Stephanie McKinstry claims to be the type of person who likes structure, a fact that’s hard to believe as she sits surrounded by six young children talking over each other, laughing and occasionally crying as they sprawl toys across the playroom at her home.
Opening her home daycare, My Caterpillar Clubhouse, at 1207 N. Armstrong St. in Kokomo, provided quite a change from McKinstry’s previous career working for a physician and as a surgical secretary. But in the interest of her growing family, she traded precisely placed surgical tools for the unpredictable energy that comes with toddlers.
She says she made the right choice.
“This was not a path that came naturally to me, but it’s a path I feel like I’m meant to be on,” the mother of five said. “I’ve learned the importance of taking the moment in and cherishing the small things like, ‘Hey, Ashton shared today.’”
My Caterpillar Clubhouse is one of 21 licensed home daycares in Howard County, according to data from the Indiana Family and Social Services Administration. Miami County offers another five licensed home daycares, and Tipton County has one.
State lawmakers have recently called for more access to early childhood education, especially for low-income families. A preschool voucher proposal that passed the state House 87-9 and now is before the Senate emphasizes parental involvement and kindergarten readiness as part of the requirements for facilities that want to participate in the voucher program.
Some local home daycare centers say they are up to the task.
Each day at My Caterpillar Clubhouse has its own activity schedule that includes journaling, yoga, music and movement, science and math projects and tasks like cutting and tracing to develop fine motor skills. Breakfast, lunch and an afternoon snack are served daily.
A special niche
Children at Lil’ Mess-N-Gers Christian Child Care, run by Marcietta Timberman at 4288 S. 300 West, also join in various games and activities that teach children colors, the alphabet, days of the week, numbers and basic science concepts. They learn songs and stories from the Bible and pray before meals, incorporating a faith-based element.
“We have a general guideline we go by, but I try to mix it up a little bit to make sure we’re having fun and learning,” said Timberman, who has operated a daycare since 1995.
Her program is unique in that she caters to children with special needs and families that may need extra support. Lil’ Mess-N-Gers is part of Timberman’s mission to make a difference since she overcame a terminal illness and serious health complications.
“I was smart enough to realize I was getting a second chance. I had always loved kids, especially kids with special needs,” said Timberman, who worked part time at a church daycare before starting her own. “I try to keep my numbers small, especially if I’m working with two or three kids with disabilities or a family with special needs. I feel like I have a special niche with these kids with different issues. I found a way to turn my disabilities into abilities, and I want to help these kids do the same.”
From personal experience in her own life and with her oldest son, Timberman is drawn to children with Attention Deficit Hyperactivity Disorder. Lil’ Mess-N-gers also focuses on children with Autism Spectrum Disorder, and Timberman makes an extra effort to mentor single mothers.
“What I like about in-home — especially with the kids I deal with on a daily basis — is they’re not going to get shuffled around or fall through the cracks,” she said. “I’ve been where (these parents) are. I know what it’s like to need help and not have it there.”
Activities and ages
McKinstry’s 3-year-old son Ashton and 17-month-old daughter Emma are among the 12 children ranging from 1 to 5 years old who attend her daycare, which is in a space the McKinstry family added onto their house in 2011 to provide an extra two rooms and napping area.
Heather Weber has sent her 4-year-old daughter Maggie to My Caterpillar Clubhouse for about one year, and her 6-year-old Kelsey attends the daycare after school.
"We had a nanny for eight years, so I was reluctant to look for daycare," Weber said. "To consider taking my kids anywhere was a big deal. I felt like [McKinstry] has more than a daycare. She really works with the kids on preschool, which is nice to have more than a babysitter."
McKinstry and her assistant often work with the children in small groups on age-appropriate versions of the activities.
“We’ve got some that are just starting the preschool process and then some who will start kindergarten next year,” she said. “When you’ve got that range, it’s important to work in those small groups instead of sitting down all together for two hours of preschool. What we try to do is muddle it down for the little ones, and then the older ones go in and do all of it.”
Parents involved in My Caterpillar Clubhouse can stay up to date on what their children are doing through a blog where McKinstry posts photos and videos of activities at the daycare.
“This is their kids’ second home. We have them sometimes more than [the parents] do,” she said. “All the parents know [the assistant] and they know me, so you know who’s holding your little one, who’s teaching your child.”
Weber agreed that personally knowing her children's caretaker makes a difference.
"I feel like [McKinstry] knows our kids so individually and takes our kids in like they're her own," she said."I feel very blessed we found her."
Even with all the components in place to meet regulations included in the state’s proposed preschool voucher program, McKinstry said it’s still challenging to overcome the perception that home daycares are not legitimate schools.
“It’s a challenge to be recognized that we are doing preschool, we’re not just babysitters,” she added.