My mother was a 'stay-at-home' mom. With six siblings in the mix (two older and three younger than me) she was in every sense a 'working mother.' Over the past 30-plus years, 15 as a director of child care centers and 17 as an in-home provider of a child development program, I have come to appreciate just how hard my 'stay-at-home' mother worked. Daily, for years, and often with little recognition, Mom did the real work of making our house a home, while a group of young children was always present. Add cousins, neighbor kids, and school friends - the house was always busy. To be clear: our home and our family was no feel-good television sitcom. This was real life and like many families 'life-as-family' had its challenges. Also for clarity, this is no nostalgic walk down memory lane debating a return to the 'good ol' days.' This article is what a professional child care provider learned about learning while being cared for at home, with intention, and how I have applied that experience to my work with children today.

In the home-based early learning program I own and operate (Almost Home Early Learning) the seven ­children in my care (ages 6 months to 4 years) and I make pancakes from scratch at least weekly for breakfast or 'breakfast-lunch.' We do this, not only because we love hotcakes, but as a provider of quality child care I know when we wash our hands, measure ingredients, count out mixing bowls and utensils, combine the ingredients, and observe the baking process, incredible learning takes place. Making pancakes also makes for a great tradition, important in our 'family.' When we harvest pumpkins that were planted as seeds months earlier, we explore language, nature, science, and the lifecycle. In placing books on bookshelves children can reach independently, I am intentionally introducing and supporting a lifetime love of reading. 

Real 'school readiness' is best realized with such intentional choices in developmentally appropriate early childhood care. And all of these 'activities' occur in our 110-year-old family home in rural Iowa. And just as my caregiver did for me when I was young, I want the ­children in my care to be in an environment that is relaxed and ebbs and flows with their developmental clocks. I intentionally provide a home for children who are in child care when they cannot be in their own homes. With over 70 percent of parents in the workforce nationally, I appreciate how children benefit greatly from the option of in-home care.