Kick off the summer months with creativity, color, water, and your
favorite sea creatures! Create art with Crayola Oil Pastels and a bar
of soap. Click for instructions!
First graders at The Swain School learn how volcanoes work by making their
own! At Swain, kids age three through 8th grade get hands-on science experience
every day. Click for more information.
For over 30 years, Bayada Nurses has been providing special nurses for special children. Medicaid, private pay and most insurances accepted. Accredited and state licensed. Bayada Nurses, Home Care Specialists. Phone: 610-776-7000.
www.bayada.com
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Goodbye Office, Hello Creative Scheduling
Lehigh Valley Family
Written by Laura Putt, Lehigh Valley Family
With the development of laptops,W-Fi, and cell
phones that do it all, the days of the traditional 9 to 5 workday are
long gone. As technology has allowed many of us to work any time from
anywhere, it simultaneously allows us to become more creative with our
parenting. No longer are mothers classified as either a working mom or
a stay at home mom, as both worlds are now enmeshed.
Still,
no matter how great technology is, there are many times that parents
need help with child care. With the economic downturn of the past year,
child care costs have been a great burden on many families. Parents are
forced to get more and more creative with their scheduling and child
care options.
Here are a few non-traditional ideas that parents of the Lehigh Valley are using.
Trade time Find
another parent who could also benefit from a few hours without
children, and trade off childcare days. Discuss your scheduling needs
and schedule a day each week to trade kids. Be sure to set clear
boundaries, so neither takes advantage of the other.
Family While
many grandparents or other relatives may be interested in helping with
childcare, most are not interested in being tied down to babysitting 40
hours a week. Instead, ask if they might be interested in one morning
or afternoon a week. If the relative refuses to accept payment, be sure
to regularly show your gratitude by showering with thank you cards and
other thoughtful gestures.
Share a nanny Hire
one nanny full time and share her with several families. This can be
tricky, so it is important to find families who can agree to
prearranged hours and hold up their end of the deal. This ensures
giving each family the childcare time they need while providing the
nanny with the hours they need to pay their bills.
Parochial resources Many
churches offer programs on a very limited basis. The programs are
designed to be fun for kids and allow them to socialize with other
children and adults other than their parents. The benefits to these
programs are that they are relatively inexpensive and allow the parents
a few hours to run errands, work, or just enjoy some quiet time. Such
programs are found in many churches throughout the community, so ask
your church office if they have such a program. Don’t belong to a
church or house of worship? Don’t worry, most programs don’t require
you to be a member.
Childcare Co-Op This
is basically a group of work-at-home parents who swap child care duties
hour for hour as the need arises. Keep track of the hours that you
watch each child and make sure everybody gets the fair amount. The
benefit of this is that you get free childcare. The downside is that
you can’t work while you are watching other people’s children.
Feeling squeezed? You may be one of 20 million Americans, known as the Sandwich Generation, who care for aging parents & young children. Find local care for your aging parents online at Lifestyles over 50.
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