Affordable Childcare
Affordable Childcare - Pooh Bears Daycare

Childcare costs can be sky high, especially as many daycare centers raise their prices post-pandemic. Fortunately, there are financial assistance programs available that can help to bring costs down, as well as various affordable childcare options.

Government Subsidies: Certain governmental agencies may offer subsidies for the cost of childcare and early childhood education services for low-income families. Check with your local government or social services agency to see what you qualify for.

Employer-Sponsored Dependent Care Account: Ask your employer about a dependent care account and find out if this is an option to help offset some of your childcare expenses. This program allows you to set aside up to $5,000 of pre-tax income for eligible childcare costs like before/after school programs and summer camps.

Tax Credits: A Child and Dependent Care Tax Credit may also be available to taxpayers who need childcare in order to work, look for a job or attend school full-time with an adjusted gross income of less than $438,000.  This credit gives up to $4,000 back per qualifying dependent (or $8,000 if two or more dependents are involved).

Affordable Childcare

Affordable Childcare Options: Instead of paying higher tuition rates at traditional daycares and hiring a nanny with a hefty price tag – explore co-op daycares where parents will share responsibility in helping running the daycare or select a in-home daycare like Pooh Bear’s Daycare in Manassas Park, VA which provides individualized one-on-one care for your children unlike other large centers in the Manassas, VA area and offers lower rates in the Manassas Park, VA area.  Give us a call at (571) 217-8694 or visit our website (poohbearsdaycare.com) for more details and information. Check out our links here.

childcare
BACK TO SCHOOL

Back to School

It’s Official Kids… Time for Back to School!

Pooh Bear's Daycare Friends
Winnie Pooh Bear Friends

Summer vacation is officially about over & Manassas City Schools open for business 10 August 2022 and Manassas Park schools officially begin 22 August.

Whether or not you and your children are looking forward to the upcoming school year, we want to pass this information to you so you can write down the important dates for your calendars and planning purposes.

Back to School - Manassas City Public Schools

Below are the dates to know for the 2022-2023 school year for the City of Manassas Schools:

  • Aug 10, 2022: First day of school.
  • Sept 2-5, 2022: Labor Day holiday.
  • Oct 20, 2022: Early dismissal for students for parent-teacher conferences.
  • Oct 21, 2022: Student holiday for parent-teacher conferences.
  • Nov 8, 2022: Student holiday for Election Day.
  • Nov 11, 2022: Veterans Day, no school for students and staff.
  • Nov 23-25, 2022: Thanksgiving break.
  • Dec 16, 2022: Early dismissal for students.
  • Dec 19, 2022-Jan. 2, 2023: Winter break.
  • Jan 3, 2023: Teacher workday, no school for students.
  • Jan 16, 2023: Martin Luther King, Jr. Day, no school for students and staff.
  • Jan 30, 2023: Professional development day, no school for students.
  • Feb 9-10, 2023: Early dismissal for students for parent-teacher conferences.
  • Feb 20, 2023: Presidents’ Day.
  • Mar 17, 2023: Teacher workday, no school for students.
  • Apr 3-7, 2023: Spring break.
  • Apr 10, 2023: Easter Monday holiday, no school for students.
  • May 29, 2023: Memorial Day.
  • May 30-31, 2023: Early dismissal for students.
  • May 31, 2023: Last day of school.

Parents… Pooh Bear’s Daycare hopes you all had a great summer break and are getting ready to begin another busy school year.  Give us a call @ (571) 217-8694 if you need before and after childcare.  We have limited spaces available and are on the Manassas Park Bus route with front door pick up and afternoon drop offs.

Manassas Park Public Schools Bus

Manassas Park School’s important dates to know for the 2022-2023 school year are listed here.

Manassas Park Schools - Back to School

Back to School - Manassas Park School Calendar 2022

Manassas Park High School

Manassas Park Cougar Elementary School

Pooh Bear's Daycare
Second Qtr Estimated Taxes Due June 15

Second Qtr Estimated Taxes Due June 15

JUNE 10, 2022

Pooh Bears Daycare RSS - Second Qtr Estimated Taxes Due June 15

Here’s your 2nd quarterly reminder that your federal estimated tax payment is June 15th! June 15th, is the deadline for family childcare providers to file their federal estimated tax payment for the second quarter of the year.

The second quarter payment includes the months of April and May. Third quarter payments include the months of June, July, and August, while the last or fourth quarter payment includes the months of September, October, November and December. (Note: the tax quarters for estimated taxes are not equal!)

If you are a daycare provider to determine your business profit, you will need to add up your income for April and May (parent childcare payments, and if applicable any Child and Adult Care Food Program (CACFP) reimbursements received and then subtract your business expenses for these months. Note: You will owe federal income taxes plus Social Security taxes (15.3%) on all your profits made.

It is important to note here that most childcare providers do not need to file estimated taxes (IRS Form 1040 ES Estimated Tax for Individuals) because their spouse usually will have enough withheld in taxes during the year to cover them. However, if you are single or have a spouse who is unemployed or self-employed, you likely will need to file the quarterly taxes. IRS

If you are unsure if you have paid in enough taxes for the months of April and May, it’s worth making a payment so you pay in enough throughout the year. Your goal is to have paid in at least 90% of the taxes you owe for each quarter to avoid paying a penalty, and the good news is that if you pay in too much you will get a refund at end of year.

So how do you know how much you will owe in taxes? If you were in business last year, use that information as a guide. If this is your first year in business, use 20% of your gross income (parents daycare fees paid + any Food Program income) for April and May as a conservative guess of how much taxes you will owe. For more help, on this subject check out this information at your business friend website on “How to Estimate Your Taxes in Your First Year of Business.”

You should also check your records to see if you will owe any state income taxes. If so, make a state estimated tax payment by June 15th as well. To ensure you don’t miss future filing dates set a reminder on your calendar for future tax deadlines: third quarter estimated tax payments will be due September 15 and fourth quarter payments on January 17, 2023. We hope you like Pooh Bears Daycare RSS feed.  Stop by again soon for more news.

Getting Started in the Business of Family Daycare
Getting Started in the Business of Family Daycare

Congratulations on deciding to start a business to become a family daycare!

Congratulations on deciding to start a business to become a family daycare! You are among a special group of individuals who have chosen the profession of caring for young children.  Getting Started in the Business of Family Daycare is important.  You have chosen this work because you love children. You also now have an opportunity to earn money to help support your family. Each year thousands of providers have successfully set up their businesses, and we welcome you to this caring profession.  Thank You for caring.

This post introduces important topics that every family childcare provider needs to know about to run a successful business.

Introduction: How Do You Begin?

  1. Start by Promoting Your Business
  2. Create a Contract and Operating Policies
  3. Begin Keeping Records
  4. Reduce the Risks of Your Business
  5. Manage Your Money & Plan for Retirement


How to Manage Your Money and Plan for Retirement

Learning to manage your business money is a vital skill. You need at least 70% of your current income when you decide to retire to maintain your current standard of living. Social Security will generate less than half of this amount. It’s important to save money through your own retirement investments and you can on average expect to live approximately one-fourth of your life while in retirement. Good planning ahead will make a difference.

  • Start Educating yourself about money. Two excellent books are Personal Finance for Dummies, by Eric Tyson, and Making the Most of Your Money, by Jane Bryant Quinn. You may also be able to learn more by attending classes and workshops in your local community.
  • It’s important to know what you spend your money on. For at least two months, begin tracking every dollar your family spends. Put your spending expenses in categories under two headings: fixed expenses and flexible expenses. Examples of fixed expenses include your mortgage, utilities, insurance, and any loans. Flexible expenses include food, clothing, entertainment, vacations, and so on. To make savings a top priority, set aside a savings amount at the beginning of the month as a fixed expense. Try cutting something under flexible spending if you are going to be short at the end of the month.
  • Pay off all credit card debt. If you can’t afford to fully pay off credit card bills at the end of each month, this is a sign of overspending. The money saved from paying interest on credit cards can be used towards your retirement.
  • Pay cash for all purchases. The only exceptions to this rule are the purchase of a house, home improvements, and a college education. Even try to set aside any extra money each month in a car replacement fund so that you may be able to make a larger down payment on your next car.
  • Start saving in small amounts. Some providers set aside the amount of a payment for one child as their retirement savings.
  • Remember Time is money. The sooner you begin saving the better. This example illustrates good point. Tracy and Joe are twins. Susan starts saving for her retirement at age 35. She saves $2,000 a year for ten years and earns 8% interest each year. At age 65 she will have $151,000. Joe waits to start saving until he is age 45. He saves $2,000 a year for 20 years and earns 8% interest each year. At age 65 he will have $99,000. Although he saved twice as much money as his sister Tracy, he has a third less money because he waited 10 more years before he started to begin saving.
  • Purchase insurance needed to protect yourself against any major disaster.
  • Planning for retirement is a long-term goal. Before making long-term goals, make sure you have a plan to meet your short-term goals (one to five years). Short-terms goals can include buying a car, making a down payment on a house, and so on.
  • Set up a plan to meet your regular monthly expenses if you become disabled or are out of work for three to six months. You don’t want a short-term emergency to wipe out all your retirement savings.
  • Target at least 10% of your net income (income minus business expenses) for retirement savings. If you are over 40 years old, then 20% is better if you can afford it!
  • Don’t wait until the end of the year to put money into your retirement account. Start investing a small amount each month.
  • If you don’t know where to invest your money, put your retirement savings into a money market account. This is a safe starting point and then start educating yourself and get advice about where to put your money. Don’t ever invest in stocks or bonds until you understand their risks and rewards.
  • Depending on your household and business income, you may be eligible to participate in several retirement plans. These include a Traditional IRA, Roth IRA, SIMPLE IRA and others.
Saving money and planning for retirement

Saving money and planning for retirement is not simple. But you can educate yourself about all your finances. By doing so, you will have more control over your financial future. For more information google the Internet on Money Management and Retirement planning. Visit Pooh Bear’s Daycare again soon…we’ll be looking out for you.

Freedom’s New Family Coaching Services

covid family recovery

Coronavirus

The last few years have been difficult for most people. Coronavirus has had a huge impact on the world, causing us all to suffer from many things, but fortunately most of us have gotten to the other side.

As parents, we know you have done a great job of staying strong for your children and helping them overcome a pandemic where information is limited, and the end does not seem to exist. Parents had to support them through isolation, home education, fear and insecurity, but many still do not have everything together to become whole again. Our children lacked important milestones and social events like; celebrate birthdays, graduations, proms, fresher weeks, early days at school and making new friends. Understanding that your children may feel anger, resentment, or anxiety simply because life has returned to “normal” does not mean that they are returning to these important moments in life.  Are we now damaged goods?  Time will tell but we all have more to do to get healthy once again.

COVID-19

Our relationships with children will be constantly changing forever more, you and we will not, and cannot, treat them as if they were six or seven years old. After COVID, we know all must adjust to a new norm.  We all grow emotionally and physically each differently and we now must adapt to how we communicate differently with everyone going forward.

When you think about these two points, you can understand why many teens and children are overwhelmed and why families are trying to get along.  Coronavirus has been a terrible nightmare; mask paranoia has hurt us all, and everyone may need family coaching services. 

At Pooh Bear’s Daycare, we have a solution. We listened to our friends and family who went through similar situations and decided to create a room or area in our family home daycare to provide communication services to those in need.  

These conversations are held when needed to help people cope and get answers to their questions and other things, they feel need healing ones self.  It is not advice, but rather a support service in a safe, neutral and comfortable environment where all can talk, listen and learn. We want to listen to all parties and help parents to be a source of strength for their children. We can cover topics such as family dynamics, internet safety, harassment management, self-care and social care, and more.

covid MENTAL HEALTH

 

COVID Health

We have experienced this over the years and social care for adults and children has given us the understanding and qualifications to be a great source of information and support. Our goal is to make you feel powerful with the tools / tasks that can help strengthen your family’s unity. Each family is unique, so our conversation sessions will continue to make sure you feel your support is provided along the way living after COVID. To learn more about our service, email us at info@poohbearsdaycare.com.

Holistic Approaches to Childcare and Why

At Pooh Bear’s Daycare, we pride ourselves on being able to offer a holistic approach to childcare. A holistic approach to childcare aims to help children collectively achieve their emotional, social, mental, and physical goals. This approach to childcare is a high-quality environment that cares for all aspects of a child’s development.

Holistic Approaches to Childcare and why

What is a holistic approach to childcare?

Child development research remains an important provision of an educational environment that focuses on the “connection of mind, body and spirit/sole. Taking this approach to development is less focused on the goal of academic completion and recognizes that a child’s success begins with the caregiver’s trust in the child’s individual cognitive needs. In delivering holistic childcare, children can explore, learn and grow in a safe and fun environment. Realizing that each child has different needs and maintaining a high level of individual care is an important trait to be always mindful of. If childcare takes a holistic approach, it means a low childcare setting, which is one of the characteristics of high-quality childcare where one-on-one care plays significantly.

The holistic philosophy of Pooh Bear’s Daycare goes beyond the foundations of development, structuring goals focused on intellectual-intellectual development, socialization, language literacy, discovering the arts and sciences, and developing motor skills.

holistic-philosophy

 Why should you consider a holistic approach? A holistic approach to childcare goes beyond basic childcare. It is a sensitive, caring, and individual approach that tries to meet the needs of each child in different ways.

A holistic childcare facility will take care of all aspects of a child’s life. As a result, caregivers are aware of the different ways in which children learn. It combines with a playful approach to learning because “well-trained teachers direct children’s energy into productive physical activities that combine learning fun.”

holistic-childcare

In a holistic childcare environment, each child is unique and may require different approaches to care. Some children may benefit from being active, while others are more satisfied with participating at a less accelerated pace. One child may have special needs that require special attention, while others may not easily demonstrate their educational needs. For this reason, it is important that each child receives individual attention to acquire their individual skills.

Ultimately, this type of approach can help children develop better social skills as well as stronger relationships with parents or others. Children are better able to build their self-confidence by expressing themselves in a way that is valued and accepted. The holistic approach looks at the whole child

Learning has the greatest potential when an individual child is aware of it. By focusing on all aspects of the child’s development, your able to take care of the individual emotional, physical and social needs of the child(ren). Being able to recognize is the key to creating an inclusive childcare environment where children can be the best. There are experienced caregivers who can see the needs of each child to precisely shift the dynamics of childcare and stimulate development.

A-holistic-approach-is-not-a-measure-for-all

 A holistic approach is not one measure for all

One of the most important aspects of a holistic approach is that providers are more flexible in adapting their environment to the needs of each child. Children are not placed in a solid environment but belong to one that is shaped by their interests and needs. A holistic approach to childcare focuses on all aspects of a child’s development, including:

• The child’s emotional needs can be met by using the most effective toys and learning techniques.

• The child’s social needs are met by children examining their environment and communicating with other children in a safe environment.

• The child’s physical needs can be met by a changing schedule that focuses on classroom movement as well as the best time spent abroad, if possible, the nature of the lessons.

Benefits of early holistic childcare

In the world of childcare, the term “holistic” has become a focal point of high-quality childcare facilities. “Holistic” changes to “connected” when our caregivers realize that the skills that children learned and developed in early childhood are paramount in all aspects of their lives. Developing every skill, interest and talent with a quality perspective is what drives Pooh Bear’s Daycare’s goals to take care of the child’s overall development. We hope you enjoyed reading our post on holistic approaches to childcare and why. Like this post!

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