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Jump for Joy

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The Davolt's on our first day of school.
As the new school year approached, Jeff and I began investigating infant care in our area.  We toured three facilities, but given that we had few resources for recommendations, it felt a little arbitrary to choose one. We decided we felt most comfortable with a place called Jump for Joy Christian Early Learning Community and elected to enroll Nathan there.

One aspect we liked was that the director is a former kindergarten teacher in Portland Public Schools. Therefore, her facility has a more school like feel compared with the other daycare type facilities. Jump for Joy offers classrooms for infants through pre-school age and requests parents and teachers commit for two years to keep turn over low. Thankfully, Jump for Joy provides diapers, so I don't have to worry about restocking and they also provide organic food for the older kids. The school is located in an old church which has been remodeled to fit their needs. It's about a ten minute drive from home. This was the only facility that is willing to let us change to part time attendance (and part time tuition) during the summer months.

Now that he has completed his third week of care, I think we are more confident that we chose the right place for all of us. Nathan's two teachers are warm ladies who obviously care for babies (one is even expecting her own). After just a few days, the teachers were commenting on some of Nathan's mannerisms, reassuring me that they spend quality with him. There are eight babies, total, in his classroom, but most attend on a part time basis, only three days a week. Most often, when we go to drop him off or pick him up, there are four or five infants. Each day, we are provided with a written record of his day. This record notes the time he eats and the quantity, the time and duration of naps and the time and composition of diaper changes. It's so nice to have these notes as we come home in the afternoon to watch for patterns and to know what he might need from us next.

As Jeff starts his new teaching job, we are adjusting our family schedule. Previously, I was dropping Nathan off each morning on my way to work and Jeff would pick him up around mid-day. At this time, our plan is for Jeff to drop Nathan off mid-morning and I'll pick him up after school. This way, Nathan is not spending long days in care.

Naturally, many people ask me how I am handling having him in care during the day (almost always with a tone of concern). Of course, I felt nervous the first day and asked Jeff to be responsible for both dropping him off and picking him up. When Jeff brought him to me after that first day (which was only a few hours away from us), I looked at him for signs that...well, I guess signs that he had changed somehow. I felt relieved when Nathan returned to me looking like my little man. He wasn't traumatized by the experience and neither was I. The second and third days, I couldn't say too much without feeling a little emotional. Since then, I feel like we have all settled into our respective schools. I have always known that if I was a mom, I would be a working mom; staying at home full time is not for me. I certainly miss Nathan during the day and get anxious to be home again in the afternoon!

To learn more about Jump for Joy, see their website: http://www.jumpforjoycommunity.com/welcome

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