Ruiz Family Child Care

Nuestros profesores

Erika Ruiz - Director & Head Teacher

Hello! My name is Erika Ruiz. I have over 20 years of experience working with children ages 6 months to 5 years in various daycare centers in Los Angeles. I’ve been the Director of my own program for over 7 years now. I was inspired to start my program after working as the Lead Teacher at Lyric Preschool for 11 years. There I learned about what kids need in an early education setting to thrive and succeed. I have also been a Teacher’s Assistant and Substitute Teacher prior to that position.

Early education is my passion. In addition to running my family child care, I am also a published children’s book author (How to Fall Asleep helps young ones relax before bedtime), YouTuber, and am currently working on three more books. I hope to inspire young learners to write something themselves!

I hold an Associate Teacher’s Permit and a Bachelor’s degree in Social Science with a concentration in Child and Family Development. I speak English and Spanish fluently and have two young boys of my own. I am excited to provide a loving, positive atmosphere for your child!

Testimonios

Lucy H. 9/23/2016

My son has been here for about a year. He was 21 months at the time. It took my son 2 weeks to adapt to the new environment. Miss Erika was wonderful and kept me updated with his progress. This place is amazing. My son is now 32 months. He can count and sing his ABCs. He really feels like the daycare is a second home and asks to go to Miss Erika’s sometimes during the weekends. She truly cares about the kids. I couldn’t ask for a better daycare.

Anh D. 3/11/2016

Ruiz Family Daycare is such a caring and nurturing place for my 2-year old son. He has grown leaps and bounds in the last 9 months since we started there. Miss Erika and her staff including Gramma (who makes yummy home-cooked lunches for the kids), are affectionate and genuinely care about each child and their well being. Miss Erika really makes an effort to provide daily activities that are educational, creative, social and playful. There are yoga and dance classes! And field trips to Griffith Park trains and pony rides!!! She is also helping us with potty training! The children have grown into a tight knit group and it’s really lovely to watch them interact. And the best thing, they offer babysitting and sleepovers! It’s really been a lifesaver.

Stephanie S. 5/12/2014

We moved to Los Angeles from Brooklyn a few months ago, extremely nervous about who would care for our 2 year-old son here.  He had had Spanish-language immersion in NY, but there were not a ton of programs offering the same here.

During our frenzied search, we met Miss Erika and her mother (whom my son now affectionately calls “Gramma.”)  From the beginning, the two of them were overflowing with love for my son.  Love is a great baseline, but what else would they offer?

Aside from the love and care, my son is getting an education in two languages.  He gets structure and freedom.  There are art projects and music.  And every day there is time devoted to instruction and circle time.

This is much more than a daycare, it borders on a pre-school.  

Look beyond the modest digs to the heart of this daycare.  It has exceeded my expectations in every way and I feel blessed to have my son here.

Ramon T. 7/29/2013

There are no words to express how truly grateful we are to Miss Erika and her family. They have provided a safe, loving and stimulating environment for our son and daughter. Everyday when we drop off our kids, they are greeted with warm, positive energy. There’s a kiss from Miss Erika and a kiss from Grandma. And our kids reciprocate with big hugs. Needless to say, they love being there and they LOVE Miss Erika.

I remember when our daughter expressed interest in ballet, Miss Erika picked up a video and improvised a beginner dance class. Our daughter couldn’t stop talking about it and proudly showed off what she learned. I’m not sure how Miss Erika does it but she gives this same level of attention to all the kids at whatever stage of development they’re at.

Yes, Ruiz Family Daycare has a great balance of fun play and a structured learning environment but it goes far beyond. It’s about heart and it’s clear that caring for children is Miss Erika’s passion…She’s a treasure.

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Filosofía

The Ruiz Family Child Care provides a happy, fun and safe environment for children ages 16 months to 5 years. Our goal is to provide a variety of experiences for children in an engaging, loving environment that will promote the balanced development of your child. Our program is bilingual English and Spanish. We encourage and speak to the children in English and Spanish, including during circle time and lesson time.

Children learn and communicate through play. Our goal is to make play time and lesson time interesting and stimulating, developing children’s natural curiosity and building self-esteem. Our curriculum includes language arts, basic math skills, arts and crafts, gross and fine motor skill development, dramatic play and music appreciation. Activities are designed to encourage your child’s emotional, social and cognitive development.

You can learn more about our program in the virtual tour linked below:

https://linksharing.samsungcloud.com/contents/view?contentsToken=1584997664665C1rNlw5&currentIndex=1

Ubicación

We are located in a cozy apartment in the Silver Lake neighborhood of Los Angeles. Unfortunately, we do not have access to outdoor space on-site, but we are just a 10-minute walk along Lucile Ave, our residential street, from Bellevue Recreation Center and we do plan to incorporate outdoor time in our program. In addition to two separate indoor play areas and an education/nap room, we have a spacious outdoor play yard complete with slides, tricycles, toys, an inflatable pool, and we often set up our own bounce house!

Acerca de nuestro programa

Our Promise & Commitment

At Ruiz Family Home Child Care, we will:

1. Greet each child with a smile.
2. Hug each child at least once a day.
3. Listen to and respect each child.
4. Sincerely give each child praise.
5. Discipline calmly and fairly.
6. Have age appropriate toys available for all children.
7. Start each day with a clean and organized environment.
8. Read aloud to the children.
9. Provide age-appropriate learning opportunities.
10. Respect the parenting decisions and lifestyle choices made by parents.
11. End the day by telling parents one positive thing that happened during their child’s day.

We carry out routine health inspections to ensure the highest standards of health and safety. We provide healthy snacks and lunch each day. We do accept children who are still in diapers.

The Advantages of Home Daycare

An estimated 17% of infants and toddlers and 14% of preschoolers are cared for in home daycare or family child care programs. For parents who are squeamish about placing their children in large child care settings, smaller daycares can be a breath of fresh air as there are many benefits to this type of care. Here are some of the advantages:

Children Get Individualized Attention

The adult-child ratio in a home daycare is low, generally between 4 and 7 kids – so it’s not hard for the child care provider to give the children individualized attention they need to thrive. This is particularly important when providers are caring for infants, as they are demanding and require a lot of care. The smaller size of a family daycare program also makes it easier for the provider to cater to special care instructions for youngsters.

Kids Remain in a Stable Environment

Children who are enrolled in home daycare programs generally stay with the same provider until they transition to preschool. There is no employee turnover, so kids don’t have to adjust to different caregivers every few weeks. Having one provider gives youngsters a sense of stability and enables them to develop a genuine bond with the caregiver, as well as the other kids in her care.

Children are Cared for in a Homelike Atmosphere

With the exception of being cared for by relatives, family daycare is the next best thing to being at home. Unlike the large institutionalized feel of large child care centers, the environment of a home daycare is warm and inviting to children and parents alike. The atmosphere is controlled and kids have access to all the comforts of home. The homelike environment of a family daycare minimizes behavior problems, and is a great option for kids who don’t fare well in large environments.

Home Daycares Offer More Flexibility for Working Parents

Parents with erratic work schedules have a hard time finding large child care centers that are willing to allow a little wiggle room with pick-up and drop-off times. In a home daycare, the decision to extend business hours is left up to the provider, so they are often more flexible and willing to compromise with parents who have fluctuating work schedules.

Children Get Sick Less Often in Family Daycare Programs

Daycare centers are breeding grounds for germs. The more kids enrolled in a program, the more germs there are. One advantage of a home daycare is that the smaller size reduces the number of illnesses spread to children. The providers of home daycare programs are better able to monitor kids’ hand-washing practices, which helps reduce the spread of germs. Typically, a home daycare provider is more meticulous about cleaning and sanitizing because the daycare business also serves as her family’s living space. When children are sick less often, parents don’t have to lose income or risk getting fired for missing too many days at work.

Admisiones

Join the Ruiz Family Child Care community in four easy steps:

1. Explore our website

We’ve provided information about our philosophies and offerings to help you decide if our program may be right for your family.

2. Tour our program

Come see what makes Ruiz Family Child Care unique. If we are currently hosting tours, you can request or schedule a tour at the top of this page. If we are not currently hosting tours, you’ll see a “Request Info” button at the top of this page; if you submit your information using this button, we will notify you when we start host tours again in the future.

3. Submit an Enrollment Application

If you would like to enroll, please submit an application. Note that we require tours for all prospective families. Please do not submit an application if you have not visited the program.

4. Enroll

After reviewing your application, we’ll send an enrollment invitation. Upon accepting your invitation you’ll pay your enrollment fee, fill out enrollment documents and review our Parent Handbook.