Oh, my ickle baby is growing up! Greer started school last week, at a mere eleven weeks old. She…read moreis by far the youngest baby in her class; her classmates are all over a year old, and move up to a classroom for older babies next month, and then Greer will be all alone, so please send new friends for her to play with!
I cannot bestow enough praise on Indigo. Last summer, my husband and I toured a few daycare centers, and Indigo blew away the competition, as far as we were concerned. The school practices the Montessori philosophy, which fosters a loving environment where children can grow and learn at their own pace, allowing them to spend extra time on the activities that interest them most. I found this much more attractive than your average (or above-average or even excellent) state-licensed daycare center (and I used to work at one several years ago, so I have an insider's knowledge), where the state's early childhood curriculum---and not necessarily the child's strengths and interests---rule the school.
The director and teachers are loving and capable, and there is very little staffing turnover, unlike at the daycare center where I used to work, where conditions were unpleasant, and we teachers were rarely allowed to call in sick. I recall, in the short year that I worked there, nearly everyone---adults and children included---having strep throat, myself as well, and I am rarely sick. When Greer first started, her teacher, Ms. Michelle, was out sick for two days. You might think, eeks!, the teacher's sick!, but I considered this a very positive statement about the working environment at Indigo. If you're sick, stay home, get better, then come love on these kids. I think that's fantastic.
Indigo Montessori and Wonderland Enrichment Arts are two separate entities that are located in the same historic building near Brightleaf Square in downtown Durham, that function as one. Wonderland operates from 8:00 a.m. until 9:30 a.m., then it's Indigo from 9:30 a.m. until 1:30 p.m. (which is when I pick up my bebeh), then Wonderland again from 1:30 p.m. until 5:30 p.m. These four-hour-or-less blocks allow Indigo and Wonderland to function with needing state accreditation, which means more freedom in their curriculum and lower costs and a more flexible schedule for parents and their kids. I drop my baby Greer off at Wonderland at 8:00 a.m., then pick her up from Indigo at 1:30 p.m. (I then work from home until 5:00 p.m.). In the summer (June through August), Indigo is closed, and Wonderland operates its own summer camp, with full or half day options.
