No Child Left Out: Learning at All Levels
AUSTIN, Texas, December 23, 2019 (Newswire.com) - When Charisma Gryogorczuk’s granddaughter needed daily child care, she gladly accepted the opportunity and started her own child care business. She had been a successful entrepreneur and felt this would be the best and most rewarding business she could ever hope to open. At her child care, it is her goal to involve all the children as much as possible on different age-appropriate levels.
“I want to treat all of the children like they are my own and want do for them what I wanted to do for my granddaughter. Everyone is involved in every activity in some way. No one is left out, no matter the age.”
While focusing on social interaction skills and emotional wellness, children learn through hands-on activities, arts and crafts, music and play. One of their favorite activities is cooking class once a week. Everyone discusses the recipe and where age-appropriate, children help. Charisma strongly believes that if the children can help and actually prep their own food, they are more apt to try it.
Through her CACFP sponsor, Charisma participated in the Healthy Start, Healthy Children Program. In the program, the children participated in cooking classes and physical activities. The children loved making snack recipes and taking part in taste tests. Charisma enjoyed watching them try new foods and liking them simply because they were a part of the creation. To add to the learning, Charisma attended nutrition classes to gain new ideas and resources.
Charisma is constantly looking for ways to improve learning and keep the children active. She has applied for grants to add gardening tools and materials, cooking utensils and an outdoor classroom. In addition, when seeing an idea the children love, such as a butterfly garden, they implement that at the child care. Charisma leads by example when seeing a beneficial idea for the children and using her own initiative to be the best child care provider she can be.
CACFP is an indicator of quality child care. When children are cared for by providers who are part of the CACFP they are receiving the best nutrition available. Learn more about other CACFP providers featured in the Member Showcase at CACFP's website, www.cacfp.org.
Since 1986, the National CACFP Sponsors Association (NCA) is the leading national organization for sponsors who administer the USDA Child and Adult Care Food Program (CACFP). It provides education and support to thousands of members in the CACFP community and in particular to sponsors of all sizes from across the country. CACFP strives to improve communication between families, caregivers, sponsors and their supervising government agencies.
Source: National CACFP Sponsors Association