Just Like Mom Child Care in Kitchener daycare openings, reviews and ratings

Daycare description / philosophy

2019.06.01 After many years of happily providing home daycare, I have retired from the best years of my life ... spending my days with children. I will leave my site here for a while in case anyone is needing ideas regarding what you might be looking for ... all the best!! 2018.01.26 You've come to the right place for child care!! I believe in the potential for great things in children who are loved, who receive guidance and who are allowed to have a childhood. I have various spots, part-time and full-time, available immediately. Please include your child's age and birthdate as well as the days and hours you are interested in when you inquire to see if I can accommodate you. I welcome inquiries for part-time and full-time care or occasional care. Please note that my under 2 spots are full. I will consider temporary care, or backup care if your provider is unavailable due to illness or for their vacation time if I have appropriate availability. General Information Synopsis: Smoke and pet-free Home Day Care in a loving, caring family atmosphere. My name is Emily; I have my A.A. degree in Early Childhood Care and many years of experience. Style of Care My style of care is to strive to replicate a fun and engaging 'farm/country' home and family atmosphere (as opposed to a super-structured, more formal mini-day care centre). We follow routines rather than strict schedules, we eat healthy child-friendly food, mostly homemade, often organic and locally grown. Sweet treats etc. are not offered. There is plenty of love and patience to share with everyone, with an emphasis on respectful relationships. Children love to spend their days with their friends, playing and learning while in my care. Organic Perspective We spend as much time as we can outside in decent weather, usually most of the morning and much of the afternoon (after naptime). My large yard is enclosed, a botanical delight for children from spring through fall. There are 7 fruit trees, a raspberry jungle, thousands of flowers from spring to fall, a swing hanging from a big maple tree, a sandbox under the tree, grass, small 'woodland', tricycles etc. There is opportunity to play in mud as we have rain barrels to provide us with plenty of water to splash around safely with our water buckets and sprinklers. As well we tend our container gardens that may produce peas, tomatoes, strawberries, zucchini, cucumbers, beans, flowers .. a pot for each child if they wish .. peppers, some herbs, etc. We love to walk/run/trike and stroller to Rockway Gardens where the gardeners are very welcoming and like to show us how to pull weeds, find worms, and show us the flowers. We splash our hands in the fountains, observe goldfish and tadpoles, run and play on the grass, climb the rocks and love to have morning snack in the gazebo. We learn the names of some birds and try to identify which birdsong we hear. If one of us is interested in the ants on the sidewalk we all bend down to look, watch and discuss. Same with lichen, worms, clouds .. whatever we're seeing at the moment. It's open-ended discovery, and child-led learning .. they learn about what they are interested in at the moment, and they inspire each other to learn and grow! In winter, there is lots of clean snow to play in safely when it's not crazy cold. While we spend more time indoors in winter, there are many activities available to keep everyone busy, happy, exploring and discovering. Reading Writing and Colours The children have plenty of opportunities for reading/listening to stories while we're sitting together on the big story chair, listening to music, singing, learning our colours and letters, doing puzzles, etc. We don't do 'circle time'. There is very little time for the occasional Bob the Builder or Daniel Tiger-type 'show' as we're busy using our imaginations and playing with each other. Qualifications Hours etc. I have my A.A. degree in Early Childhood Care, a police check, F&CS check, Standard First Aid, many many years of experience, letters of recommendation, and our home is very child-friendly.. fingerprints, paintings posted on the walls, sand in the corners (woops!), child-sized furniture, toys, art supplies, child-sized cots and play-yards for napping... You and your child receive plenty of value for your money! Hours are flexible.... sometime between breakfast and dinner, preferably not outside of 8:00 a.m. - 5:00 p.m., but I can offer occasional flexibility where needed. I am available Monday through Friday. I strive to 'live my personal life' outside of those hours so that I can be consistently available to you. My location is on Doon Road, Kitchener, just off the Expressway, and between King and Courtland Streets. Access is easy from all sides. Please see the attached map. Care is dependable, mature, very child friendly, consistent and the children in my care are happy!! My home is mostly scent and chemical free, an environment where recycling, healthy living, and respect for the earth and for each other are taught and modelled. Excellent references, resume, and further information available. Please inquire. First contact by email, please (justlikemomchildcare@hotmail.com) ____________________________________________________ LGBTQ+ ally. Cloth diaper friendly. Breastfeeding friendly!