This is the second installment of 12 Nutrition Hints & Tips for Your Children which can also be downloaded from our free eBook library.

So, you took the time to shop for all of the right foods, carefully prepared a wonderful, healthy meal, and placed it in front of your little angel with a huge smile. Your child takes one look and shoves the plate away. Your spirits sink, and you are forced to transform from Betty Crocker into either a Drill Sergeant (You WILL eat this and like it!) or a used car salesman negotiator (Take at least 3 more bites if you want dessert!) This scenario may be all too familiar to those with young children, or even older children who still have picky eating habits. Although meal times may seem like a constant power struggle, they don’t have to be!

Here are a few tips from the Mayo Clinic’s website that will help you “fight the good fight” in your efforts to provide a balanced diet for your picky eater….

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This is the first installment of 12 Nutrition Hints & Tips for Your Children which can also be downloaded from our free eBook library.

Most parents are concerned about keeping their children healthy. One of the easiest ways to do this is to start with a healthy foundation. Be conscientious of what goes into your shopping cart, and cook meals at home so you know what ingredients your children are eating. Sounds easy enough…but, we know better. Today’s parents are busy. Between shuttling children from school, to soccer, ballet, and birthday parties, you may not have the time to spend hours in the grocery store reading labels and searching for the healthiest ingredients. You may also not have the time to slave away in the kitchen, making organic, veggie lasagna with only the freshest ingredients. Even if you did have the time, how do you get your children to eat it?

Here are a few tips for helping even the busiest moms and dads make good decisions about what goes into the shopping cart:

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Nobody ever said that teaching children to eat healthy is easy! You can spend hours preparing a delicious, nutritious meal for your little ones only to have them take one sniff of the food and decide they don’t like it. How deflating!

At Child Care of Southwest Florida, sometimes we deal with these issues too. As disheartening as it may be, feeding children healthy food is imperative to help your children develop good habits, prevent childhood obesity, and promote a healthy lifestyle.

If you’re having trouble convincing your children to eat good foods and teaching them healthy habits, 12 Nutrition Hints & Tips for Your Children is an excellent resource for you to reference when you’re struggling with your kids. In this free eBook, you’ll learn how to:

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Child Care of Southwest Florida, Inc. and Edison State College are hosting the 17th annual Circles of Care Early Childhood Conference on Saturday, February 25, 2012. Get ready for lots of fun, exciting, and educational workshops and exhibitors for early education teachers (infant, toddler, pre-school, and school-age), family child care providers, administrators, and parents.

For more details including:

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All of us at Child Care of Southwest Florida, Inc. hope you, your family and friends are having a great 2012 so far!

In 2011, we were very happy to debut our new web site (www.CCSWFL.com) and are really happy to start using the power of Social Media, and the Internet, to spread the news about our mission:

“To strengthen and enhance the lives of children and their families.”

Thank you to Charly, Dan and the entire ISG Team for:

• creating our new site,
• educating us on how to maximize the use of the Internet, and most importantly,
• helping us create helpful information for the very families and areas we service.

Our very first eBook, “12 Fun Things to Do With Your Children in Southwest Florida“, has been well received, and has helped many parents, grandparents and families have a better understanding of all of the fun things that can be done with kids of all ages in Southwest Florida.

We’ve been hard at work creating two new eBooks for 2012, and are really excited them!

They are called:

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Fort Myers Child Care Provider Wins Early Childhood Educator Award

FORT MYERS, Fla., December 29, 2011 – Edison State College Child Care Center Director Martha Kebhart has earned the Outstanding Member Award from the Lee County affiliate of the Florida Association for the Education of Young Children (FLAEYC).

The Lee County Association for the Education of Young Children nominated Kebhart for the award, which is presented to one person each year who has played a vital role in the local association and demonstrated outstanding dedication and work for young children.

“Martha has been a backbone of our local organization. She is always available to answer questions, get people involved and keep our local group on track and doing what is right for the children and the staff that take care of them. She is a professional and models professionalism in the early childhood field,” said JoAnne Fuciu, president of the Lee County Association for the Education of Young Children.

Martha has worked for Child Care of Southwest Florida since 1977, beginning as a teacher in the classroom, and later serving as an assistant director before becoming director of Edison State College Child Care Center in 2003.  She graduated from Appalachian State University in Boone, N.C. with a Bachelor of Arts degree in early childhood education.

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During this this time of year, we like to give “Thanks” to everyone that supports Child Care of Southwest Florida.

From the many volunteers that give their time, to the donors and sponsors that give financial support, to our employees and board of directors that give with all there heart to make sure the children and families are well cared for at our Child Care Centers throughout Southwest Florida:

WE THANK YOU!

Here are a few letters sent to us, you can view more online at www.ccswfl.org.

Dear CCSWFL:

I would like to take this opportunity to tell you how much admiration I have for Child Care of Southwest Florida. I was a single mom of two children and your agency helped me tremendously for six years. Without the help of Child Care of Southwest Florida, I don’t know how I would have been able to work full-time. It has been six years since I have required your help and to this day I am eternally grateful. I have, and will continue to speak very highly of Child Care of Southwest Florida, as well as refer other parents who may be in need of your services.

Sincerely, Tonya

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The Community Children’s Center in Lehigh Acres has earned accreditation from the National Accreditation Commission for Early Care and Education Programs (NAC) for outstanding early childhood programs which meet national standards of quality.

The center, operated by Child Care of Southwest Florida, Inc., is located at 1260 Wings Way in Lehigh Acres and is licensed to care for 167 children from ages infant to 8. The child care center is open Monday through Friday from 6 a.m. to 6 p.m.

“The Community Children’s Center is very honored to be recognized for our efforts to provide exceptional child care education for our children. This demonstrates to parents that we have earned the Gold Seal for quality child care programs from the State of Florida,” saidThe Community Children’s Center Director Megan Greeley-Gibson. To view Gold Seal requirements and a list of centers that have earned the accreditation, visit www.dcf.state.fl.us/programs/childcare.

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Over the past couple of months we have provided tips about the fun, family friendly places to visit in Southwest Florida with your children. Whether you have lived here your entire life or just moved to the area, we hope you have learned about the great places to take your kids. In case you haven’t read this information, you can download it as a FREE eBook. Or simply click “read more” where we’ll give you a summation of our posts on the fun places in Southwest Florida.

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