Family Child Care Services - Ventura, CA
Take A Photo Tour
My Home​
Helping Hands Childcare is a licensed family child care that is run in my home. My home is located in the Rancho del Mar on the east end of Ventura.
My home is a 2 minute drive to the 126 freeway at Kimball Rd and a 8 minute drive to the 101 freeway at Victoria Ave or Johnson Drive. We are also a short 2 minute walk from Juanamaria Elementary School and Juanamaria Park.
COVID-19 Health & Safety Measures
- Enhanced arrival procedures.
- Daily health screenings.
- Strict hand-washing guidelines.
- Gloves for myself when serving food, diapering, handling trash or using cleaning/disinfecting products.
- Hand sanitizer for myself and children (under adult supervision) when hand washing is not available.
- Enhanced sanitation and disinfecting practices.
Entryway
No need to carry a diaper bag to and from daycare everyday!
Your child's supplies such as extra changes of clothes, shoes, jackets/sweaters they bring to daycare for the day etc. will go into their assigned cubby. If children get dirty we take clothes from their cubbies to change them and send them home in the new change of clothes. We wash dirty clothes at daycare and place them back in their cubbies. The only exception is clothes that is soiled with poo, those get sent home!
Other supplies that you may want to provide such as bottles and cups are kept in the kitchen while consumables such as diapers and wipes that need to be restocked are stored in another area of the home daycare. We ask that diaper bags and all other items be kept at home for safety reasons.
Kitchen & Breakfast Nook
Meals are provided at no additional cost to clients including formula up to the age of one year and baby food between one year and when they transition to solids. Fruits and vegetables are washed thoroughly before serving even when they are organic options. Adults hands are washed before preparing meals and children wash their hands before eating. Infants under the age of 12 months are fed on demand while children over 12 months follow our meal schedule.
We support breastfeeding and the daycare provider is trained in the safe handling, storing and serving of breast milk. We offer Kirkland formula to formula fed babies but families preferring a different brand may provide the brand of their liking. Whole milk is served to children 1-2 years and 1% milk is served to children 2 years and older during meals. Filtered drinking water is available to the children at all times throughout the day. On special occasions the children may be served 100% fruit juice (1 part juice, 1 part water) in addition to their milk and water.
We also provide all eating and drinking supplies including plates, bowls, utensils, cups and bottles. We choose products that are PVC-free, phthalate-free, and BPA-free. We avoid hard clear plastic, and Styrofoam products. We never heat or microwave food or drinks in plastic containers, plastic wrap or plastic bags. We use glass baby bottles (with silicone sleeves for protection) or milky, opaque plastic bottles labeled "BPA free."
Safety is important therefore all knives and other sharp objects are kept locked as well as plastic bags, food wrap and foil. We keep a fire extinguisher in an easily accessible spot in the kitchen and our fully stocked first aid kit is kept out of reach of children but easily accessible to adults.
Playroom - Family Room
The family room is used as our main play, eating and napping space.
In addition to our regular full-sized furniture there is child-sized furniture to promote independence, easy movement, comfort and confidence. Low tables, chairs and storage allows the children accessibility to all materials and opportunity for play with little to no assistance. The children have open access to a variety of materials such as large unit blocks, art supplies, books, manipulatives, puzzles, stuffies, toy people, and more to use for play. Not too little so that there isn't enough to go around but not too many so that the children are overwhelmed with choices. Besides a few basic staples, toys and books are rotated periodically so that the children stay interested and do not get bored of them.
During snack and meals the children sit at the child-size table which has been modified in height to accommodate young toddlers and pre-school age children. Here the space and surfaces are easy to clean so the children can easily help with clean up, which they love to do. The children pick up their plates and utensils, assist with wiping the table and chairs, help if there are spills and sometimes even help load the dishwasher in the kitchen.
Pre-school age children and toddlers who are developmentally ready (around 18 months old) get their own nap mat, blanket and pillow assigned to them. If capable, they get their nap supplies out and arrange them on the floor for nap. Infants each get a designated pack'n'play assigned to them, no sharing! Nap supplies are all laundered/cleaned at the end of the week, or as needed if they get dirty sooner. All napping supplies are supplied by the daycare, no need to provide your own. Infants under the age of two years old do not use blankets or pillows and we do not allow anything in the pack'n'play other than an untethered pacifier as per safe sleep regulations.
Bathroom
Hygiene is a very important factor here in our daycare and so hand washing and keeping ourselves clean is a common practice. Teeth brushing is also highly encouraged here. I supply a toothbrush for each child which is replaced every 6 months and I supervise teeth brushing for children over 2 years old. Currently due to COVID-19 guidelines Community Care Licensing Division recommends that we do not practice teeth brushing at daycare.
The children are all encouraged to use their self-help skills therefore the bathroom is equipped with a child-sized toilet seat over the standard size toilet and stool to allow children to use the toilet with minimal adult interference. There is a stepstool in front of the sink so that they can reach their toothbrushes, paper towels and faucet on their own. Individual paper towels are used instead of a communal cloth towel to minimize the spread of germs. The younger the child is, the more supervision they require.
Our Outdoor Space
We play outside several times a day. Playing outside gives children the chance to explore the natural environment and have adventures. They can play games, test their physical limits, express themselves and build their self-confidence! Outdoor play can also mean more mess – and more mess means more fun!
Infants enjoy tummy time on a blanket, crawl on the grass or under the playground equipment, watch the tree leaves move and listen to the birds.
Toddlers are more adventurous and enjoy exploring the yard and testing their growing physical skills. They throw the ridiculous amount of balls we have (we have a LOT). They love riding our rocking horse and toddler balance bike and enjoy wheeling around in the cozy coupes. They walk, run and jump around the yard, catch bubbles as they float away or play in the sand.
Preschool-age children run around and play hide and seek, crawl through the tunnels and climb on the playground equipment, swing, make mud pies with old cooking utensils, look for bugs and worms and put around the yard on the trikes, bikes and even the roller coaster, or play a game of hoops.
We even play outside when it's cold and wet which is why it's so important each child has a raincoat/rain boots for rainy weather, a cozy jacket for windy and cold weather and even shorts and a tank top for hot days when we have water play!