Child Care Providers Resource Network (CCPRN)

Yummy snack ideas from OPH. Perfect for a warm summer day! ☀️🫐🍓

The sunny days are here, and they call for cool snacks! If you’re heading to the park, spending time outdoors or looking for ways to beat the heat, these snack ideas can help you stay refreshes this summer:
🍓 Smoothie popsicles: blend yogurt with fruit and then freeze in molds.
🫐 Yogurt bark: spread yogurt on a baking sheet, top with berries and freeze until solid
🍉 Watermelon cubes or fruit skewers
🍌 Frozen banana puree: Blend frozen bananas for a soft-serve ice cream alternative.

Find more ideas: www.halfyourplate.ca/blog/10-must-try-snacks-for-hot-summer-days/

When young children are shown kindness, they learn to share it with others. Small acts—gentle words, helping hands, and caring hearts—can make a big difference in how children grow, connect, and feel valued.

Every child deserves to feel safe, seen, and included. When we lead with kindness, empathy, and respect, we help create spaces where all children and families feel they belong.

Vertical painting is a simple, low-prep activity that strengthens core muscles, improves shoulder stability, and builds fine motor skills. It also supports posture, hand-eye coordination, and midline crossing— helping both sides of the brain communicate and work together.

Try taping a large sheet of paper to a wall, window, fence, or tree trunk for an easy setup.

An even simpler idea: Skip the paint and paper and let children “paint” a fence or house siding with water. All you need are buckets of water, along with a variety of brushes and rollers.

Follow us for more play ideas, activity inspiration, and resources for home child care
providers.

In Ontario’s pedagogical framework, How Does Learning Happen?, Expression is identified as one of four foundational conditions—alongside Belonging, Well-Being, and Engagement—necessary to support healthy development.

Expression helps children share their thoughts, ideas, knowledge, and feelings through words, movement, and materials. In language-rich environments, supported by reciprocal communication, active listening, and hands-on exploration, children develop essential literacy and lifelong communication skills.

How do you support Expression in your home child care environment?

Playdough supports many areas of early childhood development in a fun, hands-on way.

✅Strengthens hand muscles and develops the fine motor skills needed for writing
✅Improves hand-eye coordination through squeezing, kneading, and pinching
✅Encourages sensory exploration and supports emotional regulation by providing a calming outlet
✅Builds language development, early math skills, and imagination through open-ended play

⚠️ But did you know? ⚠️👇
Raw flour can carry harmful bacteria and has been linked to several recalls and outbreaks. To help reduce the risk of illness, new guidelines recommend baking the flour before using it to make playdough (even if your recipe calls for cooking the playdough on the stove) or for any other sensory materials/doughs that contain flour as an ingredient.

📌Heat treat the flour by spreading it out evenly on a baking sheet and bake in a 350F oven until the internal temperature of the flour reaches 165F (74C). Let cool and use as directed in your favourite playdough/sensory dough recipe. You can store any extra heat-treated flour in a clean, dry container for later use.

Follow us for more tips, ideas, and resources for home child care providers.

A new month brings a fresh start and a chance to reset our goals and focus on a positive mindset.

Like a blank page, it invites us to move forward with renewed energy, gratitude, and purpose.

June is full of hope, and inspiration for growth is all around.

What motivates and inspires you?

Starting a home child care program in Ontario can feel overwhelming — especially when it comes to rules, ratios, and regulations. Whether you’re affiliated with a licensed agency or operating independently, understanding these limits helps you stay compliant, confident, and focused on providing safe, quality care.
If you’re just getting started, we’ve created a FREE Getting Started Guide to support you every step of the way — with clear explanations, practical tips, and trusted information for home child care providers in Ontario.

📘Download the guide: https://bit.ly/49NM9WD
🔖Save this post to reference later
📤Share it with a provider who’s just starting out.

Supporting home child care providers across Ontario — that’s what we’re here for.

It's a beautiful morning here in Ottawa - perfect for an outdoor nature colour hunt!

Nature colour hunts invite children to slow down, observe closely, and engage with the outdoor environment in a purposeful way. As they search for different colours in leaves, flowers, sticks, and other natural materials, they are building vocabulary, strengthening observation skills, and making meaningful connections through play.

Simple invitations like this can turn an everyday outdoor walk into a rich learning experience that supports curiosity, language, and early thinking skills.

Follow us for more play ideas, activity inspiration, and resources for home child care
providers.

Wishing those who celebrate a joyous Eid al-Adha filled with happiness and beautiful memories.