The Obvious And Not So Obvious Benefits Of Starting A Child Care Center

There is a lot of discussion going on about starting a daycare business and that makes people think, 'What's so great about this opportunity that everyone's talking about it?' But, believe me, people who talk about the benefits of starting a day care business do not know even half the reasons why this is an unbeatable business opportunity. Let me tell you what I know.

Low overheads and initial investment
With the daycare business, you can play as low as you want. If you want, you can spend hundreds of dollars as your investment, but by planning meticulously, you can set up the whole business within a thousand dollars. You can even run your childcare business from your home, so that significantly slashes your initial investment and also the overheads. What's more, you can show your business expenses as tax-deductibles, so that means more effective savings. Governments help with the investment too, you have a lot of grant opportunities here. Every way you look at it, the daycare business becomes a very economical business start out with.

Minimum qualifications and work

You do not need to be qualified very high to run a home business. If you have a license, you might not need to have any special educational qualification at all. What's important is that you must know how to handle kids. And that is quite a natural thing for most people to know. Your duties are restricted too, you only have to be yourself with the kids and occupy their times in a constructive manner. Think about it, no deadlines, no bosses to answer to, no office rivalries it does seem to be a very grand profession. And believe me, it is!

Doing what you enjoy most

Who doesn't like to be with kids! Starting child carebusiness means that you can do this all the time, and get paid handsomely for that too. Quite an attractive incentive, isn't it? You can relive your childhood with these kids, teach them how to make buildings from Lego blocks, help them stack their toys, teach them to draw and paint, sing and play with them. There are so many enjoyable things. In fact, it is true to say that with a kids business, you get paid for playing.

Earning love and respect

Most kids tend to love and respect their daycare people, and they continue these feelings even after they are grown up. How wonderful you will feel, several years down the line, when a freckle-faced teenager will walk up to you when you are buying vegetables, and say, "Hey, Mrs. Malcolm, remember me? I'm Hank. I was in your daycare. I really remember you still!" That will surely be worth all the years you put into your home business. Trust me that really happen with daycare owners.

The Obvious And Not So Obvious Benefits Of Starting A Child Care Center by Sean Tan

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Talking Mental Health In College- Q & A with Richard Kadison, M.D. of Harvard University

Maria Pascucci, president of Campus Calm, had the opportunity to talk with Richard Kadison, M.D., about why high schools and colleges are seeing a rise in the number of stressed-out students battling mental health problems. Kadison is the chief of the Mental Health Service at Harvard University Health Services and author of College of the Overwhelmed: The Campus Mental Health Crisis and What to Do About It. Kadison has specialized in campus mental health and student mental health treatment throughout his career.

Campus Calm: Why are college campuses seeing a rise in the number of students with mental health issues?

Kadison: There are lots of reasons we're seeing a rise in the number of students with mental health issues. We're seeing more students who get diagnosed with serious problems in high school and they're functioning well enough to get to college. That's one group. I think there is the millennial group of students with what are described as helicopter parents who hover over them, and basically make decisions for them. You know the old metaphor about teaching people to fish instead of getting them fish. I think there's a lot of handing out of fish that goes on in high school. Kids are also being shuttled from one activity to another, kind of building their college resume and not having much down time and not really feeling passionate about things.

Campus Calm: How big of a part does the lack of sleep, eating right and exercising play in students being stressed out?

Kadison: The lack of sleep, I think, is a huge issue. College students are sleeping an average of 6 1/2 hours each night and they definitely experience symptoms of sleep deprivation, which screws up their immune systems, impairs their academic functioning and makes them more susceptible to depression and bipolar disorder.

Exercise is another huge issue. There's good evidence for milder forms of depression, four days of 30 minutes of cardiovascular exercise works as well as antidepressant medication. A lot of students get busy, stop exercising and eating healthy, get more depressed, have more difficulty getting their work done, then start stressing out and have more difficulty sleeping. They get into this vicious cycle.

Campus Calm: How much of a part does perfectionism play in the lives of stressed-out students? How does Harvard's counseling center deal with academic perfectionism amongst students?

Kadison: That's certainly a big issue here and I would say, most elite schools. I talked to the directors of the other ivies. There are two major thrusts. I would say one is trying to create some balance in students' lives. They need to take care of themselves. Working all the time is not the best way to live. Having conversations with them about excellence versus perfection and working hard and trying to focus. But no one test, no one course, no one situation is going to make or break your life. Lives take twists and turns that none of us expect.

Number one: you need to learn how to be resilient. Number two: learn some techniques and skills to manage stress because what you have in high school and college isn't going to change once you get out into the real world.

Campus Calm: Whom do you see more of: overachieving guys or girls? Is it true that women seek help more than young men? Why or why not?

Kadison: In terms of more women seeking care, I think probably that's because women are more tuned into their emotions. There's less stigma. I don't think the numbers are different -- it's just that men aren't always wise enough to come in to talk to some one about it.

Campus Calm: How do you work to help students find meaningful ways to base their identities beyond grades & awards?

Kadison: That's exactly the challenge. It's people figuring out who they are -- we all have faults, we all make mistakes and we all do things we wish we hadn't done. The key is really to get to know yourself, figure out how to accept yourself and do the best that you can. Getting students outwardly focused, again in balance, so that they're engaged in their community. There’s growing evidence that the more students are doing something to help their community, like working with high school kids, or volunteering somewhere, those students have much more satisfactory experiences in college than students who are completely self-focused. It's creating an environment where that's really encouraged and rewarded.

Campus Calm: Do you think that our current academic culture allows kids to learn how to make mistakes and fail safely?

Kadison: Well, I think part of the process is really the education of the whole community. It's not just the students. We try to do outreach activities and provide consultations to faculty, staff and residential staff. The reality is though, if the culture in the lab is that the professor is in the lab until 3 a.m., and expects everyone else to be there until 3 a.m., that's not a healthy message for students.

I think mental health advocacy groups are a good idea because students listen to other students more than other professional adults. Having advocacy groups so students can hear that getting depressed in college is nothing to be ashamed of and it's very treatable if you come and talk to someone about it.

Campus Calm: Is an Ivy League education always the best way to reach success?

Kadison: I think that students can get a great education at any school. There's students who come here to Harvard and don't get a great education because it's a bad fit for them. Being around other bright people who are totally focused on their academics doesn't help them learn how to create any kind of balance in their lives. That leads to a disappointment.

Campus Calm: So many students see straight A's and other academic achievements as stepping stones that will lead them to a good college, which will lead them to a good graduate school, then to a good job and, ultimately, a happy life. Does our society put too much emphasis on this one path to happiness and prosperity?

Kadison: As far as students seeing grades as stepping-stones, I think that's true. There's some reality in there and it's also a problem. I think to some degree this is up to the college admissions folks, that leading a balanced life and being engaged in your community is just as important as being successful academically. Doing other things that you feel passionate about.

Maria Pascucci is the President of Campus Calm (http://www.campuscalm.com). She helps high school & college students find balance, reduce stress, increase self-confidence and get out of overwhelm. Free reports for students, parents and educators are available with free subscription to Campus Calm Connections. Maria lives in Buffalo, New York with her graphic designer husband, Shaun, who shares the homepage of their personal writing/design website (http://www.creativetypeco.com). Contact her at maria@campuscalm.com.

Talking Mental Health In College- Q & A with Richard Kadison, M.D. of Harvard University By Maria Pascucci

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Tennis Lessons For Kids in Singapore

1. In schools

Some primary schools have tennis as a CCA. Most primary schools allow kids in primary 1 to start learning tennis as a CCA. In most instances, such group lessons for kids may not be sufficient if your kid wishes to take up tennis seriously or competitively. A typical group lesson for tennis CCA would have at least 8 kids in a class. Given the large number of kids to a tennis coach, it is not possible for your kids to learn much tennis this way. Nevertheless, it would be a good form of exercise and bonding for the kids.

2. Kids' group tennis lessons (Spex programme)

In Singapore, tennis coaching at the national level is conducted by the Singapore Tennis Association (STA). They have a very comprehensive tennis coaching programme for all levels of players, from beginners to advanced players. For kids, there is the SPEX programme. This is conducted islandwide at most of the public tennis courts, namely at Kallang, Yio Chu Kang, Farrer Park and NIE campus. Again, these are group tennis lessons for kids. Each group would usually have 8 players. The tennis coaches are all qualified and screened by the STA. Therefore, you will have a sense of comfort with regards to the quality of the coaches concerned.

3. Private Individual tennis lesson

If you have the budget and is keen to see your kid improve faster, there is always the option of hiring a tennis coach in Singapore. These are individuals who can visit your condominium tennis courts and train your child in tennis. These are usually 1 hour lessons. You may find such coaches at the Spex programme or search online. Always ask for your coach's credentials i.e. experience, where he or she has been coaching.

4. Private small group tennis lesson

Again, you can have a coach come by your condominium tennis courts to train your child and his or her group of friends. Try not to have more than 4 kids to make the training more effective. Such kids group tennis lessons are good as it allows the child to play against other kids of a similar standard of play. Nothing beats match play against an opponent.

5. Family fun tennis

It would be ideal if some one in the family also plays tennis. These would usually result in the child getting more tennis play time and encouragement. However, as a matter of experience, most kids do not enjoy their parent coaching them. They tend to rebel. This may constrained their development as a tennis player. Hence, it may be more practical and sane to have some one external to coach your kid.

As an avid tennis player, I have had my fair share of experiences in trying to find out which are the best ways to learn tennis in Singapore for myself and my kids. I hope this article will provide some guidance for all would-be tennis players! If you find this article useful and would really wish to learn tennis, please check this out http://www.1sports.asia/ Happy Learning & Playing!

Tennis Lessons For Kids in Singapore By J. Cain

J.Cain writes about all things related to business consultancy and accounting. He is a qualified accountant....

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