Saturday, June 27, 2009

New day care center opens

There's a new day care provider in town and she means business.

Pilar Armstrong El Defensor Chieftain Reporter

Audra Iker opened the doors of her home to Socorro's children on Monday, June 13, to fulfill a lifelong dream. The mother of two has always wanted to open her own day care center. Iker spent five years working at a day care center and many years babysitting for individual families. All of the jobs Iker had in between motivated her to work closer to her goal.

"Every job I had, I hated. I hated being away from my home and away from my kids," explained Iker.

The new day care center — called "Little Explorers" — is designed to be inviting to both parents and their children. Iker has "morning coffee time" for parents who are dropping off their children before 10 a.m. Each little explorer is assigned their own cubbyhole to for personal belongings. All snacks and meals are included in the fee.

Iker also follows state guidelines, which require day care centers to provide fruits and vegetables at every meal. Little Explorers is state accredited, which permits Iker to care for up to six children in the center.

The center also boasts outdoor activities for its young clientele. Iker has transformed her backyard into a playground complete with a jungle gym, children's wading pool and a kid-friendly garden. Children in her care will be able to participate in planting fruits, vegetables, flowers and plants in the terraced garden. Iker has made sure that all of the flowers and plants in the garden are edible. Rak's Building Supply, Wal-Mart and Smith's Food & Drug Store have donated supplies for the garden.

"The garden encourages kids to be responsible. It also shows them that they can grow (and maintain) a garden," she explained.

Iker currently has two children in her care part time, along with her 5-year-old son, Matthew. Her older son, Chris, helps entertain the children after he's completed his homework.

"Chris is happy to be my helper throughout the day," said Iker.

Iker has also created an indoor learning environment in which children can learn to identify colors, shapes, elementary math and reading. Colorful, soft foam mats pad the floors of several designated learning areas. Age-appropriate toys and games for children from ages 6 weeks to 10 years are available to all children. Children are not allowed on the computer and a maximum of one hour of TV is allowed per day, said Iker.

Tips For Parents

Iker recommends that parents do their homework when searching for reputable childcare providers.

"Look for someone who is driven by their job and loves doing it. You don't want to leave your kids with someone whose only motivation is income," she explained.

Iker boasts that her rates are reasonable in comparison to other centers. Her center provides children with fun creative activities, she said.

Iker also stresses the differences between a state accredited day care center and a registered center. State registered centers only require a one-day application process and a minimal inspection whereas state accredited centers require more rigorous inspections and training of staff.

Iker charges flat-rate fees of $75 per week for part-time childcare and $100 to $125 for full-time childcare, depending on the age of the child.

For more information, contact Iker at 575-838-2101.

parmstrong@dchieftain.com

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