We all want to create high-performing email campaigns. Performance suffers, however, when emails are delivered to the SPAM folder. WHAT IS EMAIL DELIVERABILITY? Email deliverability refers to the ability of your messages to reach the inbox. It doesn't matter if your emails are beautifully designed and perfectly optimized if no one receives them. Many factors influence whether or not your emails are delivered to the inbox, including the reputation of your FROM address (the email address from which the message was sent), the reputation of the sending platform, and further technicalities, such as email authentication. All of these are critical, and should be discussed with your email service providers. Even if you're not a “techie”, the choices you make can impact email deliverability. HOW EMAIL DESIGN AFFECTS DELIVERABILITY The choices you make from a design point of view can impact your ability to deliver emails to the inbox over time. Make sure that you: Don’t make it difficult for people to unsubscribe. Have a good balance between text and images. Have your messages be easily recognizable by your customers. With our Drag and Drop editor, you can quickly design emails that perform well. 1. Keep the Unsubscribe link visible. While it may seem paradoxical, the best method to ensure that your audience is engaged is to make it simple for them to opt-out. Emailing people, not email addresses, is what you do. There will be people who no longer want to receive your messages, even if you segment your audience well and deliver them content they care about. Make it simple for them to cancel. There are two fundamental reasons to have a visible unsubscribe link: Spam complaints. Your messages are more likely to be marked as SPAM if you make it difficult for recipients to unsubscribe. That tells the mailbox provider unequivocally that individuals do not wish to receive your emails. Your chances of being placed in the SPAM folder increase as spam complaints rise. Additionally, your ESP could decide to completely stop sending your campaigns. Engagement score. Your overall engagement score increases if everyone on your list is genuinely interested in some sort of interaction. A 20% engagement score is achieved if 200 out of 1000 recipients click on a link in your email. Engagement would drop to 2% if you delivered the same message to 10,000 people and the number of clicks stayed the same. You get the idea. Clicks are merely one engagement indicator that mailbox providers consider when determining whether customers care about that message. 2. Don't send emails with only images. Emails with images solely should not be sent for a variety of reasons. Among them are the following: they are not visible when photos are disabled, they download slowly when an inadequate internet connection is available, and they frequently display poorly on mobile devices. In addition, because spammers frequently attempt to hide text by using graphics, they are frequently marked as SPAM by mailbox providers. Such messages are often classified as high-risk by spam filters and placed in the SPAM folder. The same holds true for messages with little text (i.e. a very low text-to-image ratio). 3. Be instantly recognizable. When you're going through your inbox, how quickly do you decide whether or not to read an email? In an age when we have an 8-second attention span, we take even less time to glance at an email and decide whether or not to read it. It's critical that your messages are easily identifiable so that your readers don't waste time figuring out who is sending them the message. Using a recognizable, consistent FROM name and email address is one way to accomplish this. Not only will this help your recipients recognize you, but it will also help you build a reputation with mailbox providers. The alternative is problematic: the more you change things, the more uncertainty there is and the more difficult it is for Gmail and the company to decide whether or not an incoming message can be trusted. It is also critical to use a clean, brand-focused, consistent design, especially for transactional emails (those are emails that you would never want your customers to flag as SPAM and not receive.) Google, for example, uses a clean, minimalistic, on-brand design for security alerts: font, colors, logo, links...everything is easily identifiable.

When evaluating published curriculum or developing your own, consider these features: 1. How does the curriculum define the roles of the teacher and the child in the learning process? 2. What domains of learning are addressed? Are they integrated or treated separately? Will the curriculum lead to the achievement of state early learning standards? 3. Does the curriculum provide guidance for differentiating teaching for students with special behavior? Linguistic or learning needs? 4. Do the curriculum’s developers provide an assessment system that is consistent with the teaching philosophy and learning content? 5. What research evidence exists to support the value or effectiveness of the curriculum? 6. Is the curriculum appropriate for all teachers, regardless of the qualifications? What kind of professional development is provided? 7. Are specific materials required to implement the curriculum? 8. Does the curriculum model provide guidance for such services as parent involvement and the transition to kindergarten? Copple, C. & Bredekamp, S.Developmentally Appropriate Practice, 3rd Ed., N

A leader is someone who inspires passion and motivation in followers. In a childcare setting, there are many types of leaders. Teachers are leaders of the children. Administrators are leaders for the teachers. Regardless of what type of leader you are or who you are leading, one of a leader's most powerful tools is communication and conversation. Effective communication is vital to gain trust, align efforts in the pursuit of goals, and inspire positive change. When communication is lacking, important information can be misinterpreted, causing relationships to suffer and, ultimately, creating barriers that hinder progress. Remember, one of the most important motivators for people is that they feel they are being listened to, that they feel valued, and that their ideas are heard and appreciated. This type of leadership requires being out of your office and in your environment. In childcare, this can be challenging. Schedule times out of your office during crucial drop-off and pick-up times so you are easily accessible to your parents for conversations. Be involved with your staff by being accessible and demonstrating your interest in knowing how they are doing, their goals, their opinions, their families, and their interests. During your daily walkarounds, greet your staff and ask questions about events that are important to them. Important steps to great communication are: Be genuine Be in the conversation and nowhere else Ask open-ended questions to continue the conversation Listen more than you talk Let silence do the heavy lifting Thank the person for their time, suggestions, or ideas. Some individuals are naturals at effective communication. For those of us who are not, we must commit to it to know its importance, to allow ourselves to be vulnerable and accept ideas and help, and to seek continuous improvement. Continuing to improve your communication will lead to continuing to significantly improve your leadership!

Finding quality child care is going to take a little homework. The following is a checklist of important information to consider when visiting several centers. We hope this will be helpful in making the decision that is right for you and your child. FREE - Download your Checklist for Quality Child Care here. Recent studies prove the long-term benefits of a Quality Early Childhood program: Increased IQ scores Greater achievement levels on proficiency tests Higher SAT scores More likely to attend college Over 14% increase in lifetime earnings Some of the highlights include: Convenient Locations. Experienced and Educated Teachers. Age-Appropriate Program. Extracurricular Activities. Competitive Tuition Rates. Well-maintained, Child-oriented Environment. We hope that after visiting several centers, you will choose to provide your child with a warm, caring, educational and fun experience. Thank you!!!! Download this FREE Checklist for Quality Child Care:

Water play does not have to be limited to the water table, take it outside! Grab a few small pails of water, large paint brushes, and have the kids help paint the playground! Got some chalk? Let’s kick it up a notch and turn this into a lesson about letters! This is a great activity to do on a hot summer day to push back against that summer knowledge slide… Beforehand, write some letters on the fence, wall, or floor. Assign each of the students a letter and instruct them to find their letter and “paint” over it. (It doesn’t have to be letters, you can switch it up and use colors, shapes, numbers, or words). Small amount of prep, minimal mess that will dry in the sun, and tons of fun! Additional Outdoor Activities: Tracing Shadows: trace the outline of your partner’s shadow and then color it in to create an alternate identity. Bird Watching: Set up a bird feeder (or make your own) and journal about what birds you see visiting the feeder each day. Create your own stationary to send to friends and family. Try crayon rubbings over tree leaves or pressing flowers. Try some catchy rhyming songs while skipping rope. Go on an ABC Outdoor Scavenger hunt! A-Ant, B-Bird, C-Cloud. Act out a familiar story. There are tons of adventure books to choose from: “We’re going on a Bear Hunt”, “We’re going on a lion hunt”, “The Listening Walk”, “Where the Wild Things Are”, and so much more!

Today's blog post highlights Vogel Alcove, a unique concept center that is helping homeless families in Dallas, Texas. Dallas has the 6th largest GDP of any American city and more than 20 Fortune 500 company headquarters. Yet, approximately 4,500 children in Dallas will go to sleep tonight without a home. Families are the fastest growing segment of the homeless population, and 88% of those families are led by single mothers with multiple children under age five, often with no support system. They are fighting to survive. Homelessness is more than just a man standing on a street corner, it’s entire families. Housing is essential to ending homelessness. Still, families also need food, employment, childcare, education, transportation, mental and health care, and supportive relationships in order to thrive. Homelessness robs parents of the ability to give children the safety and security they need to grow. Without intervention, the trauma of homelessness can cause life-long mental, physical, and emotional damage. Vogel Alcove’s services and programs are helping families heal their trauma, empowering parents to build stability, and letting kids just be kids. Vogel Alcove is a nonprofit, non-religious 501(c)(3) organization that serves homeless children and families regardless of race, religion or gender. Vogel Alcove’s strategic initiative helps break the cycle of poverty by using a Two-Generational Approach to solving family homelessness. Vogel Alcove offers therapeutic educational programs that are specifically designed to support children (ages six weeks to 12 years) who are experiencing the trauma of homelessness. These programs include Early Childhood Services, School-Age services, Mental Health Services, Health Services & Family Support. Therapeutic Early Childhood Programming is accredited by the National Association for the Education of Young Children (NAEYC). A research-based curriculum designed to help children living in traumatic circumstances like homelessness is utilized. This approach helps to improve developmental outcomes, foster social/emotional skills and creates a pathway for success in school. Therapeutic School-Age Services include summer camps for children in Kindergarten through 8th grade. These services “fill in the gap,” providing children with a safe place to learn, play and gain new skills outside of school hours. Mental Health Program is a critical component of Vogel Alcove’s programming. Being homeless creates a host of challenges for young children. Vogel Alcove’s approach is to understand these issues and offer a mental health curriculum focused on social/emotional skill building and creating community. On-site mental health therapy for children and adults is available. Health Services address the physical well-being of homeless children. Weekly, onsite access to medical care, two meals and a snack each day, and daily nap time for kids who may not be able to get peaceful, uninterrupted sleep at night is provided. A full-time School Nurse is available for the basic health needs of our children, perform vision and hearing screenings, and educate parents about children’s health. Family Support Program is an essential program for Vogel Alcove. To make the greatest impact on a child's life, the family must be included. Family support staff provide 1:1 case management, resources such as diapers and clothes, assistance procuring housing, education resources, employment assistance, career-ready training, partnerships with outside groups, parenting training, and more. With generous community support, Vogel Alcove has served more than 17,000 children and their families since 1987. A few key statistics for 2020-2022: 63% of parents were unemployed when their child/children enrolled at Vogel Alcove; 26% were employed in temporary jobs with limited hours and no benefits. 56% of parents were employed or in school when their child/children left Vogel Alcove. 85% of preschool children showed gains in the areas of social/emotional, physical, language and cognitive development and were on track for their age and stage of development. 68% of the children we served during the 2021-2022 school year had decreased or eliminated mental health risk factors. 93 children and parents received one-on-one therapy in 2021. After 8 months at Vogel Alcove, 80% of infant and toddler children are able to function at appropriate stages of development. Our impact shows that in 2020, 70% of families experienced decreased housing vulnerability. During the pandemic, NOT ONE FAMILY SLID BACK INTO HOMELESSNESS. The success of Vogel Alcove’s mission and the exponential growth of their programs and services over the last 35 years is not possible without the support of donors. Vogel Alcove receives funding from foundations, corporations, community organizations, government grants, private individual donations and through proceeds from special events, such as the annual Arts Performance Event and the Day 1 Dallas family fair. If you would like to donate to or be a part of Vogel Alcove, please contact them at https://vogelalcove.org or https://vogelalcove.org/donate/#

Our environment affects us all. Our physical surroundings affect how we feel, how comfortable we are, how we relate to others and how successfully we accomplish what we set out to do. For young children, the environment is particularly important. The size of the classroom and the outdoor play areas, the color of the walls, the size and type of furniture and flooring, the amount of light, the number of windows all influence how children learn. The physical environment is the setting on which everything takes place. An orderly environment creates orderly values and behavior in children. Everyone feels more relaxed and at ease in a neat, clean and orderly environment. Classrooms that are brightly decorated or decorated in natural tones, may affect children in different ways. To benefit children, classrooms should be child oriented and well stocked with a multitude of age appropriate learning materials and resources. Classrooms must be clean, safe and well planned to create an atmosphere for a variety of learning experiences for children. Child sized furniture, equipment, toilets and sinks help children to be self-reliant in taking care of their personal needs. Children should be encouraged to respect and take care of the environment as they clean up toys and materials, wipe tables and put away chairs. Teachers play an important role as they support, facilitate, and encourage children in the environment of the classroom and school. A room that is attractive, cheerful, orderly and filled with interesting objects conveys the message “This is a comfortable place where children can explore, feel safe and learn.” Good classroom set up means thinking about traffic flow. It accommodates both noisy and quiet areas and allows children to move from space to space easily and in practical ways.It allows children to find and put away materials independently. Children want to be in a welcoming, organized classroom. Additional things that make a classroom welcoming: Plants and natural materials help children connect to the environment. Children’s Artwork displayed at child's eye level helps children know this is their classroom. Add neutrals and earth tones as background so children see and respond to what you want to highlight. Use music to create a soothing calm atmosphere. Learning materials should be accessible throughout the day everyday. Pillows and other soft materials help promote an atmosphere of relaxation and comfort. Reflect the culture and community through home items. Books should also reflect the culture and family background. Print rich classroom materials showing family and community. Wall displays and print rich instructional tools. Learning centers that allow children to explore independently or in a small group. A well thought out planned engaging environment for children will prevent discipline issues and create a natural learning environment for children.

In the very busy world of child care, there is nothing more important than child retention and keeping families that are enrolled in your school happy, so they continue to come back day after day and year after year. Successful child care centers are successful because of their attention to the detail of customer satisfaction. When parents believe in, and feel a part of your school, they buy into the culture, the program and curriculum. They become invested in the people and relationships and are less likely to take their child somewhere else. C.A.R.E. stands for Customer Attention Retains Enrollment. C.A.R.E. reminds all center staff to take the extra step to provide exceptional customer service to both the child and the parent. C.A.R.E is not hard to do, it can be as simple as greeting every parent and child, every day, with a warm genuine smile and an enthusiastic “Good Morning!” C.A.R.E. is the process of getting to know the parent and child. What motivates them? What are they interested in? What are their expectations of the child care environment? Then, applying that knowledge to how YOU can help make the parent and child’s life easier, better, and the experience richer. When C.A.R.E. is provided on a consistent basis by all staff, parents can “feel” the difference and they remain enrolled at your center longer. C.A.R.E. ensures that the child and parent are getting the specialized attention that retains enrollment. The goal is to reduce parent anxiety and help parents enjoy and celebrate the quality of the program that their child is experiencing. The following are some C.A.R.E. steps you can take to make sure children love your child care center and parents continue to support your school. Create strong and sustainable relationships. With Families Share what you know about their child in a respectful way. Develop strong family relationships with all members of the child's family. Have honest, authentic conversations that build trusting relationships with adults and parents. Listen to the families’ ideas and concerns without preconceived judgment. Give parents a phone call just to check in. Let parents know how their child helped in the classroom today. Let parents know how their child helped a friend today. Check in with families at drop-off and pick-up times. Greet every adult enthusiastically. Keep parents informed about upcoming events. Thank the parents for enrolling in the program. With Children One of the most important aspects of adult-child interactions is engaging children. Talking to children about what you are doing, and describing what you are seeing and experiencing helps young children make sense of the world they live in and builds a trusting relationship. Have fun. Creating an outstanding C.A.R.E. environment in your center is not only about retention, but also about building enrollment. Use software like IntelliKid Systems to keep parents informed with the happenings of the center as well as give them the opportunity to easily refer new parents. IKS is a leading CRM in the child care industry and can automate the process from a happy parent referral all the way to a newly enrolled happy family! IntelliKid Systems helps centers across the globe modernize their enrollment by: Keeping parents engaged throughout the decision-making process: from a first impression all the way to enrollment. Communicating with parents all in one place via SMS, Email, Facebook Messenger, and Zoom Using easy, embeddable landing pages to collect information from prospective parents on your website including allowing tours to be booked with IKS’s self-scheduling tour tools including calendar sync! Recording and managing your inquiry calls all within one system with no hardware needed! Communicating with enrolled parents via newsletters with IntelliKid Systems best-in-class drag and drop email editor and campaigns feature. Book a demo with IntelliKid Systems today! www.intellikidsystems.com/demo

Teacher appreciation is not something to be done only once a year during Teacher Appreciation Week! Showing how much we value and appreciate our teachers should be an everyday occurrence. Helping teachers reduce stress and feel valued for their hard work is something you can do year-round everyday! Let’s look at several tips you can do daily to help your staff feel valued, reduce stress, feel appreciated and prevent teacher burnout. 1: Bring Treats: Everyone appreciates treats and goodies, especially teachers. Little snacks give teachers the energy they need to execute engaging, enriching lessons throughout the day. Find out their favorite treat and sneak it into their mailboxes. 2: Provide Breakfast or Lunch: During the school day, teachers are often so focused on their students and the tasks at hand that they do not have time for a well-balanced breakfast or lunch. Treat them to a meal of their choice. 3. Wash their Car: Working long hours at school means that teachers rarely prioritize taking care of their own “life tasks.” A washed car seems like a simple thing, but will really help a teacher out. 4. Craft a “Thank You” Banner: Collect notes or messages from students in the teacher’s class and compile them onto a banner or poster. Hang it in the hallway so everyone passing by knows how much the teacher is appreciated. 5. Send an e-mail: A quick, but meaningful way to appreciate a teacher is just to write it in a note or email. Include personal stories of what you saw or heard the teachers do that made a difference and impacted you. 6. Give a Break: Make a date to read a book aloud to the class, supervise lunch or give the teacher a break during outdoor recess time. This can make a huge difference on a frustrating day. 7. “Tell On” a Teacher: Create a board where teachers are publicly recognized for excellence and a job well done. Parents, administrators and other teachers can share comments and brag about the excellent teaching they witness by “Telling on“ the teacher. 8. Create Candy Puns: There’s no shortage of clever candy puns and wonderful snack food wordplay. Leave a mason jar full of Mike-and-Ike’s, Skittles, or M&M’s labeled “chill pills.” Or place individual portions of marshmallows, chocolate, and graham crackers in a baggie with the phrase, “We need s’more teachers like YOU!”, a Three Musketeers bar with a note that says, “To someone who does the work of three people – THANK YOU!”, “Have I told you “Reese”- ently you are wonderful to work with.” The creative and yummy teacher appreciation ideas for staff are endless! 9: Create an Individual Award for Each Teacher: Create an award for each teacher that highlights that teacher's strengths. Post the award in the teacher’s classroom. 10: Create a positive school culture: For any teacher appreciation effort to deliver lasting change, it must be grounded in positive culture: an environment where teachers feel valued every day, are given a voice and are set up for success in their classrooms. Every action you take as an administrator should forge and foster this positive culture. The most important asset we have in our schools are our teachers!

At IntelliKid Systems, we know the frustration that can sometimes surround lost possessions in the childcare environment. The following is a cute and funny way to remind parents about the importance of labeling everything a child brings to a group care environment. Feel free to modify, edit or use in your early childhood environment. If You Liked It, You Should Put A Label On It! Whether it’s your infant's change of clothes, preschooler’s jacket, kindergartner's backpack, or your lunch in the office fridge: “If you liked it, you shoulda put a label on it.” Cool weather is coming and new jackets are arriving at Target (or your favorite store to buy children’s clothes). An adorable Dinosaur jacket is on display and it’s on sale! Of course, you nab it! But so does every other parent. Teachers always know what’s trending, because soon multiple students will be wearing the same things. Including that adorable dinosaur jacket that was priced too perfectly to pass up (so much so that you bought a larger size up for next year). The child you sent to school with their new jacket now comes home with one that is slightly smaller, maybe it’s a bit more worn, or, worse, it has melted gummies (or at least you hope it’s gummies) in the pockets. How was the teacher supposed to know which child’s jacket was which? If you liked it, you shoulda put a label on it! Everyone wins when we know what belongs to each child. Thank you for labeling all your child's possessions! We really appreciate it!

1. Urgency vs. Importance (Steven Covey) Consider the importance (or “weight”) of the items on your list, and the urgency “when is it due?” 2. The ABC Method (Alan Lakein) The ABC Method was originally developed by Alan Lakein and consists of assigning a priority status of “A”, “B”, or “C” to each of the items of your to-do list or task list. “A” Status Items - “Must Do”High priority, very important, critical items, with close deadlines or high level of importance to them.“B” Status Items - “Should Do”Medium priority, quite important over time, not as critical as “A” items, but still important to spend time doing.“C” Status Items - “Nice to Do”Low priority at this time, low consequences if left undone at this moment. 3. Other Considerations... (adapted from David Allen) What can I do where I'm? (Think about location. What can you do where you are now? Sometimes we have unexpected pockets of time. How can you use them to your advantage?) How much time do I have and when do I have to do something else? (Be realistic about what can' be done. Your to do list might shift based on how much time you have available) How much energy & focus do I have? (What can you realistically take on right now?) What has the highest payoff for me if I do it? (Yet another way to think about importance, weight, or priorities) Sources: Allen, D. Getting Things Done Website & Newsletter: http://www.davidco.com/newsletters/archive/0512.html Covey, S.R (1987). “Principles of Personal Management”, The 7 Habits of Highly Effective People. NY: Fireside. Haynes. M.E. (2009). Time Management: Get an extra day a week. 4th Ed. Axzo Press.