Five programs that grow with your child.
From 6 weeks to 12 years, every room at Happy Hearts DayCare runs on the same beliefs: small groups, steady routines, and teachers who know your child by heart. Doors open Monday to Friday, 6:30 AM to 6:30 PM, for every age.
Infant Care: the baby room
The Infant Care room runs on your baby's clock, not ours. Feedings, naps, and floor time follow each little one's own rhythm, and with one teacher for every four babies, there is always a lap free for snuggles. We keep the lights soft, the voices softer, and your phone full of updates.
The daily rhythm
A gentle shape to the day, bent around each baby's own schedule.
- Sleepy arrivals
Handoff chats, morning bottles, and slow wake-ups.
- Floor time
Tummy time, mirrors, rattles, and lots of narrated play.
- Buggy walks
Fresh air in our six-seat stroller whenever weather allows.
- Naps on demand
Each baby sleeps in their own crib, on their own schedule.
- Songs & cuddles
Quiet lap time and books until pickup.
What our infants learn
It looks like play, and it is. It is also the groundwork for everything that comes next.
- Rolling, sitting, crawling, cruising, and those wobbly first steps, cheered on every time
- Babble that turns into first words, fed by songs, books, and teachers who narrate the day
- Simple baby signs like "more" and "all done" so little ones can tell us what they need
- Secure attachment: a consistent primary caregiver who learns every cue and preference
- Safe sensory exploration, from crinkle books to (supervised, inevitable) taste tests
Toddler Discovery: the busy room
Toddlers are scientists with sticky hands, and the Toddler Discovery room is their lab. We build the day around movement, sensory play, and the two great toddler projects: doing it "all by myself" and figuring out what all these big feelings are. Our teachers name emotions out loud, keep routines steady, and hand out high fives for every hard-won zipper.
The daily rhythm
Toddlers thrive on knowing what comes next, so we keep the shape of the day wonderfully boring.
- Arrival & open centers
Blocks, books, and breakfast for the early birds.
- Circle time, tiny edition
Two songs, one story, ten minutes, maximum wiggles.
- Messy work
Paint, playdough, water tables, and sensory bins.
- Outside time
Running, climbing, and puddle inspection on the toddler yard.
- Lunch & rest
Family-style lunch, then one big nap on cozy cots.
- Snack & small groups
Puzzles, pretend kitchen, and dance parties until pickup.
Big feelings, named
We put words to the storm: "You're frustrated, the tower fell." Naming feelings is the first step to managing them, and Toddler Discovery practice it daily.
All by myself
Hand washing, cup drinking, coat wrestling, and toilet learning when your family is ready. We build in the extra minutes so independence can be slow and proud.
First friendships
Parallel play turns into "together" play right around this age. We coach sharing, turn taking, and gentle hands through a hundred tiny moments a day.
Preschool: the project room
Preschool is where play gets ambitious. One week the room is a post office, the next it is a dinosaur dig, and tucked inside every project are the letters, numbers, and social skills that make kindergarten feel easy. We do not do worksheets. We do curiosity, stamina, and the deep confidence that comes from being taken seriously at age four.
The daily rhythm
A longer arc than the toddler day, with real stretches of focused project time.
- Arrival & table toys
Journals, drawing, and quiet games to start the brain.
- Morning meeting
Calendar, the day's big question, and a letter or number focus.
- Project time
Long, unhurried work on whatever the class is deep into this week.
- Outdoor adventures
Obstacle courses, garden jobs, and serious games of chase.
- Lunch & rest
Naps for nappers, quiet books and puzzles for the rest.
- Snack, centers & showtime
Dramatic play, building challenges, and read-alouds until pickup.
Early literacy & math
Letters, sounds, names, counting, patterns, and sorting, woven into games and projects instead of drills. Most children leave the room writing their own name and asking for one more chapter.
Projects that go deep
When the class falls in love with a topic, we follow it for weeks: measuring, building, painting, voting, and presenting. That is science, math, and public speaking in a trench coat.
Kindergarten confidence
Raising hands, lining up, solving friend problems with words, and trying hard things without melting down. The academics matter, but this is the part kindergarten teachers thank us for.
Pre-K Readiness: the year before the big one
Kindergarten prep with reading, early math, writing practice and confidence building. This is the year the pieces click together: sounding out a word without help, counting past a hundred just to prove it can be done, and sticking with a hard task long enough to finish it. We keep it joyful, because a child who loves school in August is a child who thrives in September.
The daily rhythm
Kindergarten-shaped structure, still built around play and plenty of moving.
- Arrival & morning work
Journals, name writing, and quiet puzzles as friends trickle in.
- Morning meeting
Calendar, weather, attendance jobs, and the day's plan.
- Literacy block
Letter sounds, rhyming games, sight words, and shared reading.
- Outdoor play
Running, climbing, and the negotiation skills that come with a busy playground.
- Math & discovery
Counting, sorting, measuring, and hands-on science experiments.
- Lunch & rest
A calm reset with books and soft music for those who no longer nap.
- Snack & centers
Art, building, dramatic play, and projects until pickup.
Reading & writing
Letter sounds blend into words, and words into the first shaky sentences. Children leave able to write their name, recognize sight words, and tell a story with a beginning, middle, and end.
Early math that sticks
Counting, comparing, patterns, simple addition, and shapes, taught with blocks, snacks, and measuring tape rather than worksheets. Numbers become tools, not tests.
Confidence building
Raising a hand, asking for help, sticking with a frustrating task, and bouncing back from a wrong answer. Kindergarten teachers notice this before they notice the alphabet.
After School Care: the landing pad
Homework help, snacks and supervised play after the school bell rings. Big kids arrive hungry, wired, and full of stories, so we feed them, let them move, and then sit down with the math packet. By the time you pull up, the homework is usually done and the backpack is usually zipped. Usually.
The daily rhythm
School lets out, the fun starts, and the homework still gets done.
- Arrival & snack
Backpacks down, hands washed, and something substantial to eat.
- Run it off
Outdoor games, gym time, or a walk. Nobody does long division at 3:45.
- Homework hour
Quiet tables, a teacher circulating, and help whenever a hand goes up.
- Clubs & choice time
Chess, art, building, reading corner, or whatever the group is into this month.
- Pickup
A quick handoff about the day, and out the door.
Homework, actually finished
A dedicated quiet hour with a teacher on hand. We will not do it for them, but we will sit beside them until the hard part stops feeling hard.
Real food, real movement
A substantial afternoon snack and time outside every day it is not pouring. Kids who have been sitting since 8:00 AM need to move before they need to focus.
School-day pickup
Ask us about pickup from nearby elementary schools. Tell us which school on your tour and we will walk you through how the handoff works.
Good food, no lunchbox required
Lunch and two snacks are included for every room, every day. You pack the cuddly backup blanket, we handle the rest.
Lunch plus two snacks
A hot, kid-tested lunch and a morning and afternoon snack, served family-style so children practice passing, pouring, and (occasionally) trying the green thing.
Menus posted weekly
Each week's menu goes up by the front door and in the parent app every Friday, so you know exactly what is coming and can plan dinners that do not repeat lunch.
Allergy plans supported
We build a written plan with your family for any allergy or dietary need, flag it at every table, and train every teacher on it. Substitutions are quiet and automatic, never a fuss.
Transitions between rooms, done gently
Ages are a guide, but readiness makes the call. When it is time to move from Infant Care to Toddler Discovery, or Toddler Discovery to Preschool, we go slowly and you are in on every step.
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We watch for readiness
Teachers look for the real signs: steady walking, longer attention, interest in the big-kid room. Age ranges overlap on purpose so nobody gets rushed.
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You get the first word
Before anything changes, your child's teacher sits down with you to compare notes, answer questions, and agree on timing that works for your family.
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Short visits, then longer ones
Over a week or two, your child visits the new room for play times, then lunch, then a nap, always with a familiar teacher walking them over.
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Official move-up day
New cubby, new name tag, small celebration. Old teachers are just down the hall and still hand out hugs at pickup for as long as anyone wants them.
Tuition adjusts to the new room's rate on move-up day. Details, including the $100 one-time registration fee and our 10% sibling discount, live on the Admissions & Tuition page.
Meet the rooms in person
The best way to pick a program is to stand in it. Tours run most weekday mornings, take about 30 minutes, and end with you knowing exactly where your child would nap.
Book a Tour