|
I met Jim Fife in 1983 in Providence, RI. We married in 1993 and in 1998 Alicia made her appearance. I decided to quit my job as a recording studio manager to stay at home with my new baby for the first year. At Alicia’s first birthday party I mentioned to a couple of PEPS (Program for Early Parent Support) friends that I might start a daycare. Shortly thereafter those friends became clients and Adventure Day Care came into existence. Jim is a Mechanical Engineer. He works full time outside of the daycare. However, all the kids know him and he is available to either assist me or substitute for me in an emergency. Through five years in this business he has stood in for me so I could keep several early morning dental appointments and one emergency room visit for an on-the-job eye injury. Jim also covers me from 7:30 AM – 7:45 AM on Mondays and Wednesdays, allowing me to attend yoga classes.
We believe that children should stay at home with a parent for as long as is possible for the family. I like family home child care for young children because I think they benefit from the sights, sounds, and age differences in a home environment. Leah: My name is Leah, I am 22 years old. I work with Kathy at Adventure Day Care. I share a balance of teaching and learning with the children I work with. I feel I have much love and patience to offer in helping kids grow up to be kind and confident people. The more laughter in a day, the better. The children at Adventure are a source of joy for me and I can be a positive influence for them. I enjoy working with children because I like to be around kids and their energy and freedom. As a working adult in the city it helps me to maintain a certain peace and the kids give me a living example of freedom I would like to have in my own mind. Elizabeth Sanders: I am t he creator of AMIGOS CANTANDO, and have been speaking Spanish all my life. My mother was a native of Buenos Aires, Argentina, and I spent early childhood years in Bogotá, Colombia. I continued with my Spanish studies through high school and at Wesleyan University, where I received a degree in Ethnomusicology (music as it relates to culture)..
Program Description
Some Additional Program Information
RELIGIOUS ACTIVITIES: We are pretty low-key about religious activities at Adventure. Prayers before meals are not part of our regular routine. If, however, a child initiated prayer we would respect his desire and sit quietly while the child prayed. We recognize the pop-culture aspects of the major Christian holidays (Santa Claus and the Easter Bunny). We sing Hanukkah songs and play the dreidle game. We talk about many cultures, religions and beliefs. We hang banners for Vietnamese Tet. We teach acceptance and tolerance of all people regardless of their beliefs. Several of the children's songs we listen to reference heaven, Noah's ark, and other stories from the Bible.
CORPORAL PUNISHMENT: Corporal punishment of any kind for any reason or under any circumstances is not allowed at Adventure. Parents may not spank, slap, yell at or threaten any child, including their own child, while at Adventure. WEAPONS POLICY: No guns or ammunition of any type are stored
or permitted on the property. |
I
(Kathy Yasi) have a B.S. in Human Service Administration from
Lesley College in Cambridge, MA. I am current in all the required
training for my childcare license. I am in the process of having
the daycare accredited through the National Family Child Care
Association. [
Alicia is six. She is in first grade in September of 2004. She
has mixed feelings about the whole day care arrangement. She loves
the kids and looks forward to seeing them in the morning. On days
that she doesn’t have school she is likely to play and dance
with the younger children. She often reads to them and plays “ballerina”
or “horses” or “school”. After school, though,
she wants more of my attention than is usually available to her.
By 5:30 PM she may open the door and ask parents to take the children
home.
Research shows that movement is vital to neural development. Natural play and movement help carve out neural pathways for cognitive development, language acquisition, problem solving, thinking, planning, recall and creativity. At Adventure Day Care we play hard. Activities are active, hands-on, messy, three-dimensional, self-directed, creative, physical and social. Relationships are our first priority; how we relate to ourselves, to others and to our environment. We carefully nurture qualities of curiosity, sensory awareness, concentration, and compassion so that the children may feel a deep sense of acceptance towards themselves and others. We design our days to include time for listening, touching, observing, tasting and smelling. We teach recycling and reusing. We like bugs. We go outside in all but the worst weather.
In the best weather we are outside a good part of the day. We serve wholesome, mostly vegetarian foods. Although we are not teaching another language, most days include a foreign language experience to expose the children to a variety of sounds. Several times per year we schedule field trips. We walk through the neighborhood often. Television and video are not part of our regular routine.
PETS: Adventure Day Care is the home of one large, friendly,
shy cat and one bold and adventurous young cat. They are usually
in separate areas from the children and are healthy and up-to-date
with shots. In "off" hours they roam in areas where
the children play during the day.
BACK-UP DAY CARE We recommend that you have access to alternative
childcare. You may need care if I am ill and when I am on vacation.
If I am ill you will be notified as soon as possible so that you
can make other arrangements. I will also notify you when my child
is sick so that you can make the decision whether to send your
child. It is always your responsibility to find back-up childcare.
For a childcare referral, please call: Child Care Resources at
(206) 461-3207