Mission Grove KinderCare

My daughter has been enrolled at the Mission Grove KinderCare since she was six months old and in the infant room. She is now a few weeks short of four years old. I have seen a lot of changes over the past three and half years, not just in staffing, but also in the Center itself. Most of these changes have come in the last year or so, when the decision was made to combine Miss Dorrie and Miss Trina’s classrooms. This opened up the front room of the center, where all the kids, from twos to school-age congregated in the morning and where Miss Trina’s students would then carry out their school day. This room has now become the heart of the Center, a focused area for the Learning Adventures Programs like Math, Phonics, Cooking, and Music. The creation of the Learning Adventure room has definitely helped the Center feel more like a concentrated place of learning. The clean, simple, and streamlined décor is a welcome change and I feel a renewed sense of pride in the school when I walk through the doors. I appreciate Miss Heather and Miss Lissette seeing opportunities for change and embracing them and allowing the teacher’s themselves to take a very active role in restructuring the physical classroom environment. From a Parent’s Perspective, I am proud to say my daughter is a student the Mission Grove KinderCare and I look forward to seeing the progress the Center continues to make.

We first met Ms. Janice in June 2011, but I feel like I have known her for much longer. You see at least once a week during our lunch break at work my friend and colleague, Shelley, would be talking about her daughter’s fabulous preschool teacher and how much her daughter was growing and learning. She spoke with affection and gratitude about Ms. Janice. In contrast, during this time my son was in a less than ideal preschool/daycare situation and I felt awful having to send him to a place where he had begun to feel anxiety to the point where he began to have a stuttering problem and accidents. Shelley’s praise of Ms. Janice and Kindercare convinced me that we needed Ms. Janice in our life too. From the moment we met Ms. Janice I knew she was everything and more that Shelley had said about her. She is patient, passionate, enthusiastic, joyful, and it is extremely evident that she truly loves the kids and teaching them. Within weeks of having Ms. Janice as a teacher our son’s self confidence returned, the stuttering and accidents disappeared and he was awing us with the things he was learning. We were thrilled with all of this, but a true testament to Ms. Janice and how wonderful she is was when our son, while having the time of his young life on our family vacation said, “I can’t wait to go back to school when we get home, I miss Ms. Janice and my school.” In addition to being blessed with Ms. Janice as our son’s preschool teacher I am also fortunate to have some of her former students in my Kindergarten class. These students are extremely well prepared for the rigors of the current Kindergarten curriculum and they stand out among their peers in the classroom. People come in and out of our lives; they shape and mold us in to who we are and who we will become. Ms. Janice, thank you for helping to shape and mold our son and the numerous other children’s’ lives you have touched. You are everything a parent could ask for in a teacher, and you will always have a special place in the heart of our family.

My husband and I would like to thank all of you at the Mission Grove KinderCare for being a part of our daughter's life pretty much every day for the last two and a half years. When Sam first started here it was difficult, as I'm sure it is for every parent, to know if we were doing the right thing by starting her in preschool so early. I can't tell you how happy I am with the choice we made. Every single one of you has the biggest smile on your face whenever we see you. This has always made me feel confident knowing I was leaving my child with a group of people who obviously love what they do. I know our daughter has been surrounded by such a positive energy and genuine love. It is very evident how much all of you truly care for all of the children here. You have helped shape the person Sam is. She is leaving KinderCare a more confident, social, bright, well-mannered child. You have taught her the ABC's and 123's, colors and shapes. You are the reason she has such enthusiasm for reading books. You taught her "The Wheels on the Bus" (even though she says "that's a baby song") and as she told us last weekend, you taught her how to make a sandwich. You taught her to dance like nobody's watching (and not to care if anyone is watching). We really want all of you to know that even though Samantha is starting this next chapter in her life, it is because of all of you that she is doing so with such confidence and fearlessness. We will miss seeing all of your faces everyday. Thank you so much for everything!!!

After touring several center-based daycare providers in the area we found our son's second home at KinderCare Mission Grove! Our son was just 11 weeks old on his first day, and I was nervous to leave him for the first time upon my full-time return to my high demand career. All of our nerves were calmed from that first day. We speak so highly of this Center because the teachers and management are such compassionate, patient, sincere, and professional individuals. We never had to worry about our baby. Each day the staff demonstrated their care for his social and cognitive development, his safety and health. The Center is very clean and organized. The staff demonstrated comprehensive and ongoing communication regarding his care and collaborated with us to support his sleeping and feeding routines. Although the KinderCare curriculum is consistent across Centers, the implementation of that curriculum is what matters. The care was highly individualized to our son and this was observed for all of the children and families. More specifically, the Center had spirit days, which the infants were invited to participate in, and the infants completed painting and craft projects for each holiday and season. This is not available at every Center and was not a part of my initial selection criteria, but has captured some of his earliest memories for us to cherish forever. Thank you KinderCare Mission Grove for being there during one of the biggest first time parenting milestones, and thank you for creating such an enriched learning environment for our son!

Hi Ms. Heather: In the spirit of Professional Development Day, I wanted to say, “Thank you" to you and your staff for taking such good care of my children. They love coming to school and seeing all of their friends, and I am frequently surprised by things they've learned there. Just the other day on the way home, my son told me that he wanted it to be Christmas time. I explained that Christmas time was only in the month of December, and asked if he knew what month it was. He said he did, and he DID! That wasn't something I taught him. May the surprises and milestones keep coming! Ms. Lindsey is a delight! I am impressed by her even temperament and the interest she takes in each of the children and meeting their needs on their terms. She is always smiling, and eager to implement the insight she's gained through her schooling to fit the needs of each child. Ms. Lisette is also a joy, and we appreciate the special attachment and attention she pays to our daughter - treating her like one of her own. Had she not been so vigilant, the little ambulance ride to the hospital could have been for much worse! I know I said "thank you," but please pass along another for us, as we are truly grateful to her and all of the others who assisted in her care. Our daughter loves her as much as she does. We've been blessed to have Ms. Sussy through the growth and development of both our children. She is very patient and kind, has taught them both a lot! They both enjoy her very much. Ms. Dorrie, Ms. Trina and Ms. Danielle keep my son on task, and he enjoys them very much as well. I could go on and on, as my kids have relationships with all of teachers there, to various degrees. KinderCare feels like an extension of family, and we appreciate all of the love and support, and all that you all do. We are blessed to have you in our lives. THANK YOU!!

I wanted to share how much my daughter loves going to school. She loves her teachers! Ms. Sussie is always very attentive to my daughter. She always makes an effort to share with me what they do during the day and also tells me about any highlights. She also lets me know about different things my daughter enjoys, like especially liking to eat bananas and playing with certain toys. She also says my daughter is good and listens to her, which shows me that she has taught her well. I appreciate the stories and feedback because it helps me at home to reinforce the good behaviors and teachings from school. Ms. Sussie is very loving and caring to my daughter. I trust that she is in good hands with Ms. Sussie. Ms. Lindsey provides her with great care as well. They have lots of fun playing together, doing hair (even though my daughter has none) and playing with dolls. Ms. Lindsey also shares great stories about her with me, which I love to hear because it helps me know that she enjoys spending time with Ms. Lindsey. I even use Ms. Lindsey as bait some times because in the morning when we are ready to leave for school, I ask my daughter, "Do you want to go see Ms. Lindsey now?" and she says, "Ya!" I don't see Ms. Lindsey as much because I usually pick up my daughter later, but when I do, she is always very enthusiastic even after caring for all the kids for the day. Thank you Ms. Heather, Ms. Lisette and all of the KinderCare staff for making the center a fun, safe and warm place for us to leave our daughter.

An African Proverb says, “It takes a whole village to raise a child.” Choosing a childcare center is like choosing your village. You check out several places, and think, “Am I really handing over my most precious gift to these people? Can I trust them to raise her the way I would?” It is the hardest part of being a working parent. John and I have chosen the Mission Grove KinderCare to be part of our village for five years now. We have been in every room in the building (I have probably cried in every room in the building, too. Tears of joy, as well as others). We started in the Infant room with an amazing group of women: Ms. Ann, Ms. Lisette, Ms. Jennifer, and Ms. Michelle. Ms. Ann has a way of touching your heart forever. Even though she is no longer there, her influence is very strong. She would pick up the babies and give them each a nickname. She would wrap her arm around mom, give her a hug, and tell her everything’s okay. I watched and listened as she trained me and many other mothers in parenting. She has a heart of gold, and she loved the babies. She never even made you feel stupid for the things you worried about. She knows what it’s like to be a worrying mother. Ms. Lisette was doing my daughter’s hair even before I realized she had enough to put into pony tails. There was always laughter and smiles in the infant room. Sunshine wasn’t just painted on the walls, it was pouring out from the teachers. Our daughter finally stopped scooting and started walking, so she moved on to the Toddler Room. We were amazed at how much she was learning! With two parents as teachers, we thought we pushed her; but she was learning things we hadn’t even imagined teaching her yet. She continued to blossom every day. It seemed like she quickly progressed to the Two year old room. There was turnover in staff that year. We almost left KinderCare because of it. We prayed about what to do. We considered other childcare facilities. Answers weren’t coming fast enough for us. Then, we were blessed with Ms. Jessica and Ms. Kathy. What an amazing team! Suddenly, our daughter didn’t want to go home when we picked her up. She wanted to stay and play. I knew that this was good. It meant that she loved being there. We moved on to the stable team of Ms. Dorrie and Ms. Trina. The structure of the day in the Three year old room was craved by our girl. It was exactly what was needed for three-year-olds. After she stopped having accidents and found that she loved Ms. Dorrie and Ms. Trina just as much, she continued to grow and learn and become more responsible (if you can call a three-year-old responsible). She loved role playing, painting, building, and learning about the world. Best of all, she loved her teachers. She still wants to be an artist like Ms. Dorrie. When we started in Prekindergarten, Ms. Janice and Ms. Genie were the dynamic duo. She loved them so much that she started to believe that they knew more than mom and dad (how could that be?). They gave us homework to do with her (and we gave them nicknames for giving us homework). Together, they helped the children grow academically as well as emotionally and imaginatively. It was the perfect combination for a growing child. Then, Ms. Genie went away. I gave Ms. Heather that look. I asked how long it would take to replace her. Could she really be replaced? I wanted reassurance that the children would have consistency. I wanted to know that we weren’t going to go through the same rollercoaster we went through with the Toddler room and the Two year old room. Was my child driving these teachers away? Soon, Ms. Amanda came along in her cheerful way and filled the void. Our daughter loved her right away, too. Now Sophia wanted fingernails like Ms. Janice and eye shadow like Ms. Amanda. What happened next in Prekindergarten blows my mind away. The amount of learning and growing in every sense of the word that happened in that classroom is magical. Ms. Janice and Ms. Amanda took the foundation that had been built by all the previous teachers and brought it all together into a whole package. They turned my baby into a child ready for the world (and public school). They taught her to use her words, to solve problems, to be a good friend, as well as to read, count, and explore the world. They taught her self-respect and to respect others. These are all skills she will need throughout her lifetime. As a teacher myself, I have watched children grow and learn; but this was incredible to witness—and my child was benefitting from this! When our daughter started Kindergarten this year, we thought about cheaper after-school care. However, we knew that public school was going to rock her world, and we wanted comfort and consistency for her. KinderCare provides that. She was so excited to ride the bus! She told me that Ms. Trina is a crazier driver than I am (could it be true?). We have been grateful that Ms. Trina is driving the bus—a teacher who our girl knows, trusts, and loves. She has loved being in Ms. Tabitha’s class and Ms. Juanita’s after school. She learned to jump rope this year after her collarbone healed. We love that! She has lots of friends that are at both KinderCare and Franklin. She has been putting all of her knowledge into action, but it sure has been hard to get used to this time without a nap (not that she ever slept). We called the dinner hour “unhappy hour” because there was always whining and complaining. It took all of us a while to get used to this new schedule. Now Ms. Tabitha and Ms. Patti are regular parts of our daily talks, and we still see Ms. Juanita now and then. We are all adjusting. Yes, we have been in every room at the Mission Grove KinderCare. We have had good days and bad days. We have seen some of the teachers come and go as they build careers or finish careers. We have seen that some of the teachers stay, and stay, and stay. We are grateful for those that stay, and we miss those who have gone on. There are new faces in some of the rooms that I don’t know personally. I believe that God has brought our family to KinderCare for a reason. We have been very fortunate with the teachers in each classroom. They have touched our hearts in a variety of ways, and they’ve left their handprints on our daughter’s education. They smile and keep going to keep up with their students. Children know how much energy and patience you have, and they try to use it all up, but you don’t let it get you down. It does take a village. Each one of you offers your own flavor and spice to give the variety that our children need. It’s not always easy raising other people’s children. Parents have expectations that they don’t always communicate. You have expectations that parents don’t always understand. Together, parents and teachers create a village that raises the next generation. Thank you for being part of our village.