Denham Springs, Louisiana, has a very diverse population. Companies always try to meet the needs of that population, especially parents. Every area needs childcare, especially in a household with two working parents. Fortunately, childcare options in Livingston Parish are as diverse as its population.

Child Care Options

Most working parents begin looking for childcare at about six weeks. Parents have many choices. The first is a traditional childcare setting. In a traditional child care center, teachers care for the children in classes grouped by age, with child care ratios set by the state.

These facilities have a structured, age-appropriate daily schedule to prepare the children for kindergarten. Additionally, these settings usually have preschool options available for those children between three and four years of age.

The options in this type of environment are traditional and Montessori.

Traditional Child Care

In a traditional program, the program is focused on kindergarten preparation; therefore, the setting is much like a Kindergarten classroom.

A schedule is followed, and the children work on pre-reading and math skills. Most of this learning is done on paper, and the child-to-teacher ratios are on the higher end of the state-allowed numbers.

Montessori Child Care

Montessori schools are a newer offering in the educational programs in Livingston Parish. Class size is smaller, and the focus is more hands-on; children learn by play, the same way they learned when they were toddlers.

There are many centers in the classroom, and the class is separated into small groups.

These small groups move between centers to complete the tasks at each one. This type of educational program uses little to no paper learning and is more hands-on.

In-home Daycare

Parents who don’t wish for their child to be in an institutional setting may choose to send their child to an in-home daycare. These are people who decide to open their homes to children while going about their daily life, which places the child in a setting more like home.

The price point for this type of care is often lower than institutional programs.

The number of children in this type of care is fewer; however, one person is usually in charge of a large age range of children, from infant to preschool.

Most of these in-home carers will offer before and aftercare as well.

If parents choose to have their child or children taken care of in their own home, the option is to hire a nanny or an au pair.

Many online services can be used to hire a nanny, and they may live in the home or travel from their own home each day. A nanny could be considered a contracted babysitter, the cost of which is generally higher than more traditional, institutional programs.

An au pair is usually a student from another country who is given room and board and an allowance, and in exchange, they provide an agreed-upon number of hours to care for the children each week.

Some au pairs may also assist in household duties. In-home nanny or au pair care is the more expensive option for parents in Livingston Parish.

Parent’s Day Out

A final option for child care in Denham Springs is known as a parent’s day out (or mother’s day out).

A parent’s day out is a part-time childcare program, usually inside of a church. These programs can include some important aspects of each of the types of care described above.

At The Way PDO & Preschool, our program is smaller than a traditional daycare setting; therefore, the child-to-teacher ratios can be kept smaller than state ratios. These programs use a mixture of Montessori learning and on-paper learning to help the children learn in various ways.

This prepares preschool children for kindergarten with a well-rounded foundation.

Teachers in these programs can provide more personal, one-on-one care than in a traditional daycare setting. Each classroom is composed of age-appropriate toys, books, and a curriculum.

Our classes are broken down into:

• Infants
• Toddlers
• 2-Year-Olds
• Pre-K 3
• Pre-K 4

Children are separated into classes with their peers based on birth dates.

These programs often run with the Livingston Parish School Board calendar, which many parents find convenient when they have older siblings in the school system.

Learn more about The Way PDO and Preschool

If you are interested in learning more about the childcare options at The Way Church Parent’s Day Out & Preschool, please call 225.369.2789.

Enrollment for the 2021/2022 school year is open now.