A little about us...
Hello, my name is Lynda Alcorn-Fernandez. I have been married to my wonderful husband for over 25 years and we have 4 awesome children. I own and operate a Large Family Home Day Care in Newark, California and I am licensed to provide care for up to 14 children. Staff and I are C.P.R and first aid certified. Also, we continue to earn ECE units for continued education and join courses related to childcare to keep up with the latest information and practices. I opened our home and began caring for children in 1999. I am extremely proud of the reputation that Popcorns Play To Learn has built over these past years, as well as the support I have from my husband and children. We look forward to continuing serving families and their children for many years to come.
Often new parents visiting my daycare will ask "how do you manage to take care of all these kids and do all of the other things of your own each day, it's hard enough for me having just 1 kid?". I enjoy my career. I get to work along side my own children and we get to share our daily joys with your children. There is never a dull moment, lack of excitement or being stuck in the monotony of the "same old, day in and day out". Everyday is an adventure to learn or see something new!
I did not turn to childcare by default, or because I was a stay at home parent and figured "might as well, since I'm home anyways". I knew from a very early age that children would be a large part of my life. When we bought our home it was with the intention of running a home daycare from it. We have made significant investments into our home, which gives us the advantage of offering the "best of both" types of child care, home-based daycare and preschool. We have a small group of children (comparatively), yet at the same time we offer a preschool like environment in the comforts of loving family home. Therefore, plenty of space and activities to explore and grow.
My goal is centered around helping other parents raise healthy and happy children. My staff and I focus our energy on ensuring the children in our care feel safe, happy, and loved; build self confidence, self assurance, and trust. Additionally important, is the relationship and trust that develops between parent and provider. Each of us having children of our own, we fully understand the trust that must be placed with us and we take this earned trust gratefully. It is important to work side by side with parents that feel the same. I choose to surround ourselves and our work environment with nice, positive people that share our sentiment towards daycare. My primary job and concern is to care for the children entrusted to us, nurture the relationship that develops between us and the parents, for the benefit of my family and my staff. So, if you’re a parent looking for a place where your child will be safe, have fun, and learn through play while you’re away, then Popcorns Play to Learn is the place for you and your child.
Infant and Toddler development require a lot of love and attention. Children learn the most in the first three to five years of life. They develop and shape their personalities at such an early stage; it can be considered the “molding” years. It is essential that their learning environment be nurturing, consistent; provide options and choices to develop their independence. Communication should be open and fair, allowing the child to express his or herself with an understanding and patient caregiver. I feel it is important to provide boundaries for their safety but also encourage them to explore. Learning and exploring is fun and can provide challenges for these little ones that will help increase their self-confidence.
Children learn by doing, playing, experimenting, and exploring. Learning is meant to be a natural and joyful experience. Children flourish when the process of discovery is lovingly encouraged and gently reinforced. This is the philosophy behind my curriculum. It fosters individual growth by providing numerous opportunities for exploration, manipulation and child-initiated choices. Through my program, children develop critical cognitive skills such as conservation, classification, cause-and-effect, sequencing and logical thinking. I plan my curriculum to be both age-appropriate and flexible enough to accommodate individual differences in needs, abilities and interest. All children need opportunities to be responsible, to make choices and to be treated with respect. They will continue to learn this throughout life, but it should begin on their first day.
My Day Care business is based on the belief that our "families" needs are of the utmost importance. My entire team is committed to meeting those needs. As a result, a high percentage of our business is from repeat customers and referrals.
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I welcome the opportunity to earn your trust and deliver you the best service in the industry.