Services

What We Offer

Morin Family Child Care is a place where children are encouraged to develop at their own pace in an effective, nurturing environment geared to build self-esteem. Each child is treated as a valuable human being whose feelings are respected. The learning curriculum has a strong cognitive focus, which considers the development level of young children. This method allows children to learn through their own experiences and by making their own choices, (learning responsibility). The children in the program will learn family and community skills.

Nutritional Food

Morin Family Child Care follows the childcare nutrition guidelines recommended by the USDA CACFP (Child and Adult Care Food Program) for all the foods we serve. To provide healthy and balanced diet that includes fruits, vegetables, and whole grains and limit foods and beverages that are high in sugar, and/or fat, our nutrition policy includes the following:

Fruits and Vegetables

We serve fruit 2 times a day.
We offer a vegetable other than white potatoes at least once a day.

Grains

We serve whole grain food at least twice a day.

Beverages

We limit juice intake to no more than 1 time a week. When served, the juice is 100% fruit juice.
We serve only skim or 1% milk to children aged 2 years and older.

Fats and Sugars

Fried and pre-fried vegetables, including potatoes, are served no more than two times per week.
We limit sweet food items to no more than two times per week.
High fat meats such as bologna, bacon, and sausage are served no more than two times per week.

Role of Staff in Nutrition Education

Staff provide opportunities for children to learn about nutrition 1 time per week or more.
Staff act a role model for healthy eating in front of the children.

Active Play

Active play will be encouraged every day such as running, climbing, dancing, skipping, and jumping. Children get to be active outdoors twice a day and I will provide 2 structured activities throughout the day.

Provide preschoolers and school-age children (ages 3 through 10 years old) with at least 90 – 120 minutes of daily outdoor active play opportunities across 2 to 3 separate occasions.
Increase indoor active playtime so the total amount of active play remains the same if the weather limits outdoor time.
Provide a variety of play materials (both indoors and outdoors) that promote physical activity.

Fine Motors

Fine motor skills are the use of hands and upper extremities to reach, grasp, and manipulate objects, as well as visual motor skills, or hand-eye coordination. They involve the synchronization of small muscles in the hands and fingers with the eyes.

Here are some activities that can help develop fine motor skills:

Drawing

Helps develop fine motor skills and eye-hand coordination, and can also be a pre-writing skill
Painting

Helps develop fine motor skills by using the small muscles in the hands and wrists to make precise movements
Scissors skills

Require strength and endurance in the small muscles of the hand, such as cutting or tearing paper
Pegboards

Picking up small pegs helps develop a child's pincer grasp
Playdough

Rolling, shaping, and molding the dough with their hands can help children develop fine motor skills, creativity, and imagination
Threading and lacing

Holding the lacing string firmly in one hand while using the other hand to hold and manipulate a small bead or lacing card can help develop strong fine motor skills