Sarah's Family Daycare

Sarah cared for our son for 20 months beginning when he was 18 months old. We chose Sarah’s Family Daycare after sending our son to a larger daycare centre for half a year, which he found overwhelming. We decided that we wanted him to be in a home environment with a smaller number of children, more personalized care, opportunities for free play and more outdoor time. We found all of these things and more with Sarah. Sarah provided a warm, caring and supportive environment for our son. We greatly appreciated her calm and even-tempered approach to life and any meltdowns or difficulties our son had with transitions during the day. It is clear from her personal interest in early childhood development and her extensive reading and self-reflection about children’s development that providing childcare is a true calling for Sarah and not just a job. We really appreciated how much free, unstructured outdoor time our son got in Sarah’s care. It is clear that Sarah enjoys and is interested in nature and the environment, and shares that enjoyment with the children in her care. Every day in rain, snow or shine they were outside exploring at the Bruce Pit, at one of the two neighbourhood parks, or enjoying time in her backyard in the afternoons. Sarah also provided lots of opportunities for our son to make seasonal crafts, painting, collaging, and playing with bean trays, as well as enjoying music through her use of the Kindermusik program. Sarah is committed to communicating with parents and would send us daily update emails as needed, as well as weekly updates with photos of the children’s activities throughout the week, something we always looked forward to seeing. We would highly recommend Sarah’s Family Daycare to any family that is looking for a caring and calm home daycare with lots of outdoor play time.

Sarah provided wonderful care for my daughter for 2.5 years. She created a warm and welcoming environment in her home daycare, making my daughter feel comfortable at drop off every morning. The inclusion of lots of outdoor play, as well as forest adventures in the surrounding Greenbelt were a highlight.

Our son has been at Sarah's Family Daycare for one year. He really enjoys his time there, and we enjoy the peace of mind knowing he is in a safe, caring environment. Sarah is wonderful at helping children (and their parents) through the daycare transition. She provides all the children with the emotional support that they need. Sarah is also incredibly knowledgeable about child development. At least once a week we receive a note about how our son is doing, with information about sleeping, eating, playing, and how his behaviour relates to his stage of development. Sarah also communicates through texts and emails frequently. We are so happy with the care Sarah provides, and would highly recommend Sarah's Family Daycare.

I am a Child and Youth Worker student from Algonquin College and I have worked for Sarah in her home throughout the summer months from June until currently(until the beginning of the school year) full time. I have experienced the full daycare routine and how Sarah goes above and beyond to provide excellent care for these children. She has great knowledge of child development and provides an excellent environment for play, learning and exploration. Starting the day off with a morning walk through a nature trail allows the children to explore nature and build a connection with the outdoors. The children thrive on the routine provided and feel comfortable and happy under Sarah's care. I feel I have gotten to know the daycare well and strongly believe Sarah is an excellent child care provider. It is prominent to me that she truly loves spending time with these children and is always willing to learn more in order to support the needs of each child in her care. She is always looking for new activities or learning opportunities that the children would enjoy and benefit from. I fully recommend Sarah's Family Daycare to anybody looking for a caring, comfortable and supportive home environment for their child.

Ww are so happy we found Sarah to care for our son. They spend a lot of time outdoors everyday exploring nature and having adventures at local parks and trails. Our son is always happy to see her and her family every morning at drop off. She’s very easy to communicate with, and has a keen interest in child development, often framing play and activities around that. We love seeing photos of the kids having fun throughout the day. I would highly recommend Sarah's family daycare as a home away from home!

Sarah provided daycare for our son for two years (aged 18 months to 3.5 years), and also previously cared for our older son for just under two years. Sarah is a very caring individual who truly sees her role as a calling. She takes an attachment-based approach to childcare that is rooted in encouraging communication and empathy with the children. We appreciated her thoughtful approach to childcare and that she was always seeking out new knowledge about early childhood development and incorporating it into her approach. We also loved that she takes the kids on daily outings to either the nearby woods for free range play, or a local park, so they spend a lot of time enjoying nature throughout the seasons. Sarah's love of the outdoors is evident in her approach to encouraging nature appreciation in the kids in her care. Sarah's meals are healthy and nutritious with lots of variety. She also does lots of in-home activities (e.g. painting, play doh, building toys, etc) and seasonal crafts as well as Kindermusik. We feel so fortunate that we found Sarah 5 years ago when our older son first entered into her care.

Three words, ‘Sarah is Amazing!’ We found Sarah when our son was 12 months and he’s been there for nearly 2 years now. Having a small intimate setting, where our son could bond with one constant person, was important to us, which is one of the main reasons we chose home daycare versus a center. Sarah takes the kids outside every day (rain or shine). Usually for a stroll in the forests of Bruce Pit, and ends at a park before coming home for lunch. It feels like forest school because she has areas in the woods that she frequents, play in the sand by the pond, climb the tree stump, and run up and down the hill for example. Lots of time and space for exploring and being in nature! She makes home cooked meals everyday, following the Canadian food guide. She encourages self feeding and trying new textures and flavours with the kids too. Her program encourages understanding emotional intelligence, backed by her studies in child development. She follows a predictable routine the children understand and they know what to expect and when. This ties in nicely with things like potty training, she has times integrated in the routine for new learners to sit and try with older ones, and is such a team player in this milestone with your child. She also does programs like baby time, and kinder music with the kids, along with story time and singing songs. Possibly my favourite part is how she uses a program called Storypark to share the details and photos of the kids day, each day. It’s so nice to get a mid day update when the kids are napping. It also allows parents to communicate with each other too, and is a community space for all. Sarah does reports from time to time comparing her observations with learning milestones of the child’s age, and provides feedback as well. I feel like I could go on and on and on! Sarah’s daycare is wonderful, and I would not hesitate for a moment to send my kids to her care! Worth every penny!

We switched our daughter out of a licensed child care centre and into Sarah’s Family daycare. I believe this switch was the best parenting decision we have made to date. Sarah’s program offers what child care centres can not/do not do: Real adventures in nature with hands on learning/sensory opportunities. Individualized care and opportunities for feedback on how your child is doing. No staff turnover. Small numbers. Truly healthy meals. And last but not least: Sarah has a skilled understanding for when to give children guidance/ encouragement and when to allow them freedom to explore and make discoveries on their own. As a mother and Occupational Therapist, I truly believe the opportunities available at Sarah’s Family Daycare help promote the development of a healthy neurological foundation that serves children both in the present moment and for a life time. If you are able to afford private childcare- I can not recommend this program enough!