We welcome a variety of ages to our various programs.

During the year, our Morning Nursery Group is limited to ages 2 + 3 years old, and our Mixed Age Afternoon Group is limited to ages 4-8 years old.

Our Date Night and Summer Camp programs are your one-stop drop off! For those programs we welcome all children 2-8 years old.

At Miss Ashley's Nest we gather around the snack table and share a home cooked meal that we provide.

We provide healthy, vegetarian snacks each day. We use maple syrup, dates and honey as a sweetener. We will serve water, herbal tea and sometimes local cows milk for the children to drink.

The snack menu says the same all year long and will be adjusted each September.

An example menu :

Monday : Hard boiled eggs, fairy dust ( Himalayan salt ) Sweet potato fries.

Tuesday : Butternut squash soup from our garden and apple slices

Wednesday : Applesauce and yogurt

Thursday : (Fall) zucchini potato pancakes with apple sauce

(Winter and spring) Pancakes and maple syrup

Friday : Seasonal bread and butter

PLEASE Do Not send a snack with your child to Miss Ashley’s Nest from September - June.

During Summer Camp, please BRING a snack box and a water bottle!

We provide watermelon, but request that parents send their children with a snack.

Please pack a water bottle that will stay in the boot room for outside time.

We will always accommodate any food allergies or restrictions into our recipes.

If your child has any food allergies, we need you to send in a written note for our records.

Please list the replacement foods you are comfortable with for example: not cow milk but coconut milk or almond milk.

Please List any other allergies your child has.

Please be aware that Miss Ashley has two cocker spaniels that do not come to the Miss Ashley's Nest while the children are present. I may have a tiny bit of dog hair on my clothing at times. We clean Miss Ashley's nest daily.

We absolutely love to celebrate the children’s birthdays all year round. We bake a special cake, and parents bring in their child's favorite fruit.

We would love to know when your birthdays are as well. - we request the birthdates of parents so we can wish you a Happy Birthday, too.

The birthday child receives a gift, handmade by Miss Ashley and wears a homemade crown and cape at the snack table.

Morning Program and Afternoon Homeschool Program are a 10 month commitment. The students attendance days may not be altered during the school year, however if there is a desired increase given there are spaces available on those days a new contract will be created.

Miss Ashley's Nest will refer to the Local School District for guidelines on closure due to inclement weather, but ultimately we will make our own decision on inclement weather closures. Snow and weather closures are non-refundable and will not incur a tuition credit.

I will contact you the night prior or early morning of through immediate text message.

In the event of sickness or emergency within Miss Ashley's staff, we will reserve the right to take up to 4 “sick day” closures with no reimbursement. Any additional closures will incur a daily tuition credit.

Absence – Please call or text me either the night before or in the morning, by 8am, on each day that your child will be absent.

Please Text Miss Ashley's cell 631.495.4779

The beautiful thing about a home-based child care program is that it can provide a home-like environment for a child who needs care, BUT if your child is sick, they want to be with you most of all and in the comfort of their own home to get better.

A child who is under the weather can cause a domino effect throughout Miss Ashley's Nest and impact the quality of care we are able to offer the other children. Even though I rarely get sick It can also cause program closures due to many children being out.

Please keep your child at home if they have not been free of diarrhea or vomiting within the past 24hours;

• are coughing or sneezing with a runny nose, especially if it is thick and greenish;

• have had a fever within the past 24 hours;

• are on the first day of allopathic medication and feeling poorly,

• are contagious in anyway.

• Parents, if you are sick yourselves but must pick up your child, please call/text us when you arrive, and we will happily bring your child outside to your car.

Please use your own discretion, while being respectful to limit the spread of germs to our household and the rest of the children in class.

Miss Ashley's Nest uses natural vinegar-based cleaner, baking soda, tea tree, and lavender essential oils to clean and sanitize all hard surfaces.

Please drop off your child in our boot room located through the white garden gate. Please say your goodbyes in the boot room and not pass through the sliding glass doors. I have many benches for you to spend time saying good bye in the boot room.

Pickup is at the wooden garden gate nearest the drive way.

Please make sure you close the gate tightly when leaving after drop off.

Date Night drop off depends of the time of year according to the light.

We will start outside at 4:30pm in yard when the sun is out and pickup in the boot room at 7:30pm

In the winter drop off and pick up is in the boot room. 4:30-7:30pm

Summer camp drop off and pickup is at the wooden garden gate nearest the driveway.

If you are having someone new pick up or drop off please notify me and share their name and a photo if you have one.

The first few days can be stressful for both parent and child. This is natural. I suggest you to have a little ritual with your child where it is the same drop off rhythm every day. This will help ease you both into the rhythms of Miss Ashley's Nest. An example is you come in help your child find their hook to hang their jacket. Find their slippers in the basket. Give one big hug and one big kiss and say I will see you after you feed the chickens.

Once you have said your goodbye it is best to head out - extending the drop off can make it harder for both you and the child. You can hand your child to one of us as confidently and calmly as you are able If the child is crying we understand you may be as well. I am experienced and will hold and comfort your child warmly with careful attention while they settling in to the space. I often will send you a text and/or a photo to help reassure you they are ok.

We are very happy to support your child and your efforts through this process.

Toilet training is a very social time for the little ones. The children imitate their friends and want to do the same things. As the older children here become toilet trained, the younger ones are inspired to do what their friends are doing. Very often the children use the bathrooms and portable potty. We talk about using the potty, look at books together and have finger plays. The older ones are silently encouraging the younger ones. The most rewarding work is seeing the children showing signs they are ready to start this process. When the young child is running to the potty on their own and watching their growth over time is a wonderful thing to see.

Please inform me of any special way or method that you are using in your home. The best way is to have consistency and transparency to help the child become potty trained.

Often times the child is pulling down their pull-up and pants during the beginning when imitating friends. Once the family has decided to start potty training, I do recommend just wearing thin pants or shorts that the child can easily pull down. What I have found to work best is not wearing underwear with the pants/shorts at first until the child is ready for that next step and add another layer.

We understand your efforts and want to be supportive for everyone. Please remember sometimes accidents happen in the training process especially as it gets colder.

I intentionally do not put a pull-up back on a child when in this process. We do not want to confuse the child when they are learning not to go in their pants.

Before we go outside the children are encouraged to use the potty. Because the children are wearing so many layers it is harder to feel when they have to go! Please put easy-to-pulldown pants on them so that they can pull them down quickly and learn to pull them up again.

During the winter months we will be playing and staying closer to the the house to be able to use the portable potty in the boot room. Come spring summer and fall the portable potty comes with us outside for the children's needs to explore freely.

During this phase of the child's life when they are learning to use the potty, we want them to be as successful as possible. To do this I ask you NOT to send your child in overalls. Too tight of pants, belts or jeans with buttons and snaps should stay at home.

Please pack extra clothing, pull-ups and wipes depending on what stage your child is in.

Thank you.

- Miss Ashley