Little Folks Inc. receives award for excellence
Deb Danforth, co-director and founder of Little Folks Inc., does not believe the term “day care” truly encompasses or reflects what her center offers to parents and children — a developmentally appropriate program that focuses on a child’s physical-perceptual, intellectual, emotional and spiritual growth.
Perhaps it is this steadfast belief that earned Danforth’s early childhood learning development center — the preferred term for such centers among childcare professionals — the 2004 Mayor’s Award for Excellence in Quality Childcare.
Danforth has always loved babies and children, which prompted her to take early childhood development courses in high school and, later, to enroll in Fullerton College’s early childhood development program in California. Her dream, however, was to open her own early childhood development center, which she did in 1979 with Sandy Perkins, the nonprofit center’s other co-director.
Little Folks Inc. is located in the basement portion of Living Hope Church, at 2300 Ironwood Drive in Coeur d’Alene. The center is not owned or operated by the church but does offer a Christian-based program.
On May 7, Little Folks Inc. celebrated its 25th anniversary. After 25 years, however, the center has not fallen victim to complacency. Instead, Danforth and her staff are continually striving to improve the center and its services.
“We’ve worked exceptionally hard to get better and better each year. We’ve always been committed to improvements to our facility, activities and staff education,” she said.
The Coeur d’Alene Childcare Commission selected her center for the award. The center is accredited and focuses on child/teacher interaction. Centers are not required to seek accreditation, but Danforth believes obtaining accreditation was another way to improve the center’s services.
Accreditation is through the National Association for the Education of Young Children, of which Little Folks Inc. has been a member of the North Idaho branch for decades. NAEYC is the nation’s largest organization of early childhood educators and offers the largest and most widely recognized accreditation system for early childhood schools and centers.
Only 7 percent of the nation’s preschools are accredited, which means those centers met or exceeded the national standards. Accredited centers must undergo, every 5 years, intense internal examination and external professional review designed to ensure centers are complying with NAEYC’s criteria for high-quality early childhood programs. For parents interested in learning more about childhood development center accreditation criteria, they can visit NAEYC’s Web site at www.naeyc.org/accreditation.
Among the characteristics accredited centers share are frequent, positive interactions between teachers and children, age-appropriate planned learning activities and low ratios of teachers to students.
Danforth says a lower teacher-student ratio increases the quality of care a child receives. The state of Idaho mandates a center has one teacher for every six infants, but NAEYC requires one teacher for three infants. For 2-year-olds, NAEYC mandates one teacher per every five children; Idaho allows one teacher to 12 children. One teacher to six children is required by NAEYC for 3-year-olds, but the state allows one teacher per 12 children.
Danforth says, “Excellence is going above and beyond what is required.” Toward that goal, Little Folks Inc. offers the following services, which are not mandated by NAEYC, state statute or city code:
• Staff members always wear gloves when they handle food prepared for the children;
• Swimming lessons and on-site tumbling classes are made available;
• Children learn the importance of dental hygiene through required teeth brushing after lunch;
• Parent-teacher conferences are scheduled regularly;
• Vision, hearing and speech screenings, as well as CHILDFIND, a program through Idaho Panhandle Health, in which children are assessed for special needs for early intervention, also are made available.
Danforth is concerned about Idaho’s lack of policy regulating childcare centers. If a center manages less than 13 children, the workers at such a center are not required to undergo background checks. While the city of Coeur d’Alene has stricter regulations than the state, centers located outside the city limits do not have to abide by these regulations.
Danforth’s staff undergoes background checks, reference checks, CPR and first-aid training. Education is a priority, too, and all staff members are required to complete continuing education courses every year.
Two teachers have bachelor’s degrees in early childhood development, seven teachers have child development associate degrees, and two staff members have associate degrees in early childhood development.
Also on staff is a childcare health consultant, who specializes in nutrition, special needs and inclusion, and health and safety.
Education, however, does not negate the importance of experience. According to Danforth, experience is critical and sometimes “almost better than a formal degree.”
Danforth says, ultimately, parents pay the bills, but the child is the customer.
Danforth remembers one mother who chose Little Folks Inc. after Danforth bent down to the child and asked her if she would like to see where the children played. Danforth then took the child by the hand and led her to a room filled with artwork, toys and books.
The parent later told Danforth that she had visited four centers that day, and she was the first person to directly speak to and interact with her child.
Danforth believes several quality childcare centers are located in the area and encourages parents to find the center that best fits their children. She says parents need to be aware of local and state laws.
“Parents need to be very particular when searching for a center for their children,” Danforth says. “Developmentally, these are some of the most important years of a child’s life. The foundation for future learning is being laid, so parents should not be afraid to ask questions.”