Christa's Little Learners Childcare
Click Here to take the 1st step!
My Program
My Mission
“My mission is to empower children through play-based learning that fosters creativity, collaboration, critical thinking, self-awareness, empathy, problem solving, communication, physical development skills and more! My purpose is to offer engaging, guided, learning experiences in an inclusive atmosphere to help each child reach their full potential & create a solid foundation of lifelong learning.” My role is to provide flexible, safe, nurturing, high quality child care focusing on each individual child's needs and goals.
The Colorado State Department of Human Services licenses Christa’s Little Learners Childcare Program and its facilities. It is the practice to adhere to all rules and regulations set forth by the State.
My Philosophy
The Reggio Emilia Approach has inspired me to focus on the whole child, by providing high quality care/ education based on:
Respect, Responsibility, and Community.
One of the focal points of our philosophy is the image of the child, who, from the moment he is born, is so eager to feel part of the world that he actively employs a complex (and still not fully appreciated) network of abilities, learning strategies, ways of organizing relationships, and creating maps for personal, interpersonal, social, cognitive, affective, and even symbolic orientation. This explicit and public declaration includes not only the child, but humankind in general, as well as the more complex organizational, methodological, and philosophical fabric on which our educational work is based, and which determines its quality. (Loris Malaguzzi, 1997)
Definition of My Program
Christa’s Little Learners Childcare is located at 6300 Homesteader Lane in Hayden, Colorado 81639. I offer my services (childcare) from 7:30 am till 5:30 pm Monday through Thursday year round. My learning environment will be designed to meet the needs of all my students. For infants and toddlers I will focus on Motor Skills (Fine, gross, language, etc.), for twos and threes (Preschoolers) I will foster a foundation of Social Skills (self help, feelings identification, communicating needs with others, etc), and with my older students (Pre-Kindergartners) I will help build an academic learning foundation to prepare them for Kindergarten and beyond (literacy, phonemic awareness, numerals, etc). Each child will have a Personalized Learning Plan (PLP) created by myself and parents to be used to ensure their individual needs are being met.
Get to Know Me!
About Me
I am happy to share with you a little snip-it about myself and my family. We own a 40 acre ranch just 5 short miles north of Hayden, we currently have 3 cows, 13 chickens, 10 ducks, 2 turkeys, 3 dogs, and a huge garden! Along with my husband and our two children I am a Routt county local, born and raised! My son Jeremy Jr (15 years old) is gifted and challenged by being autistic, his passion is remote controlled (RC) cars. My daughter Jayla (12 years old) has a vibrant imagination and an enormous amount of empathy for others. My Husband Jeremy Sr is a jack of all trades with a passion for tinkering and the outdoors. We have been together for over 18 years, married for 16. Hayden was our first town we called home as a couple, a lot has changed throughout the years and we feel the time is right for me to pursue my dream of becoming a Family Home child care Provider. I have always held a passion for connecting with young children and for that reason I chose to pursue the Early Childhood Education (ECE) path. This journey has led me to Directorship a level 6 Colorado Shines rated educator with 10+ years of hands-on center based experience.
Continuity of Care
I am the sole proprietor of my childcare center, therefore I will be your child’s teacher, mentor, & caregiver. This allows me to form a greater bond and foundation of trust towards an adult who is not a direct family member. Continuity of care is so important over the first years of a child's life and I am excited to be that person for your child!
“Continuity of care means that children and their caregiver remain together for more than one year, often for the first three years of the child's life.” - From Theilheimer, R. (2006). Molding to the children: Primary caregiving and continuity of care. Zero to Three, 26, 3. www.zerotothree.org
My Curriculum
Teaching children to be creative, enjoy learning while using their imagination has led me to choose the Creative Curriculum as my foundation of teaching. For preschool aged children I also offer a Learning Without Tears Program that focuses on developmentally appropriate literacy learning & fine motor skills. I also focus every day on Social Emotional Learning to help build
strong and resilient
children.
Gallery of Pix
I love to take pictures daily and cant wait to share them with you! Check back for new ones weekly!
Learning & Resources
Play and Learn for birth to 3 years
Newborn Network’s mission is for parents to be the best parents they can be. Our two main goals are to enhance parent-to-parent networking, as well as assist parents in advancing their child’s development.
Early Childhood Mental Health
Early intervention for very young children (0 to 8 yrs) suffering from behavioral or emotional issues and their families. The Early Childhood Coordinator spends a great deal of time in daycare centers and preschools consulting with staff and parents as well as doing individual work with identified children and their families.
Liz Kregar, MSW
EKregar@MindSpringsHealth.org
Get to Know Me!
Additional Learning Resources
Parents As Teachers
Learn more about this evidence-based home visiting model. Parents as Teachers
Vroom
Boost your child's learning with Vroom's fast and fun tips with an app and brain-building ideas based upon your child’s age. Vroom
Bright by Text
Sign-up for Bright by Text. Bright by Text sends free learning games, parenting tips, and resources right to the cell phones of parents and caregivers of children from prenatal to 5 years old. Bright by Text
Zero to Three
Zero to Three has a wealth of information for parents of babies and toddlers. Articles include topics from positive parenting approaches to sleep to play to grandparents, and so much more. Zero to Three
Healthy Children
The American Academy Parenting Website. Powered by Pediatricians. Trusted by Parents. Access to articles about Child Development to Family Life and everything in between. Healthy Children
Northwest Colorado Health
Programs for Moms and Families. They offer a spectrum of programs designed to help ensure pregnant women, mothers, children, and families have the best chance at healthy, safe, and successful futures. NW Colorado Health
Contact Me!