There is a vast difference between babysitting and The Birds Nest. Babysitting is the supervision of and care for children; meeting minimal basic needs. A program designed for young children involves not only keeping them safe, but enveloping them in love and a high-quality learning environment. It is well-established that the human brain makes exponentially more synapses from ages 0 to 5 than during any other period. This time is critical to encourage exploration, play, relationships, and confidence-building to establish the intrinsic interest to be a life-long learner. The Birds Nest provides a well-designed indoor and outdoor space, inspiring learning experiences, and uncommon conveniences. As a busy family with young children, we know that a little extra on our side means a little more time and a little less stress on your side.

 

At The Birds Nest, we strive to achieve the perfect balance to maximize our potential of supporting the “early years are learning years” – learning, fun, and care with superior quality.  We have compiled years of child-development and early childhood education research, and countless hours of thought and experience to enhance every detail of development at The Birds Nest. Here is a short introduction to some of the unique ways that we believe help answer the question, “Why The Birds Nest?”.

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SAFETY: Safety is our number one priority, while still allowing our students of all ages to explore and take healthy risks (i.e. tree climbing is something that our toddlers start to explore, knowing that if they climb up, they must climb down - with our encouraging guidance).

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AMENITIES: We offer unique amenities and conveniences like... program-provided diapers and wipes; healthy meals/snack (natural, non-GMO, low-sugar, whole-grain rich, mostly organic, and we avoid processed foods); personal crib/cot and bedding that is washed weekly for each student (no crib or cot is shared with another student); and bump days for when your part time student is absent (bump days are not guaranteed, but we try to accommodate when we can).

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FLEXIBILITY: If my families and/or educators have unique needs, questions, or concerns, I listen and respond.  The Birds Nest is designed to support individual needs to the best of our ability - for students, their families, and their educators.

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DATE NIGHT: Our educators love to volunteer their time to offer their families some much needed adult time, while they care for your little ones!  Date Nights are offered at least once a month from 5-8pm and dinner is provided (Please remember to TIP your educators, as they are volunteering their time - $20-30/child is most common - any amount is appreciated).

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QUALIFIED EDUCATORS: Our educators are paid well and offered a variety of benefits.  Over 80% of our staff have a degree in Early Childhood Education (ECE) or related field and many are working through our Apprenticeship Program where they obtain a degree in ECE under the guidance of a Mentor.

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RELIABILITY: We do our best to avoid unexpected closures (due to staffing or other controllable factor).  Our educator turnover rate is half the industry standard due to our belief that our educators are a valuable asset to our program and they are treated with respect and supported in a variety of ways.  We maintain low student to educator ratios and encourage a healthy work-life balance.

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ENVIRONMENT: We are continuously working to improve our indoor and outdoor learning environments to create a holistic inquiry and play-based atmosphere that allows children to guide their own learning interests and focus on the process, not the product.