Current Openings

We currently have part time openings available. contact us if you would like more info or would like your child's name added to our waitlist.

email j.m.homedaycare@gmail.com

Emergent Curriculum

In the early years of childhood play is the most important task children engage in. Through play they construct their knowledge and understanding of the world around them. Because we believe that the best learning opportunities are those that arise naturally, we will be using an emergent (child lead) curriculum rather than a traditional (adult lead) schedule. We will of course have some scheduled activities each day (like lunch time, nap time, story time) but much of the day will be shaped by the moods and interests of the kids. They will learn much more readily if we follow their cues so that we will be doing art when they feel inspired to create, playing outside when they feel energetic, and looking at books when they are feeling observant. We believe the kids will get a lot more out of the activities this way. And, by not constricting ourselves with a schedule we will be able to take projects to a level we couldn't reach if we tried to plan it all out ahead of time.
We engage in a variety of activities each day at Jane's House such as playing with toys, reading books, outdoor play, gardening, games, neighborhood walks, dress up, baking, arts and crafts, singing, make-believe, puzzles, reading more books, and so on. We will also go on regular field trips to fun places like the park, the library, the zoo, and more.
To keep you informed and up to date we will send home a chart with each child every day. On your child’s chart we will record feeding/sleeping/changing times as well as notes about your child’s activities and moods over the course of the day. This way, even if we don't have time to chat when you pick your child up, you will still know how their day went.

Child Guidance and Behavior Management

When it comes to child guidance and discipline we prefer to use methods to prevent children from misbehaving and techniques that help them to learn from their mistakes. We don’t like to use punishment with children as we feel it doesn’t do anything to teach them how to be better or why what they did wasn’t OK. When children misbehave we will usually try talking with them and prompting them to see if they can figure out how to correct their behavior on their own. When they have trouble we will help them think of ways they can fix the problem (like using their words, or taking turns). Most misbehavior comes from children having problems that they don’t know how to solve (like wanting to play with something but not knowing how to get it, or feeling frustrated and not knowing how to calm down) and the best solution is to help them learn how to solve these problems. When necessary we will remove children from a situation but we do not use time outs as a general response to misbehavior. Time outs are often more effective if they are voluntary so instead of placing a child in time out we might ask them if they’d like to have a little time to themselves to calm down. The goal is to help children become capable problem solvers and effective communicators not to make them feel bad about the mistakes they make.

Nurture and Care

We would like to start off by saying that you can’t spoil a baby by giving them too much love and attention. There is no such thing as too much love. We believe it is good for children to be held and hugged and cuddled as much as possible. And that by responding to a child’s cries you are not conditioning them to be a fussy baby but teaching them to communicate and helping them understand that they are safe and loved. In our experience, babies whose parents and caregivers are responsive to their cries are far less fussy in the long run. Children have a lifetime to learn how to become independent and self sufficient.

Here at Jane's House Kids are provided with lots of love and nurturing. Children are best able to learn and grow when they feel safe and loved so we always strive to provide them with the same high level of nurturing and care they receive at home.

The importance of Art

Art is a great learning tool for young children (as well as adults). Whether it be drawing, storytelling, acting, or sculpting, there‘s a lot that can be learned through art. By participating in art activities children gain important motor skills (like hand eye coordination and the ability to grasp a pencil) and they learn about shapes, colors, and textures. They also learn important creative skills (like storytelling) and processes (like how to mix colors) that spark their imagination and fuel the learning process. Through art children can also develop confidence and self esteem by strengthening their ability to represent their thoughts and ideas, which helps them learn to express themselves effectively and to express their knowledge. Art can be a great way for kids to show you what they’ve learned as well as a great way to help them learn new things. And best of all art is really fun! Most children really love to do art projects and are proud to have works of art that they can bring home and show off to their family members. We will be experimenting with a variety of different art forms and techniques at Jane's House and will regularly engage in some form of art activity.