Thank you for your interest in supporting our small family owned business.
How have we grown where we are planted?
I have been married to my amazing husband Eric since 2008 and we have lived in Concord NC for over 10 years. Our sweet daughter enjoys playing with, helping, and loving the children in our care. She is learning how to be an entrepreneur at a young age.
How did we get into caring for children?
In 2018 I was looking to work from home so I could be with my daughter full time & eventually homeschool with an emphasis on child-led learning. Childcare happened organically via nannying until I started to have a vision of what could be. I invested all of my earnings into creating a beautiful atmosphere that everyone could enjoy. With lots of hard work our family continues to maintain a lovely environment that seeks to inspire wonder for little (and big) imaginations and dreams.
What fills our days?
We are a husband, wife, and daughter team that navigates the daily highs and lows together. Caring for 5 toddlers as well as school aged children can be stressful at times but also extremely rewarding. We have learned and grown in so many areas since beginning in 2019. I am proud of how far we have come and our accomplishments.
What are our passions regarding children and learning?
We are passionate about child development and teaching families they can trust that their children are capable learners. There is no time frame for learning because all of life is learning. A future employer is not interested in what age we learned how to ride a bike or read. Yet pressure is put on children to perform for adults instead of what truly interests children. Childhood should not be an academic rat race but should be magical and fun; relishing & delighting in the simple amazing wonders of life. For instance, we love to take childlike delight in watching a honeybee sleep in a flower on a bright summery morning and point this out to the kids. In turn, we can discuss the amazing honey bee and their work. Nature is so good for us to be in and learn from.
Even so, the most important things we need to know in life are not taught in a classroom. Learning how to grow our own food, budgeting, investing, cooking, cleaning, effective communication, and turning what you love into a business are learned by living and doing. Let’s encourage our children to learn through play about the things that interests them and their passions. They are so much more than what a grade or test score system tells them about themselves.
What do we say on repeat again and again?
That toddlers learn through play and its worth repeating. They have the attention span of their age number which means a 1 yr old has a 1 minute attention span --> therefore pushing curriculum for toddlers is silly. Yes silly! All children learn what interests them just like adults do. No one learns through frustration and tears. And all children learn better when they are enjoying and interested in what they are learning through play.
How can we help others?
We are enthusiastic about uplifting our local community via helping families, supporting small businesses, providing in-home childcare mentorships, as well as encouraging families interested in homeschooling. If a toddler starts in our care we can can give families the opportunity to easily transition to homeschool by the age 7 and help care for them even up to the age of 12 if both parents need to work.
How do we view our fellow humans?
In our modern world people can hold an ageist view when it comes to children. We understand that we are not better than children simply because we were born before them. Our family loves Jesus and therefore understands that every individual is created in God’s likeness & image. Therefore, holding to this worldview, we understand that pre-born babies and all children are highly valuable and worthy of the same respect adults receive. We are to love our neighbors as ourselves.
Little children are innocent, love with open arms, are quick to forgive, and do not judge by outward appearances. We can all learn from watching & imitating them. This is what Jesus taught:
Jesus said, “Truly, I say to you, unless you turn and become like children, you will never enter the kingdom of heaven. Whoever humbles himself like this child is the greatest in the kingdom of heaven.”
What should families understand before inquiring about our services?
We are looking for families that understand childcare is hard work. Little people have not learned how to emotionally regulate themselves yet and therefore have multiple emotional melt downs during a 10 hour work day. Children need an emotionally regulated adult to help them *to learn* how to be emotionally regulated. This is no easy task.
Families need to understand that we have boundaries and rules as this is our home.
Childcare workers should be treated with respect and dignity because we are responsible for the care of your treasured little person.
Childcare workers should be paid well and on time. To think otherwise is to devalue children and the people who care for them.
We are not a good fit If you are in a rush to find care and settle for our home because boxed childcare centers are full. Childcare centers are completely different than a childcare home. Lastly, we spend a lot of our time outside. If your children do not play outside then we may not be the right fit for your family.
We are looking for families that trust we have their best interest at heart and trust us with caring for their child.
Some of our favorites activities outside of work are as follows:
Some of Starla’s fav activities:
Creating beauty wherever she goes (makeup, english gardening, photography, and decorating)
All website photography is done by her and is copyrighted
Espaliering fruit trees
Learning about different business ventures
Planning a food forest
Non-traditional weightlifting (kettlebells, mace, hammer, Indian clubs..etc)
Art (painting, watercolor, transient art..)
Learning aesthetic diy at home treatments
Studying natural medicine
Playing (of course)!
Shopping
Eric enjoys:
Consistent morning schedule
Good cup of organic cold brew coffee
Traditional weightlifting
Bee keeping
Raquetball
Lacrosse
Camping, hiking, canoeing, cold plunge
Crafting with wood & chopping wood
Sailing
Creating the homestead of our dreams
Our daughter's fav activities:
Learning through play
Studying what she is interested in
Earthing barefoot
Transient art
Ballet & dance
Learning outdoor survival (start a fire, build a shelter..etc)
Archery & non-traditional weightlifting
Swimming
Baking
Entrepreneurship
Caring for animals