Our FCCH is located in a neighborhood recognized by many as a safe and friendly place where neighbors know one another and help each other out. With only “26 FCCHs in Gaston County” (D. Sykes, personal communication, October 1, 2015), we are honored …show more content…
To operate a FCCH we have dedicated one room to child care, another is my office and children’s library, and our kitchen/dining space is furnished with two different size dining tables with chairs. Our main bathroom is set-up for children and diaper changing, while we reserve our master bath for private use only. Other portions of our home are used occasionally by the children and are set up with safety in mind. Our back yard is partially fenced to meet the requirements of the city of Gastonia and well equipped with a wide variety of outdoor play opportunities and adventure for …show more content…
After eating I have all the children together for a large group time in the classroom where we share music, poetry and finger plays, as well as language and skill development lessons. The older two girls then have small group lessons with my husband to work on school readiness skills. The classroom is set up in divided learning areas for children to investigate during free and independent play and are often incorporated into group time. In the creative play area children take on household roles with a kitchen, dress-up clothing, dolls, pets, and other creative role play materials. A block area with several types of blocks, play people, animals, and vehicles challenge the imagination. A manipulative center, with fine motor toys, encourage cognitive skills to blossom with building skills associated with eye hand coordination and memory. Other work areas in the classroom are science, math, art, books, and music. While working with a small space, it is necessary to store some work materials on top of the classroom divider shelf and made available when requested. Many additional materials are stored in the classroom closet, house attic, and garage and are used for rotation to keep the children