Irene's Family Child Care

I started off watching my special needs nephew in 2012, and it didn't take long before it blossomed into a full fledged family child care! I provide care in a home environment, where my "extra kiddos" are welcomed in as part of my own family. I offer flexible hours, 5+ years as a child care provider (and a mother of 3), 120+ hours of classes in Early Childhood Development, and the willingness to communicate with families so I can provide the best possible care for each individual child.

Irene s Family Child Care is not babysitting, nor is it comparable to a child care center. It s families in relationships with a professional child care provider in an environment that becomes, by design, a second home. It s a whole bunch of unique individuals partnering, educating, caring about, and trusting each other. I celebrate and support diversity in families and in our community, and believe in the importance of including and welcoming children of all abilities, gender, race, color, religion, national origin and cultural backgrounds into my home. I offer a play-based approach that is largely child-lead, with emphasis on helping each child develop creative, academic, independent and social skills through a wide variety of materials.

Here at Irene s Family Child Care, my goal is to support each child s individual social and emotional needs in a positive manner. I do this in a variety of ways, including by not limited to: using open-ended questions to engage kids in frequent conversations; being in close physical proximity to the children; joining in on the kids activities; using positive encouragement and comments; acknowledging and validating each child s emotions; and focusing interactions on the kids activities and interests. I believe it is important to give kids the skills to self-regulate, problem solve, and be empathetic towards others.