Ms. Melissa

Young children have so many incredible experiences in front of them. It’s such a pleasure to help introduce them to the world. At daycare, kids make remarkable progress in their everyday lives: making new friends, learning new words, creating something in arts and crafts that they’re really proud of. Knowing that they reached these milestones in an environment you created, under your guidance, is so rewarding. A love of children and caregiving runs in my family. My mom owned a daycare, and I’ve basically always been surrounded by children. Hopefully the children and families in this program feel the love of these generations!

My program really strives to set these children up for well-rounded success in the world. We emphasize the importance of learning and literacy, to give them a solid foundation for their future schooling. But this definitely doesn’t mean we do kindergarten prep sheets all day! We have plenty of time for creative outlets like arts and crafts—it tends to be a favorite among the children! This is also a bilingual program, so the kids will get to learn another language (Spanish). One of the best parts of our routine is story time. Reading really opens doors for children. (When I’m able to, I help children from marginalized families learn to read, and it makes a huge impact on them!) It’s an awesome opportunity for us to be present with one another, to dive into the world of a story together, and to work on reading skills. Reading also really promotes empathy and caring for others. Not only do we want these kids to be smart and ready for school, but we want them to be respectful of their peers, too. Observing holidays together is another example of the way we introduce these kids to different cultures and backgrounds. It’s so inspiring when the kids get really interested in learning about how to celebrate other people.

The individual needs of the children will be taken seriously here. No two children are exactly alike, and a good educator will take the time to understand their challenges and to help them see their uniqueness as strengths. Parents might be interested to know that I got my degree in early childhood psychology and specialize in child behavior. In a daycare setting, this knowledge and background experience really comes to life. Once, there was a child in my program who wouldn’t speak at all. His parents were quite anxious about this, but after a few months in the literacy program, he became more comfortable and started speaking up—both in the classroom and at home. A big part of educating children is creating a space where they feel safe and ready to come out of their shell, and approaching every situation with patience and understanding. Parents should know that their children will be heard here.