Every time I've dropped off my son, he's been happy to be there; he's quite attached to the staff. The setting is a combination of family day care and preschool, with the best of both: lots of time to play inside and (weather permitting) outside, with regular creative projects which tie into a seasonal curriculum. My son comes home regularly with a book from their library; they also participate in Scholastic book clubs (just like big kid school!). Every month, parents get homework: writing free-form answers to prompts such as (for March) "We're so lucky to have ____ because..." (with a shamrock background; these tie into the seasonal curriculum). There is a rotation of the "favorites bag": after our son comes home with it, we send a favorite book, favorite picture, and favorite snack to share with his classmates. Field trips happen regularly to story and song time at local libraries or even apple picking.
We love Happy Hands! We found it through the recommendation of close friends, who sent their first child and now is sending their second there this fall. Our daughter has been there over a year now, and she continues to thrive. It's the best of both worlds - a cozy home-based daycare, but also with the structure, space, and curriculum of a pre-school. You are able to get to know the owners well, and they in turn know our daughter well too, and are willing to help out along different phases or transitions, such as potty training. They've been doing this a long time, and you can tell they are pros when it comes to kids. They also hold teacher-parent conferences, spend a lot of time outside, and even engage the kids in helping to do things like plant and harvest the garden, which is fun for them. If we ever have child #2, we'll be sending them there! (Also - conveniently located not far from an I-91 on-ramp, so that is great for those hectic mornings, too)
My daughter pulled her son from this daycare due to neglect. On more than one occassion he was left crying in a playpen. The last day she walked in and he had been left crying in a highchair with only another child in the room. Don't use this daycare.
Our daughters are completing their third year at Happy Hands. In their time with Michelle and her devoted team, we have seen our children learn and thrive in this safe and nurturing environment. They have developed in to confident, well-socialized, independent people, bringing home daily stories of their adventures and accomplishments. From the thoughtfully designed curriculum, to the regular trips to story hour, music and movement, and local farms, parks, and events, Michelle and the staff she trains and supervises create and maintain a warm and lively school. As excited and well-prepared as our children are for kindergarten, our whole family is sad to see our time at Happy Hands drawing to a close. We are lucky to have found this terrific school, and recommend it to all families without reservation.
There's a strong sense of community: shortly after my son started, there was a potluck picnic for families to celebrate imminent graduations to kindergarten and also to get to know each other. There is also a daily email newsletter which updates us on the activities, meals, snacks, etc. of the day. Along with community, there's also continuity: the kids are provided with backpacks with their handprints on them when they start and at their graduation to kindergarten they get a scrapbook of the homework done by their parents and various art etc. projects from their time here. I don't have any experience of other child care providers, but I suspect that this is well above and beyond the norm.
This is a great place, and a safe one. Caring teachers, a good curriculum, and a monthly calendar that gets the children out and into the community has been what has kept our daughters enrolled there for the last three years. My girls are about to leave the school (because that is what it is, at its core, a school) for kindergarten, and they are well-prepared for the world because of Happy Hands. The multi-age classroom has taught them to have an awareness of younger children and a sense of responsibility as the "older" kids. My children feel safe there and are happy when we drop them off and happy when we pick them up. The school is certified and monitored by state and town licensing officials. We could not be happier with Happy Hands, and we recommend it highly.
Happy Hands Family Child Care is a US School based in Greenfield, Massachusetts. Happy Hands Family Child Care is located at 15 Dickinson St, Greenfield, MA 01301, USA.
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