We got hit by a tornado on a Sunday afternoon in late May. It was a holiday weekend, so most of our neighbors were out of town. I was out shopping in Forest Lake with my 4 year old, and my husband was at home.  We were experiencing a terrible storm in Forest Lake—it was green outside and hailed for a very long time, longer than I'd ever seen before. I called my husband to ask about the weather, and he said it was not even raining in Hugo, but looking north toward Forest Lake he saw what looked like a bad storm. Nobody could leave the store, Menards, because the wind and hail were so strong. I decided to take my son and climb under some shelving. It was that bad.

Minutes later my husband called to tell me that the house had just been hit by a tornado and that he was going to look for survivors.

Vroom materials have been a wonderful resource to integrate into our existing programs. When parents call requesting a child care search, we engage in conversation about child development and reaffirm to each parent the special role they play as being their child’s first and most important teacher.

It hardly seems possible that we are in the midst of transitioning from preschool to kindergarten with our oldest child. How did that curious little infant we had five years ago move so quickly through toddlerhood and preschool?

As a mom who has experience in transitioning children from child care to school, I’d like to share some tips with parents that are experiencing this for the first time this fall.

My 9-year-old son has already made the transition from home child care to preschool, then to an elementary school to after school care. I also have a daughter who will be soon making the transition from child care to a preschool center this fall.

The extreme cost of child care in the United States is a highly debated and recognized economic concern. According to Child Care Aware® of America, child care is unaffordable in 49 states plus the District of Columbia. Though it seems like there aren’t currently many assistance programs in place, legislators have taken notice of the issue and have not only put several in place but are also working on developing new ones every day.

Backpack, paper, pencils, and homework folder: for many families, that’s the standard shopping list for back-to-school season. However, one key item is missing: your child’s afterschool program! Choosing the perfect program for your child can make the transition from early child care to aftercare seem daunting, but it doesn’t have to be! We want to provide you with some tips that will make choosing a program easy and exciting.