Childspace

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One of the very special things about family child care that I have never found replicated often in center-based care….

🐈😻PETS

Our cats have become beloved companions, not just to the adults here, but to our littles. August, or Augie, our Maine C**n, can routinely be found resting with a child during nap. Today, he found a friend coloring and found a cozy spot on her cot to join her.

I see so much value in the care and comfort provided by our pets.

I realized during our summer break last week that the cats missed their littles so much. Once again, their friends are back!

Stay cool and safe in this heat wave! Changes in a family’s routine are especially vulnerable times for a child to be left behind or accidentally trapped in a hot car. With school out and the holiday weekend coming, be extra diligent in your precautions.

If you see a child alone in a vehicle, don’t wait: call 911 and get that child help!

Commentary that is not respectful will be deleted and the commenter blocked. Shaming caregivers for taking precautions is part of the problem!

How often does play look a little scary, messy, or chaotic to your adult eye?

I find this comes up for me still, after working with young children for over 2 decades (well, almost 3!) — how can we turn off that part of our cranky adult brain? I practice pausing, observing, and reminding myself that most things aren’t an emergency.

What’s your internal monologue about the very real messiness of play?

We celebrated another friend’s birthday today. And the bittersweet emotions that sometimes wash over me during these types of moments loosened their grip. I suddenly realized there’s something quietly beautiful and so rewarding about watching a community grow up together — toddlers learning patience from preschoolers, preschoolers learning gentleness from littler ones, and grown-ups learning right alongside them.

At ChildSPACE, our mixed-age days mean that “community” isn’t a lesson we teach — it’s just how the morning unfolds. A four-year-old helping a 1-year-old with their shoes. A shared puddle, a shared laugh, a favorite snack passed down the table without being asked.

Early learning was never meant to happen in isolation, and neither were we. Every child who walks through our door becomes part of something bigger than any one of us — a small, rooted community that holds them, teaches them, and grows because of them.

As I clean up and tuck away the art projects into cubbies and ready for my evening, I will say, I am grateful every single day for this little corner of Brentwood-Darlington and the families who make it feel like home. 💛