Many working parents claim to want the best in childcare and then proceed to place their child in a facility in which the caregivers spend more time on their mobile phones than they do talking to the kids. Perhaps they don't have the time to research the different options in the area or maybe all they care about is the price or the cute name in the window.
I'll lay it out for you because I've used three different childcare options in the area and have been able to watch the care provided by all three providers in town: If you truly care about your child's mental, emotional, intellectual and physical well-being, Childrenspace is your ONLY option.
Why?
1. The CS teachers LOVE children. This would seem obvious, but it's really not. These are older, wiser, experienced caregivers -- not high school graduates looking for a paycheck or people looking for a temp job.
2. The CS teachers pay attention to your child. That's right -- walk into CS and you'll see the teachers on the floor beside the children playing and teaching from an interactive position. The CS staff is always involved and never hovering. Again, this would seem obvious right up until you go to the park and see the caregivers from the other facilities on their phones and gossiping with each other. In more than a year, I NEVER saw a single CS teacher holding a cell phone. If you want to ignore your kids at home, that's your prerogative, but they will NOT be ignored at CS.
3. The CS teachers are EXPERIENCED. A single teacher at CS probably has more experience than all of the teachers at a nearby school. When problems or conflicts arise at CS, the teachers quickly resolve them using their 20+ years of experience. You won't hear yelling, screaming or chaos inside of CS. The children are spoken to like real people and treated in a way to inspire their best behavior.
4. The CS Management/Owner is superior. Sherry has been doing this for more than 30 years. She isn't one to sit in her office and hide from the children. Instead, she's on the floor every day beside the children, reading to them, teaching them how to be good human beings, and handling discipline issues in a gentle but firm manner.
5. CS is a quiet and happy place. I've been inside the premises of all of the local care providers and you won't find one that is run more smoothly and appropriately than CS. The children are unusually happy. Crying is extremely rare. Children play together cooperatively, despite age differences. Inappropriate behavior is not tolerated and is dealt with quickly. Children easily adapt to the routines and are thrilled to have choices in their daily curriculum.
6. CS is a healthy environment. Prior to my daughter's enrollment, I had heard rumblings about CS being a food nazi kind of place. In fact, that's not true at all. These children are 2-5 years old and Sherry simply has their best interests at heart. Whether it's behaviorally, emotionally or nutritionally, CS wants to teach your child to make good choices, and it's no different with food. Diet is an important component of your child's development and trying to dictate that your child absolutely needs his Twinkie or Pop Tart won't benefit anyone.
7. CS has great outdoor space. One of my concerns about some of the local facilities is the lack of outdoor activity and that's often because of the lack of space. CS has an amazing backyard, a swing set, a set of picnic tables, toddler appropriate structures, and a protected blacktop area for tricycles. Plus, they take the kids to the park each day! If you hate the idea of your child being stuck inside a room for 8-10 hours each day, you don't have to worry about that at CS.
8. CS Routines. Author Stephen Covey talks a lot about habit. Daily routine becomes habit. At first, walking to the library up that giant hill every Wednesday seems daunting but soon it becomes habit. Making good decisions about their choice of playtime activity becomes habit. Respect for each other will also become a habit.
9. Periodic Reports. After a few months at CS, we were called into Sherry's office for a 'report card'. In actuality, it was a narrative report written up by Sherry with input from my daughter's primary CS caregivers. It was THREE pages. In five years of elementary schooling, I haven't received one-tenth of that level of feedback about my son. To see how your child is perceived by four or five experienced caregivers can be an eye-opener but it's also a blessing to be able to see that your child's behavior at home isn't necessarily the way they behave in a different environment. The value of these reports is immeasurable.
10. CS is unlike any other childcare facility I've seen. Choosing a childcare provider means selecting a place where your child will be developing for 1500+ hours each year. If you deeply care about your child's well being, don't leave it to chance: Choose Childrenspace. read more
