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MY CHILDCARE SERVICES

The philosophy is simple - happy, healthy children by giving them the opportunity to be children.

As both a parent and childcare provider, I have a firm belief that children thrive best when they are given endless quantities of love and the freedom to be a child. Providing an environment that offers a balance between the consistency children need to feel safe while also being sufficiently unstructured that children have the space and time to explore the world around them, is key to this philosophy. Within a small care environment, children and their changing needs are intimately understood by a single loving individual who has an innate understanding of who they are and where they are in their development. This allows individual personalities to grow and blossom.

By exposing children to a large variety of learning experiences I allow them to gain a sense of the world around us. I value their own uniqueness, providing support and the opportunities to grow emotionally, socially and creatively. Building upon each child’s strengths and curiosities, I help them develop new abilities along with the confidence to be themselves.

Most importantly of all, I use love as a foundation in everything we do. Children within my care quickly understand that above all else, I will love them for exactly who they are.

IMAGINATIVE PLAY

Toddler girl playing dressup with butterfly wings in front of her dolls.

Part of every day and everything we do, imaginative play is as natural to children as it is unnatural to adults. Tea parties, teddy socials, imaginative cooking, puppet shows, baby care, dress up and fashion shows, train tracks and cars ... we do it all ... and then some more on top of that.

CREATIVE PLAY

Toddler girl in the background with butterfly art projects on display.

Art is a mainstay and takes place regularly, especially during the cooler seasons. An endless array of crafting, painting and visual arts, hair design, face painting, nail salons and more. I have a designated craft room in the basement that allows for large messes to be made and the freedom to have fun.

MUSICAL PLAY

Toddler girl sitting and playing a grand piano.

Music is an integral part of what we do. We have both a grand piano and guitar that are regularly put to use for music time at home. This is extended even further with baby and toddler music classes that provide the wonderfully social aspect of music to enhance their minds and lives.

NATURE PLAY

Toddler girl walking through a forest of vibrant orange autumn leaves.

ADVENTURE PLAY

Toddler and infant girls on the beach overlooking the lake and a cityscape in the distance.

PHYSICAL PLAY

Toddler girl riding her balance bike.

Having grown up out of the city, nature is my favourite place to find calm. We take many outings to conservation areas where we hike, play, explore and become one with the wonder of nature. Often spending full days outside, we'll picnic and nap in the shade of a tree with bird songs as our backdrop. During any season, you'll find us in nature.

Near and dear to my heart, I love a good adventure. We take trips throughout the GTA and well beyond that too, including the Zoo, ROM, AGO, Science Centre, Wonderland, Aquarium, Lion Safari, playgrounds, parks and many more. We cycle up, down and all around the city, to the island and just about anywhere we can ride. There is little we don't do.

Regular local walks along with outdoor and indoor playgrounds, physical games, swimming and sports activities combined with a myriad of other outdoor and indoor activities ensure that physical play is a constant in my care. That being said, we'll also happily stay home and enjoy a lazy day too. As always, we like balance in our activities.

SOCIAL PLAY

Three toddler girls decorating holiday cookies.

I understand the importance of social interaction for the kids (and me too!) I'm highly active in the community and parent circles, regularly attend baby and toddler meetups and arrange regular playdates and outings with others. Indoor and outdoor classes and local community playgrounds also become a hub for social play.

PROGRAMMED PLAY

Toddler girl in a tutu and ballet shoes practicing dance.

I incorporate scheduled programs into a our weekly plans on a regular basis. Music, dance, art and gymnastics are just some of the options we like to explore. We take advantage of FunGuide opportunities where possible, but tend to prefer professionally planned opportunities for better consistency and adaptability of kids ages.

EDUCATIONAL PLAY

Toddler girl working on educational matching puzzles.

Education takes place in everything that we do, but dedicated time is certainly given to focused educational learning. It will vary depending on the season and weather, with more focus given in the colder months. Sorting sizes, learning colours and shapes, practicing numbers, the alphabet and all that good stuff is covered.

FREE & GUIDED PLAY

Infant girl playing with a box full of balls.

FOODS THAT FEED

Toddler girl helping stir healthy ingredients on the stove.

AGES OF CARE

Infant girl sleeping in a carrier on her caregivers chest.

In amongst all of this play, there will be times I'm guiding the activity, times that the children are leading, and times the children play on their own. We also incorporate many everyday activities into what we do, such as preparing food, baking, cleaning, reading, cuddling and relaxing. It's part of what makes home care so great.

I provide a balanced healthy diet comprising of home cooked meals and snacks, including custom prepared (and carefully planned) baby foods for infants. That being said, we won't hesitate to have "naughty" quick foods and goodies while out on our adventures knowing that for the most part, we're eating healthy foods from home.

I have experience caring for infants of any age up until they start school. In fact, I actually prefer to begin with children under 12 months old as the transitions are naturally seamless and the bond created is inherently strong. That said, I'm adept at beginning with children of any age and when paternal leave is finished is most common.

Childcare: My Services

Whatever the options for child care are, there are two choices I find very difficult to accept. One would be where my baby was looked after by a lot of different people, and the other would be a setting where a single person looked after many different babies. I believe that fragmented care in the early years can lead to a fragmented personality later on. It is through a strong relationship with one main caregiver in infancy and toddlerhood that a child can best develop a strong sense of self and later become capable of forming healthy relationships with others.

Playing grocery store is actually better for brain development than a math work sheet? It has to be some kind of trick. Yet after decades of research, the benefits of play are so thoroughgoing, so dispositive, so well described that the only remaining question is how so many sensible adults sat by and allowed the building blocks of development to become so diminished. Sometime in recent history, we began to see slow, unhurried experiences as subpar. But the more we overprogram our children, the more we lose our own sense of their needs, and how to provide for them.

- Ted Rogers, A beautiful day in the neighborhood : neighborly words of wisdom from Mister Rogers (2019)

- Erika Christakis, The Importance of Being Little: What Preschoolers Really Need from Grownups (2017)

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