Close to Home

Our Philosophy

Our philosophy at Close to Home Childcare Center is to provide a safe, fun and engaging learning environment. We are an education focused childcare center that assist children in our care to be engaged learners. 

Our History

Close to Home Childcare was founded in Defiance, Ohio in 2004 and are currently located at 150 Grand Avenue across from Defiance College. We serve families by getting the pleasure to team with them to care for their children when they are working or attending school. We know that each child is unique, and we take that approach in our education and care of the children.

Our dedicated, certified, and trained teachers foster a love of learning and exploring in every child. We have served thousands of families over the years and they continually recommend us to their extended families and friends. 

Choosing a Center

Selecting a Childcare Center or Daycare Center is not easy, yet one of the most important decisions you will ever make for your child(ren). Just know the rewards for your effort will pay off! Selecting a safe and nurturing environment is critical, but don’t forget the curriculum. Research shows that most of a child’s learning starts in infancy and the early years so finding a “high-quality” program is important to ensure your child is beyond kindergarten ready. Look to see if the center is EXCEEDING the standards by the State of Ohio or just meeting the standards.

Top 5 Things to Evaluate:

1. Are children engaged in learning and what curriculum, if any, do they use and why is it the best? Has this curriculum ever been evaluated?
   
2. Do they have a strong family partnership? Do they have testimonials from families?
3. Is the focus on the whole child (emotional, intellectual, social and physical).
4. What are the safety standards of the building – are they sharing the space with other people or groups. This is very common, so find out the policies they administer during the day to protect your child. What’s the plan if there’s an emergency in the building? Is the place so large you child could be easily forgotten? Do they have closed-circuit cameras that are being monitored by childcare staff.
   
5. Look at the classroom/playground – do they have games, toys and how do they incorporate “Engaged Learning”. In other words, are the children actively participating through play and having new experiences that engages and excites them to want to learn more?

Our Exceptional Educators

Close to Home Childcare Center and Preschool is one of the premier childcare centers in Northwest Ohio for over 15 years, due in part to their amazing staff. The combined staff at Close to Home Childcare Center and Preschool has over 150 years of experience in early childhood care and education and are highly trained, talented and certified. Equally importantly, they are passionate about building a strong foundation so your child can achieve a bright future.

Our educators undergo constant career development and certifications so they can provide the most advanced educational experience to every child entrusted in their care.

Our teachers have a strong sense of community and parents love the engaging and innovative programs that change daily, so your child becomes an engaged learner.