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- 🫵 🚨 Licensing Fines up to $10k?!
🫵 🚨 Licensing Fines up to $10k?!
PLUS: Get Your Report Checklist & Around the World in One Summer
Today’s Issue: Bye Bye Pennies, Must Have Licensing Reports, Around the World in One Summer, ECE News, = 1 cup of coffee.
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A Penny for Your Thoughts? As If! Gimme a Nickel: It’s official. The US Treasury will stop making pennies starting in early 2026. Lots of folks ask why? I guess it’s all about the Benjamins. 💰 There are an estimated 114B pennies in circulation, but many are sitting around in piggy banks or old coffee cans. An estimated $1.2m worth of pennies are simply thrown in the trash each year. I don’t want to do that math, but that’s a lot of pennies. I guess we’ll have to start teaching kids to round up sooner in ECE.
Do you offer financial literacy courses in your ECE program? |
🚨👮♀️ - Licensing Reports & Requirements
We all know that childcare centers have some of the toughest regulations and requirements. Reporting is a HUGE need and concern that a lot of management softwares can help alleviate. Most states require certain records to be kept for 3-5 years (i.e. Colorado is 3, California is 5). But to help simplify things, digital reports are acceptable in most licensing audits as long as they're readily accessible and printable.
Licensing visits can be spur of the moment and usually involve a random sampling of reports — so it’s smart to audit your own records monthly. Here’s a simple table we put together that lists what those fines can look like, and it’s not pretty…up to $10k per day fines?! Ouch…🤕
Examples of State Penalties for Licensing Report Violations
State | Fine Amount (per day) | Trigger for Fine |
|---|---|---|
Colorado | $100 (up to $10,000) | Licensing Act violations, including documentation |
California | $50–$150 | Uncorrected or repeat deficiencies, including reports |
Texas | $50–$100 | Operating without a license or documentation |
Utah | $500 initial, $100+ | Operating illegally or documentation issues |
Washington | $150–$250 | Unlicensed operation or documentation issues |
We tried to take out some of the guess work for you!
Here is a starter checklist of which reports you can immediately access from your management system. If you don’t have one, it might be a good idea to invest in one to help minimize these risks. ⚠️
👇📋👇📋👇Download the Free Checklist Below!
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👑 Pro Tip: Print this report, edit it for your state needs and share it with your staff so they know where to get the deets!
Have you ever been in trouble due to reporting issues? |
Fun Summer Idea! "Passport to Adventure: A Summer Around the World!"
Need a change from the same old sidewalk chalk masterpieces? This summer, let’s shake things up and give your kiddos a globe-trotting adventure without ever leaving the playground. Introducing: “Passport to Adventure!” — a creative, week-long (or summer-long!) series where your center transforms into a new country each week. No TSA lines, no jet lag, just pure, culturally rich, kid-friendly fun.
🛫 How It Works:
At the start, each child gets a personalized play passport (think construction paper, stickers, and a lot of glitter). 🪩 Every week, your center “visits” a new country. From decorations to snacks to activities, you immerse the kids in the sights, sounds, and tastes of different cultures.
Bonus: Every time they complete an activity, they get a custom stamp or sticker in their passport!
🌍 Sample Itinerary:
Week 1: Mexico 🇲🇽
Decorate with papel picado banners
Make maracas out of plastic eggs and rice
Try a mild guacamole tasting station
Have a mini “fiesta” dance party with mariachi music
Week 2: Japan 🇯🇵
DIY cherry blossom paintings with pink tissue paper
Learn to say hello and goodbye in Japanese
Have a chopstick relay race (cotton balls, not sushi!)
Build origami boats and float them in the water table
Week 3: Kenya 🇰🇪
Make African bead necklaces from dyed pasta
Drum circle using overturned buckets and rhythm sticks
Storytime under a “Baobab Tree” (aka, big beach umbrella)
Safari scavenger hunt around the playground
And so on…
✈️ Why Kids & Parents Love It:
It sneaks in learning about geography, languages, and cultural traditions without feeling like a lesson.
It's screen-free, hands-on fun.
Parents adore the daily updates and adorable passport souvenirs.
End with a Bang!: End the summer with a World’s Fair Day where you set up “booths” for each country you’ve visited, complete with snacks, crafts, and games. Invite families in for a festive send-off!
Who’s ready to take off? ✈️🌎✨
ECE In The News
‼️Grants from Gaming Revenue: The YMCA of Corry in PA, just received a $47k grant from a little unknown source, the Erie County Gaming Revenue Authority! The organization identified that access to childcare is critical. Remember to check all OPTIONS when it comes to local grant opportunities. Get your 💰💰!
🏣 Repurposing Old Schools: What to do with those school buildings no longer being used? Turn them into ECE centers! That’s what the state of Tennessee started doing to help The legislation will require public school districts to report all vacant and/or underutilized buildings. Then, childcare agencies will be allowed to rent or buy those buildings to open new facilities. 😎
Do you think this a good strategy to expand ECE centers? |
The Internet is a Playground:
🗓️ On this Day in History: In 1885, one of America’s most iconic monuments arrived in the US of A. The Statue of Liberty was delivered in from France to remind the world that the US is a beacon of hope and liberty. 🗽
🎵🎧 Missing Your iPod?: We got you covered…here’s an online version.
🏀 Top Sports Moments: Here’s a look at the top 100 sports moments of the last 25 years.
🥦 Nutritious Snacks: Looks like broccoli isn’t just good for us humans.
YOUR VOICE COUNTS
Is there a topic you want more info on or want to share a funny story? Then let us know! Shoot us a quick email at [email protected]. This newsletter is for you, and well, you should have a say, don't’ you think?
What did you think of today's issue? |
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