Other consultants<\/span><\/li>\n<\/ul>\nAdditional Up-Front Expenses<\/b><\/p>\n\n- Telephone installation (The first line is NOT tax deductible; learn more about Record Keeping & Taxes here.)<\/span><\/li>\n
- First aid supplies<\/span><\/li>\n
- Safety gates<\/span><\/li>\n
- Child-proofing cabinets and storing other materials away from children\u2019s reach<\/span><\/li>\n
- Electrical outlet covers<\/span><\/li>\n
- Training or education to increase childcare skills for you or any staff members<\/span><\/li>\n
- Liability and medical insurance (Learn more about insurance here.)<\/span><\/li>\n
- Refrigerator for food storage, equipment for meal preparation, and dishes and utensils for meal consumption<\/span><\/li>\n<\/ul>\n
Before a childcare provider may begin to collect tuition\/ fees or subsidy reimbursements, he\/she will be required to pay vendors for many up-front costs and must be prepared to cover these. Variable costs include staff, food, and supplies\u2014 items that are dependent upon the number of children being served and are purchased as they are consumed (staff is paid as they are employed). Their quantities can be increased or decreased depending on enrollment and should be covered by monthly revenues.<\/span><\/p>\nStart-up centers and homes should budget for a three-months worth of working capital up front in order to pay 100% of fixed costs and a number of variable expenses that will not be covered by revenues. This money should be set aside before the start of the program. Learn more about budgets here.<\/span><\/p>\nPromoting Acceptance of Diversity:<\/b><\/h3>\n
Informational and collateral materials developed by the provider should feature positive representation and non-stereotypical images of racial, ethnic, age, gender, and physical ability diversity (i.e. photos displayed, books, CDs, music tapes, videos, computer software, dolls, puppets, games, & puzzles, etc.).<\/span><\/p>\nFurnishings for Relaxation and Comfort (Cozy Area):<\/b><\/h3>\n
A comforting environment, beyond pillows in a corner, can make a real difference in creating a nurturing space for children. Soft furnishings and toys are important in that they can help comfort children when they are away from home, while also facilitating learning and development. <\/span><\/p>\nRecommended furnishings include:<\/b><\/p>\n\n- Wall-to-wall carpeting<\/span><\/li>\n
- Rugs<\/span><\/li>\n
- Mats<\/span><\/li>\n
- Soft couches<\/span><\/li>\n
- Chairs<\/span><\/li>\n
- Mattresses<\/span><\/li>\n
- Futons<\/span><\/li>\n
- Cushions<\/span><\/li>\n
- Soft toys of ANY SIZE OR TYPE.<\/span>\n
\n- Examples of soft toys include:<\/span>\n
\n- Cloth dolls that are completely soft with plastic heads, arms and legs; toy animals, trucks, boats, and other shapes<\/span><\/li>\n
- Completely soft cloth puppets made of plush materials.<\/span><\/li>\n<\/ul>\n<\/li>\n<\/ul>\n<\/li>\n<\/ul>\n
Above adapted from: FCCERS-Revised Edition: Harms, Cryer, Clifford; Teacher College Press Publishing, New York, NY, 2007.<\/span>[\/vc_column_text][\/vc_tta_section][vc_tta_section title=”Infant” tab_id=”1448282123495-87086d03-ce70″][vc_column_text]The recommendations below for toys and learning materials for children are based on the Family Child Care Environment Rating Scale, a nationally recognized environment rating scale. Please note that these recommendations are not meant to be an exhaustive list, but rather intended to raise your awareness about the different materials that can be utilized to teach young children. *<\/span><\/p>\n![\"\"](\"https:\/\/www.chcfinc.org\/clearinghouse\/wp-content\/uploads\/2016\/12\/books_wywn_page-300x93-300x93.jpg\")
<\/strong><\/h3>\nEquipment needed for every child<\/b><\/h3>\n\n- A child size chair\/high seat<\/span><\/li>\n
- Tablespace<\/span><\/li>\n
- Eating utensils (plates, cups, spoons)<\/span><\/li>\n
- Cot\/mat\/crib<\/span><\/li>\n
- Cubby space<\/span><\/li>\n
- Books<\/span><\/li>\n
- Toys<\/span><\/li>\n
- Shelves<\/span><\/li>\n
- Activity area furniture<\/span><\/li>\n
- Playground equipment<\/span><\/li>\n<\/ul>\n
The estimated budget is approximate $1,000 per infant.<\/span><\/p>\nBooks\u00a0<\/b><\/h3>\n\n- Fantasy (pretend stories about people and animals)<\/span><\/li>\n
- Factual information (books with pictures and facts about real life animals and plants, jobs that people have)<\/span><\/li>\n
- Nature and science (how we use our 5 senses, the human body, different animal habitats)<\/span><\/li>\n
- Racially and culturally diverse (historical and current stories about people from different racial, and cultural backgrounds, or books in other languages, or about people of different generations)<\/span><\/li>\n
- Different abilities (individuals with special needs and how they might use aids such as eyeglasses, hearing aids, wheelchairs or crutches)<\/span><\/li>\n
- Stories about familiar routines, such as eating, sleeping, toileting or dressing<\/span><\/li>\n<\/ul>\n
Note: Some books may be suitable for more than 1 category.<\/span><\/p>\nFine Motors\u00a0<\/b><\/h3>\n\n- Rattles to shake and grasp (different textures, colors, shapes, with varying noises)<\/span><\/li>\n
- Safe hanging things to bat at or to grasp<\/span><\/li>\n
- Small soft grasping toys, such as animals, rings, or dolls<\/span><\/li>\n
- Simple stacking rings<\/span><\/li>\n
- Clean teething toys<\/span><\/li>\n
- Large pop beads<\/span><\/li>\n
- Cause and effect toys, which respond with sounds or other responses when buttons are pushed<\/span><\/li>\n<\/ul>\n
Materials that Support Active Physical Play\u00a0<\/b><\/h3>\n\n- Outdoor pad or blanket<\/span><\/li>\n
- Crib gym for younger infants<\/span><\/li>\n
- Small plush toys<\/span><\/li>\n
- Balls<\/span><\/li>\n
- Sturdy things to climb up on<\/span><\/li>\n
- Ramps for crawling<\/span><\/li>\n<\/ul>\n
Dramatic Play\u00a0<\/b><\/h3>\n\n- Dolls: Cloth, plastic, vinyl, wood, large or small, but a size children can handle<\/span><\/li>\n
- Soft Animals: Realistic-looking toy animals, such as vinyl or rubber farm animals, zoo animals, plush animal puppets, small cloth or vinyl-covered grasping toys in the form of animals.<\/span><\/li>\n
- Pots, pans, frying pans, kettles and teapots: Usually plastic, but other safe materials are acceptable<\/span><\/li>\n<\/ul>\n
Materials that Support Learning of Math\/Numbers\u00a0<\/b><\/h3>\n
Math and number materials will include small objects used for counting activities, balance scales, number puzzles, magnetic numbers, geometric shapes like parquetry blocks, and books about counting.<\/span><\/p>\n\n- Rattles of various shapes<\/span><\/li>\n
- Infant gyms with hanging shapes<\/span><\/li>\n
- Number and shape board books<\/span><\/li>\n
- Simple shape puzzles<\/span><\/li>\n
- Shape sorters<\/span><\/li>\n
- Nesting and stacking cups<\/span><\/li>\n
- Toy phones<\/span><\/li>\n
- Cash registers<\/span><\/li>\n
- Stacking rings<\/span><\/li>\n
- Etc.<\/span><\/li>\n<\/ul>\n
Materials that Teach Nature & Science<\/b><\/h3>\n\n- Nature\/science books, pictures, games or toys (nature matching cards, nature sequencing cards, etc.) that represent nature in a realistic way<\/span><\/li>\n
- Realistic plastic or rubber zoo animals, farm animals, insects<\/span><\/li>\n
- Puzzles with realistic nature or science content<\/span><\/li>\n
- Scent boxes or smelling containers<\/span><\/li>\n
- Realistic plastic vegetables and fruits<\/span><\/li>\n
- Infant mat with realistic nature or science pictures<\/span><\/li>\n
- Realistic animal-shaped rattles<\/span><\/li>\n
- Mobile with realistic birds or butterflies that infants can play with<\/span><\/li>\n<\/ul>\n
[\/vc_column_text][\/vc_tta_section][vc_tta_section title=”Toddlers” tab_id=”1448282278632-b6e56355-1ed7″][vc_column_text]The recommendations below are based on the Family Child Care Environment Rating Scale, a nationally recognized environment\u00a0rating scale. Please note that these recommendations are not meant to be an exhaustive list, but rather intended to raise your awareness about the different materials that can be utilized to teach young children. *<\/span><\/p>\nEquipment needed for every child:<\/span><\/p>\n\n- Table space<\/span><\/li>\n
- Eating utensils (plates, cups, spoons)<\/span><\/li>\n
![\"hoot](\"https:\/\/www.chcfinc.org\/clearinghouse\/wp-content\/uploads\/2015\/11\/hoot-hoot-300x200.jpeg\")
<\/p>\n![](\"https:\/\/www.chcfinc.org\/clearinghouse\/wp-content\/uploads\/2015\/11\/Crayon-sun.jpg\")
<\/a><\/b><\/h3>\n