Home Daycares in Salem

My journey as a daycare provider began as I was looking for a place for my own young children to spend their days. I wanted them to be able to learn, socialize, and grow - and the more I looked, the more I realized how much I myself had to offer! I knew that I could provide my community with a safe, happy place for learning - and opening my home in this way has been more rewarding than I ever could have imagined! Every child that walks through my door has their own special gifts, talents, and personalities, and watching them develop is a joy. I feel so lucky that our days together are full of fun, laughter, and learning.

As a mom of three, life can be busy, but I am at my happiest when I’m around kids. The more you work with kids and help them learn, the more you learn yourself. I started my program because I wanted to create a career around my passion for child care. Plus, I love supporting other parents and sharing my knowledge. When my daughter was in child care, I remember how helpful it was that the program had her on a consistent nap schedule—it made our life at home so much easier! I want to offer that same support to the families in my program and help figure out what works best for their children and their home. I hope parents see Miles of Smiles Childcare as an extension of their family.

I went to college for psychology and afterward began working with senior citizens first. Over time, my positions took me to younger and younger people until I was working with children who had gone through trauma. I worked with these children for four years before nannying for two years while I had my own children. By 2011, I was ready to have something of my own and continue in the child care field that I loved. Having a family child care program allowed me to not only work with children but also have the consistency that my family and the families I work with needed. I’m so glad I did because it is the most rewarding job anyone could have! We also just received an award for Best Child Care in Peabody in 2019, which is a huge affirmation of the work we’re doing.

When my son was diagnosed with Autism, I knew I wanted to stay home with him to give him every opportunity! I absolutely adore working with children and have all the love and patience in the world for them! Opening my own child care program in my home gave me the opportunity to create the warm, friendly environment that I think is so important. I especially love to watch the children in my program express themselves, but the truth is that so many parts of the day and the week bring me a lot of joy. Through it all, I focus on learning through play. One of the best parts of working with children is watching them learn. The work is incredibly rewarding, especially when I think about how I've prepared children for pre-K. It's such a gift to guide the children in my program as they grow.