Choosing the Perfect Summer Camp Program

 

With so many summer camp programs available, how is a parent to choose? There are several factors that go into picking the perfect summer camp for your child including money, location, and the overall interest of your child. A summer camp program should not only be affordable and convenient, but also include activities that your child will truly enjoy. The following steps are what every parent needs to consider and ensure that their child has the best summer ever!

Choosing a Camp Type


Decide what you want the overall goal of the summer camp to be for your child. Do you want them to further their education during the summer? Then pick an academic camp! Does your child love martial arts? Choose a martial arts camp! When you are able to pinpoint what you want your child to gain from their summer experience, choosing a camp will be that much easier. Consult your child and allow them to have some say in what they would like to do for the summer. Align that with your expectations and budget. A six week summer camp in Disney World may sound exciting to your child but may not be practical. In that case you might want to find a summer camp that allows the children to participate in Disney-themed activities.

Choosing a Location


Now that the type of camp you’re interested in has been chosen, it is now time to decide where the camp should be. Take into strong consideration the commute of dropping off and picking up the child. Would you prefer a camp near your home, a relative’s home or the area where you work? Brightside Academy camps are located near parks and public transportation, something that many of our parents point out as a plus in choosing our programs. Most parents have a long work schedule and it is important that the summer camp’s hours are adaptable to the parent’s availability. If you or anyone else is not able to provide transportation for the child, seek summer camp programs in which transportation costs to and from camp activities is included.

Deciding How Much to Spend


Although, you want your child to have the best summer experience, but you also have to consider the expenses associated with the program. Make a list of all your needs for the summer camp. These could be things like:

  • Safety
  • Affordability and cost
  • Education program
  • Fun activities
  • Staff preparation
  • Convenient location
  • Meals included

Think of a reasonable amount you are willing to pay for these must haves. Remember that specialty camps, which are camps that focus on one type of activity, are more expensive than traditional day camps. At these types of camps every field trip may not be included in the weekly or monthly payments. If you don’t want to spend a lot on one summer camp program, find a camp that offers a day to day schedule but also allows the child to go on several field trips. Brightside Academy summer camps are structured this way. In addition, the cost of our program includes a t-shirt, nutritious breakfast, lunch and snacks, and also field trips fees.

Learn about Brightside Academy’s summer camp program here!

Following these steps choosing the perfect summer camp program becomes much easier! All there is left to do is to search your favorite local directory and keep in mind what you are looking for. Google and Yelp are always a great place to start! There are also several summer camp online directories including the American Camp Association’s website. Have any useful tips for choosing the perfect summer camp? We would love to hear from you! Be sure to like and share our article and leave us a note in the comments!

10 Tips for Preparing a Child for a New Sibling

So you’ve been busy raising a child (or children) for some time and just found out you’re pregnant again. You wonder how your young child will take the news.

The truth is that older children who have welcomed siblings in the past are better prepared for a new baby to join the family. Those who experience the change for the first time are usually the ones who need more preparation.

What can you do to best prepare your young child for the new baby arriving in just a few months?

Here are 10 tips to prepare your child for a new sibling. Some of these ideas can even get your child excited about having a new member in the family:

Read books.
There are many great books that talk about the experience of adding a new member to the family. Don’t just read the book, get into the story and ask your child questions or relate the story to what is going on your family. Here are a few books to consider:
  • I Am a Big Sister! or I Am a Big Brother! by Caroline Jayne Church
  • I’m a Big Brother by Joanna Cole
  • You Were the First by Patricia MacLachlan
  • God Gave Us Two by Lisa Tawn Bergren
  • New Baby; by Mercer Mayer
  • The Berenstain Bears’ New Baby by Stan Berenstain · Random House Children’s Book

Use people you know.
Tell your child about families he/she where there are siblings. Point out any recent new babies in your family or friends’ families and talk about the changes they experienced.

Get Creative.
Have your child work on crafts themed on new babies. You can find plenty of craft ideas through Google searches. Here are some additional ones to inspire you:

  • Make construction paper strollers or infant car seats
  • Draw the food the baby will eat their first year
  • Color before- and after-baby family pictures and frame them
  • Paint girl and boy themed pottery

Talk about your child as a baby.
Your child was at one point a new member of your family. Spend time showing pictures of them when they were newborns and how your family prepared for his /her arrival. Tell them about special moments you shared together and any cute stories you remember from them when they were infants. Bring out baby clothes, stuffed animals, anything you have to show as a memory of the child’s first year.

Buy a special baby gift together.
If age appropriate, have your child pick out a gift they can take to the hospital for their newborn baby brother or sister. Don’t make it an in and out trip. Talk about it before hand, make lists with them about possible choices and take time for them to find the special gift at the store.

Bake cookies. 
 Bake new-baby themed cookies with your child. This can be as simple as making regular cookies and decorating them with baby-inspired sprinkles or icing colors or as elaborate as getting baby themes cookie cutters and decoration kits. Find examples online or on magazines of nicely decorated cookies and use it as template to follow when you bake yours at home. Have fun preparing, baking and then decorating your goodies. Take pictures of your creations to show them once their brother or sister is born.

Make a fuss.
Your child will become a big brother/sister to their new sibling. Make a big deal about it. Tell them how they will be an example to their younger sibling. Talk about the things they will help with when the baby arrives and the important role of older brothers/sisters in families. Point these things out throughout the day. It will keep things positive as the change gets closer. Also take a moment to point out proper ways to touch, behave, and be around a small baby.

Ask for their opinion on baby items.
Show them pictures of the items you need and ask for your child’s opinion on colors or designs for bibs, sheets, pacifiers and similar items. Children like to share what they think and love the feeling of being able to make decisions. Make it a point to ask what they think and be extra interested in their answers. Ask why they liked a particular color or why they think a certain item will work better for the baby. In the end you will make the decision on what you end up buying but trying to include them in the process will make a difference for them.

Think BIG.
There are plenty of big sister / big brother items out there. Point out how cool these items are: t-shirts, cups, stuffed animals, etc. Buy or make some of these items yourself. It does not have to be expensive. Your local discount store may have items for a dollar with the words written on them. To make your own, just buy basic items, then use paint or craft letters to add words to them. It’s simple to think big with your child!

Make THEM feel special.
Instead of being about the new baby, this is actually all about your small child who will become a sibling. Do something that focuses on how special he/she is. It can be anything from moving them to the “older” sibling room/bed, taking a special trip or planning an outing to their favorite place just to celebrate them. Whatever it is, make sure it is positive and a celebration of having your child in the family.

As you can see, there are many things you can do to prepare your child to welcome a new brother or sister. The main thing is to start talking about the change in advance and keeping things positive.

Finally, the key to this transition is to remember that all children like to feel and know THEY are special. A parent’s job is to help their current children feel loved for who they are before, and after, their new sibling arrives at the hospital.

Best wishes as you welcome baby to your family!

Potty Training Tips to Get It Done

Having a potty trained child is a milestone all parents look forward to, but getting started can seem daunting and intimidating at first. Take a deep breath and arm yourself with patience and consistency! In just a few years you will look back at the potty training days and smile thinking of all the memorable incidents and funny situations you experienced with your little one.

Potty Training Advice

You are going to find tons of material and hear differing opinions from well-meaning relatives regarding potty training. Keep in mind that there is no one “perfect” method out there and the same system may not work for all children. Get yourself familiar with the information you find, take notes, and talk to your child’s pediatrician for recommendations. Come up with your own system of how you would like to train your child. It may take some tweaks to get to what works for him/her; so be prepared to make adjustments along the way.

When to Potty Train

Many parents wonder about what age to potty train. Average potty training age for many kids is around two and a half. Ideally you want to prepare your child months in advance to the actual training, making them feel comfortable in the bathroom and pointing out often that everyone uses the potty.

Before you begin buying cute potty training seats and undergarments you may want to assess if your child is truly ready to be trained. Ask yourself:

  • Is my child waiting longer intervals between wetting his/her diapers?
  • Does he/she seem comfortable in the bathroom?
  • Is my child curious about using the potty like a big boy/girl?

Answering yes to these questions may indicate that your child is ready. As you prepare to get started, try to be as relaxed as possible. If your child picks up on you being extra anxious and nervous, that could cause him/her not to cooperate as much. Remember it’s a big adjustment for them, so aim at getting your child excited about this new stage.

How to Potty Train Your Child

Testing it Out

One evening or weekend when you know you will be at home with no interruptions, take off your child’s diaper. Ask often if they need to go and take them to the bathroom several times to see what happens. Ideally they can at least sit on the potty for a few minutes without melting down and can pay attention to their bodies. If your child acts terrified or is wetting their undergarments (or the floor) over 10 times in an hour, you may need to take a break for a few days or weeks and attempt it again some time later. You may be surprised how just by waiting a few weeks, the training can go much easier and a child can transition more smoothly. Trust your instincts; you will know when your child is ready.

Potty Training Faster

One sure way to help your child potty train faster is to enroll them in a comfortable and caring child care setting. Knowing that their classmates use the potty will usually encourage children and have a positive effect on their willingness to try. The teachers’ experience and patience will also encourage kids to train way faster. You may be surprised when your child comes home asking about using the potty on their own, just wanting to continue what he/she is doing at the daycare center. While it may not work for every child, most will be positively influenced by training with peers who are going through the same phase.

Your Child is an Individual

The main thing to remember when training your little one is that they are an individual:

  • What worked for your friend’s son, their sibling or the neighbor’s child may not work for yours and that is ok
  • Some children may benefit from a reward chart system
  • Your child may want a big celebration each time they go or have a parent sing or count with them while in the bathroom
  • Some kids prefer having privacy and silence while they go and afterwards
A parent knows their child best. Your job is to figure out what works for your child and to remember that even siblings can differ on what works to encourage them to use the potty.

Help with Potty Training

We all experience toilet training problems with children occasionally. If you are having a tough time after a few weeks or are making little progress, consider getting external help from your pediatrician or another health professional to complete the transition. Do not wait until your child is 4 or 5 to start. Some children may develop negative attitudes about going potty that are hard to break as they get older. If potty training is taking longer than expected or you are too stressed out to help your child, please reach out for help sooner rather than later. You and your child will get through it together!

A potty trained child is something most parents look forward to, yet get stressed out about when taking action to make it happen. You can help your child get ready by making them feel comfortable in the bathroom months before you actually begin training. You may also be able to accelerate their transition working hand-in-hand with your child care program’s teacher. Remember that your little one is an individual; you know them best and can tweak the process to encourage him/her to get comfortable faster. It may be stressful at first, but you will make it and build fun memories along the way to talk about when your child gets older. Go for it!

The Importance of Nutrition in Early Childhood Development

Nutrition may not be on the list of your child’s favorite things but it is crucial to the process of early childhood development. Healthy eating in a child’s early years can increase their cognitive development and ability to learn for years to come. Brightside Academy is dedicated to implementing nutritional values into the lives of the children and families in the communities we serve. We provide healthy meals, including breakfast, lunch and dinner for all of our children, and are a proud participant of the Child and Adult Care Food Program (CACFP). The CACFP program provides aid to child care institutions such as Brightside, and distributes nutritious meals and snacks to more than 3.3 millions infants and children annually. Brightside provides home-style cooked meals that meets the needs of children of all ethnicity and backgrounds. “We serve the type of food in our centers that I would serve at home to my own children” says Amy Labosco, the VP of business services at BSA. The key to nutrition is not serving just healthy food, but food your children can get excited about.

Nutrition and the Child’s Growth

Healthy food choices have a strong impact on a child’s growth. Discuss with your child’s doctor regularly to review the child’s weight and height. The doctor plots your child’s weight and height on a growth chart. This chart shows the relationship between your child’s height and weight, the curve of the chart is extremely important and monitors if the child’s weight and height are growing at the same rate. Your child’s growth can tell you about their nutritional needs. Each one of your child’s meals should include a fruit, a vegetable, grains, a source of protein and dairy. Recommendations on portion sizes for each age group can be found here.

Feeding a Picky Eater

Implementing a healthy eating style in your child’s life may seem difficult, especially if they are a picky eater. Here are some ways to tackle the picky eater in your life, but still offer them foods of high nutritional value:

  • Allow them to be involved in the food making process; have a “taco making night”, kids get more excited about eating food that they helped make.
  • Serve foods your child deemed as “yucky” in alternate ways, if the child doesn’t like cooked carrots try feeding them the carrots raw.
  • “Save the best for last”; have your child eat the part of the meal they prefer the least first and eat their favorite foods last, this will encourage them to finish all of their food in record breaking time.
  • Make family dinners fun and serve portions of the meal in phases instead of all at one time, this keeps the child engaged in every aspect of the meal.
  • Incorporate the use of the child’s imagination during meal time, the classic “choo choo train” method always works. Or have the child pretend they are a giant and broccoli is the tiny trees they are eating.

Nutritional Workshops and Resources


Brightside Academy offers workshops on nutrition and exercise to parents in our communities. We partnered with the Phipps Conservatory and Botanical Gardens to host the Let’s Move Pittsburgh workshop which increased awareness, skills and abilities of our parents and families in the Pittsburgh area. The workshop informed parents about the Child Obesity Prevention Program which promotes the 5210 initiative. The program states that every child should have 5 or more fruits and vegetables, 2 hours or less of recreational screen time, 1 hour or more of physical activity and 0 sugary drinks daily. For more information on the CACFP and resources for nutrition and health and wellness, visit Food and Nutrition Service.Gov, Choose My Plate.Gov and Parenting.com. You can also visit any local Brightside Academy in your area and ask to view the current month’s menu. Be sure to like us on Facebook to see when we are hosting a workshop near you! Nutrition may seem like a difficult aspect of your child’s life to monitor but with these necessary tips and resources, your child will be eating healthier in no time!

 

 

Keeping Your Infant Safe While Sleeping

As parents we want to ensure our children’s safety. When it comes to safe sleep, infants are particularly vulnerable to experiencing life threatening issues while sleeping due to a number of factors. The Centers for Disease Control & Prevention (CDC) and national initiatives have helped bring awareness across the country to concerns like SUID (Sudden Unexpected Infant Death), which was listed as the cause of approximately 3,500 deaths in 2014.

Most of the infants who experienced SUID were victims to one or more of these causes:

  • Suffocation by soft bedding
  • Co-sleeping person rolling on top of the infant
  • Wedging or entrapment by objects or furniture

Infant Safe Sleep Among Low Income Families

Cribs for Kids Organization LogoThere is a high concern for infant sleep safety among low income families due to the fact that these parents may lack the appropriate furniture or accommodations an infant needs to sleep safely. Some families have been documented to use cardboard boxes to lay down their babies to sleep. Brightside Academy recently partnered with Cribs for Kids on a Speaker Series event to bring safety sleep information to our McKees Rocks academy and Pittsburgh region families. Organizations like Cribs for Kids help educate parents on things they can do to help increase safe sleep in their homes.

Cribs for Kids also partners with law enforcement organizations in a program called Cops ‘n Cribs that seeks to expand community policing policies to provide safe sleep tips and free portable cribs to families in need. The purpose of Cops n’ Cribs is to keep Infants safe while they sleep and to bring awareness to the causes of SUID in our communities.

Safe Sleep Guidelines

Below we share Cribs for Kids’ guidelines to prevent sleep-related deaths due to unsafe sleeping environments which are also recommended by the American Academy of Pediatrics, the Consumer Products Safety Commission (CPSC) and safe sleep experts:

  1. Your baby should sleep alone
  2. The baby’s crib should be in the parents’ room
  3. Keep your baby and yourself healthy – get scheduled immunizations and eat well
  4. Do not overheat or overdress your baby
  5. Do not allow smoking around baby
  6. Consider offering a pacifier at nap time and bedtime after breastfeeding is established
  7. Do not bed share – a baby who bed-shares is at 40 times greater risk of dying.

Brightside Academy locations follow the state regulations concerning safe sleep for infants. Visit our website to learn more about Brightside Academy’s infant early development program. For additional information about SUID or SIDS please visit the CDC website.

Upcoming Speaker Series events are posted on our Facebook page.