Additionally

• Your child becomes a member of a close knit small group of mixed age children.  Research is showing us that mixed age groupings are beneficial to young children.  Many high quality centers are embracing this concept.

• Your child will have far less exposure to infectious disease.  Studies have found that children in day care centers have a two to three times higher risk of infection and  incidences of diarrhea, colds, conjunctivitis and inner-ear infections are common.

• Staff ratios are smaller than you will ever see in center-based care, where children often have two, three or more teachers each day and staff turnover is high.  Continuity of care is very important to young children's emotional make-up.  We get to know each child very well by spending a lot of time interacting, talking, listening, holding and sharing lots of hugs!

Play is a child's work!

Play opportunities that enhance each child's social, emotional, physical, and cognitive development are the foundation of our program.  We provide interactive, on-the-floor teaching while encouraging active, hands-on learning. Our theme-based curriculum includes beginning Spanish and incorporates child-directed activities with short, focused group activities, one-on-one teaching, individual and group playtime, large and small muscle activities and rest, snack and meal times. Oh, and our food is great -- our many years of experience have helped us to specialize in providing the kind of proper nutrition that children really like! 

Making a batch of Goop!

Fun is our business!

Studies have shown that children are more likely to retain information learned when they are engaged in an enjoyable and meaningful activity. We specialize in capturing the attention of children through fun, meaningful learning experiences. Our program provides developmentally appropriate activities for every child with a strong  emphasis on  social and emotional development.

Children love to learn!

Children also learn through  imaginative play, playing with manipulative toys, hearing stories, singing, role playing, enjoying outside time, sharing and preparing foods, sensory exploration, coloring, painting and interacting with others.

We aim to instill a lifelong love of reading in our children!  Not only do we read aloud daily, but our children also enjoy our listening center where up to six children can listen to "Read Along" stories using headsets.  Children love being able to follow along on their own or with a book buddy!   We also participate in the Book It! Beginners reading program.

Our program fosters exploration and inquiry, rather than focusing on "right" answers or "right" ways to complete a task. These experiences promote feelings of success, competence, and enjoyment of learning, along with creating school readiness and a foundation for later academic and social competence.

A Safe and Healthy Environment!

Your child's safety is our number one concern

• We are licensed and inspected regularly by the Michigan Department of Human Services.

• We hold current certification in Adult and Pediatric CPR and First Aid.

• Our heating system is inspected regularly by a licensed contractor.

• Fire extinguishers and smoke and carbon monoxide detectors are installed on each floor.

• We practice fire and tornado drills regularly.

• Our playground is fenced in.

• We teach and practice proper hand washing and preventative health care.

• Toys and materials are disinfected regularly.

• We have many years of experience, including being a licensed facility since 1988, many hours of early childhood development and nutrition courses and workshops, 1 year of tutoring developmentally challenged kindergarten children, 1 year of teaching first grade reading development at Amberly Elementary School, as well as 2 years of teaching children how to put together the school newspaper and 8 years of managing girls little league in Portage.  We were also nominated for two consecutive years for the Governor's Quality Care Awards for the state of Michigan and we were recently awarded the Michigan Enhanced Quality Improvement Grant!  

• We continue to learn by keeping up on the latest in child development and brain research through continuing education.

• Member of the National Association for the Education of Young Children.

• Member of the Michigan Association for the Education of Young Children.

• Member of the National Association for Family Child Care.

• Partnership with Child Care Resources, Kalamazoo Regional 4C

• Member of  the Association for Child Development.

• Member of the Kalamazoo County Child Abuse & Neglect Council.

• Lifetime member of the Redleaf National Institute, a division of Resources for Child Caring (RCC), a
  nonprofit organization that supports, and advocates for thousands of parents, providers, teachers, trainers
  and early childhood professionals. “Our mission is to advance quality care and education of children in
  their crucial early years."

• Member of The Random Acts of Kindness™ Foundation: “Through the dissemination of ideas and the development of materials and programs, we have helped our kindness coordinators – including educators, students, community members, faith groups, service clubs, and others – incorporate kindness into thousands of schools and communities."