Dear Parents,

At a young age I knew I was highly interested in working with children. I have worked off and on with children for the past 15 years.

I have worked at Virginia Academy, Who Hill Daycare and helped to start Sunshine and Sprouts Daycare. My philosophy has grown out of my work experience and being a mother. As a childcare provider, I am actively involved in guiding, stimulating and encouraging growth in young children.

Through-out the years I have learned that child care needs to go beyond learning. Before any child can learn they must feel comfortable in a safe and healthy environment. When children feel safe and healthy it will positively affect their social, emotional, cognitive and physical development. I know that a positive environment is needed in order for them to fully understand love, encouragement and respect. Each child should be understood as an individual and that is what I try to achieve each and every day.

Sarah Ciciora

Mrs. Maria "Suzzy" Giraldez has been caring for my son, Javier, full-time since August 2012. Javier is now four years old. My husband, son and I have been more than satisfied with the care received from Mrs. Giraldez. She provides for the physical, intellectual and emotional needs of the children in her care on a daily basis.

Mrs Giraldez creates safe environment for her children. her home daycare is child friendly with safety precautions such as gates, locks, and outlet covers always in place. Mrs. Giraldez utilizes age-appropirate seats, bedding and eating utensils. She also keeps her home and daycare very clean and is sure to practice good sanitation. Mrs. Giraldez maintains consistent routines and discipline and sets clear expectations for he children and their behaviors. Her management skills keep children safe.

Mrs. Giraldez provides her children with healthy meals and snacks and is sure to allow for plenty of physical activity. The daycare regularely takes walks and trips to playgrounds where the children can strengthen their bodies while playing. Mrs. giraldez maintains a regular nap schedule for the children as well.

We have been very pleased with the intellectual stimulation Javier has received in Mrs. giraldez’s care. She facilitates developmentally appropriate activities for the children. Together, they create thematric crafts and’holiday projects. Mrs. Giraldez taught Javier to county, identify the letters of the alphabet, recognize colors and write his name. They read stories together and regularly visit the library for the programs and book check-out. Mrs. Giraldez is very creative and teaches the children in a variety of different ways. For example, when teaching Javier colors she utilized his interest in toy cars. She created him a color coded parking lot for the toy cars and had Javier say and match the color as he parked cars. The children also ahve access to puzzles, building blocks and other educational toys that build motor skills and promote cognitive stimulation.

Finally, Mrs. Giraldez naturally provides a loving environment for the children. Javier feels extremely comfortable in the Giraldez home as if part of the family. In a time of perpetual fear of law suits, Mrs. Giraldez remembers that the children in her care are children. She corrects them when they need correcting, praises them when they do well and hugs them when they need hugs. She communicates regularly and honestly with the parents regarding the strengths and concerns regaring their children and works with parents to meet the needs of the children.

Mrs. Giraldez’s professionalism and nurturing personality allows her to operate an excellent home daycare in which children develop physically, intellectually and emotionally in safe environment. As a parent, I feel at ease when leaving my child in her care.

Sincerely

Maureen K

Maria Giraldez has been taking care of our lovely son, Aiden since October 7, 2013. She is honest and passionate on what she does as a caregiver. She went above and beyond her duties as a full-time caregiver. She taught our son simple vocabulary and sign languages e.g waving hellos and bidding goodbyes. Ms Maria was referred to me by my colleague, and I always feel safe leaving my child with her at all times. She has profound habit of completeing all her taks efficiently and continues to enhance her skills as when required. We definitely recommend her for State permitted/approvaed caregiver

Sincerely,

Wei L. and Shannie Y.

Being a mom and a teacher in the same time is not easy when you look for a day care for your child. But the moment I met Ms. Sussi, I had such a strong feeling that my son was going to be in good hands. And he was! The way she interacted with him from the moment we met it was just amazing. And he was not just a child in her day care; he was part of her family! We worked together as a team to make sure he gets the best of it! Because of Ms Sussi, he has been having an amazing time in the preschool setting! My husband and I were really happy to have Ms Sussi taking care of our son. We had a really good exerpience.

Thank you, Ms Sussi!!!

Camelia B.

My husband and I are the proud of parents of beautiful three-year old twin daughters. When the time was right for them to transition from a nanny to a daycare/preschool, we researched extensively for a facility that would best suit our needs as a family.
We wanted an environment where they would be nurtured and encouraged to grow academically, emotionally, and spiritually. We did our due diligence; as we reviewed and visited several programs in the area. While most were very fine schools and offered traditional curriculums, we felt something was missing. We then discovered Sunshine and Sprouts!
My husband and I instantly felt at ease with Maria, aka, "Miss Sussy". Her engaging smile and calm demeanor were immediately evident. Beyond her lovely personality, we were impressed by her structured program, and Montessori teaching style. Our children have been attending her program since early October, and they have simply thrived there! The girls wake up every morning excited to go to school! They love how Ms Sussy greets them at the door, "Hello Beautiful!"
My husband and I can see how their vocabulary has increased through our daily interactions, and through the work they bring home every week. Ms Sussy has been extremely communicative about the happenings at school; how the children behave each day, what they ate (from her delicious organic/home-cooked meals), how they were attentive during their lessons, and how they have shown progress. Ms Sussy has been especially responsive to any questions/concerns we have regarding our children and the program. I doubt we would get that detail from a larger facility.

Kathryn

Our son has been enrolled in Sunshine and Sprouts Daycare for about a year now. We feel that choosing Miss Sussy for our child was one of the best decisions we've made. She is very caring, knowledgeable, and clearly enjoys little ones. Our child's face lights up when he sees her, and we can tell that he's learning all sorts of things, from the alphabet, to making art projects, to perfecting gross and fine motor skills. He is also learning social skills by being exposed to other children of varying ages. Miss Sussy has a warm, bright, safe environment for the children with lots of toys and a separate sleeping area for naps. We have been very happy with Sunshine and Sprouts Daycare.

Jenn R.

Our 2 year old son has been going to Sunshine & Sprouts since he was 3 months old. We received references to several day care facilities in the Cascades area and upon visiting with Miss Sussy, we knew this was the warm, welcoming and structured environment we were looking for in a day care for our son. We also reached out to several references and all had positive feedback to share. We love seeing the growth and learning every day our son is experiencing with Ms. Sussy. Our son has a blast with his friends and the Sunshine & Sprouts team. We appreciate the open and honest communications with Ms Sussy (and loved having a daily summary for his first year- especially being first time parents!). We also get frequent pictures of the kids together, activities and generally having fun! It is also great to have home cooked meals for the kids every day. Ms Sussy and her team love our son and treat him like their own- we are so lucky to have them take such good care of our little guy!

Heather G.

We send our 2 year old child to Sunshine and Sprouts Daycare and it has been a wonderful experience for him. He is eager to go to his "school" every day. The toddler curriculum in place allows our child to play independently and develop at his own pace. He is currently exercising his gross/ fine motor skills and practicing problem solving which is helping to build his confidence in other daily activities. He is also already able to communicate his needs but is also able to listen and take direction and we feel it is due to the orderly, safe environment that this daycare provides. They also offer healthy, hearty home cooked meals that represents the special care and comfort that only a home day care can provide.

Lydia

My daughter has been going to Maria (also called Miss Sussy) since January. We have been extremely happy with day care at Sunshine and Sprouts. Maria and her helpers are awesome! My daughter, who is only 7 months old, will smile ear-to-ear, and kick her feet with excitement, when dropped off to Sunshine & Sprouts every morning. A few of my favorite things about Sunshine & Sprouts: 1) The text message system. We text Maria when we are about to drop our daughter off, as well as when we are on our way to pick her up. Because Maria knows we are coming, she will be waiting at the door to greet us. If we are picking our daughter up, one of them will be waiting with Grace at the door in her car seat, and back-pack ready to go. 2) How clean and organized Maria's place is!! It was by far the cleanliest and most organized facility that my husband and I visited. 3) She teaches the kids grace before meals and how to be polite! All the kids that go there are so well behaved, and I give Maria a lot of credit for that. 4) Honesty! Maria is a very honest lady, and I am so glad to have found her to take care of my daughter.

Lisa