2012′s Top 10 Halloween Costumes

October is fast approaching meaning the pumpkin carving and Halloween costume shopping will be a must. Here is a list of the top 10 costumes for the 2012 year for your little ghoul or goblin to trick-or-treat in:

1)      Avengers (Captain America, Ironman)

2)      Angry Birds

3)      Hunger Games

4)      Olympic Athletes

5)      Monster High

6)      Disney Princess

7)      Star Wars

8)      Smurfs

9)      Superheroes (Batman, Superman, Spiderman)

10)   Pirates

Costumes found on: http://www.squidoo.com/kids-top-halloween-costumes

Ten Tips for Culturally Aware Children

Many children start to show an interest in different cultures at a young age, whether  through ethnic food, friends at school, unique clothes, or hearing a foreign language spoken for the first time. Here are 10 ways to encourage your child’s curiosity and teach them about a variety of cultures in fun and interactive ways.

1. Read bedtime stories that take place in another country or include some foreign words, so you can practice pronunciation.
2. Host an international au pair. You can use matching agencies like AuPairCare, which have au pairs from more than 40 countries.
3. Enroll your child in a cultural dance or martial arts class, such as Bollywood, Flamenco or Capoeira.
4. Enroll your child in foreign language classes for kids, such as Lango.
5. Plan art activities for your child based on different cultures such as Japanese calligraphy, Chinese paper cut outs, and Puerto Rican Ponce Carnival Masks.
6. Cook and try new foods inspired by other cultures with your children, or enroll them in cooking classes like Cooking Up Culture.
7. Plan a heritage party for your children and their friends, and encourage each child to bring food and games from their family’s heritage.
8. Watch family-friendly movies that take place in another country.
9. Listen to popular music from different cultures while in the car, or teach your kids a simple song in a foreign language.
10. Attend local festivals and parades that celebrate different cultures such as Cinco de Mayo, Carnival, Chinese New Year, and Bastille Day.

“Children are little sponges, taking in the world around them with eagle eyes and curious minds,” said Heidi Woehl, vice president of AuPairCare and a mother of five. “This curiosity is a great thing and should be cultivated through as many avenues as possible, in an effort to raise a globally and culturally aware next generation.”

Ten Questions I Wish I Asked my Child Care Provider

Interviewing potential child care providers can be a daunting task. AuPairCare, an au pair matching agency, interviews thousands of international au pair applicants each year to assure they represent only the highest quality child care providers. Regardless of what type of child care provider you are seeking, AuPairCare recommends you consider the following questions, which go beyond basic child care experience, when interviewing applicants who will be taking care of your children.

1. Are you trained in either CPR or First Aid?
2. What is your discipline philosophy?
3. Do you have a high school diploma and plans to continue your education?
4. Do you have a valid driver’s license, and how much driving experience do you have?
5. Can you offer flexible child care hours, including nights and weekends?
6. Do you have any other obligations such as a part time job or children of your own that might impact your availability?
7. Tell me what you love most about taking care of children? What is the hardest part?
8. What is your favorite food? What type of meals do you prepare for kids?
9. Do you have your own health insurance?
10. Why should we let you care for our children?

“Parents need to have a complete picture of their child care provider’s experience, child care philosophy and personality before hiring,” said Heidi Woehl, vice president of AuPairCare. “It’s important that you are 100% confident in your child care provider’s ability and that your child enjoys spending time with your provider.  At AuPairCare we screen each au pair on a number of factors – including educational background, medical and psychological stability, criminal record, and child care references before accepting them into our program. Au pairs also receive accident and travel insurance, training in CPR and First Aid, and constant support by local staff. Most of all, we make sure each au pair has a sincere interest in caring for children.”

A Chat with Drama Kids and KidzArt

1. How did you come up with the idea to do a joint summer camp?
Given that both Drama Kids and KidzArt have similar missions – building confidence, communication skills, and self-expression in children of all ages – it was a natural fit! Furthermore, our programs tend to appeal to the same type of children, meanwhile giving those who wouldn’t normally think to try drama classes or art classes, exposure to these two similar, yet different fields.

2. How does it work?
Quite simply, children spend half their camp day receiving drama instruction, and the other half art instruction. High energy, certified instructors – the best in the business! – lead campers in a unique combination of fun, creative, and entertaining theatre and speech activities such as large group improvisations, silent scenes, dialogue development, scene starters, and theater games. Students will also be encouraged to experiment with a wide variety of art mediums, including three-dimensional sculpture, unique surfaces and more. Students will have access to the highest quality, professional art materials.

3. What age group works best for the summer camp services?
We offer two different camps: our traditional full-day camp for ages 6-12 and our half-day KinderCamps for ages 4-5. Camp is specially structured to be fun for ALL kids – beginning or experienced.

4. What has been the response of the children and their parents?
This is our 4th year running our joint camps together, and they keep growing every year! What amazes me each time, are the number of repeat campers we get. About 80% of our kids are returning campers – meaning once they try it, they can’t get enough! As one of the parents commented to me after our Spring Break Camp this year, “This is the one camp I don’t have to force Emily to attend – she talks about it all year long!” We hear our families talking to friends about our camp programs for weeks and months after they end!! Students can’t wait to find out the next theme and parents start planning wall space to frame and display their children’s creations!

5. Is there a specific part or area of the summer camp that seems to be a favorite?
Our end of camp parent presentation seems to be the highlight of the week. It is amazing watching the confidence and self-esteem just ooze from the kids as they perform live for their parents and show off their art work in our impressive art gallery. Parents are amazed at what they kids can create in just one short week!

6. Are there any other comments you would like to make regarding the success of your business; or any new developments you would like to make potential customers aware of?
Registration for our Colonie and Clifton Park Summer Camps is already open and they fill up fast every year, so don’t delay! We are happy to offer The Children’s Guide Parents a special gift when signing up their children. Mention The Children’s Guide when registering and your child will receive a FREE “Drama Rocks” T-shirt and Chalk Pastels from KidzArt! During our program, students are challenged to explore their own creative style. They utilize brainstorming and problem solving techniques to help break down difficult curriculum. This process leads to amazing results that children are proud to display and discuss. Once again building their overall confidence! Fine arts are an exceptional tool for “out of the box thinking”. Kidzart and Drama kids are helping to build tomorrow’ leaders!

Register on-line at www.dramakids.com/ny5 or www.kidzartcrny.com!

Or call for more information: Drama Kids (518) 458-1313 & KidzArt (518) 456-4101.

Provide a New Learning Experience for Children This Summer at The Music Studio

By the time a child is three or four years old, most parents have made millions of decisions on their child’s behalf. Everything from what their child plays with, listens to, or wears, reflects a parental evaluation and choice: One after another, again and again.

The decisions are endless, but fortunately for parents, according to Noel Liberty, Director of the Music Studio, they are also transforming. “In small steps, as well as in the occasional huge, scary leap, parents become comfortable and knowledgeable about what is important to them and their child. Of course, when a child is three or four years old, the decisions get more complicated and the ripples from those decisions extend much further.”

That is why summer is such a good time for parents to start thinking about the kind of music education they want for their child. “Few decisions in the life of a parent are more important than those concerning the kind and type of education their child will receive,” says Liberty. “As a parent I live with those choices daily and as an educator, I see the cumulative effect. Informed decisions are far superior to impulse decisions. Over the last 35 years, I’ve seen the value of taking time to ask questions.”

For those beginning to plan, Liberty recommends that music education begin by three years of age. “Young children tend to experience music with their entire bodies. They can’t listen without movement. They hear with their ears, but they feel it and show it with their hands and feet. The child who gets a chance to play with music in this way will approach actually playing music differently.”

Summer offerings at The Music Studio include Music for the Very Young classes for two year olds, as well as Let’s Begin classes for children ages three to seven. In these classes children are grouped by age and meet for four sessions of singing, ear training, rhythm, piano, note reading and ensemble work. Parents attend class with their children and participate with them in many of the class activities.

Piano Camp, a motivating and energizing musical experience for young pianists is designed for students entering grades 4-9 who have studied piano for at least two years. Camp is jam-packed full of serious fun and include at least two private lessons in addition to:

*Piano Ensembles
*Improvisation
*Music Theory & History
*WHOMP!
*Composition
*Chorus
*Intro to Rock & Jazz
*Guest Musicians
*Orff
*Master classes

Other summer programs at The Music Studio include Catch A Rising Star, Piano for Teens, and The Music Studio Rocks, a chance to experience being in a rock band.

“Finally,” says Liberty, “think about what you want your child to receive from their music education. There is much evidence as to the developmental benefits of music education, but that is far less important than the joy a lifelong love of music can give. I would compare it to buying art for the purposes of investment, which all the experts say is a bad idea. They recommend buying art you love. With music education, it’s the same. It shouldn’t be about better SAT scores, but about bringing the love of music into your child’s life.”

Geocaching

How about a family treasure hunt this spring……..
Looking for some family fun that is educational and fun? Try Geocaching with your family. What’s that you ask? Geocaching is an outdoor game that uses a Global Positioning System (GPS) receiver. Unlike the one in your car for finding directions on the road, a GPS used for geocashing is a handheld device that usually has terrain and trail maps on it. There are even applications that you can download to your cell phone! It’s a relatively inexpensive, interactive experience that has players finding — and hiding — containers called caches, otherwise known as treasure in kid lingo.
These cashes usually contains a logbook for signing and sometimes there are small “treasures” for you to take. The usual rule for taking a treasure from a cache is to leave one of equal or greater value.

There are literally hundreds of hidden caches within a 25 mile radius of downtown Albany. We at Bounce Alot Party and Music Rentals even have our own one hidden in the Henry Hudson Park by the Hudson River in Selkirk, NY. Geocaching is great for teaching kids about how to use a compass and gets them started, and hopefully interested, in the sport of hiking and orienteering.
One word of caution is that many of the hidden caches are in the woods or just off of the trails in the brush so ticks could be a problem. You can reduce the danger of running into some by just sticking to the caches that are in the open areas of neighborhood parks and recreation areas, and believe me that are still hundreds that can be found there.

What I like about this family activity is:

1. To begin geocaching you only need a onetime upfront cost of purchasing a handheld GPS unit which are many times well under $100. Use units are always available on EBAY and there are even some places that rent them for as little as $4/day!
2. It’s an activity that is outdoors, away from the TV set….., and everyone in the family can participate no matter what their age.

Hopefully this has piqued your interest for more info. Next time I’ll be discussing different units you could purchase or rent and how to get started.

To learn more you can visit http://www.geocaching.com/

Be safe and enjoy the spring!!
Brought to you by your friends at Bounce Alot Party & Music Rentals Inc.

Nurturing the Self-Identity—Your Child’s Snapshots of You

Dr. John Ferguson ~ Ferguson Family Chiropractic

Do you ever wonder how your child sees himself, and which images of you replay in her mind when she daydreams or thinks of you? The moment a child is born, its function is to recognize the faces of the mother and father. Within a short period of time, the child can determine the characteristics of the faces – happy, sad, scared, etc. And from this moment on, the child will instinctually look toward mom or dad any time a new situation or concern from the surrounding environment arises and observe what their faces say. So, if a child is in a dangerous situation and sees a look of worry or fear, the child will know that what he or he is observing is dangerous and will avoid it. On the other hand, if the facial expression observed is one of happiness, smiling and engaged, the child will instinctually know he can explore this new found environment.

When I speak to my son or the children that are patients in my office, I keep in my mind that as they see my face, my eyes, my expressions, their brains are clicking snapshots of me. Simultaneously, children are also associating feelings with those snapshots. All these information bits are stored in his or her brain and transforms into a child’s image of self.

Have you ever consider if your child sees himself the way you see him or he sees you? Children’s identities are formed over time and continue to form well into adolescence and into young adulthood. The acceptance and respect a child gains from his parents can contribute to him having a positive sense of self, or a positive self-identity.

A child learns through their parents’ responses, whether they are anxieties, fears and worries or optimism, consciousness and positive expectations in life. These experiences will imprint into the child’s subconscious mind, where we, as humans, operate our lives from 95% of the time. Only 5% of the time do we use the conscious, creative, personal mind.

So, if you desire a child who is observing you 100% of the time to have optimal development, you need to be aware that your conscious parenting is engaged only 5% of the time and is derived 95% from your parents and previous environment of your own development. Therefore you need to inventory your own behaviors, thoughts and language and change some of those things learned from your parents.

Whether the meaning of life for you is to love, learn, leave a legacy, evolve, explore your full potential, or simply to raise happy, healthy children, the environment you create can give you and your family a great head start.

You can help your child develop a positive self-identity by:

Noticing how you respond and react to your child. When you respond with kindness and flattery, and when you actively listen to your child and make him and his needs a priority, you are helping him develop a positive self-concept. Children who are neglected, picked on and treated unkindly tend to develop a negative sense of self.

Being cautious with comparisons. Use caution when making comparisons between your child and others, especially siblings and friends. How children see themselves in relation to others, or how they believe others see them in relation to others, affects their concept of self. If a child feels those around him are more athletic, advanced, happier, more loved or richer, a child can begin to develop a negative sense of self.

Being purposeful about feedback and noticing achievement. Children who have a healthy identity tend to have a positive concept of who they are as a person, usually in relationship to what you, as parents, have noticed or praised, such as swimming well, walking the balance beam, or drawing pictures. They will repeat the task or not based upon feeling successful in YOUR eyes.

Rewarding effort, even with the outcome isn’t what was desired, helps to boosts self-esteem. ”I really noticed how hard you worked on your paper. I admire your level of commitment to getting schoolwork done” goes a long way in helping a child to feel good about themselves, even when the result wasn’t what they desired or expected.  Showing affection, being a positive role model, and providing opportunities for children to connect through enjoyable activities with their peers foster self-esteem, which will boost a child’s sense of self.

By showing your unconditional love and support to your child, you can notice, reflect, and respond in a positive effort to help a child remember the internalized snapshots of who he or she is as a positive sense of self.

If you like what you’ve read and are interested in connecting with other parents who feel the same, you are welcome to attend our monthly Pathways Connect family gathering group. We, as a group, are the source for informed, conscious choice about family and health. We meet on the third Wednesday of each month at 6:30PM at Mocha Lisa’s Cafe in Clifton Park. Kids are welcome as we discuss natural, healthy approaches to raising great children and families and your role in making your child’s life extraordinary.

You can check us out at http://www.meetup.com/Pathways-Connect-Capital-District/

Preschool Program

As your child’s first school experience, Preschool provides a foundation for all learning. At The Albany Academy and Albany Academy for Girls – our Preschool Program provides the perfect mix of activities, experiences and opportunities, thus planting the seeds that will nurture your child’s development, curiosity and help them grow into lifelong learners.

Our faculty has a passion for what they do and it is contagious. They transform classrooms into fun, learning environments igniting your child’s love for learning. Students learn through active, meaningful interactions with peers, adults and materials. A wide-range of developmentally- appropriate activities provide opportunities for individual, small and large group instruction. A balance of indoor and outdoor activities, active and quiet play, child-centered and teacher-facilitated activities complete the day. Our facilities are outstanding and include spacious classrooms, an ice rink, swimming pool and a new outdoor playground.

Students also work with faculty that specializes in Physical Education, Music, Art, Library and Creative Movement exposing them to a world of possibilities. At The Albany Academies our Preschool students don’t just dream of becoming a dancer, scientist, athlete or artist, they become their dreams every day.

Please join us on January 24 for an Open House at The Albany Academies specifically designed for parents of children entering Preschool, Pre-K, and Kindergarten. To reserve a spot, please contact the Admissions Office at (518) 429-2300.

Earaches & Facts on Fever

Article by: Dr. John Ferguson

You are suddenly awakened out of a well-deserved sleep. Your child is crying in the next room with sudden and intense pain her ear. She is very hot, flushed and glassy-eyed with fever. Your diagnosis:Ear infection.You panic.
I need to address this common, but certainly not normal, childhood dis-ease before more people get the wrong idea about what the body is trying to do. I have received countless calls, referrals to my office for and questions from concerned parents looking for help during the fall and winter about ear infections.

Childhood ear infections (Otitis media) are frightening to parents mostly because they tend to appear suddenly, usually at night. But with some insight and common sense, ear infections and fever become a simple part of growing up — a sign that your child’s immune system is doing its job!

The nose runs to excrete the virus. The child may have diarrhea to further excrete the bug. They have fever which is the result of extra work produced by the body as defense mechanisms are brought online to fight the invading organism. The lacrimal glands produce continuous tears to cool down the cornea so that its heat-sensitive protein make-up is not damaged – your child looks glassy-eyed. There is no appetite – the body shuts down digestive cycles and shunts all energy to defense.

All these activities are designed for one purpose only – to restore health and remove the invading organism. That puts this whole “sickness thing” in a very different light now doesn’t it?

It means that all these things are not random effects that need to be treated. It does not mean that this child is “sick”. No! It means that the body is doing exactly what it was designed and programmed to do. This is not
an example of “sickness.” This is an example of health! It is what should happen! Ok….It may not be pleasant – your child may not like it, but it is an expression of health.

Fever Frenzy
Most parents know that normal body temperature is 98.6F. Right? Wrong! The figure 98.6F is an average. Body temperature can fluctuate anywhere between 96 and 101F and still be “normal”. Parents need to understand that fever is simply heat. When the body’s nervous system awakens the immune system’s response to fight an impending infection, many normal body activities speed up. This extra work produces heat and fever. It’s that simple.
The height of a fever has no bearing on the seriousness of the condition and there is absolutely no clinical evidence that high fever causes convulsions or brain damage. In fact, Dr. Ross Parker, a leading pediatrician at the McMaster University Medical Centre in Hamilton, Ontario feels that physicians should not take the temperatures of their patients. Dr. Richard Mittleman agrees, stating that “the taking of temperature in the doctor’s office is basically an unnecessary ritual.”

There is no scientific evidence to indicate that it is necessary, or even wise, to lower the body’s temperature. Fever is not the problem, but only the result of the body attempting to deal with an impending infection. It should be viewed as a positive sign: the immune system is doing exactly what it is designed to do.

The bottom line is that it makes little sense to aggressively suppress the body’s natural defenses against viral infection. As a general rule of thumb, it is wiser to treat the child instead of the number. For instance, if you have a child with a 103 fever and is alert, drinking fluids and responsive and another child that has a fever of 99.4 and cannot be awoken and is dehydrated then treat the 99.4 child! Not the higher fever number child.

There are, of course, some exceptions here. For instance, it may make sense to seek medical care if one’s fever is above 104 degrees for over six hours, especially in an extremely weak or unresponsive child, or in any fever in an infant under four months of age, especially if recently vaccinated.

Next time your child has a fever, understand the reason the fever is there in the first place. Do not jump the gun and give your child medication to lower her temperature. Although you may be concerned that it could do some harm, fever is actually a good thing.

Consider this study that investigated the hypothesis that febrile infectious childhood diseases (FICDs), those illnesses accompanied by fever, are associated with a lower cancer risk in adulthood. The study consistently revealed “a lower cancer risk for patients with a history of FICD.” Albonico HU, Braker HU, Husler J. Febrile infectious childhood diseases in the history of cancer patients and matched controls. Medical Hypotheses. 1998;51(4):315-320. Please let the fever run its course and let the body heal itself!

An Earful
The most common treatments used for ear infections are antibiotics, decongestants, tympanostomy (tubes in the ears) and surgery. You may be surprised that the benefits of all of these are highly questionable. A clinical study published in the Lancet, a major medical research journal, concluded that “recovery time is about the same for children whether medical treatments were done or nothing was done at all.”

Another study published in the Archives of Otolaryngology showed that “88% of children with Otitis media never needed antibiotics and they do not shorten the span of the disease” As a matter of fact, a May 1997 edition of Newsweek stated that antibiotics are not nearly as effective as the body’s own immune system. What a concept!

So why use them?

Good question! For parents frustrated with recurring ear infections, the ENT (ears, nose & throat) specialist will most likely prescribe tympanostomy. It is a surgical procedure whereby your child is left in the hospital to be attended to by strangers and anaesthetized so that a tube can be placed in her ear drum to drain fluid. This procedure does nothing to eliminate the problem. It simply reduces pressure and fluid build-up. A barbaric ritual!

Over a million tympanostomies are performed in the U.S. and Canada every year. Do they work? In controlled clinical studies, it was determined that there was “no benefit gained from the placement of tubes.” As a matter of fact, they “actually created complications, such as scar formation on the ear drum,” leading to hearing loss. Not a favored side effect!

The late Dr. Robert Mendelson, one of the leading pediatricians in the U.S., felt that “the entire treatment for ear infections (antibiotics, antihistamines, tubes in the ears, tonsillectomy) represents overkill for a condition that, except in malnourished children, is almost self-limiting.”

Chiropractic Care
So how do kids get these ear infections?

In his landmark book Vaccination, Social Violence and Criminality, Dr. Harris Coulter sites Otitis and hearing loss as one of the most common side effects of vaccination, to the point where over 30 million visits are made to physicians around the U.S. and Canada each year. This opinion is echoed by Dr. Viera Schreibner, one of the world’s foremost authorities on vaccinations. Something to ponder!

As a wellness Chiropractor, I see ear infections as a malfunction of the immune and nervous system and lowered immune resistance along with poor drainage of the ear. In other words, the body is not able to fight off the infection and clear out the bacteria naturally.

The main cause of lowered immune resistance in the baby can be the birth itself. It is very traumatic. The stress associated with the average uncomplicated delivery may cause a vertebral subluxation “misalignment of some of the segments of the spine affecting the way the child’s nervous system reacts to the world around him”. In their landmark research studies, Drs. Gutman and Biedermann examined hundreds of newborn babies and concluded that an unhealthy spine at birth “causes many clinical features, from central motor impairment to lowered resistance to infection, especially ear, nose and throat infection.”

These physicians were emphatic that “the success of chiropractic care overshadows every other type of treatment.”

The Body Knows
In order for this to make sense, parents need to understand that the body is self-healing and self-regulating organism. In other words, it is designed to heal itself and regulate its own internal functions. When was the last time you had to instruct your stomach how many enzymes and chemicals to produce to digest a meal? The body knows what it’s doing, and it does it perfectly without our “meddling.”

Basically you’re on “auto pilot”. You have your very own “internal Internet” that allows your body to run things smoothly. This organic communication network is your nervous system. It controls your entire body and every function within it. As long as there is no interference or “short circuit” to its function, you should have the best health possible. One type of short circuit is a vertebral subluxation. It tends to interfere with the way your nervous system transmits information, lowering resistance, and making you susceptible to bacterial or viral invasion. In the case of ear infections, a misalignment of the upper neck or cranial bones will often cause the tubes that drain the ear to shift out of place and/or close up and prevent natural ear drainage.

What about the drugs?
Children who get a viral infection and are given aspirin can lead to Reye’s syndrome, a serious neurological condition that can cause death. Aspirin is also known to thin the blood and increase the chances of various bleeding disorders. Its use more or less doubles the risk of a severe gastrointestinal event, which in most cases can lead to hospitalization. Many people take acetaminophen for fever or sickness because it is not associated with increased bleeding. However, the general public is usually not aware of the fact that poison control centers in the US receive more calls as a result of an overdose of this drug than any other drug. Most commonly, overdoses of acetaminophen can lead to acute liver failure. In children, it has been associated with increased asthma and eczema symptoms.

Chiropractic care is absolutely safe and essential for children, especially in cases where the immune system needs a boost or ear infections are present. I have also found that, as an adjunct to chiropractic care, the following will be very helpful in dealing with children who have chronic ear infections:

1. I encourage my patients to avoid using Q-tips or shoving anything into the ear canal. Many parents are not aware that ears are designed to clean themselves; when an object is shoved into the ear canal, it causes this self-cleaning mechanism to be clogged. Promotion of wax build-up provides a breeding ground for bacteria.

2. Warm salt water drops in the nose will often clear the entrance to the Eustachian tube, the blocked passageway between the inner ear and the nose.

3. For the child with a full-blown ear infection, I recommend a touch of warm olive oil poured into the affected ear. This will help to alleviate the considerable discomfort almost immediately.

4. Vitamin C supplementation is beneficial. The dosage should range from 2,000 to 7,000 mg/day, depending on the age of the child.

5. Vitamin A and beta-carotene are important. I recommend an eight ounce glass of raw carrot juice daily.

6. To give the immune system increased function, have your child take: A. a high quality probiotic – health promoting beneficial bacteria, especially if your child has been on antibiotics for any length of time. I do not recommend using a dairy only source of probiotics like yogurt due to the fact that many have an allergy to dairy without realizing it and provides only minimum benefit after several days. A multi-strain, vegetarian probiotic with soil-based bacteria is best and faster acting; B. zinc lozenges – three times a day for approximately seven days. Be careful, however, not to exceed 50mg per day in total.

7. Vitamin B6 and D3 (400 – 2000 units/day: age and weight dependent) have been known to increase immune system function. And, of course, love, reassurance and lots of hugs and cuddles will do wonders in helping your child towards a speedy recovery!

Dr. John Ferguson is a family wellness Chiropractor in Clifton Park and a member of the International Chiropractic Pediatric Association (www.chiro4kids.org).

Ferguson Family Chiropractic ~ Exit 9, The Crossings – Clifton Park ~ 518.383.5595 www.ForLifetimeWellness.com

How to Find Affordable Child Care without Sacrificing Quality

Most parents aren’t professional economists, but you don’t have to be one to know that the cost of living in the U.S. has been increasing dramatically over the last few years. A 2011 survey from Kelton Research indicated that Americans have noticed significant increases in their expenditures on even the most basic items – from groceries and gasoline, to utilities and health insurance. Many families are being forced to cut back on all expenses and some are sacrificing quality for affordability.

Managing the high cost of child care is a particularly challenging situation, since it has become a basic necessity for households where both parents work outside of the home. And, while parents might be willing to move from name brands to store brands, one area where they are not willing to sacrifice quality for affordability is care for their children.

“Our children mean the world to us, and we want to make sure they are experiencing life, while safe and accounted for when my wife and I are both at work all day,” said AuPairCare host father Jack Stiefel, who lives in Northern California. “With AuPairCare, our children get to experience a new culture and they receive undivided attention all at an affordable price. Our experiences have been wonderful. I’ve never thought twice about our decision to use AuPairCare, and I would recommend their services to any parents.”

An au pair is an international young person who provides up to 45 hours of child care per week for American families. The hourly cost of an au pair from AuPairCare is approximately $7.50 per hour, considerably lower than the cost of baby sitters, nannies, day-care centers, and camps. Au pairs provide high quality childcare in the safety of a host family’s home, giving the family’s children undivided attention. The cost of AuPairCare’s au pairs remains the same regardless of how many children a family has making it a great child care option for families with multiple children.

Not only is AuPairCare an affordable child care option, it is an educational one, too. Au pairs from AuPairCare come from more than 40 different countries around the world. In addition to providing loving care to their host family’s children, they also teach them games, words, and traditional songs from their home countries. Educating children about different cultures and languages from a young age is important in our increasing global society, and an au pair is a unique way to provide your children with a world perspective. AuPairCare offers a unique online matching system that makes it easy for parents to learn about each available au pair’s hobbies, interests, and childcare background plus view photos and videos before making a decision.

AuPairCare is a leading au pair agency providing affordable live-in childcare services to American families since 1989. Designated by the U.S. Department of State, AuPairCare has matched more than 40,000 au pairs with American families across the U.S. AuPairCare is a division of Intrax, a family of organizations that provide a lifetime of high quality educational, work and volunteer programs that connect people and cultures, with operations in more than 100 countries worldwide.

To find an au pair to fit your family’s needs call 1(800) 428-7247 or visit www.aupaircare.com. You can also contact the local area director, Ellen Malinowski, at 518 248-4464 or ellenaupaircare@hotmail.com