My oldest son started in Jeannes care at three years old after receiving lackluster care at a larger daycare center that was overpriced and under staffed. We were immediately treated as part of the family, it was encouraged to sit down and talk about how the evening and morning went at home so that Jeanne would know what to expect for the day. That was unfamiliar territory coming from a large institutionalized care center, you never knew who would be taking care of your child let alone had a moment to let them know how the morning was or if we had any changes in routine that would affect the day. When my husband and I found out we were expecting baby 2 there was no question of who would care for him even though our older son had since outgrown the need for child care, the new baby would go to Nanas house (that is how all the children refer to Jeanne). I couldn’t stand the thought of him being in some center where he wouldn’t be able to be held or cuddled as an infant which is often the case in large centers, let alone sit down and talk with me at the end of the day and telk me how his day went. My youngest son is now four and asks if he can go to Nanas house even on weekends and holidays, Jeanne has provided us with excellent family care over the past 13 years. We couldn’t be more pleased with how honest and accepting she is even if we don’t see eyey to eye in certain views I feel confident in approaching situations that may be concerning to me with her as she always offers an unbiased solution.

We brought our 2-year old child to Jeanne Larson for just barely over 6 months and while she is a kind and wonderful person, she was not a good fit for our child or our family. Most of the children under her care are family members or have been in her care since birth. Our child was a new-comer and at first didn't seem to have any problems. Several months after beginning care he began coming home with deep scratches on his face, apparently from another 2-year old in her care. When we asked about these scratches, at first she did not seem to notice how or when they happened. When they continued to show up and we approached her about them, she claimed that our son was instigating arguments with the other children and that the scratches were his fault. This pattern continued for about 8 weeks, during which we saw increasingly defensive behavior in our son. We jokingly referred to our son's "prison rules" daycare on account of the hands-off approach to dispute resolution between children. But in the end, we simply had a difficult time communicating with Jeanne about the issue. If we implied that we felt our child was unsafe in any way, she became extremely defensive and offended. Rather than discussing potential solutions, she claimed that our child was bothering the other children. She accused us of being overprotective parents and ultimately gave us two weeks notice after we asked about another scratch on his face. It's now been 5 months since the worst of the scratches, which are still very visible as scars beneath his eyes and across the side of his face, but we are happily acclimated into a childcare center that seems to be a much better fit for our family. The defensive behavior we saw in our child has since subsided considerably. In her defense, Jeanne's home is warm, cozy, and an intimate family environment for the children in her care. It was simply not a good fit for our son and we wished we had feedback earlier regarding potential problems and/or solutions .