Support the Sprouts

Those of you who know me, know that my heart and my life revolve around the daycare, Takoma Sprouts, that I started eleven years ago out of the very house that I grew up in in Takoma Park. I have been blessed with the opportunity to care for many of your children, some of whom started in my care when they were just a few months old. I have watched them grow, develop and learn over the last eleven years and I have truly cherished every moment. I am so incredibly lucky to have such a close relationship with many of your children who I knew when they were just tots and who are now nine and ten years old. I wish I could put into words how watching your kids grow has impacted my life in so many positive ways over the years. They have all taught me so much about myself and about life.  I miss the Sprouts that I currently have in my care and who I have not been able to be with for ten weeks now. Not being able to greet their smiling facesin the morning, embrace their hugs, answer their endless questions and feed their imaginations has been a very difficult transition for me. I love seeing their faces via video chat but I so look forward to the day that we are able to be with each other again. I have spent the last ten weeks applying for assistance to Takoma Sprouts to help support the financial costs of the changes that need to be made in order to open Takoma Sprouts again upon the lifting of the quarantine and stay at home orders. I take the safety, health and wellbeing of my kids and their families, as well as myself, very seriously. I have made it my priority to make upgrades to our space that will help us remain healthy and safe when we are together again. Sadly, we have not been able to receive any funding so far and with high hopes of being able to reopen Takoma Sprouts in late June 2020, I have started a GoFundMe to help raise the funds needed to make these upgrades. I continue to follow up daily on all of the different funding programs that I have applied for and continue to search and apply for new ones.  Some of the things that these changes include are:  -new faucets for the sinks that are motion activated -new soap dispensers that are motion activated -individual art supplies boxes for each child with their own supplies to eliminate the sharing of germs -adding to the things we use frequently to make more for each child so avoid having to overcrowd (i.e., magna tiles, Legos, etc) -storage (and installation of the storage) for the extra supplies, toys and each child to keep their belongings at TS in an effort to minimize the transfer of bags and supplies from home to daycare -having a cleaning crew come twice a week to deep clean  -supplies needed to be kept on hand: *toilet paper *paper towels *toilet seat covers *gloves *hand soap *hand sanitizer *cleaning supplies, etc. -new seating that will allow children more space in between each other when sitting together -outdoor canopies and picnic tables to allow us to spend as much time as possible outdoors ...and, also... I have personally funded the removal of all carpeting and the installation of new flooring that can be easily sanitized and cleaned (to be done in the coming weeks) and the parents who have paid for their childcare costs despite not being able to send their children have funded the the costs of the labor and the paint to have the walls repainted to give us all a fresh start after this very trying time. I will do whatever it takes to make sure that all children who walk through the doors of Takoma Sprouts after Covid-19 will have an environment where they can thrive in the most happy, healthy and safe manner. I appreciate all of you so much! I am so fortunate to have such a rewarding career. I look forward to the day that I can wrap my arms around your little people again.  Please stay healthy, stay safe and, for now, stay home. All the love,  Miss Amanda