Announcements

The Importance Of Play

It is well-known that play is vital to a child’s early development, many times we watch our children interacting in their favorite center or playing with their favorite toy; it’s cute and creative and they are using their imagination. Yet, what exactly is play teaching a child?

Playing is an easy way to help a child increase their attention span. While playing, children are focused on the activity of their choosing for a long period of time and not an activity that they may not be interested in. The amount of time a child is capable of focusing on a project, activity or lesson is important for when they begin Kindergarten and must be able to give their attention to a lesson plan. Playtime strengthens their focus.

Children develop social skills during their playtime. Children with well-developed social skills are able to easily adjust to situations and circumstances as they get older as well as control their emotions and reactions better. They are also at less of a risk for behavioral issues or poor academic performance.

Playtime for younger children gives them the ability to practice cause and effect, to master physical accomplishments, to ask questions and solve problems [...]

Oh Sunshiny Days!

Springtime brings with it warm weather, blooming foliage, outdoor fun and time spent with your family and friends. A lot of your time is spent outdoors absorbing the sun, splashing through water and even camping. With all of the fun that can be had during these months you can lose focus on some of the important health and safety issues that can come with warm weather, such as sunburn and dehydration.

Sunburn can occur within 15 minutes of being outdoors. The UV rays of the Sun can penetrate through even the cloudiest of days and cause your child to develop a rosy, flushed face. This pinkish tint is the first sign that your child is developing a sunburn. Sunburn can range from mild symptoms such as a mere tinge of red on the skin and warmth to the touch, to more severe symptoms* such as blisters, fatigue, nausea and extreme discomfort. Be aware that sunburn can also cause dehydration.

To protect your child from sunburn, the CDC recommends that children wear sunscreen of at least SPF 15 or higher. Sunscreen should be re-applied through-out the day. Children are encouraged to wear hats to protect the [...]

A Snow Day for Pecan Ranch

It came as a surprise. A blizzard, INSIDE? What could we do!? There was nothing that could be done! The snow came in and it couldn’t be stopped! How would we ever clean this up!? Yet the children of Pecan Ranch had other ideas for such a strange snowy day….

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We filled up our buckets and we shared with our friends. We threw snowballs with laughter, barely missing our chins.

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“What are you doing?” we asked, “Playing with Christmas Snow” came the reply from little faces grinning with glee, such as amazing sight to see.

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Then the teachers joined in so the fun could begin.

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There were snow angels to be made, plenty of fun while we played.

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It was a [...]

Coping With Separation Anxiety

Separation Anxiety – not to be confused with Separation Anxiety Disorder which is characterized by a fear of losing loved ones or being forever separated from loved ones – is common amongst children ages 8 months through 3 years.

Normal separation anxiety shows itself as being upset when left at daycare or with a caregiver as well as being in unknown locations or meeting new people. This can range from crying to full blown temper tantrums and can be a very troublesome experience for parents.

Luckily, there are ways to cope with Separation Anxiety to make the process easier on children.

-Reassure your child that they will be okay, and you will be returning soon.
-Develop a “goodbye” routine and do your best to stay with your routine.
-Do not give in. Children are very perceptive.
-If your child is being left with someone new for the first time, leave them only for a brief time.
-As a parent, keep calm during the separation.

Remember that separation anxiety normally disappears around the age of 3, and is just another stop on the adventure of parenting.

For more ideas on how best to cope with

Life Message and Donations

Over the past several weeks Pecan Ranch has been accepting donations to take to Life Message, a volunteer program that helps provide needy families with food and clothing. We exceeded our own expectations with the amount of donations that we received from the children and the families of Pecan Ranch. Thank you for your generous donations and helping bring a smile to the face of people in need.

Today our school-age students volunteered some of their time to help deliver the donations.

Our students were very helpful in unloading the donations and bringing them into the facility. Inside they were able to walk around and see how the food supplies were stocked, clothing sorted and how the volunteers of Life Message were donating their time to ensure that those in need would have somewhere to go and receive food and clothing during the winter.

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“I learned how the food goes to the people who don’t have money. So it’s free, so they don’t go to sleep without food.” -Michael M.

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“Giving is a wonderful , helpful and responsible thing to do.” -Taylin T.

Top Ten Childcare Questions Answered!

Enrolling your child into daycare can be a difficult, especially when doing tours of local centers and trying to find a location that fits the needs of you and your family. Many parents find themselves researching important questions that they should ask a potential provider. There are plenty of websites that can give a potential parent a perfect questionnaire of what to ask a provider, but once inside and during the tour it is easy to forget all the questions that you had planned to ask. We have taken the time to answer the Top Ten Questions that parents should ask about a childcare center before enrolling their children.

What is your discipline policy?
Pecan Ranch Early Learning Center provides a copy of our discipline policy in our Admission packets for parents to read. Here at Pecan Ranch we do not condone negative reinforcement of any kind. Our goal is to remove children from the current situation and give them a quiet place with a quiet activity until they are ready to re-join the class. We understand that as children, they have only so many ways of coping with situations in the classroom and are not capable of [...]

The Flu Season is Here

More and more people have been diagnosed with the flu in the past few weeks, nationally and statewide. Within the upcoming weeks, the United States expects many more children, adults and elderly citizens to be diagnosed with influenza. Here at Pecan Ranch, we want our children to be safe and healthy and our parents to be informed on this seasonal virus.

What Is The Flu
Influenza is a respiratory infection involving the nose, throat and lungs. People who are exposed to the flu can take up to five days before showing any symptoms, and can be contagious for 5 to 7 days after beginning to show signs of having the flu. The average person may experience flu symptoms for one to two weeks, or longer depending on their health. The only way to know if you have the flu is testing through a health-care provider.

Symptoms to Look For
Many people believe that fever is the first sign of an illness, but that is not the case with the flu. A person can be fever-free while having the flu. Other signs and symptoms [...]

Winter Newsletter

Get all the latest announcements and information for Pecan Ranch December through February. 

Our Wish List

If you are interested in donating items to the center, we are able to use just about anything you might need to clean out of your house.

For dramatic play:

  • Old bags (like make up bags or purses)
  • Gloves
  • Shoes (adult or school-age sizes)
  • Ties
  • Scarves
  • Old cell phones with no batteries
  • Hats
  • Wallets
  • Uniforms
  • Empty shampoo or conditioner bottles
  • Jewelry
  • Kitchen utensils
  • Pots and Pans
  • Vases
  • Keys

 

Construction:

  •  Cereal boxes
  • Large cardboard tubes
  • Boxes (small and hard, like jewelry boxes)
  • Coffee cans with lids
  • Containers (yogurt, cottage cheese, etc.)
  • Silk flowers
  • Wood scraps (sanded edges)
  • Small tools (real ones
  • Tubing
  • PVC pipe and joints
  • Wall Paper
  • Veneer
  • Tile

 

Art:

  • Beads
  • Bits of tinsel
  • Bric-a-brac
  • Buttons, snaps, eyehooks
  • Cardboard
  • CDs
  • Cellophane
  • Corks
  • Elastic
  • Envelopes
  • Fabric
  • Fishing line

Books for Pecan Ranch

We are always collecting books for our school. Our boys and girls love reading and we love being able to provide a variety of books. We appreciate any books you are willing to give us.