Article Link: http://exchangepress.com/article/there-is-no-place-like-home/5022835/
My mother was a ‘stay-at-home’ mom. With six siblings in the mix (two older and three younger than me) she was in every sense a ‘working mother.’ Over the past 30-plus years, 15 as a director of child care centers and 17 as an in-home provider of a child development program, I have come to appreciate just how hard my ‘stay-at-home’ mother worked. Daily, for years, and often with little recognition, Mom did the real work of making our house a home, while a group of young children was always present. Add cousins, neighbor kids, and school friends — the house was always busy. To be clear: our home and our family was no feel-good television sitcom. This was real life and like many families ‘life-as-family’ had its challenges. Also for clarity, this is no nostalgic walk down memory lane debating a return to the ‘good ol’ days.’ This article is what a professional child care provider learned about learning while being cared for at home, with intention, and how I have applied that experience to my work with children today.
In the home-based early learning program I own and operate (Almost Home Early Learning) the seven children in my care (ages ...