About Little Stars Childcare         EMAIL        

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12/2/2010

I operate a home childcare with an intensive toddler and preschool curriculum with proven results. I only do full-time care, as my aim is to have the most stable environment possible here for all the children. Through the years, children have experienced divorce, moves, family illnesses, extensive parental work travel, and other home life stresses and transitions. This is their place of calm, consistency, and refuge in an often chaotic greater world.

I have EXCEPTIONAL references. One of my current parents is the special education preschool director for a major Kansas City school district. She holds a doctorate and is eager to be a reference regarding my care of her two children. Previous clients include several early childhood and elementary educators.

I have a master's degree in HR and additional college courses in early childhood education and development. I believe in challenging the children but never pushing them beyond their interest or capability. Everything here is child led by interest and developmental level. Learning is presented more through exposure and games than actually "taught" and the children are offered a wide variety of activities to choose from to enhance their individual learning styles and personal gifts. My 1 and 2 year olds will start assessment for colors, 0-10 counting and recognition, alphabet recognition and phonics, and name recognition in January. My last 2 children to leave (ages 4 and 5) were reading level 2 readers and doing 1st grade math. This shows I don't push the kids, but let them guide the learning process. These two were a year apart in age, but at the same educational level. The kindergartner before that was tested for the gifted program after one semester of kindergarten, a year earlier than they normally do so. She scored as passing the second grade. The one before that is at the very top of his class and was reading chapter books in 1st grade. His mother brought him to me from Belton for a year after moving, just to keep him with me. I am good friends with my current and former clients, and previous students return for visits. They don't get by with just playing, though, the last one to visit, we worked on adjectives. A new concept for her.

Preschool: We have a monthly preschool theme with weekly sub-themes. Our circle time includes: calendar, colors, 2D/3D shapes, numbers, ordinal numbers, alphabet, names songs, positional words, Spanish 1-25/colors/vocabulary, money, time, odd/even, vowels, pledge. Our daily curriculum is theme centered and covers English/writing, math, science/reasoning/problem solving, craft/fine motor, dramatic play/gross motor, songs/poetry/finger plays, story time, and Spanish, along with additional games, videos, stories, puzzles, etc. We also have a strong humanities component and study an artist/genre and composer/genre each month. My son is studying Mandarin Chinese, so they have some exposure to that language as well as Spanish. We have a large outdoor play area with a ball field and play structures.

Toddlers: Toddlers have a set curriculum that includes music, color of the month, up/down on command, body parts, clapping on command, 1-2-3, block stacking, shape sorting, sensory stimulation, stories, vocabulary, gross and fine motor movement, and individual speech skills. They listen in to the preschool activities and begin some participation in those around age 2 depending on skills, focus, and interest. Toddlers have their own safe, secured padded play area and toys. They have no access to anything potentially harmful. The toddler outdoor area is enclosed in an outdoor sunshade/mesh enclosure. This eliminates the need for insect spray and sunscreen on the little ones, and protects them from the older children's generally rougher play. Only toddler outdoor equipment/structures and toys are in there, and the floor is covered with foam padding to eliminate the potential of small ones eating mulch or pebbles or...other things.

Infants: I try to not have more than one infant and not more than two under 18 months at any time. Unfortunately, this is dictated more by the market than my preferences. I believe that babies can not be held too much during the first few months, should be fed on demand, sleep at will, be fed breast milk when at all possible, and be coddled and loved. I also believe they need segregation from curious toddlers who can cause harm in an instant and with little effort. Infants still have a curriculum. We work on neck strengthening, then core strengthening, and incorporate daily massage. I also work on audio and visual tracking, tactile stimulation and provide a safe and developmentally encouraging environment. Studies are still showing a correlation between Mozart and brain development, so we make certain to get some of it in daily.

Discipline: My rules are simple and consistent and there are NO surprises. Except in gross violations (hitting another child), children are given the opportunities to correct their own behavior and make a correct choice. When a child goes into time-out, they know that they made the choice to be there. More often than time-out, a child will lose a relevant privilege for inappropriate behavior. I strive for a very "zen" atmosphere. Calm, peaceful, respectful. This isn't to say the floor can't get a foot deep in toys and that there isn't ever someone screaming like a banshee, I'm just saying that is the exception, rather than the norm, at my daycare.

I have 6 years of experience.. In that time, I have never had a major injury and only once has an illness spread through the daycare, brought in by a sick parent. I am diligent about ensuring that everyone and everything is kept as sanitary as possible to prevent illness entering my home or passing between children. I have also never been closed except for scheduled holidays in that time. I have excellent back-up providers, including my mother who is a retired RN. My menu exceeds USDA guidelines and contains at least one super food daily. My goal is to meet each child's complete daily nutritional needs while they are in my care. So when the parent drives through McDonald's in the evening, they know that their child isn't depending upon it for more than filler. 

Security and safety wise, the children are doubly secured in most ways. A gate, then a locked door, then a locked screen door---a magnetic lock, then a push lock---a strap lock, then a push lock---a back door, then a gate, then the fence gate. My fence gates can only be opened from the INSIDE, so no one can access my backyard (including service repair men) without my knowledge and assistance. There really is nothing a child can easily access here that is potentially harmful, except each other.
 
A few location advantages: My house has two furnaces and air conditioners, so it is doubtful that I would ever need to close due to heating or cooling issues. I am located at the intersection of two emergency routes, so we are the first ones plowed when it snows. The house is also linked to the electrical feed for a nursing home, so we are also the first ones to get power restored in case of an outage. Once, that was weeks ahead of our neighbors. The entire house is hardwood with only a couple rugs in upstairs bedrooms, so allergens are not embedded in carpeting here for the children to be playing on or around.

The two referral agencies for Greater Kansas City do a wage rate survey annually. My rates fall in the upper middle for the Overland Park/Prairie Village area. My clients seem to feel they get their money's worth. They keep bringing me their new offspring and keep giving me great references.
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  Identifying Good Childcare

Too often, a woman becomes pregnant and decides she wants to stay home and take care of her child, and to make additional income, she decides to do daycare. The inherent problem with that, is that she has little to no experience in childcare, absolutely no parenting experience (a BIG difference from babysitting for a couple hours here and there and more closely related to childcare in a home setting), and no educational background in child development, child psychology or curriculum and teaching. Without the experience and education, it's the blind leading the blind and the reason why so many providers stop doing it within a year. A childcare provider should have the experience and education necessary to give a child the utmost care possible. For the emotional, educational and physical well-being of your child, who will be spending up to 50 hours a week in this person's care, take the time to find a quality provider, and be willing to compensate them appropriately for their professionalism. The first five years of your child's life, and the care received in that time, WILL shape the rest of his/her life.
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There should be no more than two infants under six months no matter what age your child. Even one infant takes a great deal of time, and if you have an infant, you want them to get the time they need, and if you have an older child, you want the provider to have enough time to give him/her quality care as well, rather than spending all the time taking care of the infants and the older children being “watched.”

Small infants require attention. They need to be talked to, read to, played with, and held. While the swing and exersaucer are fine for short periods of time, the most important thing for a young infant is quality attention and tummy time on the floor with their own toys. This is what builds the strength necessary for crawling, walking, writing, building, and all the other developmental milestones they will be reaching toward. After 6 months, infants are usually more mobile, independent, playing with toys and require less direct care. 

Always remember that your child is constantly growing. You want a childcare setting that will keep pace with him/her. Research is definite that consistent care, meaning not changing primary care givers, is highly important in the first eight years of life. Some European countries, and several schools in the states, have instituted schooling where the same teacher follows the children from kindergarten through third grade and then gets a new batch of students back at the kindergarten level. This consistency is even more important at the 0-5 year range. The provider you choose should be able to provide a stimulating and safe environment for an infant, but should be in line with your expectations for toddler and preschool care as well, including kindergarten readiness initiatives.

Children age 12 months through 30 months seem to pose the most danger to an infant. They do not understand the delicacy of the infant, lack impulse control, are FAST, and cannot be easily diverted. Infants are fascinating to a toddler this age and accidents can occur readily. Even with constant vigilance, a chucked block or poke in the eye is waiting to happen. Infants should be segregated from this age group in some way whenever a home provider’s attention is diverted, such as making meals, one-on-one attention time, etc. A yard gate or pack-and-play is appropriate but not fool proof. A swing, high chair or carrier still leaves the infant exposed to little fingers.

Many two-year-olds can master the push-down cabinet locks. Strap locks are better. Knives and other deadly items should be stored within cabinets locked with magnetic locks, which are rated to age 10.

Daycare should be relegated to some section of the home. It is too difficult with a family in residence for a provider to keep all items from all family members that are unsafe unreachable throughout a household.

Daylight is important to the human condition.  Look for a provider whose daycare space is open and light filled.

While a set curriculum, assessments, and benchmarking are not necessary, a general view towards a learning environment and limited television are encouraged. The provider should have a variety of stimulating activities and age-appropriate toys available.

A significant amount of outside time is imperative. It engages the majority of their senses at any given time and provides opportunities for endless exploration. Writing in the dirt with a stick is just as important a fine motor skill as drawing with crayons. Studies indicate that outside time is vitally important to the cognitive growth and physical well-being of young children. The more time a provider has the children engaged in outside play and learning the better.

Children find safety and security in consistent routines. It also helps with the gradual learning process of understanding the concept of time and that there is a predictable rhythm to their lives. Without this, children become stressed and fearful. While a minute-by-minute daily agenda is not necessary, a provider should have a consistent routine for major activities, such as meal times, outside time, nap time, etc. that is followed fairly closely.

Health and nutrition in early childhood set the stage for the well being of future teenagers and adults. What tastes are experienced by the age of two, even if disliked, can eventually be liked in adulthood. Palates are created, not born, and we all want a child who asks for fruit over candy and like a 2-year-old I have, begs for spinach at every meal. You want a provider who follows the USDA nutritional guidelines and hopefully exceeds them. Look for a provider who has a written menu and includes a lot of super foods - tomatoes,  broccoli, spinach, serves only whole wheat bread and related products, serves fish, and overall has  a nutritious menu with few sugary sweets and high-fat foods. No juice should be served to a child under the age of 4 due to their concentrated acids effect on young digestive systems and emerging teeth.

Music speaks to the soul of children at any age. Look for a program that encourages children to explore a variety of musical types, dancing, and playing instruments.

An educational activity that engages multiple senses is retained nearly 80% better than one that engages a single sense. Listening to a story is fine, but acting it out, clapping at parts, participating, is so much more meaningful to the cognitive advancement of the child. Look for a provider that engages the children in learning rather than just teaching.

The play area should be safe. The only danger should be coming from other children playing inappropriately or the child him/herself doing so.

Only go with a licensed provider. The annual checks by the state act as an assurance that the provider will keep on top of general maintenance and keep updating their knowledge.

Ask to see their most recent state evaluation. Small violations are not unexpected and not a cause for worry. However, by simply asking, you will be able to see how the provider responds, if they will be open and how they communicate. However, if there were any gross violations that concerned the state in their past, they wouldn’t have a current license.

The best source of information is other parents of children who are or have been in the provider’s care. Ask for references and contact every one.

A provider should have a clear understanding that they are charged with the emotional, physical and intellectual growth of a child and be able to clearly express how they do that.

Childhood is a time of testing boundaries and developing an understanding of how one fits into the world. A provider should have clear, simple and consistent rules for behavior and be willing to apply appropriate consequences for misbehavior. These should be in alignment with the parents’ home boundaries and consequences so that the child can develop a sense of empowerment over their choice of actions.

Pay attention to the providers vacation and time-off policy. Many home providers take off several days or weeks more a year than most companies provide a single person. The best situation is a provider who has more than one back-up person, even if back-up care is not guaranteed.

The average turn-over rate of personnel in center care is 30%, and due to the number of hours your child is in care, at a center s/he will always have at minimum 2 primary care givers and possibly two early/late providers daily, and new providers every year as s/he advances in age and moves through the system. There is a lack of consistency in care and expectations inherent in that situation that is not present in a home daycare situation. A good home daycare is the best developmental situation for a child, based upon research findings. 

If center care is your only choice, often due to hours of operation, because price is usually not the issue, then your best choice will always be one that has national certification by NAEYC. Just as you want a licensed home provider, you want a center that is certified.  It is also important that you contact references for a center. Just because they state that they do curriculum and have it to show, doesn't mean that the individual teachers actually USE it or use it appropriately. (I did an internship covering several different local centers, and learned that first hand! Even the most expensive/exclusive one was a disappointment in this area, and they marketed their curriculum as the best!) Ask current and former parents if they could see a measurable increase in skill sets due to the center's influence.  

While I do not believe center care is at all good for children over the age of one, staffing ratios at centers of 1 provider to 3 infants is much better than staffing ratios of home childcares. Additionally, in centers, the infants are completely segregated from the older children. For these reasons, I do think center care holds an advantage for the first year of life. However, the price of center infant care is currently (9/26/11) 50% higher than our local home childcare rates.