Filed Under "O" for Obvious

I have received a few e-mails about the recent study about the effects of childcare on the growth and development of children. The study, funded by the National Institute of Child Health and Human Development, found that children who spend their earliest years in childcare tend to have greater behavioral problems when they are older.

For those of us who work with children, this is a no-brainer.

Two points:

1) Children want and need to be with their parents. This may not be a reality for some families. However, the more time you spend with your child, the better off he or she will be.

2) There is a HUGE difference in the quality of childcare that is available. There are many fantastic Montessori, Waldorf, Reggio-Emilia and play based programs that will have tremendous benefits for your child. Unfortunately, there too many horrible options: corporate child care centers, low quality in home and the like. Most of the poor quality programs tend to pay employees very little, which leads to an uneducated, inexperienced teaching staff with a high rate of turnover. Exposing your child to this type of environment is, in my opinion, damaging.

An early childhood program is nothing but people - but do your homework before making your decision, to ensure that your child will be a member of a stable, positive and nurturing preschool community.

Who We Are & Why We Are Here

Hi. My name is Ski (say sky), and this is my blog.

Well, I should say that this is our blog. I created this website/blog/podcast with my co-workers, Matt and Pam. We all work with children and we wondered why there wasn't a good local website with information for Sacramento parents. So, instead of complaining about it, we created it!

This site has two main components: a blog and a podcast. For those of you who don't know, a "blog" is another term for "web log". You have probably heard a lot about blogs recently, as they are becoming more and more popular. They are a great way for people to publish information on the internet in a manner that is quick to post and easy to update. You can read more about blogs here. I plan to write about a variety of parenting-related topics here, from my own experiences.

A podcast is basically an internet radio show that you can listen to on your computer or download on to your iPod or mp3 player. You can read more about podcasts here. We recently went into the studio to record our first series of shows, which will be posted in the coming weeks.

If you have any questions, comments or suggestions, please feel free to drop us a line at info@EveryDayMatters.com. We would love to hear from you!

How Could You Not Know?

A 400 pound woman went to the hospital with a stomach ache.... and delivered a full term baby.

You can watch the video here.

Toys that matter

My nephew has more toys than he will ever be able to play with... and he is only three years old. Most are plastic, mass produced and purchased from some type of big box store. He seems to enjoy his toys - for at least a little while - before it breaks or he becomes bored with it.

What I love about Craftsbury Kids is that all the toys are handmade and constructed with quality materials. As Cecilia Leibovitz, the founder of Craftsbury Kids, puts it: "Rather than drown kids in cheap big-box booty, we say give them a handful of truly inspiring items that they will treasure, learn from and one day pass on to their own children."

My sentiments exactly!