Closest to home daycare: Learn about Child Care and More
4 Small-Scale Daycares & Preschools in Westfield, MA
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.
More questions? Text or email – we’re here to help.
We’re online Monday – Friday from 8am to 6pm Eastern.
Contact Us
How to Start a Home Daycare
Wondering how to start a home daycare? Or are you already running a home daycare but looking for help on issues that you are having, like client issues or contract help?
Running a successful home daycare can be so rewarding and can help your family financially. However, it can also be stressful and leave you feeling isolated. You don’t have to do this alone though! Here you’ll find many tips and advice on how to start a home daycare as well as tips for running home daycare successfully from an experienced daycare provider.
How to Start a Home Daycare
Starting a daycare in your home is overwhelming and can be intimating for new providers. I know when I was thinking of opening I had no idea where to start.
To help save others from some of the many mistakes I made I have created several resources that offer advice on some of the common issues that new daycare providers face. I’ve compiled each of these articles below in order to create a big list of home daycare resources to help make the process of how to start a home daycare less stressful.
Are you already running a home daycare? No problem! This list is for you too! It also offers advice for current daycare providers looking for help and tips to help their program run smoothly. Let an experienced provider save you from making the same mistakes that she did, mistakes that many new home daycare providers make.
From deciding if home daycare is right for you to creating a contract and even steps to avoid burnout, below you find a wealth of information on starting and running a successful home child care program.
Home Daycare Tips and Advice
Just click the links or the images below to find out more about each topic! Don’t see what you are looking for more information about? Leave me a comment below and I’m happy to help answer any questions!
More questions about running a home daycare?
Leave me a comment!
Starting a daycare in your home is stressful, scary, and exciting all at the same time! It can feel overwhelming when you first make the decision but hopefully, the articles above will help guide you through the journey of starting and running your childcare business successfully.
Looking for a community of experienced daycare providers?
Whether you have been in this business for years or are just now starting out having a network of fellow childcare providers to connect with is so important. Want to join our community? Hop over to my daycare provider’s Facebook group today! Just request to join and soon you will have a whole community of experienced daycare providers to help support and encourage you! Post questions, share ideas, and connect with other providers! Join our community today!
Also, check out my daycare forms and full daycare contract template! Shop Now!
What do you want to learn more about? Leave me a comment with a topic you are interested in learning more about!
Need crafts and activities to keep your daycare kids busy? Check out our index for 100+ plus kids activities! Find activities by theme, materials, skills, age and much more!
The best kindergarten – closest to home | Khimki
A new type of pre-school institutions are opening in Khimki
Levoberezhny microdistrict is a great place to live.
There is a lot of greenery, next to the channel. Moscow and beach areas, the capital is within easy reach. Many young families live here and there is a great need for additional places in kindergartens. There is simply no place for new institutions, and the queue for old ones is growing every year.
Therefore, the head of Khimki, Dmitry Voloshin, suggested using internal reserves. These were found in the family reading library No. 1 on the street. Pozharskaya. Some of the library premises have recently turned out to be unclaimed, the area is enough to organize two groups for kids in the palisade mode.
– Library will not close. On the contrary, it will be modernized, it will become more comfortable and modern, – says Anna Efremova, an employee of the Family Reading Library No. 1. – Kindergarten students will also be comfortable – they will be equipped with separate entrances, they will be soundproofed. Well, we’ll be happy to have kids in the neighborhood.
Governor of the Moscow Region Andrey Vorobyov spoke about the importance of building kindergartens in his annual address to the residents of the region, emphasizing that in addition to opening new preschool institutions, it is necessary to develop programs related to front gardens.
“We understand that a family that has moved has to work, but it is not possible for them to take their child to kindergarten. Mom and dad are worried and it is very important for us that there are smart solutions, including in terms of front gardens. We will certainly build front gardens, but this practice has shown itself to be in demand and convenient,” the governor said.
New front garden in microdistrict. Levoberezhny is designed for two groups of 30 people, that is, after the opening it can take 60 children aged two to four years. Nutrition for babies, daily routine, safety, sanitary control – everything is provided.
Optimal solution
The front garden next to the library is not the only solution. The same groups will soon appear in school number 29 and other educational institutions. The main thing is that everyone should be comfortable – both children, and their parents, and neighbors. So, residents of St. Pozharskaya need not worry that the pupils of the palisade will share the children’s town with their own children – groups will walk on the playgrounds of the preschool department “Solnyshko” of gymnasium No.
16.
– We are neighbors, and therefore, of course, we will accept these children. We will change the schedule of walks so that everyone has enough space, and we will be happy to wait for them. The prep group has three indoor sessions in the morning. While they are walking, children from the group for two or three years can use these playgrounds. We also plan to make a gate from the side of the front garden so that its pupils do not bypass our institution, but go directly, – said the acting. Head of the SO “Solnyshko” Nadezhda Zhilyaeva.
Among the young residents of the Left Bank, there are 600 people in the queue for preschool institutions. In the name of the head of the city of Khimki Dmitry Voloshin received more than 100 requests to build a new kindergarten. Because of the highway and canal them. It is impossible to do this in Moscow, so it was decided to create mini-gardens on the first floors of residential buildings.
Part of the library premises on Pozharsky Street is used for storage of old books.
Space optimization and repairs will allow opening a front garden in it this year.
ANASTASIA VINOGRADOVA, PHOTO OF THE AUTHOR AND ADMINISTRATION PRESS SERVICE Khimki:
– Queues for kindergartens are an actual problem for Khimki. We are systematically solving it and building new kindergartens. But there are still queues, the number of preschoolers in our district has increased by 35% compared to 2016. Palisades help solve the problem. There are three such mini-gardens in our district, and we plan to open six more front gardens by the end of the year.
Svetlana Shafieva, Khimki:
– The situation with the gardens on the Left Bank is very difficult – not everyone gets in. I have two daughters: the eldest is 3 years old, the youngest is 4 months old. It’s not easy for me now with two children, I hope that the front garden will open soon and we will go to it.
There are 3 front gardens in Khimki on May 9, German Titov and Rodionov streets.
By the end of the year, 4 more mini-kindergartens of a new format will start functioning on Sovkhoznaya, Pozharsky, Pervomayskaya streets, 2nd Chapaevsky lane.
There is a selection of a place for two more front gardens.
How to get your child into kindergarten: subtleties and tips
see also
How to get a place in a kindergarten
A conversation with the mayor helped a Novosibirsk citizen get a place for a child in a kindergarten
Finding a child in a kindergarten in Novosibirsk is now much easier than even a year ago. But there are some nuances. In the application for a place, parents are advised to indicate several options for the desired kindergartens. Where can I find out their addresses, and what other subtleties are there?
1 Get in line
In order for the child to have fun not on the street, but in kindergarten, parents will have to take care. Julia got in line for a place in kindergarten as soon as she received a birth certificate.
Now Artem is three years old, and his parents already have a ticket.
“The area is very crowded with children, they were very worried. We listed ten kindergartens on the list, we were lucky – we got the kindergarten that turned out to be closest to our house, ”says Yulia Dmitrieva, a resident of Novosibirsk.
And the nearest garden got not just like that. In the application, you must correctly indicate exactly where you want to arrange the child. There may be many options. Priority is given to the first three addresses. The application can be left both on the Internet portal of public services, and at the mayor’s office, or at the district department of education
“You just need to open and see which kindergartens are convenient for me. I like the ones that are close to home. A kindergarten near work is convenient for me, because I will go to work and I will take my child to a kindergarten. Or our grandmothers live near the kindergarten. This is the principle of indicating a kindergarten, ”explains Elena Dearing, head of the preschool education department of the education department of the Novosibirsk City Hall.
2 Preparing documents
You can see the addresses of the gardens on the municipal portal “My Novosibirsk”. In the “objects” section, select “Kindergartens”. Another important nuance is that the managers are waiting for the parents immediately after receiving the permit. If the child is not three years old on September 1, he will be assigned to a nursery group.
“It is necessary to decide as soon as possible, to bring a package of documents. We will issue, and then the parents can already calmly draw up the document that is drawn up for a long time – this is the child’s medical record. After that, they come, bring documents and we conclude an agreement. When they bring a ticket late or do not provide a package of documents on time, this, of course, leads to the fact that the queue is delayed, ”advises the head of kindergarten No. 42 Lyudmila Lyapustina.
3 How to get benefits
But to speed up the receipt of a ticket will allow benefits.