We’re in uncertain times. But it’s not all doom and gloom… let us show you how to stay positive, and use the resources you have to make the most of the situation. In today’s blog we’ll:

• Suggest ways to continue communicating with your enrolled families through this uncertain time
• Offer suggestions for early childhood activities you can regularly post about
• Discuss different methods to achieve the above

COVID-19 has managed to unsettle almost everyone we’ve spoken to. It’s the uncertainity, right? Is that person with the flu symptons a carrier? Or do they just have a headcold? Am I going to be able to buy pasta and milk at the supermarket today? Or will it just be rows of empty shelves again? Are schools going to be open on Monday? Or will we all still be waiting on tenterhooks for another long week to see what happens?

What we do know at Kinderloop, is that you can be somewhat prepared. A plan can be formed that will allieviate some of the stress that comes with uncertainty. And you have a platform at your fingertips that will allow you to access the most important people for your business…. your enrolled families! So use it!

Here are our best tips for ways you can use Kinderloop to benefit your service, your families, and yourself as an Educator! Read on!

Communication is the key
Keeping your families regularly updated before and during any possible exclusion periods is the best practice you could follow. If they know you’re taking control and keeping them informed, they’ll be less inclined to panic (or take their business elsewhere). Technology – like mass SMS or email – is a great solution for this as it’s so time efficient, and can reach numerous people quickly. Kinderloop is the perfect tool for this! Reach all your families in one easy post! Do it often. Consider including links with updates from the Department, or other relevant authorities to demonstrate you’re staying up-to-date on current news & warnings.

Take-home Education Packs
Services could put together some basic packs for the children within your care to work on during possible exclusion periods. Depending on the resources you can access, this could be anything from worksheets with the children’s names outlined for pre-lit, to selection of craft items (paddlepop sticks, cellophane, pom-poms, etc) with an associated challenge… “can you make a…? or, What can you create with these items?”

Let Kinderloop be your online classroom
Due to the current situation across the world, some schools are taking their lessons online. This is more challenging in the Early Childhood sector, as most pre-school-aged children we’ve met struggle to sit still for extended periods. You could however, adapt this! Here are our suggestions on how to achieve this using Kinderloop:

• Start each morning with a welcome message. Talk about the same things you’d discuss in care – like today’s weather. 
• Post a basic daily routine for families to follow, so that their day at care is somewhat re-produced while they’re stuck at home.
  Even a rough guide of “Craft activities: 9am-9:30am”, “Morning tea: 9:30-10am” could be really helpful to overwhelmed  families.
• Suggest an activity for each day. This could incorporate anything from a nature scavenger hunt outside, to a drawing activity.
  Include some pics for motivating your little friends!
• Post links to preschool educational activity sites.
  Like Education.com or Learning4Kids
• Include recipes for fun things that families could create at home – like goop, dough or basic cooking recipes eg/ protein/energy balls.
• List a story or music & movement suggestion each day to keep families busy!
• Remember to respond back to any comments or feedback you get. Perhaps even make mention of this in your daily welcome message!

Video
Kinderloop has a built-in video feature, which is great for quick updates from Educators to the children in their care. During an exclusion period, most children would be overjoyed to receive video updates from their Educator. It could be the “Good Morning” song, it could be “Munch and Move” or  “Ants in the Apple”,  it could even be a quick demonstration of an art activity! The possibilities are endless! 
Worth noting that the videos in Kinderloop have time limits assigned. Might be good to ask us your limit so your videos get the attention they deserve!

Google Libraries
Have you heard of them? They’re a thing! And they’re actually quite an amazing thing at that! An initiative of the residents in any given area, set-up in unassuming places (like outside a house on a suburban street, or attached to the wall of an apartment block), free to use, for-the-love-of-reading, swap a book!!

Could this beautiful, community-focused idea be re-imagined? Could your service offer a similar initiative? Set aside some books for sharing with families? …and in the face of COVID-19, could you make it an online version? Use Kinderloop to post stories for sharing with your families? How amazing would that be?

At some point, the world will come out the other side of this, and it will be business as usual once more. Childcare will always be needed. Keep in close contact with your families until that time. Be creative. Think outside the box, and let Kinderloop help your service to further earn the appreciation and admiration of your families!

Oh… and remember to get offline and enjoy the great outdoors too! Because that’s part of all good educational programs too!

Happy Kinderlooping!

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Feature photo taken from: Book photo created by pressfoto – www.freepik.com