Yes, St Mary child care is licensed. The Virginia Department of Education (VDOE) inspects licensed child care programs prior to operation, biannually, during program development, and in response to complaints. The biannual mandated inspections are unannounced. Licensing inspectors conduct participant-centered inspections using tools and strategies to help providers understand the extent to which their program complies with Virginia regulations.

We use a gradual admission process as your child prepares to enroll in our program. This allows you and your baby or toddler to visit together on the first day and gradually spend more time in the room over the next few days. Eventually, your child will feel confident enough for you to leave. They may cry a little, but we promise it won’t last. You can even call later in the day to see how your child is doing.

Absolutely! We encourage you to visit whenever you want. In fact, you are also welcome to arrange a time to volunteer for an hour or a morning in your child’s classroom.

We provide breakfast, lunch, and an afternoon snack as part of our fee. However, if your child has special dietary needs, you can provide your own food for him/her, as long as we have written approval from the pediatrician.

No, every infant enters our program on their own schedule. Over time and with consistent communication with families, we begin to develop routines to support your infant and help them adapt to the home care schedule.

A baby cries to communicate a need. Our job is to meet that baby’s need. We pick up crying infants, determine what they might need, and stay with them until they are calm and soothed again. We don’t let children cry unattended in any home care.

There are several parts of our curriculum that are particularly important to us, including the use of books and reading to children. Infants, toddlers, and preschoolers have access to books all the time.

Children go outside at least twice a day, weather permitting.

Tummy Time is the time babies spend lying on their stomachs while they’re awake. It is important because it gives the baby a different view of the world, and it encourages an infant to lift his or her head, movement that strengthens the muscles of the neck and upper back. We ensure that each baby has tummy time daily.

Yes, a state-mandated FBI background check, fingerprinting, and criminal and Child Protective Services background check must be completed by all household and staff members over the age of eighteen before employment is permitted.

Yes, all full-time staff are trained in infant and toddler First Aid and CPR. We provide the training on-site.

We wash hands constantly, both ours and the children’s. For example, we wash before and after diaper changes, before handling food, after wiping noses, and after playing outside. We wash small toys twice each day in the baby rooms. We use a bleach water solution to sanitize many surfaces around the nursery, including food preparation areas, diapering areas, tables where children eat, the toy shelves, and even the rug at the end of the day. Additionally, we take all children outside daily, weather permitting.

We have an illness and exclusion policy that we use to prevent the spread of illness. When a child gets sick at the home care, we call the parents to pick up the child and ask that he or she sees a physician. Sometimes a child may need to stay home for a few days depending on the nature of the illness.

The first thing we do is make sure your child and all the others are safe. We wash off any scrapes and comfort your child. Typically, we will also call you to describe the incident/accident and how we handled it. We don’t want you to be surprised at pick-up time!