Month: December 2014

Early Childhood Positions in Northeast Wisconsin

We are trying something new and posting local jobs for early childhood professionals. We hope it helps professionals find positions and helps centers find staff to provide quality early childhood experiences. To add a posting e-mail it to outreach@fcrnew.org. All employers will be responsible to provide their accurate and up to date listings for each posting. Prospective employees will contact employer directly to learn more about opportunities and will be responsible to make sure the employer is a fit for their career in early childhood. Tell them you where you heard about the positions so we know if this free listing is working!

Cuddle Care

Full time teaching position
Immediate opening
Can call 920-494-1156 or stop in to apply

TenderHeart Learning Center

We are looking for people that are excited to teach children and work as a team with other teachers. You would work with another teacher caring for and teaching children ages 4 weeks to 13 years old. Teachers needed with both full and part time hours available at both the Suamico (3508 Veterans Ave) and the Luxemburg (120 Commerce Drive) locations. Prefer you E-mail resume to info@tenderheartlearningcenter.com or stop in and fill out an application.

Encompass Early Education and Care, Inc.

For Positions Contact Encompass Human Resources 469-1236 or Contact Center Directly

Rosebush Center 1275 University Ave. 920-436-7549
3 Year-Olds 8:30 am – 5:30 pm
Kitchen Food Server 6:30 am – 12:30 pm

Children’s Learning Center 2787 W. Mason St. 920-405-9083
Across from NWTC
4K/Preschool 8:30 am – 5:30 pm
Float 11:00 am – 6:00 pm

Cornerstone Center 345 N. Broadway 920-436-7554
Two Year-Olds 8:30 am – 5:30 pm
Float Teacher Full-time with varied hours

Arlene B. Walter Center 338 Hartung St. 920-468-9235
Guaranteed (30-40 Hours/Week) Substitute for various locations; flexible scheduling
Substitutes-As needed for various locations; flexible scheduling

Bellin Health Center 1823 S. Webster Ave. 920-436-7540
Preschool 8:15 am – 5:15 pm
Kitchen Food Server 6:30 am – 12:30 pm

De Pere Center 2000 Lawrence Drive, De Pere 920-336-1541
Toddlers (2) 8:15 am – 5:15 pm & 7:15 am – 4:15 pm

Kidz in Motion

We are looking for an individual who is caring, energetic, and organized to join our team at Kidz In Motion.
Please apply in person and bring in any certificates, proof of classes, etc. or portfolio for qualifications.
Position is part/ full-time. Apply at 2861 S. Ridge Rd. Green Bay, WI 54304 or call for more info at (920)405-9754.
Please ask for Karen or Sally.

WI Identified in Top Ten Least Affordable for Families with 4-year-olds in Childcare Centers
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For the eighth year in a row childcare is found to be unaffordable for working families including those in Wisconsin according to Child Care Aware of America’s Parents and the High Cost of Childcare Report. Wisconsin was ranked in the top ten for least affordable states for a 4-year-old in a group based center based on a percentage of state median income for a two-parent family.

“While we know early education is critical for setting a strong course for healthy child development, the high cost of child care affects a parent’s ability to choose the child care arrangement and the quality of care they want for their children,” says Paula Breese, Executive Director of Family & Childcare Resources of N.E.W. “Some families can’t afford the cost of quality childcare so many working families must choose care based on cost rather than what is best for their children.”

The average cost of care for a 4-year-old in a group based center is $9,302 in Wisconsin. This is 11.3% of the median income of a married couple and 38.8% of the median income of a single mother in our state. For a Wisconsin family with two children in center based childcare, the cost of childcare exceeds all other average household expenses like housing, food, transportation and college tuition.

There are many overhead costs to childcare businesses including wages, rent, food, insurance, continuing education, toys and safety materials. “With average childcare wages in Northeast Wisconsin already under $10 an hour there is no room to cut costs there leaving no wiggle room for centers to make it more affordable for families,” says Breese.

Quality childcare options are important for employers and businesses too. Parents whose children are in safe, quality environments leads to higher productivity and children in unstable care environments leads to higher employee absences. According to Child Care Aware of America, “29% of employed parents experienced some kind of childcare breakdown in the past three months which were associated with absenteeism, tardiness and reduced concentration at work.”

“Because of our work with childcare providers and parents we know that some of the difficulties in finding and providing quality childcare don’t have easy answers,” says Breese. “As a community we can raise awareness to the obstacles faced by parents and early childhood professionals so we can work toward policies to make sure all children have access to high quality early childhood settings.”

Exploring Nature through Miniature Gardens- By Sharon Brauer, Training Coordinator

Family & Childcare Resources recently did a class on having miniature gardens in childcare classrooms. It was so much fun and educational! The gardens turned out really great. Here are a couple examples of what your garden could look like.

“Most young children are curious about and fascinated by the natural world around them. To learn to understand their surroundings, they use their senses – hearing, sight, smell, taste, and touch. They need many safe hands-on opportunities to explore and experiment within the natural world. (All About the ECERS-R, pp.253)”. Having miniature gardens in a childcare classroom could meet some of the Environmental Rating Scales criteria as well as being a beautiful addition to a room. Here are some of the reasons why.

There are 4 categories under the Nature/Science section of ECERS-R: Collections of natural objects, Living things, Nature/science books, games, or toys, and Nature/science activities.

Collections of natural objects – having the children collect items such as rocks, sticks, acorn caps, dirt, etc. to add to your classroom garden meets this section.

Living things – having your classroom garden accessible at all times to the children and having the children care for the plants in your garden with discussions around it meets this section.

Nature/science books, games, or toys – if you have realistic looking animals/figurines as part of your garden that will meet this. Also adding a book with real pictures talking about gardens and/or the growth of plants will be good as well.

Nature/science activities – if you have magnifying glasses next to your garden so that the children can look closely at all the items in the garden that is an excellent activity. Also, if you have a small pond in your garden you can have tiny boats to let the children experiment with the concept of sinking and floating.