Illinois Child Care Bureau · PDF fileof Rockford, Amenra Richardson of Chicago, Carmen Rodriguez of ... National Food Service Management Institute and to the University of Illinois

Illinois Child Care Bureau NewsApril – June 2014

Dear Provider:

Illinois Child Care Bureau News | April – June 2014 • 1

A foot of snow is still on the ground as we write this newsletter. We hope the children enjoyed being active this winter – building a snow fort, building a snowman/woman or family, and stomping in the snow. As you read this newsletter we hope the grass has begun to turn green and the tulips and daffodils have begun to bloom. The explosion of spring after such a harsh, long winter can be a wonderful science lesson for children. For ideas on how to teach the children about how weather affects our world, visit the University of Illinois Extension Program – Treehouse Weather Kids at http://urbanext.illinois.edu/treehouse/. Check out the special activities for children such as HOW HIGH IS THE SUN and ID A CLOUD.

ICCB welcomes Barbara Beasley of Bolingbrook, Carol Bell of Calumet City, Paulette Brandon of Lansing, Tarkeisha Brown of Homewood, Karen Coffee of Chicago, Mecca Curry of Chicago, Leneia Curtis of Chicago, Tiquita Dubose of Chicago, Kristina Gaskins of Rock Island, Alice Gordon of Evergreen Park, Laraine Grayer Holmes of Chicago, Tatiana Green of Chicago, Amanda Harris of Chicago, Monica Harris of Chicago, Gina Hernandez of Rockford, Jamie Ivery of Chicago, Ella Jefferson of Chicago, Shamika Jenkins of Chicago, Shaina Komin of

Ingleside, Carolyn Lofton Brown of Chicago, Olivia Moreno of Chicago, Constance Morgan of Chicago, Vanessa Pilar of Ingleside, Janie Posley of Rockford, Amenra Richardson of Chicago, Carmen Rodriguez of Chicago, Angernick Smith of Chicago, Tia Smith of Chicago, Francesca Sparks of Chicago, Allison Swanagain of Chicago, Zoe Tate of Harvey, Rocio Teuthorn of Glendale Heights, Juanita Thomas of Chicago, Thomas Trotter of Chicago, Tanya Wilkins of Chicago and Brooke Witkowski of Plainfi eld. ICCB’s staff is available to assist you as you continue to develop your knowledge of good nutrition for healthy children.

REMINDERS If you move your day care business to a new location, please advise the Illinois Child Care Bureau by calling 773.444.0115 so we can update your records.

Mandatory Training Unit #2 is due one week after your home visit. All mandatory training needs to be completed by June 30, 2014.

ICCB’s offi ce will be closed:

Monday, May 26 in observance of Memorial Day

~ Cathy, Kim, Mary, Marguerite, and Sonia

A Provider You Should Knowby Kim Klimek, Assistant Director of Provider Services, ICCB

Ms. Martina Rocha has owned and operated Best Friends Day Care, a bi-lingual day care home located in Round Lake Beach, for the past nine years. Ms. Rocha is the mother of three, and chose her career in day care because she loves to work with chil-dren. Miguel Vega, Martina’s husband, has worked with her in the day care for seven years and together they work as a team to provide quality child care in Lake County. Ms. Rocha cares for children between 6 weeks – 12 years old and is proud that many families continue to send their children to her for years. Martina and Miguel accept new children as space becomes available and are fortunate their clients frequently refer new children so they have no need to advertise to keep their day care full. Martina purchases a monthly curricu-lum and follows the provided lessons

Choose My Plate

It is normal for young children to hesitate with new foods. For ideas on how to engage picky eaters, visit www.choosemyplate.gov/preschoolers/picky-eaters.html (continued on page 3)

2 • Illinois Child Care Bureau News | April – June 2014

Active play helps the children in your care learn healthy habits. There are many health benefits to active play, such as:

• Active children are less likely to weigh too much.

• Keeping children active now helps lower the chance of developing chronic dis-eases like Type 2 diabetes.

• Active play can help the mind develop. Playing ‘pretend’ lets kids be creative.

• Active children are more likely to be happy and feel good about themselves. Children feel proud after learning how to bounce a ball or ride a bike.

• Active play for children can happen in short bursts of time and can be led by you or the children. Active play can in-clude playing on the playground, playing tag, or throwing a ball.

Do the 3 – 5 year old children in your care:

1. Play outside several times a day or in-side where he or she is free to move?

2. Have less than 2 hours of television/screen time per day?

3. Are actively moving at least 60 min-utes per day?

4. Breathe quickly or sweat when actively playing?

Hopefully, your answer is usually yes to questions 1 – 4.

How can you help the children be active?

Focus on fun, not performance. All chil-dren like to play. They will win when they move, have fun, and are active daily.

Set limits on TV and computer time. Limit TV and other screen time to less than 2 hours a day, as advised by many doctors. Try reading during inactive time rather than watching TV.

Be active yourself. You influence the children’s behavior, attitudes, and future habits. Be more active and limit your own time watching TV. Set the example by

using safety gear, like bike helmets.

As children grow, they may be ready for new activities:

By age 2, they can run, walk, gallop, jump, and swim with adult help.

By age 3, they can hop, climb, ride a tricycle or bicycle with training wheels and a safety helmet, catch, throw, bounce, and kick a ball.

By age 4, they can skip, swim, and com-plete an obstacle course.

So, play games, skip, turn up the music and dance!

Let’s Move – Healthy Tips for Active Play

Celebrate National Fruit and Vegetable Month in June

Fruits are naturally low in calories and fat and are high in fiber, which aids in feeling fuller longer. There are a variety of colors of fruits, and each color offers different nutrients. For example, or-ange fruits, such as nectarines are high in vitamin A and yellow fruits, such as pineapples are high in vitamin C. This is why it is important to serve and en-

courage young children to eat a variety of fruits and vegetables daily.

As a day care home provider you are well aware of the important nutrients provided in fruits and vegetables. You also know the nutrients in fruits and vegetables are an important part of the growth of healthy children. However,

you are a business person and need to know how to access fresh fruits and vegetables on a budget.

Shop Local. Check the local news-papers, coupons, store sales, online coupons, and specials to help reduce costs. Always compare prices and quality.

Illinois Child Care Bureau News | April – June 2014 • 3

to teach the children social, develop-mental, cognitive and physical activi-ties. Martina makes time for her food program responsibilities by completing her daily menus and attendance using her computer or, when needed, uses Daily Meal Worksheets.

Ms. Rocha is a role model for new day care home providers she meets as part of the advisory community group through DCFS (Department of Chil-dren and Family Services). Martina is president/founder of Together for Childhood Network (www.togeth-erforchildhood.com) which provides assistance and training for Lake County’s Hispanic day care providers. The organization began four years ago and currently has 134 members – both day care home providers and day care centers. Ms. Rocha has a Child De-velopment Associate credential (CDA) and has helped many of their members obtain their CDA as well. Last fall 46 people received their CDA at a gradu-ation ceremony at the Round Lake Beach Civic Center.

Recently, Ms. Rocha was awarded the “Child Care Activist Award” by the Women’s Business Development Center which is amongst the many awards Ms. Rocha has received for her dedication to child care and her community. Latina Social Magazine selected Martina as one Latina en-trepreneur making a difference in her community. This prestigious award is granted to only six Latina women in the USA. In 2011 Ms. Rocha received the Lake County ForeFronts award from the Lake County Journal which is granted to 13 people who are making Lake County a better place to live.

When asked what is most rewarding about her career Martina replied, “I love to work with children and their families. They are always happy and energetic. The children are always ready to learn and play. They all deserve high quality care. I love this job!”

Purchase in Season. Seasonal fruits and vegetables are of better quality, easier to find, and tend to taste better.

Purchase in Bulk. Frequently used fresh fruits and vegetables may be less expensive if purchased in bulk. Re-member to use overripe for baking, such as overripe bananas in making banana pancakes or banana bread.

Cook enough for several meals and freeze leftovers.

Mix it yourself. 100% juice from frozen concentrate is often less expensive per serving than pre-bottled juice.

Homemade soup is a healthy and tasty way to use vegetables. Make a big batch and freeze leftovers.

Cut your fruits and vegetables at home. Pre-cut produce can cost much more than whole fruits and vegetables.

Do not shop when you are hungry.

Canned fruits and vegetables will last

a long time. Choose canned vegetables that have no added salt and fruit that is canned in 100% fruit juice.

Store brands can be a great budget choice.

Keep it simple. Buy dried beans, peas, and lentils in their raw or uncooked form instead of the processed and packaged versions which cost more.

Avoid buying single servings. Pur-chasing many small packages of pro-duce is often more expensive than buying in larger amounts.

Shop at large grocery discount stores for good deals on fruits and vegetables, especially canned items.

Get creative with your leftover fruits and vegetables. Make salsa from your tomatoes and smoothies from your fruits.

Buy frozen fruits and vegetables in large bags to stretch your budget. Avoid those with added sugar, salt, or sauce.

(continued from page 1)

Illinois Child Care Bureau News is published by Illinois Child Care Bureau, 5440 North Cumberland Ave., Suite 155, Chicago, IL 60656, VOICE: 773.444.0115, FAX: 773.930.4887, www.illinoischildren.com or [email protected]. In accordance with Fed-eral law and U.S. Department of Agriculture policy, this institution is prohibited from discriminating on the basis of race, color, national origin, sex, age, or disability. To file a complaint of discrimination, write USDA, Director, Office of Adjudication, 1400 Independence Av-enue, SW, Washington, D.C. 20250-9410 or call toll free (866) 632-9992 (Voice). Individuals who are hearing impaired or have speech disabilities may contact USDA through the Federal Relay Service at (800) 877-8339: or (800) 845-6136 (Spanish). USDA is an equal opportunity provider and employer.

4 • Illinois Child Care Bureau News | April – June 2014

reci

pes

Dynamite Dressing

Ingredients¼ cup fruit-flavored non-fat yogurt1 TB orange juice1 ½ tsp white vinegar

Instructions1. Place ingredients in a small bowl.2. Stir until mixed completely.3. Refrigerate until ready to serve.

Servings: 4

http://recipefinder.nal.usda.gov/recipes/oprahs-outtasight-salad

Fruit Kabobs with Yogurt Dip

Ingredients1 cup watermelon (chunks)1 cup pineapple (chunks)1 cup red grapes (seedless)1 cup strawberries (stemmed)2 kiwi (peeled and cut in quarters)8 bamboo skewers (6 inches long)1 cup light yogurt (strawberry)

Instructions1. Place fruit chunks on bamboo skewers. Place fruit kabobs

on platter.2. Place light strawberry yogurt in bowl. Serve kabobs with

yogurt on the side.

Servings: 8

Special thanks to LetsMove.gov, National Food Service Management Institute and to the University of Illinois Extension Program.

Oprah’s Outtasight Salad

Ingredients2 cups salad greens (of your choice)1 cup vegetables (tomatoes, cucumbers, car-rots, green beans) chopped1 cup canned pineapple chunks – drained or fresh orange segments¼ cup Dynamite Dressing (see below)2 TB raisins or dried cranberries2 TB chopped nuts (any kind)

Instructions1. Put mixed salad greens on a large platter

or in a salad bowl.2. In a large bowl, mix chopped vegetables

and orange segments.3. Spoon dressing mixture over salad

greens.4. Top with raisins and serve.