Technology

Childcare Expert Faith Link Explains Why Routine Matters in Early Childhood in HelloNation

Published

3 hours ago

September 18, 2026

The article explains how predictable routines can support emotional stability, independence, confidence, and learning during early childhood.

MENOMONIE, Wis., Sept. 18, 2026 /PRNewswire/ — Why does a steady routine play such an important role in early learning and in the overall growth of young children? A HelloNation article featuring insights from Childcare Expert Faith Link of Sunshine Learning Center in Menomonie, Wisconsin, provides the answer by explaining how daily routines support emotional stability, confidence, and adjustment to new experiences. The article also describes how a strong early childhood routine can provide a dependable foundation during a child’s earliest years.

The HelloNation feature begins by explaining that routine is one of the quiet but steady tools that shape a child’s sense of security. Many parents think of routine as a strict schedule, but the article makes clear that a steady rhythm serves a different purpose in high-quality childcare settings. A predictable routine helps children know what comes next, and that feeling of comfort helps them settle into the day with confidence. This emotional grounding supports smoother transitions and gives children a safe starting point for learning.

The article explains that a consistent routine does not mean that every moment is tightly controlled. Instead, teachers create a flow that respects children’s natural pace. Children move between play, meals, rest, and outdoor time without feeling rushed. This steady balance helps them stay grounded and reduces the stress that can lead to emotional challenges. When the rhythm is familiar, children spend more energy exploring and less energy adjusting. This is one of the core benefits of a strong early childhood routine, as it helps children feel supported throughout the day.

The HelloNation article describes how many childcare centers begin with a welcoming routine that sets a calm tone. Children store their belongings, greet teachers, and choose an activity as they settle in. These early moments help children separate from parents with more ease. Throughout the day, teachers guide children through group activities, open play, meals, and outdoor learning. Transitions are supported through songs, cues, or simple visuals that help children understand what is happening. Over time, children respond naturally because they trust the familiar pattern.

Parents sometimes worry that routine may limit creativity, but the article explains that the opposite is true. Children who feel secure are more willing to take risks in their play and learning. When they know what to expect, they become more curious and imaginative. A child who understands that outdoor time always follows circle time can stay fully engaged in the group activity without wondering when they will move again. This comfort allows children to focus deeply and explore new ideas with confidence.

The article also highlights how routine supports emotional regulation. Young children often experience strong feelings, and predictable patterns give them tools to manage these emotions. Snack time offers a reset from active play, while quiet rest helps children regain energy. When these moments happen consistently, children begin to understand how the day supports their needs. This steady rhythm helps children feel more in control, which is an important part of their emotional development.

Teachers rely on routine to help children build independence. Simple tasks, such as putting toys away, washing hands, or finding a space on the rug, give children a sense of responsibility. The repetition of these activities helps children learn to care for themselves and contribute to the group. With each small success, children feel proud and capable. The HelloNation feature explains that a strong early childhood routine offers many chances for children to practice these important life skills.

Outdoor play plays an important role in many routines, especially in programs that value nature-based learning. Consistent outdoor time helps children release energy, explore freely, and reset their mood. When outdoor play is predictable, children learn to pace themselves and enjoy the fresh air as part of their natural flow. Teachers often notice that children return indoors more calmly after outdoor exploration, making it easier to begin quieter activities.

The article also discusses how home routines support a child’s experience in the classroom. Families do not need rigid schedules, but having a basic flow of meals, play, and rest can help children feel secure. When parents and teachers communicate about routines, children benefit from a shared sense of predictability. This connection between home and school strengthens emotional resilience and helps children handle change with confidence.

The HelloNation article explains that while some children enjoy novelty, they still benefit from structure. The goal is not to remove surprises but to provide a reliable framework that supports flexibility. When children understand the overall pattern of the day, they are better prepared for new activities or small shifts in the schedule. Teachers can introduce special events or new learning moments within the familiar routine, and children respond with interest instead of anxiety.

Toward the end of the article, the message remains steady. Routine is one of the most useful tools in early education because it helps children feel safe while encouraging healthy development. A steady early childhood routine helps children build confidence through repetition, navigate emotions with more ease, and explore their environment without fear. When the day is organized in a supportive and predictable way, children thrive during some of the most important years of growth.

Why Routine Matters in Early Childhood features insights from Faith Link, Childcare Expert of Menomonie, WI, in HelloNation.

About HelloNation
HelloNation is America’s Good News Network, a premier media platform built on the idea that good news travels faster when real people tell real stories. Through its community-focused publications and innovative “edvertising” approach, HelloNation delivers content that informs, inspires, and spotlights the leaders making a meaningful impact in their communities.

View original content to download multimedia:https://www.prnewswire.com/news-releases/childcare-expert-faith-link-explains-why-routine-matters-in-early-childhood-in-hellonation-302883388.html

SOURCE HelloNation

Technology

AT&T and Dallas Cowboys Extend One of Sports’ Most Iconic Partnerships

Published

14 minutes ago

September 18, 2026

AT&T’s network connects America’s Team to what’s next in sports and entertainment at AT&T Stadium

Key Takeaways:

AT&T and the Dallas Cowboys extend their partnership to power the next generation of technology, experiences and innovation at AT&T Stadium.AT&T is debuting new stadium technology at AT&T Stadium for the 2026 season, powered by the nation’s largest fiber1 network, from AI-powered moments and smarter navigation to more immersive fan experiences.

DALLAS, Sept. 18, 2026 /PRNewswire/ — AT&T and the Dallas Cowboys today announced an agreement to build the future of sports and entertainment at AT&T Stadium, with AT&T’s network continuing to power the infrastructure, technology and in-stadium moments that make the stadium one of the most connected venues in sports and entertainment.

The announcement comes as AT&T and the Cowboys kick off the 2026 season with new fan experiences and technology, from smarter stadium navigation to immersive video, mixed reality and AI-powered moments built for connected fans.

“There is no more critical partner that we rely upon and value than AT&T,” said Dallas Cowboys Owner, President and General Manager Jerry Jones. “AT&T is not only at the core of our fan experience and engagement ability, but they provide the foundation of technology and connectivity that drives everything we do operationally. Being able to trust and depend on that like we have for 30 years, and now, knowing we will grow and continue to innovate, is as important a part of our future as anything could be.”

Engineering the Connected World of Sports and Entertainment

A satellite signal may reach a stadium, but it takes fiber throughout the venue to deliver the world-class experience fans increasingly expect. When more than 100,000 people gather in one place, connectivity gets put to the test. At AT&T Stadium, more than 261 miles of fiber and nearly 1,000 antennas throughout the venue, the largest network of its kind in the country, help power everything from mobile ticketing and stadium operations to video sharing and real-time fan experiences, engineering the connected world of the biggest stages in sports and entertainment.

The agreement builds on that foundation, giving AT&T and the Dallas Cowboys a platform to create faster, smarter and more immersive ways for fans to experience every moment of game day. The partnership also keeps the AT&T name on the building itself, a signal that the stadium’s future, like its past, will continue to be shaped together.

“When it comes to connecting America’s Team, there’s only one choice: America’s largest fiber network, backed by America’s best guarantee,” said AT&T Chairman & Chief Executive Officer John Stankey. “We deeply value our long and successful relationship with the Cowboys and look forward to continuing to innovate on behalf of fans to connect, share and stream effortlessly.”

New for Cowboys Nation this Season
As part of the partnership, AT&T and the Cowboys are refreshing familiar fan favorites and introducing new experiences at AT&T Stadium this season, including:

Smarter Navigation: AT&T Stadium Wayfinding offers instant, no-download navigation from the parking lot to your seat, found through the Cowboys app and stadium kiosks.More Immersive Experiences: Pose with the Pros brings an expanded AR photo experience with current players, Cowboys Legends and the Dallas Cowboys Cheerleaders. Reception Connection puts fans in a mixed reality catch-and-compete moment alongside Dak Prescott, and Connected Cam streams live fan video straight to the main videoboard.AI-Powered Fan Engagement: The Starbase Connection Feature transforms fan-submitted photos into custom Cowboys hype videos across stadium boards.Better Connectivity: AT&T Turbo Live gives every fan at AT&T Stadium, including customers of other carriers, reserved, high-priority network access to post, stream and share all game long.

As fan expectations continue to evolve, AT&T and the Cowboys will keep building the technology behind the next era of live sports and entertainment, one season, one game and one connection at a time.

1 Based on the number of fiber-to-the-home households using publicly available data.

About AT&T

We help more than 100 million U.S. families, friends and neighbors, plus nearly 2.5 million businesses, connect to greater possibility. From the first phone call 150+ years ago to our 5G wireless and multi-gig internet offerings today, we @ATT innovate to improve lives. For more information about AT&T Inc. (NYSE:T), please visit us at about.att.com. Investors can learn more at investors.att.com.

About AT&T Stadium

AT&T Stadium is the largest, most technologically advanced entertainment venue in the world. Designed by HKS and built by Manhattan Construction, the $1.2 billion stadium features two monumental arches, the world’s largest HDTV video board cluster, an expansive retractable roof and the largest retractable end zone doors in the world. Features of the stadium include seating for 80,000 and expandability for up to 100,000, over 300 luxury suites, club seating on multiple levels and the Dallas Cowboys Pro Shop, open to the public year-round. Outside the stadium, the Miller Lite® House is a branded destination that boasts a 70-yard Cowboys turf field featuring field games, four video boards and over 60 television screens, two fantasy football screen walls and over 87,000 outdoor square-footage for event day experiences. The space also features two beer gardens and a walk-in beer cooler. The stadium is also home to a world-class collection of contemporary art, made up of over 100+ works of art by 66 established and emerging artists displayed on the walls and in the grand public spaces of the venue. In addition to being the home of the Dallas Cowboys since opening in 2009, the stadium has hosted FIFA World Cup 2026, the Grand Prix of Arlington, Super Bowl XLV, the 2010 NBA All Star Game, the annual Goodyear Cotton Bowl Classic, the annual Shriners Children’s East-West Bowl, the 2014 NCAA Men’s Final Four, the 2015 inaugural College Football Playoff Championship Game, the 2015 50th Anniversary Academy of Country Music Awards show and WrestleMania 32 & 38. The venue has also played host to high school and college football, concerts, championship fights, international soccer matches and other special events. For more information, go to attstadium.com.

View original content to download multimedia:https://www.prnewswire.com/news-releases/att-and-dallas-cowboys-extend-one-of-sports-most-iconic-partnerships-302883486.html

SOURCE AT&T

Technology

TEAMSTERS ORGANIZE TWO DHL SUBCONTRACTORS IN 24 HOURS

Published

14 minutes ago

September 18, 2026

55 DHL Drivers Vote Unanimously to Join Local 745, Prepare to Bargain First Contracts

CARROLLTON, Texas, Sept. 18, 2026 /PRNewswire/ — Fifty-five drivers at Cartage Services by DeliverOL and Driven-Force Inc., two subcontractors for DHL Express, have voted unanimously to join Teamsters Local 745. The two organizing victories, secured within 24 hours of each other, come as workers seek to win the wages, benefits, and workplace protections enjoyed by thousands of DHL Teamsters nationwide.

“We wear DHL uniforms, deliver DHL packages, and drive DHL trucks, but we are paid considerably less than DHL Teamsters,” said Malik Hathorn, a driver at Cartage Services by DeliverOL and a new member of Local 745. “We organized because we saw what our Teamsters brothers and sisters at DHL have won, and we know we deserve the same. Now we’re ready to fight for it at the bargaining table.”

During the organizing campaign, both DHL subcontractors committed multiple unfair labor practices and hired high-priced outside union-busters to try to stop workers from organizing. Their efforts failed. Drivers at both companies voted unanimously to join the Teamsters.

“We had some simple questions for the union buster management flew in from Florida: who do you work for, and whose interests are you here to protect?” said Calvin Dawson, a driver at Driven-Force Inc. and a new member of Local 745. “The company paid his fees, his hotel, his airfare, and his meals. We told him he could take our message back to management. We are Teamsters, 100 percent, and we aren’t going anywhere.”

The Teamsters represent thousands of workers at DHL, its subsidiaries, and subcontractors nationwide. In May, DHL Teamsters overwhelmingly ratified a new national master agreement that secured significant wage increases, increased health and welfare contributions, and established protections against AI-driven routing systems and autonomous vehicles.

“We are organizing every corner of DHL’s operation and building the power necessary to raise standards for anyone who moves a DHL package,” said Spencer Dearth, Director of the Teamsters Logistics Division. “These drivers stood together, defeated the company’s union-busting campaign, and voted unanimously to join their local. Now we will turn that unity into strong first contracts.”

Founded in 1903, the International Brotherhood of Teamsters represents 1.3 million hardworking people in the U.S., Canada, and Puerto Rico. Visit Teamster.org for more information. Follow us on X @Teamsters and on Facebook at Facebook.com/teamsters.

Contact:
Maura Drumm, (215) 510-3735
MDrumm@teamster.org

View original content to download multimedia:https://www.prnewswire.com/news-releases/teamsters-organize-two-dhl-subcontractors-in-24-hours-302883489.html

SOURCE International Brotherhood of Teamsters

Technology

SpryPoint Named to Fast Company’s Best Workplaces for Innovators

Published

14 minutes ago

September 18, 2026

Recognition reflects SpryPoint’s culture of continuous innovation across its people, client partnerships, and cloud-native utility technology solutions

ATLANTA and CHARLOTTETOWN, PE, Sept. 18, 2026 /PRNewswire-PRWeb/ — SpryPoint, a leading provider of CIS Modernization and cloud-native solutions for utilities, today announced that it has been named to Fast Company’s 2026 Best Workplaces for Innovators in the emerging enterprise category (201 – 999 employees). This program recognizes organizations that create cultures where employees at all levels are empowered to develop and implement great ideas to serve customers, the business, and communities.

“Our job is to listen, learn, and turn those ideas into something that makes a difference for our clients. I’m proud of our team for building that kind of culture, and it’s great to see it recognized by Fast Company.”

Fast Company’s Best Workplaces for Innovators recognizes organizations committed to capturing and advancing great ideas wherever they originate. For SpryPoint, the recognition reflects a culture of continuous innovation that extends across how the company invests in its people, works alongside utility clients to solve real-world challenges, and develops and delivers its cloud-native utility platform.

“Innovation has been essential to how we work from day one. We started SpryPoint a decade-plus ago because we believed utilities deserved a better kind of CIS partner and needed a more innovative technology solution,” said Kyle Strang, CEO and co-founder of SpryPoint. “That same thinking still drives us today. Our people are always looking for better ways to solve problems, work with our clients, and help utilities serve their communities. This recognition reflects the work of our entire team, along with the clients and partners who keep pushing us to think differently and get better.”

SpryPoint was founded on the premise that utilities, to best serve their customers, need greater and faster access to innovation and should expect more from their business technology providers and critical business systems they rely on. That mindset continues to shape how the company operates every day.

SpryPoint’s culture of continuous innovation comes to life in three areas as a Best Workplaces for Innovators:

Investing in people and new ways of working. SpryPoint created its “Center of Excellence” to give employees the training, mentorship, hands-on experience, and support required to serve the increasingly complex needs of utilities. Its “Office of AI” is extending that investment across the company through AI tools, training, experimentation, and practical applications that help employees improve processes and create new ways of working. Both initiatives are designed around the same principle: equip people to learn, contribute, challenge existing approaches, and turn good ideas into action and value.Co-creating with clients and partners. SpryPoint teams work directly with water, electric, gas, and multi-service utilities to solve real operational and customer challenges, and to turn those needs into capabilities that can benefit the broader utility community. Dakota Electric’s effort included innovation around one of the most important aspects of cooperative membership: capital credits. Dakota Electric collaborated with SpryPoint to develop functionality that supports managing and administering capital credits directly within the CIS environment, creating greater transparency, consistency, and operational efficiency around a process fundamental to the cooperative business model.Building a platform for continuous innovation. SpryPoint’s cloud-native platform was designed to move utilities beyond the traditional cycle of major software upgrades, extensive customization, and disconnected applications. The model enables continuous product development and delivery, supported by secure integrations across the utility technology ecosystem. Feedback and ideas from clients, partners, implementation teams, support professionals, and product teams continually inform the roadmap, turning what SpryPoint learns in the field into improvements that can benefit utilities across the Americas.

These three areas reinforce one another. Investing in people creates stronger teams and new ideas. Working closely with clients and partners turns real utility challenges into opportunities to innovate. A cloud-native technology model provides a foundation for turning those ideas into capabilities we can deliver continuously to our clients.

That approach has become increasingly important as SpryPoint has scaled. The company grew revenue 616% over four years and expanded from approximately 50 employees in 2022 to more than 370 today. Alongside that growth, SpryPoint has continued to invest in the people, processes, technology, and partnerships required to serve a growing community of utilities.

“Innovation and our best ideas start with a member of our team seeing a better way to do something, a client bringing us a problem we haven’t solved before, or a partner adding a different perspective,” shared Strang. “Our job is to listen, learn, and turn those ideas into something that makes a difference for our clients. I’m proud of our team for building that kind of culture, and it’s great to see it recognized by Fast Company.”

Being named one of Fast Company’s Best Workplaces for Innovators recognizes something that has been central to SpryPoint from the beginning: innovation works best when talented people are given the tools and opportunity to challenge what exists, collaborate with clients and partners, and continually find better ways to help utilities operate and serve their communities.

About SpryPoint

Founded in 2011, SpryPoint builds and delivers integrated, cloud-native software solutions to empower utilities to serve customers better, operate more efficiently, and provide new levels of business visibility and data-driven decision-making. Today, more than 100 utilities across the Americas rely on SpryPoint to modernize billing, customer engagement, and field operations to transform their business. In 2025, SpryPoint was recognized as a Deloitte Technology Fast 50™ company in Canada and a Deloitte Technology Fast 500™ company in North America. For more information, visit www.sprypoint.com or contact info@sprypoint.com.

Media Contact

Jordan Vardell, SpryPoint, 1 (855) TRY-SPRY, info@sprypoint.com, https://www.sprypoint.com/

View original content:https://www.prweb.com/releases/sprypoint-named-to-fast-companys-best-workplaces-for-innovators-302882925.html

SOURCE SpryPoint