Yey! The Day is Over!

[Inspired by Reggio]

Reggio, what is your daily log of the day?? Do you keep personal notes of how your day was, what you did, etc??

Yup ... I do not do 'what I did today sheets' for clients like some do but I do I keep an electronic log on the computer (allows me to do it in a small font and store on a 'disc' for tax reasons that takes up minimal space for those seven years we have to keep business crap) this is a 'habit' from working in centre care - a daily log is mandatory in the Day Nursery Act.

I track for my own personal reflection - this is never 'shown' to clients:

Attendance (who was here and drop off and pick up times so that these match my 'contracts' in an audit as well as my income claimed in regards to days open verses closed in a year for shared space and so forth)

Program tidbits (if we went on a field trip - where for tracking KM use of vehicle or any cost associated with it that I have a receipt for, if we did something 'consumable' that there is a receipt somewhere for aka creative art, science, baking, sensory as that extra proof or balance and check so to speak)

Meals and Snacks served (again to match 'receipts' on file in an audit but also to be able to use as reflection if a child has 'behaviour changes' or 'allergic reaction' to look back at what was served also 'note' if a child refused something on any given day or ate an 'abnormal' amount - no note means that everyone ate normally for them)

Rest / quiet time of children (this is should a change occur with a child rest patterns and parent want to know if they are sleeping enough or if they are sleeping more is it because they are 'coming down' with something as a pattern of behaviour)

Washroom notes (again for tracking 'changes' in children's BM habits or potty training success / failures cause an increase in accidents of a potty trained child could mean 'urinary' track infection or what not or constipation could also be in relation to FOOD ALLERGY and so forth )

Accidents / Incidents in program (again this is both for reflection as well as in a child is having serious 'accident prone' is it due to balance issues or if 'behaviour' incidents become consistent or a pattern develops can use my log to reflect what did they 'eat' that day, how did they sleep and so forth to get a 'better picture')

Medications - what child, what given, how much, comments ... this is also great for reflection if needed if you notice a child has chronic ear infections is there a pattern to what was eaten before hand or sleep patterns change before hand and so forth.

Messages from parents or other noteworthy things (this is where I would record if a child had an been to the Dr, if a child disclosed something that 'happened' at home I might want to remember later or monitor if a pattern emerged, any 'conversations' with parents I might want to remember later about having discussed behaviour of their child or whatever.

[lunademiel]

Reggio how do you keep an electronic version? Is it just a word doc? I'm starting to think I would like to have a copy of the daily journal that I write to parents everyday. I was thinking of just typing it out on the computer so I have my own copy. I was thinking it might be more time consuming to type it all out and attach it to an email. I don't want to print because printer ink is just so darn expensive! Or does anyone know if you can get carbon copy notebooks?

Yup ... I do not do 'what I did today sheets' for clients like some do but I do I keep an electronic log on the computer (allows me to do it in a small font and store on a 'disc' for tax reasons that takes up minimal space for those seven years we have to keep business crap) this is a 'habit' from working in centre care - a daily log is mandatory in the Day Nursery Act.

I track for my own personal reflection - this is never 'shown' to clients:

Attendance (who was here and drop off and pick up times so that these match my 'contracts' in an audit as well as my income claimed in regards to days open verses closed in a year for shared space and so forth)

Program tidbits (if we went on a field trip - where for tracking KM use of vehicle or any cost associated with it that I have a receipt for, if we did something 'consumable' that there is a receipt somewhere for aka creative art, science, baking, sensory as that extra proof or balance and check so to speak)

Meals and Snacks served (again to match 'receipts' on file in an audit but also to be able to use as reflection if a child has 'behaviour changes' or 'allergic reaction' to look back at what was served also 'note' if a child refused something on any given day or ate an 'abnormal' amount - no note means that everyone ate normally for them)

Rest / quiet time of children (this is should a change occur with a child rest patterns and parent want to know if they are sleeping enough or if they are sleeping more is it because they are 'coming down' with something as a pattern of behaviour)

Washroom notes (again for tracking 'changes' in children's BM habits or potty training success / failures cause an increase in accidents of a potty trained child could mean 'urinary' track infection or what not or constipation could also be in relation to FOOD ALLERGY and so forth )

Accidents / Incidents in program (again this is both for reflection as well as in a child is having serious 'accident prone' is it due to balance issues or if 'behaviour' incidents become consistent or a pattern develops can use my log to reflect what did they 'eat' that day, how did they sleep and so forth to get a 'better picture')

Medications - what child, what given, how much, comments ... this is also great for reflection if needed if you notice a child has chronic ear infections is there a pattern to what was eaten before hand or sleep patterns change before hand and so forth.

Messages from parents or other noteworthy things (this is where I would record if a child had an been to the Dr, if a child disclosed something that 'happened' at home I might want to remember later or monitor if a pattern emerged, any 'conversations' with parents I might want to remember later about having discussed behaviour of their child or whatever.