WELCOME!!! Thank you for taking a look at our blog and wanting some more information about our day care. We hope you enjoy learning a bit about our family.Blossom House is a small Family Day Care located on the Greenfield Center/Corinth line. (See below for more information about the location) We are licensed by the State of New York and Office of Family and Childrens Services. We are also one of the few day cares that are endorsed as an EHCC or Eco Healthy Child Care Center. We are breastfeeding friendly as well as cloth diaper friendly. We serve between 5 and 6 families on a full time basis. We operate year round Monday through Friday from 6:45-4:30 p.m. (See below for more information about our fees)
We are a unique day care that strives to serve the WHOLE child. We seek to nourish the child in their head, heart and hands. Miss Jamie pulls her inspiration of child care from an eclectic blend of educational models including Waldorf, Montessori and Classical schooling. Those elements are intergected not so much as a curriculum but more in our rhythm. We follow a rhythm, our days have consistency and the children come to know what is next. This helps them to feel safe and secure. Our rhythm is both daily, weekly and seasonal. They come to know that Monday is Walk Day, Tuesday baking day, Thursday is making Soup Day. In the summer our rhythm varies a little and become a bit more flexible with much more outdoor play. They look 
forward to festivals such as St. Martin in the Fall, making beautiful lanterns and they remember that St. Nicholas comes to visit mid December at rest time and leaves a golden chocolate coin in their shoes that we have laid out. They treasure rest time which is the same every day, they enter a darkened rest room, a candle is lit and we sing our rest song, Miss Jamie plays a song on the recorder and I tell a tale, fairy tale, fable, legend, or something I have created. The story usually corresponds with our theme for the week. Last week we heard the fairy tale "Rainbows and Fairies" because we did a week on Rainbows. All of these rhythms help the children blossom.Here is a sample schedule of our day:
7-8:30 arrival/ free play (outdoors weather permitting)
8:45 readying for preschool for those going
9:00 Free Play
9:30 Breakfast Snack
10:00 Activity of the Day (Baking, Painting, Seasonal Crafts, Nature Walk)
11:00-12:00 Outdoor Free Play
12:30 Rest Rhythm (song, blessings, story)
2:30 Awakening, readying for departure/Games, Stories and Free Play
Food is a very important part of our program. Not only are we involved in the CAFCP through NYS that monitors what we serve, but we go above and beyond the guidelines.
We serve WHOLE foods to the children. I believe that children will behave and thrive best when provided with a diet rich in whole foods. Whole grains, rices, pasta, beans, vegetables, fresh fruits and low fat dairy fill our menu, much of which is organic. We are primarily vegetarian and much of our menu is organic. We strive to eat as much of our fruit and vegetables fresh and raw to preserve all the nutrients. Often times your child may eat something you see on the menu and think "wow" they will never eat that. Surrounded by others eating the same foods and often foods they have grown & prepared with their own hands makes all the difference.Our play rooms are stocked with open ended wooden toys. You will not find a ton of plastic toys nor will you find characters. We feel childrens imaginations are critical between the ages of 1 and 5 and toys that are open ended, simple and also beautiful help them to dream big. They may play dress up, be tending babies or cooking in the kitchen for "restaurant". (Also in being certified as Eco Friendly we are required to keep our plastic toys to a minimum). Please scroll down below to find more information about location, fees, and the director Miss Jamie.
**If you desire your child to attend a part time pre school program, we work in conjunction with an amazing area pre school "Rise & Shine" that provides transportation for your child each day.** See http://www.riseandshinepreschool.vp.web.com/ for a peek into their amazing program.
We spend a great deal of time outdoors, free play, games, and hikes fill our days. I love the children to feel connected with nature and so we
hatch 
butterflys, go on bug hunts, watch the changes that occur as baby robin eggs hatch from a nest built outside our door, monitor our milk weed garden for monarch caterpillars, or gather leaves, berries and items from nature to make art and crafts.
