Educated and experienced teachers: I have my Masters in education and 8 years’ experience running a daycare. The teachers have degrees in child development or education, each with over 20 years’ experience working with children in a professional setting (such as a teacher or career nanny).

Individualized care: In addition to myself, our dedicated baby teacher, and a dedicated toddler teacher, we also have support staff so the teachers can focus on the children’s learning journey.

Outdoor learning: We capitalize on the beautiful Southern Californian weather by doing as much of our learning outside as possible. Both the babies and the toddlers spend more than half of their day (other than eating or napping) outside learning, exploring and enjoying the out-of-doors. There is not much better than hearing the birds, feeling the gentle breeze and the warmth of the dappled sun as you listen to a story, draw or ponder some newfound knowledge.

Beautiful and comfortable home environment: Our 110-year-old historic craftsman home and the brand new backyard building modeled in the same style provide a welcoming and comfortable home away from home for the children. There’s something about a nice space to make you feel at ease, confident and eager to learn.
- We're a few blocks from South Pasadena's wonderful Garfield Park, and walking distance to a handful of other outings such as Music Class, soccer class, and the South Pasadena Library

Emphasis on learning through play and exploration: Learning is fun when you’re engaged through hands-on and immersive play! As the children progress through Cheerful Beginnings, they develop all aspects of their learning so they are ready for transitional kindergarten both socially and academically. The toddlers follow an amazing curriculum, delving deep into an engaging topic each month chock full of activities, experiments, and hands on learning and exploration. The babies get to explore the same monthly themes through books and activities. We scaffold their learning to always be encouraging the next step across all areas of development.

Cohorts: We accept children into Cheerful Beginnings in cohorts of similarly aged children every 2 years. (We have a baby cohort that is with us from age 0-2, and a toddler/preschool cohort that is with us from age 2-4.) Having same-aged cohorts has several advantages. As babies, this allows us to have the same nap and eating schedule so that we are able to maximize on awake play time. For both the baby and the toddler cohorts, guided learning, activities and instruction is appropriate for the children’s age and stage of development. The children also become dear friends with those in their group, developing friendships that often last well beyond their time at Cheerful Beginnings.

Overview

Cheerful Beginnings: Infant Care and Prescool Prep Handbook

An Overview

Click for CB Handbook

Why daycares are great...

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Why daycares are great...

Affordability
Social interactions
Extended hours
Your home doesn't get messy
Easier transition to preschool

Why nannies are great...

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Why nannies are great...

Personalized care for child
Consistency in care enabling greater knowledge of your child
Closer relationship with parents creating a team approach to care and support for first-time parents
Ability to provide stimulating excursions
Less exposure to germs
Flexible schedule

Cheerful Beginnings is the best of both worlds!

Small Group: A family daycare means the children will receive individualized and consistent care. 4-6 children per cohort is also an ideal size for fostering and practicing positive social interactions. I model and teach the children positive and polite social interactions throughout the day as well as through more structured activities like Circle Time and Spanish Class. Practicing appropriate social interactions and preschool-like routines and activities, your child will be prepared for the social and behavioral aspect of preschool. The small group size also enables us to go on several group outings each week to age appropriate resources in the community such as library story time, various parks and playgrounds, and classes like music class and soccer. I am also available at any time to be a resource to parents as a partner in their child's care.

Hours: Our hours are 8:30am-4:30pm. We have a great community of parents you’ll see at drop-off and pick-up. Maybe you can even carpool with someone!

Cost: Professional nannies charge $25-$40/hour in the LA area while daycares can be $10/hour. At Cheerful Beginnings, your child will be cared for by an experienced and highly qualified post-teacher, post-nanny who already specializes in the care of multiple similarly aged babies and toddlers, but at a rate of about $17/hour for you. We recently simplified our billing to include meals and hours in one simple payment of $730/week.

What Sets Me Apart

I have the right personality

I love babies and children--both snuggling and active play. I am outgoing, friendly and positive with endless energy. I know what gets kids laughing and don’t mind being silly.

I don’t lose my temper. Kids learn what is appropriate and not appropriate without fear or intimidation. I never yell; I never, ever hit. I find a break from my happy, smiley voice and body language to a serious tone is very clear to kids and effective in mediating their future choices.

I don’t get frustrated or overwhelmed. I have the right mix of feeling compassion for a crying baby, yet not letting the cries irritate me when the baby is having trouble settling down. I have a high tolerance for sounds that drive other adults crazy. A room full of happy toddlers playing screeching recorders and kazoos makes me smile.

I set children up for success

Children inherently like to make the grownups they love happy. The most important thing I do is praise them for all good behavior I want to see repeated and showing them how happy I am with their actions.

I am realistic and don’t expect them to do things beyond their capability. Depending on their age, these might be:

sitting for an extended period of time
having a long attention span
always being excited to sit on the potty

I foresee problems that may arise and make a plan to avoid it. I talk to them about what to expect in a new place or situation, even acting out the scenario at home with them. Anticipating needs may include:

pack a book if they may get bored (and giving it to them right before they get antsy!)
pack a lovey or blanket if they may get nervous (like when going to the doctors for a shot)

I have the right knowledge and background to teach

Through my bachelors and masters degrees in psychology and education, as well as my varied work experience, I have a blend of both practical and academic tools to best guide your children at various stages.

By assessing what children can do independently, I introduce the next level skill which they can do, at first only with my help, but soon, on their own...upon which I introduce the next level.

I prepare children for preschool or kindergarten with the social and academic skills needed to excel such as:

friendly, polite, a good listener, engaged, an eager sharer, comfortable moving from one activity to another
at the correct level with: reading, counting, vocabulary and verbal skills, gross and fine motor skills

By combining my academic knowledge and my playful personality, I end up being very well equipped to capitalize on opportunities to teach through play.

I am professional and invested in my job

Because of my experience, I am a resource to the families. I can help with child rearing strategies to ensure a confident, happy household. I will always represent the family in a positive light. I treat the children like my own and invest in them now so that they lead happy and successful lives later.

I research area resources to find activities that are enjoyable and mentally and physically nurturing to the child.

Link to my experience

Link to my philosphy on raising children

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Bonus Features

Baby sign language

Sign language is a great help in minimizing babies’ and toddlers’ frustration in communication.

It serves as a good bridge in teaching a 2nd language.

It’s better to learn a language without translating to your first language. TPR (total physical response) is a successful technique (especially for children) in teaching a 2nd language in which the learner matches a motion to a word (which is what children do when using sign language as a bridge).

Spanish

I am competent in Spanish and have experience teaching Spanish to children and adults. I have taken many courses in both how to teach a second language and how the brain works learning a second language. Because children pick up a second language so easily and are so eager to please, it is effortless for me to introduce the language in a fun and effective way.

Multiples specialty

I greatly enjoyed my 3 years experience as a nanny for triplets and 3 years with 2 sets of twins. I loved helping their skills and personalities develop into distinct and lovable individuals.

My can-do attitude that is not easily overwhelmed is a great asset when working with multiples. A colicky baby in my arms and another one getting fussy doesn’t rattle me, which ultimately helps me calm both of them down in a timely manner.

I capitalize on the fact there are multiple children to strengthen their interpersonal skills. There are so many opportunities to talk about, model and practice skills such as:

sharing
empathy
helping others
conflict resolution

This specialty has translated seamlessly as Cheerful Beginnings has cohorts of children within 3 months of age.

Working with families with multiples also jump-started my expertise in setting up a eating and sleeping routine that helps keep baby happy, is developmentally appropriate, takes into account individual differences and easy for parents to follow. I teach babies to fall asleep on their own as opposed to being rocked until they are all the way asleep, in a way that the children do not feel abandoned, but loved and taken care of. They trust I am there for them, but they feel comfortable relaxing in their cribs by themselves as they drift off to sleep.