installing meshed metal wire inside the windows, which will make it difficult for a robber to get in, even if he breaks the glass.

She added, “It won’t be the prettiest thing, but hey, we’re not going for beauty, we’re going for safety.”

Are you or your employees tired before the day begins? Do you suffer chronic aches and pains (real or imaginary)? Find you’re not giving clients your absolute best? If so, you may be losing the battle against stress.

According to Human Resource News (Nov. 1998), “stress has increased dramatically as a reason why today’s employees are missing work, almost tripling since 1995.”

The 1997 National Study of the Changing Workforce states that 36% of employees often feel drained or “used up” at the end of a workday. Even more eye opening, employees report feeling tired before the workday begins!

What are the long-term implications of stress? Anyone experiencing on-going stress provides a fertile breeding ground for illness. These illnesses range from the common cold to more severe problems, such as heart attacks and strokes.

What Can Individuals Do?

To beat stress, an individual must be able to identify the symptoms and begin to change the way they think about themselves and outside factors. For example:

Guidelines for Positive Thinking:

* RECOGNIZE when negative thoughts pop into your head.
* STOP! Imagine a mental stop sign that will put the brakes on destructive thoughts.
* RESTATE: Take the negative thought and restate to a positive (and usually more accurate) word or phrase.
* REWARD: Say to yourself “good for you!” for a job well done. Or, forgive yourself for a mistake … and move on!
* REMEMBER: You can make a mistake, but you are not a mistake!

Six Steps to Assertive Behavior:
1. Express your honest feelings in a calm, non-threatening way.
2. When appropriate, establish a mutually agreeable time and
place to assert your needs.
3. Describe the other person’s behavior objectively, without
judging or devaluing.
4. Confine your response to the specific problem behavior – not
the whole person.
5. Avoid delivering put-downs disguised as “honest feelings”.
6. Be aware of your need for approval and/or acceptance.

Stress attacks on several different levels. To beat stress, an individual or organization must be able to identify the symptoms and change destructive habitual patterns of thought and behavior, before they cause irreversible damage.

What Can Management Do?

One way management can prevent the ravages of stress is to become proactive. Initiating and supporting stress management programs that emphasize long-range personal change can increase productivity and cultivate a healthier, more empowered work force.

In our On Top of Stress™ workshops and seminars, we teach our clients specific tools and strategies, such as positive thinking and assertiveness. Some of the other stress-busters included are:

* Coping Effectively with Change
* Time Management
* Relaxation Techniques
* Examining Expectations (of self and others)

The rewards? Organizations experience higher productivity and greater profits by nurturing their most precious asset … their employees.

Learn to take care of yourself and break free of the stress cycle. After all, if you and your employees aren’t healthy and fulfilled, there is virtually no way for you or your business to prospe