Take the survey to see 3 daycares that match your preferences, timeline, and what matters most to you. It’s free for parents & takes 5 minutes.Take the 5-minute survey to see 3 daycares that match your preferences & timeline.

Ms. Maria

Kaikass Educational Care - Maria De La Cruz

Licensed home daycare

Lawrence, MA

8am–4:30pm, M - F

"Early love for education promote High Schooler"

Great for parents who want...

Each daycare has its own approach and specialties based on the provider’s expertise. Take the survey to see daycares that match your preferences and work best for you.Each daycare has its own approach & specialties. Take the survey to see 3 good matches for you.

A Few Favorite Activities

Activities are designed to help children develop social, emotional and cognitive skills as they sing, dance, play, and learn in a small group setting.

Arts & crafts

Music

Reading time

Seasonal activities

Fine motor skills development

Gross motor skills development

Activities are designed to help children develop social, emotional and cognitive skills as they sing, dance, play, and learn in a small group setting.

Each program is led by a licensed child care professional. While they each have their own expertise and approach, they all share a genuine love for educating and helping young children grow & thrive. Being licensed also means they have done a series of state-required trainings and they’ve passed a government background check.

About the Provider

Licensed Family Child Care Educator

License #9083615

Prior Experience

Nanny
5 years experience with infants, toddlers, preschoolers and school age
K-12 Teacher @ Bridging The Gap - Salvation Army Youth Program
2 years experience with school age
Citizenship Adult Education @ Distric A Neighborhood Association
4 years experience with school age
K-12 Teacher @ Lawrence Public Schools
19 years experience with school age
Special Needs Professional @ Lawrence Public Schools
16 years experience with school age

Education

Master - 2001
Science in Education @ Cambridge College
Bachelor’s Degree - 1990
Bilingual Education @ City College of New York

Q&A with Ms. Maria

What inspires you to care for young children?

When it comes to taking care of children, know-how and experience is important! Not only am I a mother and a grandmother, but I’ve been in the field of education for over thirty years. In those three decades I have met so many special children and families and have worked with many different types of learners. My home daycare is a wonderful environment for learning – with different themes and activities and special times together throughout the year. I really work with parents and caregivers as partners, and my goal is to make sure every child learns a bit, moves a bit, and has a bit of fun during their day. I know I sure do!

What’s a typical day like at your daycare?

Routines make the day flow better, and this is essential when working with children! There are so many activities we enjoy in my program - making crafts and doing art projects, singing songs and dancing to music, educational worksheets that prepare the kids for kindergarten work – and many more. There are so many different ways to teach kids, and I use a lot of different materials for hands-on learning. We might do a project with newspapers, books, or something seasonal like fall pumpkins - I get inspired for lessons by many of the things I see in daily life. Music and movement is a big part of what we do every day, and outdoor play in the backyard of my home. I like to break the year into themes – the kids get so excited to see what will come next and it allows me to be creative with activities that all tie together in a meaningful way.

What’s one thing parents should know about your program?

My home daycare space has lots of room for movement and play, independently or with the whole group. My backyard and neighborhood are safe, quiet, and great for walks and outdoor exercise. It makes me happy to say that all my daycare kids really feel at home in my house – they especially love that there is a big playroom reserved just for them! We do many special projects throughout the year and learn all kinds of different and important things – like how to be healthy and enjoy healthy food and how to get involved in the community that we live in. Parents should know that I treat every child with as much love as I treat my own children and grandchildren, and that we do a lot of learning for life in my program.

Think Ms. Maria might be a good fit?

Find out if she has a spot for you. It’s 100% free and takes just 5 minutes.

“Tell me and I forget. Teach me and I remember. Involve me and I learn.”

~ Benjamin Franklin

Rates & Openings

Daycare rates depend on how old your child will be and what your schedule looks like. 5 days / week might get a slight discount, and infant rates are usually more than toddlers’. Finding a spot also depends on age and schedule because each daycare has a limited number of openings for each age range.

to see if Ms. Maria has a spot for you.

Select an age range to get an estimate:

Location

Ms. Maria’s NeighborSchool26 Summit Ave. Lawrence, MA 01841(857) 626-9728(857) 626-9728

There are 5 home daycares in Lawrence. Most care for 6 to 10 children and take both infants and toddlers. All home daycares are licensed by the Department of Early Education and Care, just like preschool centers.

Let’s find a really good daycare for you

Get your own recommendations based on your preferences, daily routine, and what matters most to you.

FAQs

Your family is unique to you, but some of your questions might not be. 😉 Here’s what most parents want to know when starting out.

What is NeighborSchools?

Hey there, nice to meet you 👋 We’re a new-ish startup that helps new-ish parents find daycare.

We know how hard finding good child care can be - especially for first-time parents. But really good care is what gives you the peace of mind to go back to work and feel confident that your child is getting the stimulation, socialization, and support they need to learn and grow.

So we created NeighborSchools to make this piece of parenthood a whole lot easier. We say “easier” because, let’s be honest, it’s still a big thing to figure out, but working together we can help you find some good options, understand the whole process, and choose a program you’ll feel really good about.

How’s it work?

Most first-time parents don’t know exactly what they’re looking for, so we created a simple survey that will ask you questions about your lifestyle, your daily routines, and your preferences for child care. We’ll then share 3 personalized recommendations that we think might be a good fit. We’ll also give you a timeline that maps out when we would suggest you start touring programs, choose a daycare, and pay a deposit to secure a spot. Your timeline is based on when you want to start care - so you set the pace, and you decide when you’ve found the right match.

Is there a cost?

Nope. Our daycare recommendation service is free for parents. The other half of our business is helping these small-scale daycares with software and services that handle all their administrative tasks, like online contracting, payment processing, and licensing requirements. Before NeighborSchools, services like these were only designed for large corporate child care centers, and part of our mission is to level the playing field for small, independent child care programs. That’s why we picked the name NeighborSchools - we’re all about making child care more personal, more human, and more equitable for the incredible individuals who do this work and care for our children.

How do I know if I’m ready to take the survey?

Generally, if you’re here, you’re ready. The survey lets us give you 3 recommendations to consider, but it’ll also help you better understand what factors to consider, and what questions to be asking right now. It’s simple things like where you live, your child’s date of birth, when you want to start care, and if you have any preferences around program philosophy or language of instruction. If you’re planning 6+ months ahead, it’s a great way to get started, and if you’re hoping to start daycare in the next 2-4 months, it’s definitely time to get started. Click here to start the survey.

How do I know if a daycare has openings?

Each program has a limited number of spots for each age range, so we need to know your schedule and child’s age before we can share availability. The survey covers these basics, as well as factors like drop-off and pick-up times to make sure that recommended programs fit your daily routine. Once we know your child’s age and schedule we can share rates and costs as well.