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President’s Message: Hello to all licensed childcare providers in Southern Saskatchewan. I hope everyone had a safe and Merry Christmas and a Happy New Year. 2013 started off with a lot of snow, which gave us great opportunities for outdoor play. Sledding, building snowmen and forts, and my yard is covered with snow angels. I personally would prefer warmer weather but already the days are getting longer and the countdown to spring is on the calendar. There is a light at the end of the tunnel. Your Executive is hard at work already this year. Nona Laird and her committee are busy with the Annual Conference, the brochure is included in this newsletter and please register early. The Annual General Meeting will be held over the lunch hour. We will be looking for volunteers for various committees as well as to fill a few positions on the Executive Board. Becoming involved gives you an opportunity to meet other home providers, share ideas and learn from our experiences. It’s also time to renew that membership, remember that membership is required to participate in our special events and to continue receiving the newsletter. Hope to see a lot of you out to our activities and have a wonderful 2013.

Jacquie McDonald, President RFCHCL

RFCCHC Executive Members President Jacquie McDonald 543-8015 jdmcdonald@sasktel.net

Vice President Christina Aubichon cpaubichon@hotmail.com

Secretary Melanie Fisher 546-2554 m.amartin@hotmail.com

Treasurer Nona Laird 789-8324 nonalaird@gmail.com

Newsletter Shari Harden (306) 726-5830 jharden@sasktel.net

Membership Sharlene Nomura madcowmama57@yahoo.com

Provincial Liaison POSITION OPEN

Fundraising Belinda Wrobel 525-6632 bnbwrobel@sasktel.net

Special Events Michel Graham 546-2975 michel_lee_g@hotmail.com

Alternate Care Program Lana Buschow

Member at Large-Education Shelly Flynn flynn12@sasktel.net

Member at Large-Networking

POSITION OPEN

Member at Large-Communications

Bonnie Tudor 761-1010 batudor@sasktel.net

Alternate Care Program Answering Service 775-1955

*e-mail addresses are listed for ease of communication purposes only, please do not use them to forward junk mail

The next Executive Meeting will be held at 7pm on Monday, January 28 at the Northview Community Church – 744 Sangster Blvd.

ANNOUNCEMENTS

Anyone wishing to post an announcement in the newsletter such as a birth, death or special event can forward it to Shari Harden.

REGINA FAMILY CHILD CARE HOMES LTD. 2013 MEMBERSHIP

A member of Regina Family Child Care Homes Co-operative Ltd. must be licensed through the Department of Early Learning and Child Care. We would like to welcome guests to our association by the following categories:

1. Group Home Guest Pass: This entitles the group home provider to bring their assistant to attend RFCCH workshops, conferences and provider get-togethers as guests at member rates. The cost of this Group Home Guest Pass is $10.00 annually. This must be purchased in addition to your RFCCH Membership. This is only available to those licensed through the Department of Early Learning and Child Care.

2. Non-Licensed Guest Pass: this entitles the non-licensed guest to attend RFCCH workshops, conferences and special events put on by the RFCCH at member rates. Part of the expectations of being a guest of RFCCH and attending functions is that all guests must abide by the regulations set out by the Department of Early learning and Child Care as well as to assist in fundraising for our association. The Non-Licensed Guest Pass is $50.00 annually and does not include membership to the Saskatchewan Association. These can be purchased separately through us at a cost of $10.00. These passes do not allow you to vote at our AGM.

MISSION STATEMENT We are a non-profit group of concerned childcare provider professionals interested in promoting positive childcare practices in Southern Saskatchewan.

MEMBERSHIP ENTITILES YOU TO bi-monthly newsletters listing upcoming events, craft ideas, professional development, child care related workshops and training, and website advertisement (licensed homes only) and a chance to network with peers. For the children in our care we provide and organize numerous outings and field trips and special events throughout the year at a discounted rate. Indoor playground and weekly gym time during the winter months and organized park playtimes in the summer are also scheduled. EXPECTATIONS OF MEMBERS All members are expected to abide by regulations set out by Early Learning and Child Care and to assist in fundraising. Members are encouraged to contribute and share ideas, sit on committees and attend sponsored activities.

REMINDER TO OUR MEMBERS

Regina Family Childcare Homes Cooperative organizes some really great activities for the children in our care throughout the year. In order to attend you must be an Annual Member. A standard Annual Membership entitles you to attend the activities and includes on helper and eight children. A Group Home Annual Membership includes yourself, your assistant, one helper and twelve children at the

subsidized rate. Costs for additional persons will be assessed on an individual basis. These activities are subsidized by our fundraising efforts. If you are unable to participate in our

fundraisers don’t forget to encourage the parents of the children to participate. It’s their children who will benefit from the money we raise. Thanks for your cooperation.

Please complete membership form and mail to:

RFCCHCL Membership

c/o Sharlene Nomura 1541 Regent Street Regina, SK S4N 1S1 Questions? Email: madcowmama57@yahoo.com @yahoo.com

http://RFCCHCL.com

In the interest of helping to save trees and money, our newsletter is now distributed electronically. Please include your email address on this form so that we will be able to contact you.

If you do not have an email address, you will still be able to receive a mailed copy. Please indicate on

the email line that youi'd prefer to have your newsletter mailed to you. Thank you. Name:

Address:

street city/town postal code Contact:

email address phone number cell phone Date you were licensed:

month year Please check appropriate box(es):

$51.00 New membership

includes lifetime membership, annual fee, SACCHI membership

$50.00 Membership renewal

includes annual fee, SACCHI membership

$10.00 Group Home guest pass

allows group home assistant to attend functions

$50.00 Non-licensed guest pass

allows non-licensed providers to be involved in RFCCHCL

$10.00 Saskatchewan Association For Child Care Homes Inc. (SACCHI)

http://www.sacchi.ca/ can be purchased in addition to non-licensed guest pass which doesn't include Saskatchewan Association membership

Total amount:

All memberships are valid for the calendar year. Please make cheques payable to: Regina Family Child Care Homes Co-op Ltd. * NOTE: You may use the cost of membership on your Annual Equipment Grant.

IMPORTANT MEMBERSHIP

INFORMATION

Each year the executive of RFCCH plans fundraising opportunities for its

members to help in financially supporting this association. The monies

raised from these activities go towards subsidizing RFCCH activities for

the children in our care such as Pre-school gym time, Science Center and

Imax, Easter activities, Pumpkin Hollow, Evraz Summer kick-off and

summer activities.

As a member of RFCCH all were asked to support these fundraisers.

Unfortunately that did not happen and we were forced to cancel two

fundraisers due to lack of support from our membership.

Therefore we cannot continue to operate and subsidize activities unless we

raise our membership fees. This will be reflected in the membership fee

increase for 2013.

*A reminder that you can use the cost of your membership on your annual

equipment grant application.

*************************************************************************************************************

The Regina Family Childcare Alternate Care Program needs

your help in finding a reliable alternate for our program.

Must be 18 years of age, have a Police Record Check, and a

valid first aid and cpr. Reliable transportation a must as

homes vary throughout the city.

Call 775-1955 for more information or forward a resume to

Lana Buschow. Hours vary each month!

Regina Family Childcare Homes Co-operative Ltd.

Philosophy and Operational Policies Effective Date: November 1, 2012

Program Philosophy: Locating and keeping reliable alternates has been a concern of Family Childcare Homes. Regina Family Childcare Homes Co-operative Ltd., otherwise known as RFCCHCL has developed an Alternate Childcare Program to assist licensed family childcare homes in Regina and surrounding areas with alternate childcare. With a grant from the Saskatchewan Ministry of Education, we have been able to contract alternates that are available to be shared by provincially licensed family childcare homes. These alternates receive a monthly retainer to be on call for our licensed homes until 9:00 am each day from Monday to Friday. The monthly retainer also allows us to keep the cost of hiring alternates affordable for the providers. The alternates are scheduled on a first come first serve basis. Some benefits of utilizing this program are that you can book your appointments, go on holidays, continue your education, get some me time when illness strikes or just take a well-deserved day off for you the provider or your assistant in a licensed childcare home just by calling the alternate care line. You will be sent an alternate with experience in childcare, someone like us who, has their First aid/Cpr training and Criminal record checks in place. Operational Policies: Policies for accessing the Home Alternate Program: Access to use the Alternate Childcare program are on a first come first serve basis. Providers are able to request the use of an alternate by contacting the alternate program message service at 775-1955. Please leave a detailed message including your name, phone number and the dates and times you require an alternate. The alternates may be booked for a minimum of 3 hours and a maximum of 2 weeks at a time. The messages are retrieved daily by 7:30 am. A member of the committee will contact you to confirm the information and advise you on the availability of an alternate. All scheduling of the alternates must go through the message service in order to ensure requests are on a first come first serve basis. Policies for Cost to Providers and Payment for Alternate Care: Providers using the service are required to pay a fee of $8.00 per hour for each hour the alternate works in their home each day up to 8 hours per day and for every hour over the 8 hours in a day, the provider must pay time and a half which amounts to $12.00 per hour overtime. Each alternate will have a time sheet that you are required to sign at the end of each shift to confirm their hours worked. In the event that the provider is not there, the last parent of the day or the assistant in the home is required to sign the attendance sheet on your behalf. The alternates are paid by what is on their time sheets and submitted to the program each month. Statements are sent out at the end of each month. Payments are due upon receipt of your statement within 30 days. There will be a 2% interest charge on all accounts unpaid within 30 days. Any outstanding accounts will be sent to collections if no payment is received within 90 days. Cheques and money orders are made payable to RFCCHCL Alternate Care Program and can be mailed to the RFCCH mailbox. A receipt will be issued upon receiving payment. Please note there is a $25.00 NSF fee per cheque written. When booking an alternate for a week or more at a time, a deposit of $150.00 is required at least 2 weeks prior to booking. Should you choose to “Tip” the Alternate, please do so directly with the alternate.

What happens if I cancel? Cancellations of weekly bookings must be received at least 2 weeks in advance for a refund of deposit. Cancellations of daily bookings must be received a week in advance. If the cancellation is not received with the appropriate notice the deposit for weekly bookings will not be refunded unless we are able to reschedule the alternate. For the daily booking, you will be expected to pay the minimum rate of 3 hours if we are unable to reschedule the alternate. Policies for Alternate Care Providers

providing care.

familiarized with The Child Care Regulations, 2001, including: Supervision, child management and confidentiality.

each year. (Please note, records for alternates are kept on file by the alternate childcare program and will not be given to individual providers due to the privacy act.) Policies for Family Childcare Home Providers

by calling the message service at 775-1955.

to schedule the alternate for a few hours prior to leaving them on their own. When available, we will try to schedule an alternate that you have used previously. This will reduce the amount of time you require to familiarize the alternate in your home and offer consistency to the children in your care.

o transport the children unless a vehicle with the appropriate insurance is provided.

plans or housekeeping other than that directly related to the care of the children. Your home should be left as the alternate found it.

committee will return your call.

Don’t miss out! Check out our blog

http://RFCCHCLmembership.wordpress.com

Learn what’s happening.

Find out who else is involved.

Get involved in the Alternate Program

Share your ideas and victories!

Feel connected.

As a member of Regina Family Child Care Homes

Ltd. you are entitled to post a listing of any available

spaces in your child care which is easily accessed by

parents who may be searching for child care.

Years of Service recognition pins are still available to members of RFCCHCL for purchase at $20.00 each.

The fantastic reusable purple tote bags that were given out at the conference are still available for purchase at $3.00 each. Contact Nona Laird if you are interested in purchasing either.

Thursday Morning Gym Time

All members of our association are welcome to bring their infant/preschool children to the East View Community Center located at 615 6th Avenue, 9:30 to ll:00 am for a morning of fun, friendship and play with other childcare homes. We play with balls, scooters, hockey equipment and tumbling mats. Bring along your morning coffee, a small blanket and your morning snack to enjoy half way through the morning together with other home providers and children in their care. We end our morning session with circle time, where we sing songs and play some games. We welcome any suggestions or ideas for activities at gym time. We would love to see you there! Cost is $2.00 per child care home.

PLEASE REMEMBER ALL RFCCH activities are scent free! As in many places, there are those that suffer from allergies to scents. Parents, children and providers are asked to please abide by this request. Failure to do so may result in you being asked to leave the event. ******************************************************************************************************************

PLEASE NOTE:

ANNUAL MEMBERSHIPS ARE NOW DUE.

RED CROSS RECERTIFICATION CLASS

*Pre-registration is required Haztech Fire & Safety Contact: Candace 352-9114 Cost $85.00 1139 Weaver Street E 2013 RECERTIFICATION dates are as follows: Saturday, Jan. 6th Thursday, Jan. 17th Saturday, February 9 Thursday, February 14 ******************************************************************************************************************* J & T First Aid Contact: Colleen 347-1020 1375 Lorne Street Cost $140.00 CPR A, B, or C & AED 8:30am to 5:00pm Cost $160.00 CPR, HCP & AED Cost $90.00 Recert *Mention that you are a RFCCH Member and You will receive the Corporate Rate of $80.00. 2013 RECERTIFICATION dates are as follows: Sunday, January 6 Sunday, January 20th Wednesday, January 9 Thursday, January 24th Thursday, January 17th Friday, January 25 Saturday, February 2nd Tuesday, February 19 Wednesday, February 6 Thursday, February 28 Friday, February 15

Your certification is good for 3 years.

Cranberry Orange Muffins 2 Oranges, peeled and chopped 1 cup unsweetened orange juice 250ml ½ cup oil 125ml 2 eggs ½ tsp. orange extract (optional) 2ml 3 cups flour 750ml 2 tsp. baking powder 10ml 2 tsp. baking soda 10ml ½ tsp. salt 2ml 1 cup sugar 250ml 1 cup dried cranberries (Craisins) 250ml In a blender or food processor combine oranges, juice, oil, eggs and orange extract (optional) until well blended. In a separate bowl, combine flour, baking powder, baking soda, salt and sugar. Add the orange mixture to the dry ingredients. Mix well then fold in the cranberries.

Filled greased or lined muffin tins 2/3 full. Bake at 375 F (190 C) for 18 to 20 minutes. Makes 24 muffins

Super easy and fun to make with the kids!