Preschoolers

When my first-born daughter was two, I decided it was time to potty train. She was showing signs of readiness that I’d talked to our pediatrician about and read about in books. She seemed excited when I bought the potty...

I thought I would share with you some of the things I have learned over the last six years about finding daycare in Colorado Springs through a series of posts that break down the advantages and disadvantages of all the options.

MyVillage offers a new option for local families. By Erica Mackey, CEO and Co-Founder, MyVillage For me, the struggle to find affordable, high quality childcare is personal. When I became a mom for the first time in 2016, I had no...

Work to remember what they’ve told you about certain school friends, certain likes and dislikes and their ideas for the future. These important things will come up again. When we recall previous conversations, our kids know we are listening and care about them.

Today is Read Across America Day.  But as a mama with the heart of a teacher, a passion for education ingrained deep within my soul, Read Across America Day is every day.   Read... It's Worth It I’m fully aware that...

The struggle to find child care is a constant battle and can cause major stress. It's a challenge to balance a convenient location, the number of facilities you have to pick up and drop off from (why do so few facilities take infants?!?) and the cost of care for multiple children.

Some child care centers, like the one my kids attend, offer extra curricular classes like dance or martial arts where they bring the instructor into the center to conduct class during the day. I was more than willing to pay extra for this class for the luxury of being able to skip the wait-list for a Saturday morning dance class we could otherwise attend and I not having to drive there. I wish there were more opportunities like that.

Sometimes however, the main consideration is the hourly rate of childcare versus the hourly rate for the parents. Depending on your situation, sometimes the math just doesn't justify one alternative over the other. Fortunately, there are programs to help when ends don't meet.

As the employer, you actually need to budget for quite a bit more than the hourly rate. When you hire a nanny as a household employee, you have to pay Social Security and Medicare for that person, as well as unemployment insurance and often payroll services

But I turn and clutch the doll to my chest, suppressing tears. This doll, placed so tenderly on the step, is an offering to the passage of time, to growing up, to letting go. It hurts my heart. I don’t want it to come yet. Slowly, I make my way down the stairs, cradling the doll.