New Natural Daycare in Fairfax now open

[Anonymous]

I also wondered if there were any comfortable places to sit on the floor. Is there a rug that isn't sisal for group time? Cushions to sit on?

[Anonymous]

Anonymous wrote:I like the setup and the materials but I think your inexperience with group care of toddler and preschool age kids shows. Cutesy little dolls? Perfect when it's just your child but they will be destroyed and aren't really washable. The tons of little pieces? That will be a treat to clean up. You don't need a full big basket of shells (that are spiky and will inevitable end up hurting some child) or a cash register of 20+ coins. 2 or 3 shells and maybe 10 coins at most are good. Also realize that the majority of parents are not going to be drawn in by your set up. Also, I can't imagine those wood blocks dropping on your wood floor day in and day out. The loud sound will upset some kids and your floor will eventually take a beating. And while I appreciate the aesthetic, I can't say that I think young kids will be immediately draw to the area. It's kind of dark and boring. Natural doesn't mean just brown. Nature has lots of colors. There is nothing wrong with adding in some colors to attract attention and provide a boundary to the kids play areas. Color silks for the canopy for example, natural dyed baskets, a comfortable spot to land on the floor - bean bag or equivalent, soft child size furniture, a fuzzy rug.

How come you have no books on any of the shelves? No pictures of kids or other general pictures? Tons of great waldorf inspired art that you can place low on the bookshelves sides and in other areas. Where will you display things the kids create?

Thank you for letting me know possible concerns. Let me address all the things you mentioned, I am sure others might have similar questions:

I do have experience with group care. The largest group of children I ever cared for was 25, together with 1 other caregiver. And I am very excited to now be able to set up a smaller group that will allow much more personalized care. Our set up is what worked well for me in the past. All our toys are washable and we take care of keeping everything clean. What looks like big baskets on the pictures actually are wooden bowls the size of cereal bowls! Clean up time is part of our daily schedule, we do it together with the children. It's not a chore, more like a fun exercise in memorizing where things belong and taking pride in keeping our play space neat and tidy for the next day. All our toys are washable and if something breaks we have no problem replacing it. Toys that end up not working for us will be phased out and replaced with toys that fit the children in care better. Nothing is set in stone.
We will adjust the amount of materials we actually use according to the number and age of children in care - right now everything is set up as we are in the first enrollment phase. And once we have 5 children playing together I am sure all our materials will be used. We don't have any children actually in care yet, as we just opened, so everything is set up for parents to get a full idea.

All our play areas are actually visually separated. That might not be too visible on the pictures and I might try to take some different angles to make that clearer. Our main toy area for example has a huge bamboo rug underneath and wooden towers tumbling over are not a noise issue there. We also believe in homes to be spaces to freely and fully live in and do not mind little nicks and scratches on the hardwood floors!

About color: that's one thing we are still working on. Since the current pictures on the website have been taken we actually have already improved our set up again. We will continue to improve our space, it is and always will be an ongoing project. However, we do not want to over stimulate the children in our care with overly colorful walls. The children should be able to focus on their play and learning experience, rather than being distracted by too much 'stuff' going on on the walls. We have added some colorful play silks and some fitting artwork however and are working together with an artist who creates beautiful felted wool pictures. Each child will have an individual folder for their drawings and painting. Other artwork will be displayed on a shelf in the art area - we have kept that space free for that very purpose. There will also be an art wall in our entrance area where we can display interchanging drawings whenever a child likes one of their paintings enough to wish for it to be displayed there. However, as we do not have any children in care yet, there is no artwork to be displayed yet, either.

Thank you for the hint about a comfortable space to land on - we do have a pile of sheepskin, however, we are currently using those in the Quiet Room, which is the room the children sleep in. We should get some more so we can add a pile to the playroom as well for the children to grab whenever they want or need it!

About missing books: all our books are actually also in our second room, the Quiet Room. As sitting down and reading a book requires some quietness and calmness we have decided to put our reading nook in there and separate it more from the general play area. I should take some proper pictures and add those to the website as well!

In general I'd like to say that we are just starting out. We have been preparing for opening day for about half a year, buying and creating toys and everything else you see in our pictures. We are by no means done and I don't plan on ever being 'done' as I want to keep improving constantly. However, our space and concept are ready to be enjoying by children and I am absolutely certain they will thrive here.

Please do let me know if there are any other questions or concerns - the community here is great and hearing from parents can only help us improve!

[Anonymous]

Absolutely lovely. This would be the perfect setting for my 4 year old, and very reasonably priced. Unfortunately, we don't live close by. I highly recommend that you post your website and information on a few neighborhood listserves in your neighborhood and close by. If there are large offices nearby, you can take flyers and include some photos.

[Anonymous]

Anonymous wrote:

Anonymous wrote:I like the setup and the materials but I think your inexperience with group care of toddler and preschool age kids shows. Cutesy little dolls? Perfect when it's just your child but they will be destroyed and aren't really washable. The tons of little pieces? That will be a treat to clean up. You don't need a full big basket of shells (that are spiky and will inevitable end up hurting some child) or a cash register of 20+ coins. 2 or 3 shells and maybe 10 coins at most are good. Also realize that the majority of parents are not going to be drawn in by your set up. Also, I can't imagine those wood blocks dropping on your wood floor day in and day out. The loud sound will upset some kids and your floor will eventually take a beating. And while I appreciate the aesthetic, I can't say that I think young kids will be immediately draw to the area. It's kind of dark and boring. Natural doesn't mean just brown. Nature has lots of colors. There is nothing wrong with adding in some colors to attract attention and provide a boundary to the kids play areas. Color silks for the canopy for example, natural dyed baskets, a comfortable spot to land on the floor - bean bag or equivalent, soft child size furniture, a fuzzy rug.

How come you have no books on any of the shelves? No pictures of kids or other general pictures? Tons of great waldorf inspired art that you can place low on the bookshelves sides and in other areas. Where will you display things the kids create?

Thank you for letting me know possible concerns. Let me address all the things you mentioned, I am sure others might have similar questions:

I do have experience with group care. The largest group of children I ever cared for was 25, together with 1 other caregiver. And I am very excited to now be able to set up a smaller group that will allow much more personalized care. Our set up is what worked well for me in the past. All our toys are washable and we take care of keeping everything clean. What looks like big baskets on the pictures actually are wooden bowls the size of cereal bowls! Clean up time is part of our daily schedule, we do it together with the children. It's not a chore, more like a fun exercise in memorizing where things belong and taking pride in keeping our play space neat and tidy for the next day. All our toys are washable and if something breaks we have no problem replacing it. Toys that end up not working for us will be phased out and replaced with toys that fit the children in care better. Nothing is set in stone.
We will adjust the amount of materials we actually use according to the number and age of children in care - right now everything is set up as we are in the first enrollment phase. And once we have 5 children playing together I am sure all our materials will be used. We don't have any children actually in care yet, as we just opened, so everything is set up for parents to get a full idea.

All our play areas are actually visually separated. That might not be too visible on the pictures and I might try to take some different angles to make that clearer. Our main toy area for example has a huge bamboo rug underneath and wooden towers tumbling over are not a noise issue there. We also believe in homes to be spaces to freely and fully live in and do not mind little nicks and scratches on the hardwood floors!

About color: that's one thing we are still working on. Since the current pictures on the website have been taken we actually have already improved our set up again. We will continue to improve our space, it is and always will be an ongoing project. However, we do not want to over stimulate the children in our care with overly colorful walls. The children should be able to focus on their play and learning experience, rather than being distracted by too much 'stuff' going on on the walls. We have added some colorful play silks and some fitting artwork however and are working together with an artist who creates beautiful felted wool pictures. Each child will have an individual folder for their drawings and painting. Other artwork will be displayed on a shelf in the art area - we have kept that space free for that very purpose. There will also be an art wall in our entrance area where we can display interchanging drawings whenever a child likes one of their paintings enough to wish for it to be displayed there. However, as we do not have any children in care yet, there is no artwork to be displayed yet, either.

Thank you for the hint about a comfortable space to land on - we do have a pile of sheepskin, however, we are currently using those in the Quiet Room, which is the room the children sleep in. We should get some more so we can add a pile to the playroom as well for the children to grab whenever they want or need it!

About missing books: all our books are actually also in our second room, the Quiet Room. As sitting down and reading a book requires some quietness and calmness we have decided to put our reading nook in there and separate it more from the general play area. I should take some proper pictures and add those to the website as well!

In general I'd like to say that we are just starting out. We have been preparing for opening day for about half a year, buying and creating toys and everything else you see in our pictures. We are by no means done and I don't plan on ever being 'done' as I want to keep improving constantly. However, our space and concept are ready to be enjoying by children and I am absolutely certain they will thrive here.

Please do let me know if there are any other questions or concerns - the community here is great and hearing from parents can only help us improve!

25:2 - I would hope that ratio is for school age children.

Cleaning is a chore and not all kids enjoy the process of cleaning up or will want to clean up. 2 yr olds like to pull things off shelves just because. They don't really have the same desire to replace things on shelves. This is why daycare centers have low shelves, with limited toys per shelf for kids in that age range. They also usually have some gross motor area in the classroom with a low to the ground climbing structure.

Please don't tell parents anything as hokey as "bright colors on the wall will distract your child from playing". Children naturally gravitate towards bright colors and that's fine. Their development will not be stunted.

Books should be available in all areas for kids and not confined to a quiet area. The benefits of books for toddlers and preschoolers included fine motor skill development - turning individual pages of a book, learning basic concepts about the world - animals, colors, etc, learn simple sequencing - picture books will have the story written in illustrations and photos and the child follows along as he turns the pages, developing imagination - looking at pictures and illustrations and then incorporating those into play later on by building a structure with blocks, or dress up, etc.

One adult with 5 kids under age 5. You are providing custodial care first. You have one kid who throws a tantrum that lasts 15 minutes and you still have to make sure the other kids are safe and somewhat occupied. This would be one reason that home daycare often have specific daycare areas that have gates and/or doors. It's not because they are trying to confine a child's spirit, they are just trying to confine the children to keep them safe as they are the only adult in the house.

Realize that daycare centers do not have it wrong. They actually setup their environments according to well researched early childhood education studies and information.

And lastly, don't get too caught up in Waldorf-ness. The reason there are not Waldorf daycare centers is because it goes against the principal of Waldorf where daycare is something that is not good for the child because they should spend their early years with their mom and do not need to be separated from her and of course parents are the first, best teachers.

[Anonymous]

Anonymous wrote:

25:2 - I would hope that ratio is for school age children.

Cleaning is a chore and not all kids enjoy the process of cleaning up or will want to clean up. 2 yr olds like to pull things off shelves just because. They don't really have the same desire to replace things on shelves. This is why daycare centers have low shelves, with limited toys per shelf for kids in that age range. They also usually have some gross motor area in the classroom with a low to the ground climbing structure.

Please don't tell parents anything as hokey as "bright colors on the wall will distract your child from playing". Children naturally gravitate towards bright colors and that's fine. Their development will not be stunted.

Books should be available in all areas for kids and not confined to a quiet area. The benefits of books for toddlers and preschoolers included fine motor skill development - turning individual pages of a book, learning basic concepts about the world - animals, colors, etc, learn simple sequencing - picture books will have the story written in illustrations and photos and the child follows along as he turns the pages, developing imagination - looking at pictures and illustrations and then incorporating those into play later on by building a structure with blocks, or dress up, etc.

One adult with 5 kids under age 5. You are providing custodial care first. You have one kid who throws a tantrum that lasts 15 minutes and you still have to make sure the other kids are safe and somewhat occupied. This would be one reason that home daycare often have specific daycare areas that have gates and/or doors. It's not because they are trying to confine a child's spirit, they are just trying to confine the children to keep them safe as they are the only adult in the house.

Realize that daycare centers do not have it wrong. They actually setup their environments according to well researched early childhood education studies and information.

And lastly, don't get too caught up in Waldorf-ness. The reason there are not Waldorf daycare centers is because it goes against the principal of Waldorf where daycare is something that is not good for the child because they should spend their early years with their mom and do not need to be separated from her and of course parents are the first, best teachers.

No, unfortunately 25:2 was for ages 2-6 and at a public Kindergarten...which is why I am happy to be able to provide a small group size now.

All our shelves are within child's reach. There is no problem with children taking stuff off the shelves. Quite the opposite as that's what the toys are for! However during Circle Time, Story Time and Quiet Time as well as Meal Time children will be guided to stay with the group for short periods of time. Naturally different ages will act differently and we do not have a problem handling that. I am aware that the younger the children are, the less they understand what they are 'supposed to do'. Again, our setup is not set in stone and can easily adapt to the actual age of children we have in care.

I think it might have gotten lost in the length of my post that we do have 2 caregivers for 5 children. We are aware that children might need individual care, while the rest of the group still needs to be cared for at the same time and are able to provide that.

I don't exactly know, what you mean by "Waldorf-ness". We are a natural daycare. What we do, why we do it and how we do it is the result of my combined experiences to this point. I adjust and improve whenever necessary. I am thankful for all comments because feedback is what allows me to become better. However, there are Waldorf early play groups and Waldorf Kindergarten. The philosophy in the modern age is that of course the best would be for children to always be with their parents - but if that is not possible for whatever reason, let's provide them with the best care we can. That's what we are doing, Waldorf or not.

[Anonymous]

23:52 You act like you're the daycare police. Other people want different things. Many of us think the typical preschools and public schools in the area are too busy with stuff all over the walls and like the Waldorf or Montessori look with fewer items. I'd pick this look over Chesterbrook or KinderCare down the street anytime. You seem to have nothing to add except your own opinion on how a daycare should be run.

[Anonymous]

I am the second poster on this thread and have now had a chance to read the FAQs from a desktop computer. I am impressed by what I've read on your website and your follow-up responses here. We are in Fairfax but it would still require some rather big logistical changes on our end to get to your location. I *think* we might be open to it, but it would require adjustments to our work schedules and some of that that may be out of our control. I mention this in response to one of your earlier questions about how much location matters.

I'd also like to say that I really appreciate the fact that you will guide the little ones to clean-up and keep things neat and tidy. I like that approach because I think it creates a sense of responsibility and value for things. Sure, a 2 year old might not be thrilled about it on some days, but if that's the typical routine I think they adapt and I like the bigger idea behind it (building respect for things).

We have a one year old; I'm going to chat with my husband about your daycare.

Regardless, good luck! I think your location is close to the Fairfax Government Center so that would be very convenient for those parents.

[Anonymous]

Based on your website, looks very appealing and much cheaper than what's available near me with a similar 5:2 ratio. One comment - you seem to be targetting an early-preschool age range, based on the activities and toys, but in the home daycares I've seen, the under-2 slots are in huge demand (always filled), while the over-2s often are not filled, as lots of parents either want a bigger group at that age or simply have more care options available. You may well end up with two infants and then 3 (or fewer) older kids of disparate ages. As appealing as the setting looks to me, I'm not sure I would have kept my son in a setting with only 2 other non-babies unless they were close in age. Of course, the market may be different in Fairfax - just something that I wondered about when looking at your website.

[Anonymous]

Anonymous wrote:Based on your website, looks very appealing and much cheaper than what's available near me with a similar 5:2 ratio. One comment - you seem to be targetting an early-preschool age range, based on the activities and toys, but in the home daycares I've seen, the under-2 slots are in huge demand (always filled), while the over-2s often are not filled, as lots of parents either want a bigger group at that age or simply have more care options available. You may well end up with two infants and then 3 (or fewer) older kids of disparate ages. As appealing as the setting looks to me, I'm not sure I would have kept my son in a setting with only 2 other non-babies unless they were close in age. Of course, the market may be different in Fairfax - just something that I wondered about when looking at your website.

You are correct about under 2 spots being in big demand. We are currently working on figuring out how to attract the right age group for what we would like to do. We are hoping for 5 children close in age and in the lower range because we would really like the children to stay for a few years. Five 2-3 year olds, one under 2 and four 2-3 year olds, five 3-4 year olds and so on. We are just starting so fortunately we have the opportunity to put together a group that works well age-wise. It is going to be decided by the first one to two children enrolling. Once we have a child or two we will specifically look to fill the other spots with the same ages. At least that's the plan

[Anonymous]

I'm a preschool teacher in a small, part-time church preschool for the 2.5 year old group. Your daycare sounds great! I looked at your website, and if I worked FT and needed care, I would jump at the opportunity to put my kids in your care. I would really appreciate the small, individualized care. I'm not really a "natural" Mom, but I admire your natural approach, and I know that my children would love your toys and "curriculum". I would, like pp mentioned, add books to the main playing area. Also, 2 year olds actually do clean up, so ignore pp that said that cleaning up would be too difficult of a task for that age group. It might take some time, but most little ones in a group setting will clean up. Good luck!

[Anonymous]

Anonymous wrote:

Anonymous wrote:Based on your website, looks very appealing and much cheaper than what's available near me with a similar 5:2 ratio. One comment - you seem to be targetting an early-preschool age range, based on the activities and toys, but in the home daycares I've seen, the under-2 slots are in huge demand (always filled), while the over-2s often are not filled, as lots of parents either want a bigger group at that age or simply have more care options available. You may well end up with two infants and then 3 (or fewer) older kids of disparate ages. As appealing as the setting looks to me, I'm not sure I would have kept my son in a setting with only 2 other non-babies unless they were close in age. Of course, the market may be different in Fairfax - just something that I wondered about when looking at your website.

You are correct about under 2 spots being in big demand. We are currently working on figuring out how to attract the right age group for what we would like to do. We are hoping for 5 children close in age and in the lower range because we would really like the children to stay for a few years. Five 2-3 year olds, one under 2 and four 2-3 year olds, five 3-4 year olds and so on. We are just starting so fortunately we have the opportunity to put together a group that works well age-wise. It is going to be decided by the first one to two children enrolling. Once we have a child or two we will specifically look to fill the other spots with the same ages. At least that's the plan

So you are running a business that has an extremely low profit margin to begin with and you are choosing to actively ignore the market segment that is most in demand of your business.

[Anonymous]

Anonymous wrote:

Anonymous wrote:

Anonymous wrote:Based on your website, looks very appealing and much cheaper than what's available near me with a similar 5:2 ratio. One comment - you seem to be targetting an early-preschool age range, based on the activities and toys, but in the home daycares I've seen, the under-2 slots are in huge demand (always filled), while the over-2s often are not filled, as lots of parents either want a bigger group at that age or simply have more care options available. You may well end up with two infants and then 3 (or fewer) older kids of disparate ages. As appealing as the setting looks to me, I'm not sure I would have kept my son in a setting with only 2 other non-babies unless they were close in age. Of course, the market may be different in Fairfax - just something that I wondered about when looking at your website.

You are correct about under 2 spots being in big demand. We are currently working on figuring out how to attract the right age group for what we would like to do. We are hoping for 5 children close in age and in the lower range because we would really like the children to stay for a few years. Five 2-3 year olds, one under 2 and four 2-3 year olds, five 3-4 year olds and so on. We are just starting so fortunately we have the opportunity to put together a group that works well age-wise. It is going to be decided by the first one to two children enrolling. Once we have a child or two we will specifically look to fill the other spots with the same ages. At least that's the plan

So you are running a business that has an extremely low profit margin to begin with and you are choosing to actively ignore the market segment that is most in demand of your business.

NP here. You sound confused.

[Anonymous]

Anonymous wrote:
So you are running a business that has an extremely low profit margin to begin with and you are choosing to actively ignore the market segment that is most in demand of your business.

I am not working in child care to get rich. I am not trying to amass profit. I am looking to provide a service that is very dear to my heart while making enough money to support our family. We theoretically have two spots for under 2 year olds. If we fill those, that's great. If we fill our spots with children over 2 year olds, that's fine as well. I am not the kind of person to enroll children just to fill my spots. I do care about finding just the right fit and being a good match for the families I work with. I care more about finding families who will stay with us for a long time, rather than just filling our spots as quickly as possible.

[Anonymous]

Not sure why you are getting flamed here, OP, I think its great that you have a vision and are following it.

PP. Fairfax doesn't have free preschool/daycare like DCPS offers so there is a demand for preschool age daycare until K starts.

[Anonymous]

OP here - I just want to update everyone interested.

We have added some comfortable floor cushions to our set up. We are currently looking for a nice cozy rug for our Circle Time. We have also gone on a bit of a splurge and set up a dedicated space for our youngest children - I will update pictures on the website tomorrow. Even though our under two year old children are going to be integrated into the group setting, the responses and feedback here made us feel we should provide a special space just for them as well. A space for dedicated early development play and one on one time just for them. We are also working on setting up a reading space within the playroom and I hope to be able to update on that tomorrow as well.

I want to thank everyone for your replies so far - your feedback helps us to improve!