Home Daycares in Rockland

My name is Mrs. Marie Barlatier. I am the educator at Little Lamb Family Child Care and Preschool, located in Weymouth, MA. I would like to share with you some of my experiences as an educator in the Early Childhood Education field, as well as my past work experiences. I have spent my entire life working with children. I worked at Children Services of Roxbury for approximately 7 years as a coordinator. Later I worked in Interfaith Social Services, primarily known as the Protestant Social Services Bureau, for 15 years as an adoption worker. Then I worked as an Ongoing Social Worker at the Department of Children’s Services, while also teaching Sunday School at my church, prior to opening my own Family Child Care program 17 years ago. Being an ongoing social worker, you travel everywhere. At that time, my daughter was a preschooler and sometimes I would be very late picking her up. A friend of mine who had and still currently has her own program encouraged me to open the daycare. She knew that with my love of children and years of experience, family child care would be a perfect fit for me and I would benefit from working at home and being able to be there for my daughter. I’m so grateful I went forward with the idea because so far, it’s been an amazing, joyful and rewarding journey for me! I have always loved children. It’s so interesting to watch them grow and develop physically, socially, intellectually, and emotionally. My mission is to help them reach their full potential. What amazes me the most is when I think they are not paying attention to me during an activity and then, surprisingly, in a few days they can do it on their own! They are such a joy and each child that comes into my care becomes a huge part of my life. This is not just a job for me, this is an incredibly satisfying way of life. After working in this capacity with the children, I felt the need to have more knowledge about children’s development. I realized there was so much for me to learn to be a better educator and caretaker. I went back to school and earned a degree in Early Childhood Education and Administration. I’ve loved what I can bring to the children in order to prepare them for the future. An important story from my years of being an early childhood educator is about one child I had almost ten years ago, whose parents were in tears when he came into my care. He had behavioral issues and the parents were exhausted. As an educator, I have to find a way to help each child grow and develop to their maturity level. I never give up on any child, and so even though it took a lot of patience and effort, I can tell you that he was one of the smartest and best kids I’ve had. On his graduation day, he had a little speech thanking his parents for choosing me. Even his kindergarten teacher called me saying that she’d never seen a kid as great as him! Stories like that have brightened my life and made me so happy that I chose this field.

I have 4 years of experience taking care of young children. For me, one of the best parts of working with children is that they all need love and care. I feel so fortunate to experience that every day and to share my skills and experience with families through my home-based child care program, where I focus on learning through play. I aim to create an environment that is friendly and happy for the children I care about so much. So many parts of this job are fun, but I especially love to read books to them. I can't imagine spending my days any other way. I’m also proud to do this important work. That’s especially true when I think about all the children I've helped grow and learn.

It has always been an absolute dream of mine to have my home daycare. I’ve raised my three children and have an associate, bachelor and master’s degrees in early childhood education. I did pre-practicum in preschool and kindergarten in the public schools. I started working with children as a teacher in a daycare center 4 years ago. I have so much to provide to little ones. I especially love to read books, sing and to tell stories to the children, but the truth is that so many parts of the day bring a lot of joy and fun. Through it all, I focus on allowing children to express themselves. One of the best parts of working with children is that they are all different. The work is incredibly rewarding, especially when I think about all the children I’ve helped grow and learn. It’s such a gift to guide the children in my program as they grow. I am very proud to be a part of my community. This gives me the opportunity to create the welcoming. Nurturing environment that I think is so important. I believe children learn best when they have a good relationship with their teachers. This creates a positive interaction with secure attachment that make the children feel good about themselves in their surroundings. The children learn how to play cooperatively, take turns, improve their language as they communicate with one another.  Having 2-5 years old in my program requires me to know zone of proximal development of each child in order to I use modeling, and scaffolding strategies with visual aids to support an individual child’s learning. This experience will give them unforgettable feelings of being loved that they will carry into their adulthood, and help them to build a positive relationship with others. As a teacher, of young children, I must meet goals and expectations for each child’s learning.

My favorite thing about caring for children is watching them learn and grow. That has been a highlight for me throughout my 12 years of experience. I have worked as a nanny in private homes, and most recently I have been taking care of my own children. People have said that I create an environment that is encouraging and engaging. I focus on learning through play, and I especially love to watch them express themselves. I’m proud when I think about all the children I've helped grow and learn. That's what makes this work so amazing. It's so special to me to be able to encourage children's learning through play and exploration. As a mother and Expressive Therapist myself, I realize that little ones do best in small, structured programs. I'm thrilled to share my preschool with my neighborhood!