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. Rachel

Sunshine's Garden

Licensed home daycare

Leominster, MA

8am–5:30pm, M - F

Developing a sense of wonder and curiosity in children

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

Cooking

Neighborhood walks

Outdoor play

Reading time

Sensory play

STEAM activities

Fine 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 #9087877

Prior Experience

Daycare @ Adventure Kids
23 years experience with infants, toddlers and preschoolers

Education

Bachelor’s Degree - 1996
BS in Middle School Education @ Lesley Collage

Licensing Requirements

Background record checked
Government-level CORI, SORI, and fingerprinting
Home inspected for child safety
Thorough assessment by a licensor from the EEC
Health & safety training
Includes annual professional development hours

Q&A with Ms. Rachel

What inspires you to care for young children?

Children can teach us a lot about life! The best part of every day is just sitting down with them at lunch and talking to them. They see the world in such a unique way, and their honesty and compassion is inspiring. Working with children is also such a beautiful opportunity to assist neighboring families. When I was getting my Masters Degree (in a related field) and raising my own child, working part-time with children offered me a great deal of flexibility. Caregiving was so rewarding to me that I never left and never looked back! It’s wonderful to be able to offer a supportive environment for young children, and to be able to help their parents out, too.

What’s a typical day like at your daycare?

It’s so important to inspire a sense of wonder in children, and to give them the confidence to ask questions. Curiosity is highly encouraged in my program. Our days are designed to allow the children to explore in a safe environment—and to have fun and learn in the process! Every day brings something new and engaging to stimulate their minds and imaginations. Arts and crafts projects, for example, are special opportunities for the kids to express themselves. They love the freedom to get creative and messy! We also spend time in the garden and take a lot of walks to get to know the neighborhood. It fosters a sense of community, as well as a love of the outdoors. Trips to the local library are also a beloved source of entertainment and joy!

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

Individual attention is so important to a child’s self-esteem. Every kid is special, and they deserve to feel that way! There was one little girl in my program who grew up with three older brothers. Her parents were a little overwhelmed and confided in me that they weren’t quite sure what to do with a girl since they had only raised boys. The girl and I bonded, and I made sure to spend extra time with her, checking in on how she was feeling and sometimes doing her hair. She cherished the attention and care. At my program, I strive to make everyone feel heard, understood, and loved. Her mother and I also had a lot of great conversations, and I was able to offer a few tips. When a family comes through my doors, they should know that I’ll do everything I can to help make their kids happy.

Think Ms. Rachel might be a good fit?

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

“If children feel safe, they can take risks, ask questions, make mistakes, learn to trust, share their feelings, and grow.”

~ Alfie Kohn

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. Rachel has a spot for you.

Select an age range to get an estimate:

Location

Ms. Rachel’s NeighborSchool196 Union St Leominster, MA 01453(978) 798-6320(978) 798-6320

There are 2 home daycares in Leominster. 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.