Often it is the little things that make the difference between a day that goes smoothly and a day that is difficult. Preparing things ahead of time and paying attention to details like

• how a space is set up,
• how you will transition between activities,
• rituals for pick up and drop off,
• scheduling activities to allow for snack preparation or give children time to calm down for nap,
• how you will communicate with families so you know about children’s special occasions and needs, and can regularly report to parents about what their children are doing
• preparing simple contracts, billing and payment systems can make your job easier and more enjoyable.
  

You don’t have to invent all of these systems on your own. Lots of organizations and individuals are willing to share the successful strategies they have used. And, of course, you can always find ideas by watching A Place of Our Own and by visiting these websites:

http://www.nrex.org/

This resource exchange site of the National Association of Child Care Resource & Referral Agencies is searchable by keyword and contains resources on a wide variety of topics.

The organization’s homepage (http://www.naccrra.net/) also includes information on licensing and training, searchable by state. California’s Resource and Referral Network operates its own website at: http://www.rrnetwork.org/rrnet/index.htm.

http://www.headstartinfo.org/publications/trainingguides.cfm

Training guides on a wide variety of child care topics are available from Head Start. Though written specifically for Head Start programs, they contain many ideas that will be useful to any child care provider.