When thinking about the ideal daycare for our son we thought long and hard about our values and the ultimate purpose of being a parent.
His health, his autonomy, his independence, his confidence, his compassion, etc… We figured that if he was good at these things, academic skills would manifest naturally, through his own efforts. The goal: Without our force, he would feel compelled to learn and grow into a brilliant, independent, and kind adult. A daycare that was on the same page with this vision would be best.
We never found daycare that shared 100% of our values. So we created one.
When crafting our policies we narrowed down 5 key principles that we would follow when raising other people’s children (and our own). They would be based on paradigms from our formal education in teaching (Rubria) and medicine (Adrian) as well as advanced education in parenting methods created by the RIE pioneer the late Magda Gerber and pediatrician the late Dr. Emmi Pikler, among others. It would be a two year journey from the depths of history, through the valley of dirty diapers, to the peak of modern science. At the end of it all we formulated 5 key principles to guide our vision in caring for our fellow humans, of any age. It is these principles that every daycare with the “Green Village” name follows. [Locations here]
(Click on any of the following for more information)
The Guiding Principle – The Fiduciary Duty:
noun: A moral obligation to act within the best interests of another party.
We realized that there isn’t a single childcare operation that we know of, not even public school, who has a legal obligation to act within the best interests of the students. Lawyers must, doctors must, even certain financial advisers must, but educators do not? This should not be, and we have a solution to this problem.
The Co-Parenting Principle
Somehow, the idea was created that it is the parent’s job to raise children. “They are difficult at school because they aren’t being raised right at home.” This fallacy begins in believing that raising children somehow stops when you go to work.
Co-Parenting – verb; two or more parties who are sharing the duty of raising a child
Primary Caregiver – noun; you, the parents
Secondary Caregiver – noun; us, the providers
We believe children are raised by a “village” and as secondary caregivers, it is part of our duty to raise your child. We follow a specific technique for raising children based on modern science and ancient wisdom.
The Non-Toxic Principle
Children are suffering from problems never before imagined. From ADHD to Zika. Somehow Autism went from 1 in 10,000 when our parents were kids to 1 in 59 children today. Something is happening and no one is sure what it is the cause exactly. The finger is being pointed at everything.
We can’t control what happens at your home, but we can control what happens here. Our environment is strictly non-toxic. We get 3rd party certification through Eco-Healthy Childcare and much more including onsite manufacturing of a non-toxic sanitizer.
The Clean Eating Principle
This generation of children are suffering from diseases formerly believed to only effect the elderly. They are the first generation to have a life expectancy lower than their parents.
Type II diabetes, formerly known as “Adult onset diabetes”, and even osteoarthritis were diseases believed to only effect geriatric patients. Today both of these on a rapid rise in children.
Not everywhere provides food, but if a daycare does provide food, it needs to follow the highest standards possible. Organic and Non-GMO are controversial topics: either way we choose the highest possible quality, that earned us national recognition. There is no excuse for every operation in the country to NOT follow our standards. It is easy and even saves money for everyone involved.
The Village Principle
It’s our opinion that “it takes a village” to raise a child. We believe that is how the human species evolved. As a social species the health of the somatic organism requires strong social ties (Also known as love) between peers. These strong ties for kids establish appropriately when parents have a good relationship with the parents of their peers. It helps nurture a feeling of safety in the child and makes them receptive to learning new things.
Being surrounded by love and having a strong sense of community is as important to children as it is adults. We create that community for them, and for you.
These 5 principles have allowed us to have a nationally recognized daycare operation that if modeled and multiplied could change the world. This is why Green Village Daycare has a system to help others open their own operation faster, with significantly less investment, than any Big Box McDaycare franchise could offer. If we’re going to change the world it’s gotta be easy and that’s our ultimate goal.
– From the Founders
Rubria & Adrian Abascal
