Gathering a Group for Fall 2009

We have visited and talked with several families of school age children who have expressed interest in our program for fall of 2009. At this point, we need to figure out if there is enough interest to put together a group of three or four 5 to 10 year olds to join our large family day care group of ten children.  We currently have one 7 year old homeschooler with us one day a week and would love to expand our work with this age group, as it has added so much to our program and has worked so well for the homeschooler.  We hope that by early to mid-April we will know if we have enough interest to do this next year. If not, there are several families of younger children, older toddlers and preschoolers, who have expressed interest in the family day care program with the hopes that their children might continue on with us after age five. This would be another way to explore the expansion of our work with older children. We hope to visit with those families in late March and early April and then to establish our fall enrollment by the end of April. Then on to the end of the year with our many soon to be kindergarten lovelies, summer with our mixed age group of one to fourteen year olds, and then fall of who knows what!

So, if you are reading this and interested in our program for your 5 to 10 year old, please contact us ASAP so we can explore the possibility!

School age children in our program

In addition to providing full and part time care for toddlers and preschoolers, our family day care program has worked with one homeschooler, and many school age kids after school and in our summer program. In this way, we currently serve kids from one to fourteen. We are interested in working more with school age children during the day. Our program is play and project based with a focus on relationships. We currently have three caregiver/teachers, all with many years of experience, two who were formerly certified early childhood and elementary teachers. Our group has ten children and two caregivers/teachers at a time.

For fall 2009 we are looking to include a group of three to four 5 to 10 year olds in our mixed age morning program, which runs from 8:30 to 1:30, with the option for extended day until 5 pm. The afternoon session would overlap with our after school program, and thus include a larger group of school age kids.

If you are looking for a small group setting for your child, where your child will be known and able to follow his/her interests, develop at his/her own pace, and be with children of all ages in a relaxed, nurturing, creative environment, we would love to meet you. We offer a healthy vegetarian breakfast, lunch, and snack, a balance of child and teacher directed experiences, lots of outdoor time, and a warm and cozy environment. We have lots of books, building materials, art, science, and cooking supplies, games, puzzles, and writing materials for children of all ages. We are convenient to public transportation, a short walk to several great parks, and near enough to swimming pools, libraries, skating rinks, and museums that we hope to take our older kids on periodic adventures.

We are currently offering interviews and program visits to families whose children will be school age in the fall. We hope to find our small group soon so we can begin planning for this new adventure.