Where your child can learn through play.
Everything based on the interests of the children.
VOTED BEST CHILDCARE IN SOLANO COUNTY 9 YEARS IN A ROW as of 2023!
Also voted best preschool 4 years in a row!
Come and join the childcare everyone is talking about!! Kids and parents love it here!
My name is Jamie Lopez (Meyer) and I have found my dream job! Working with children during their early childhood years is so fascinating to me! I grew up babysitting and I truly love interacting with children while supporting their growth and development. I started working with children officially as a teacher in 2011! I took pretty much EVERY single Early Childhood Development course offered at Napa Valley College before I got my childcare license in 2013. I've been working as an Early Childhood Educator and absolutely fell in love. I have been blessed with the opportunity to add on to my home - this amazinggg sun room and totally reinvent the outdoor space of my backyard. I opened my own preschool/daycare with emergent preschool curriculum all day, each day- with the help and amazing support of my Mom, (Miss Gina) Nana, and Miss Sammy.
I feel that I am creating an awesome environment for children to socialize with other children, along with myself and my family members who will also be involved in keeping ratios low, providing high quality care while promoting independence to speak up for themselves, share, take turns, think about others feelings, make their own choices, express their creativity, get messy, create friendships, learn songs, and play in a nurturing and super fun environment while learning without the stresses and anxieties other preschools offer. I do not focus so much on academics because each child will become interested when they are ready and they will develop skills when it comes natural to them. But most everything we do includes some sort of lesson. We are either counting or talking about colors and numbers and size comparison and teaching them language, talking about feelings, using manners...the list goes on! Research it yourself! Play based learning is the way to go when it comes to the overall early development of your precious little one.
We will play, and through play your child will learn their shapes, colors, numbers, their five senses, simple math, and how to express themselves. Your child will learn life isn't always fair and sometimes you have to share, and your child will learn whatever else we discover each day. I can hardly wait!
Most children run up my driveway each morning bursting with excitement!!! And a few children are bummed when its time to go home! This is the same for the tours! Don't be embarrassed when your child doesn't want to leave! we are used to it! ;)
Our Environment
Our Indoor classroom is a beautiful brand new sun room which has three walls of glass sliding doors and windows. There are lots of toys, GIANT LEGOS, along with a soft comfy carpet for playing and socializing. The large outdoor play environment is provided for children to run, jump, play, ride, skip, explore, dance, or walk across. We provide a safe area they can go exploring. I love my backyard there are so many learning opportunities available all day long. We also walk the neighborhood and visit the goats up the hill. I have lots of cool bugs, birds, butterflies, a family of squirrels, airplanes that fly over daily, lots of different trees, we will plant a garden, and encourage, serve and eat all different types of fruits and vegetables. Your children will be able to plant and watch different flowers and plants grow. They will learn about and hatch caterpillars then we will release the butterflies. They will learn about different lifecycles. Go bug hunting, We will explore worms, spiders, beetles, rollie pollies - pill bugs, bees, lady bugs, praying mantises, grasshoppers, and whatever else they ask about! Our outdoor classroom is a beautiful play space all children seem to be drawn to. We have a patio area, for outdoor activities and meals. We will have a large play structure with swings, a slide, and rock climbing wall. Kids love the ballpit! We have a long fence for outdoor painting, lots of toys, tons of supplies for arts and crafts, lots of songs and ideas for music and movement, a play house full of dramatic play and dress up items, tons of fun books and more!! Our garden is a big focus every spring and summer.
Emergent Curriculum
Our preschool curriculum will be based on what the children are interested in. Children develop at their own pace and it has been proven that they learn better when the topic or activity is something that they care about and understand. In school I absorbed so much information I was obsessed with learning how children's brains develop and I purposefully support them with developmentally appropriate conversation and questions. I do a lot of observation and I like to act silly so I can get to know each child on an individual level so I can meet their educational and developmental needs.
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LEARNING THROUGH PLAY? WHAT?
Learning through play is simple to understand and I find it so interesting! I love watching children's faces and building them up as they realize they are learning things all on their own.
You may think "but my child is just playing with play dough, dressing up, digging in the sand, and coloring, how can they possibly learn anything?"
Well folks, playing with play dough is helping to build their fine motor skills and build the muscles in their little fingers to be able to hold a pencil, use scissors, grip items, open jars, write, type, etc... not to mention the make believe and socialization that goes on while making "cakes, cookies, hot dogs, tacos, spaghetti, carrots and pizza." While playing dress up children explore who they are and they pretend to be others. Children act out real life situations they have witnessed or they could be possibly working through. Children have a safe place to explore and test the waters, they can learn about others and act out what they are learning from the environment around them. While digging in the sand children develop large gross motor muscles and sometimes sneak off to a beach far away imagining to be a pirate setting sail looking for buried treasure. Sand is a great sensory material, children love anything they can really dig their hands into! When children color or draw, paint, and create crafts their brains are developing and they are learning hand eye coordination, counting, patience, cause and effect, and the science of color mixing and so much more. What we adults see as play, is really how children are learning and exploring our world that we live in.
The Schedule for a typical day at Mee Mee's lil Grasshoppers
8-9am Arrive.
Play.
Breakfast.
Play.
Snack.
Play.
Lunch.
Play.
Storytime and music.
Naptime 1-3pm
Play.
Afternoon snack.
Play.
5pm Pick up time.
Join the family!
We believe children learn best in safe, loving, nurturing environments that support and promote children at play. Our school is a play based indoor/outdoor learning environment. At Mee Mee's your child can get messy and take exploration(learning) to the next level. The first five years of a child's life are the most important for Social, Emotional, and Physical Development so why look elsewhere? Mee Mee's lil Grasshoppers is the place for you!!
Ask around. Check Us Out! We are on Facebook, Google, Yelp and Instagram! TEXT and get on the waiting list!!
Naming Mee Mee's lil Grasshoppers
The name "Mee Mee's lil Grasshoppers" has to do with two very sentimental people in my life, my nephew and my father who passed away in 2004. A few years ago I opened my home to my friend, her husband and their son; I was supposed to be his God Mother and our families were so close I consider him my nephew and he referred to me as his "Auntie Mee Mee". He really stole a piece of my heart and his development happening right before my eyes inspired me to take more classes and work towards my degree. My bond with him motivated me to learn all about young children and their development. Nicknames like Mee Mee give any conversation that close family feeling.
Soooo.....Grasshoppers?? How often do you see grasshoppers? My dad passed away when I was 18 and ever since he passed, I always see grasshoppers at eye level and they let me pick them up and hold them, it's a comforting feeling, I love grasshoppers so much I even have a tattoo of one on my back.
Since a few situations made such great impacts in my life, and I want to make positive impacts in young children's lives, the name "Mee Mee's lil Grasshoppers" won hands down.
Mee Mee's Location & Info :
Mee Mee's lil Grasshoppers is located at 16 Bergwall Way in a wonderful neighborhood tucked away in East Vallejo, Ca. 94591 I am CPR & First Aid certified, along with a cleared background and TB.
Jamie can be reached at (707) 315 5869.
*ALWAYS VERY BUSY - TEXT PREFERRED*
