Who is Early Start Day Care?

 

Early Start Day Care is the Godinez family day care. As working parents, my husband and I needed to provide day care for our son. We used family, friends, a day care center and three day care providers. When I was pregnant with my second child, I decided to start my own daycare so that I could stay home and raise my two children. I am still a working parent, but now my job allows me to raise my children as well. My son learned a great deal about socialization and how to behave around others when he went to day care. I wanted my daughter to have the same opportunity. We learned a great deal about day care from our experiences as clients. There were things that I loved, and things I wanted to improve on. With ideas to fill a novel, I set out to start a day care that my children would enjoy and that I would be proud of.

 

Since starting Early Start Day Care, my three children benefited tremendously from the preschool program and the Summer Theme Weeks. They learned new things all the time and loved the hours spent with other children as well. Early Start Day Care is the best thing that's happened for my children, and I want it to be the best for yours as well. This is a very rewarding job and I love working with children.

 

NUTRITION

I am enrolled in a nutrition program. I must follow nutritional guidelines in order to receive partial reimbursement for the meals that I serve. This is a wonderful opportunity.

It was always an important priority to us that the child care provider offer this as part of their services. We wanted our son to be exposed to different foods, especially those wretched vegetables that he would never eat at home. To our delight, he was not as difficult for the providers. (Isn't that always the way?) We plan our menus weekly and invite parents to ask questions (eg. Did he really eat that? or Can I stop by for lunch tomorrow?) so that you can incorporate new foods at home as well. Good habits start early. I hope that the children will learn to love diversity and healthy foods and keep that with them as they grow up.

 

EXERCISE

Children of all ages need sunlight, fresh air, and exercise. The sights and sounds of "outside" are enchanting to babies. Toddlers love to experience the vast world awaiting them beyond the back door. Older kids need to play hard and loud. For those of you who have a yard for your children, this is not news to you. For those of you who don't, this will be a wonderful change for your child. We have an enclosed backyard with all the things the children need to really have a blast.

 

MY HOME

Okay, let's face it, I don't live in a mansion. My house is probably nowhere near as nice looking as yours, but it's very well suited to the needs of daycare. There are no priceless gems to ruin, no fancy furniture to spill on... (I guess Better Homes and Gardens won't be knocking on my door) Still, it allows me to let the children be children without stressing out about my home. My husband and I don't smoke. We have central air conditioning and heat. Our backyard is fully enclosed. We have smoke alarms and fire extinguishers. We have a security system with one-touch alarms to the fire department and to the police department. We have no dogs or cats and no pool.

 

ABOUT ME

 I'm licensed and CPR certified. I continue to attend workshops and training for daycare providers. I am a native Californian. My husband and I have been married for over 30 years.  I have 3 awesome kids (all grown). We were a Scout Family for 17 years.  I have a background in performing , including being a clown for over 10 years (just in case you need any balloon animals, that will come in handy).  I've been a daycare provider since 1995 and I've been teaching preschool since 1996.