​Toddlers view the world with boundless possibilities. They open their eyes each morning and embrace the potential of the day ahead. They know that today they can be a pirate, astronaut, racecar driver, doctor, pirate, teacher, or anything else their imaginations desire. Additionally, they see the potential in everything around them. In fact, I just removed two pieces of quartz rocks from my sweatshirt pocket, because I was instructed to take care of the “gold treasures” they found while playing in a stream.
 
Why do I share this with you? Because our toddlers have a lot to teach us about living a richer life:
-view people as always evolving and growing – don’t stereotype them because each day they are different and may surprise us
-appreciate what you have – the simplest items can be rich treasures when you appreciate their beauty
-take a moment to find shapes in the clouds – five minutes watching the sky can help you to feel happier and more grounded
-hug your friends every chance you can – because it makes you both feel good!
 
Here’s to seeing tomorrow through the eyes of a toddler! 

​As an educator, I have always appreciated the diversity of students in my classroom. Their different experiences, perspectives, and innate ways of looking at the world make for a lively discussion, and improved learning.
 
Since opening our daycare, I’ve seen that same phenomenon play out on a daily basis, but with even more clarity. Young children haven’t yet developed the filters that older children have, but rather share their ideas with such honesty, and from their own unique perspective.
 
In our small and beautiful group of children we see tremendous talents of creativity, story-telling ability, resilience, patience, kindness, problem-solving skills, engineering prowess, singing aptitude, athleticism, and more! The most enjoyable part is to watch the children learn from each other. They pay attention to each other with a keenness that is different than they show the adults in their lives. Peer-to-peer learning is powerful, and we have the privilege of watching it play out daily.
 
Dear RSCC children – you give us great hope in our future! We see you thrive and excel, and you remind us of the great potential your generation holds. Thank you for sharing your time, and talents, with us. May we all learn to be stronger by challenging ourselves to learn from our peers!

There's nothing quite like an art project for teaching children. While their hands are busy and their eyes are bright, they listen intently. It's a wonderful opportunity to tell them about our country's birthday and what the various elements of our flag mean. And their artwork is just plain fun!

​Yesterday was a fun day at Rising Star Child Care! Our youngest member is learning to crawl, and all of the children were cheering him on! His first efforts to get on his knees and push forward were met with words of encouragement and clapping of his older peers. What joy!
 
It made me so happy to watch Aiden’s grins while receiving the acknowledgement of his friends. It’s as if he knows he’s about to do something great, and he finds extra strength in the support he’s receiving from them. This embodies one of the many things I love about mixed-age child care; when children recognize and appreciate the milestones of their much-younger peers, it helps to reinforce traits of awareness, leadership, sympathy, and support.