Newsletter 5

Newsletter #2 January, 16, 2017

Hello Everyone!

I hope you were pleased with our first newsletter detailing the basics. In this letter I am going to cover some finer details regarding our philosophies on certain aspects and hopefully answer some questions for the group that have been raised by our parents. Lets go!

Classroom Size and Children-to-Teacher Ratio

One of the most common complaints we hear from parents and one of the biggest challenges we see for children is having a classroom size with too many children. Having a large group together in one room is overwhelming for the teachers; and produces an over-stimulated environment for the children. It doesn’t allow for individual attention, cohesion within activities, or adequate down time for a child who may need a break from all of the stimuli that comes with peer play. It creates a dizzying environment of poor supervision; and in a best-case scenario, controlled chaos. We believe in a small class setting. It’s one of the reasons our parents love our family day home. We will have the following classroom structure:

Birth to 15 Months - 3 Classrooms Infant Classroom - 300 square feet 8 children - 2 teachers 16 to 23 Months - 2 Classrooms Toddler Classroom - 350 square feet 10 children - 2 teachers

24-35 Months - 3 Classrooms Our 2’s Classroom - 300 square feet 8 children - 1 teacher 36 Months to School Age - 4 Classrooms Preschool Classroom - 350 square feet 10 children - 1 teacher

Because some of our classrooms will only have 1 teacher present to lead their group of 8 or 10, our rooms will be built in sections of 2, 3, or 4 to create visibility and maintain continuity of supervision. We plan to build them side-by-side in order to have eyes from each room on the others. We can ensure accountability of staff and proper supervision of the children without having so many friends in one space. It will also create an open feel and let natural light flow throughout. The interior walls will look like this!

Potty Training

“They will go when they are ready.”

We have successfully trained 20 children between the three of us over the years and this is the one quote that holds true. We offer a positive reward system for encouraging children to use the potty. After a child is physically (able to stay dry for 1 hour) and emotionally (no objections) ready to start potty training, we start with a 30, 45 or 60 minute potty schedule. This provides a reminder and an opportunity for the child to use the potty. We will reward something as small as walking to the bathroom, removing their pull-up or just standing in the bathroom to talk about it. We never force the process, we never make the child feel as though they “should”be ready. We let them be our guide. We help them become successful! Your child is welcome in all of our classrooms regardless of their potty status.