About Us
We accept children ages infant and older with our maximum capacity being 12 full-time children, 2 additional part-time children and 2 school children. Of these totals, 4 can be under 24 months of age. When just one provider is present, there can be up to 8 children in attendance. Anytime there are more than 8 children present, the second provider or a state approved assistant, needs to be present. The State of Iowa’s registration guidelines do not require us to include our own school aged children in the above totals.
We are parents of three children, Alexa, Olivia and Devin. Our family just recently moved to Iowa Falls from Monticello, where we had been providing child care since January 2006. Tina grew up in the small town of LuVerne, which is between Humboldt and Algona. She attended Ellsworth Community College in Iowa Falls after high school and then graduated from AIB in Des Moines with a business management and computer degree. Lyle grew up in Cascade, which is between Dubuque and Cedar Rapids in Eastern Iowa. He attended Kirkwood Community College in Cedar Rapids and graduated with a Swine Management Degree. We attend many hours of Early Childhood Education classes each year and Tina is working on obtaining her CDA (Child Development Associate) credential. She hopes to complete her CDA program by Spring 2013.
We are Category C registered child care providers with the State of Iowa and meet all guidelines set by the state. This includes attending at least 12 hours of training each year and a full background investigation by the State of Iowa on ourselves and every member of our family that resides in our home. This also requires that we remain in compliance with the set guidelines at all times and that we are certified in 1st and CPR. Being registered child care providers also requires that we are a mandatory reporter or child abuse, which means that we are required by the law to report any form of physical, sexual or emotional abuse of any child in our care.
We are participants with the Child and Adult Care Food Program sponsored by Marshall County Child Care Services through CCR&R (Child Care Resource & Referral). The food program is a voluntary program that is funded by the USDA and reimburses child care providers for meals that meet their requirements. These requirements are intended to meet children's nutritional needs and promote a variety of foods. The CACFP educates providers about nutrition and sanitation standards such as habits of cleanliness with food storage, food preparation, serving of meals and cleaning of eating area.
We are voluntarily registered with the Iowa Quality Rating System (QRS). This is a child development home rating system that was established to increase the quality of child care in Iowa and to educate parents and providers. Being a member of the QRS program demonstrates that we are dedicated to providing quality care by attending additional training and by working on goals for my program.
We are also ChildNet Certified with the State of Iowa. This is a voluntary program that helps providers develop knowledge of best practices relevant to early childhood care and small business practices. The program requires 25 hours of initial training and a home inspection for compliance of DHS and ChildNet guidelines. This certification must be maintained each year by attending a total of 16 hours of training each year, maintaining compliance of DHS and ChildNet guidelines and completing a home inspection every year.
We are a Christian based daycare which means your child will be exposed to our Christian beliefs, Bible songs, books, lunch prayers, arts/crafts and Holiday celebrations. We will not force our beliefs on your child and we will respect all religions, beliefs and cultures.
Little Giggles Daycare does have a dog, Kippy, that resides in the house. He’s been certified as healthy by a veterinarian and is current on all immunizations. He is less than 10 pounds and is 1/2 Bichon and 1/2 Maltese, so his shedding is minimal and is considered an “allergy friendly” breed. His personal containers are upstairs where children are not accessible to them. He’s usually kept away from the daycare area, but there may be occasions where he comes into contact with the children.