Description:
Fern Friends is a Certified Family Childcare in NW Corvallis, caring for children aged two through to the start of kindergarten. Zed Potts and Josie Silver have operated Fern Friends collaboratively since 2009.
We offer a child-driven curriculum in a safe, enriched environment where kids learn through play and positive guidance. Our program encourages creativity and exploration and gives kids daily opportunities to experience the outdoors, take care of plants and animals and watch them grow, make new friends, and direct their own day inside a regular routine.
Our space and activities include arts and crafts, music, dramatic play, early reading, writing, and math literacy. We also focus on teaching kindness, cooperation, and self-direction, learning about emotions, and being good friends and helpers. We have a large back yard and garden that we spend time in every day.
We are open Monday - Friday from 7 a.m. to 5:30 p.m.
We are happy to work with state pay.
What does Certified Family Childcare mean?
It means that we are licensed by the state. The state's Early Learning Division inspects us annually, as well as visiting mid-year. We are also inspected for safety and sanitation annually. Our staff pursue ongoing education in the field of early childhood education, and we meet or exceed state requirements for staff to child ratios. We follow state guidelines as well as current best practices for curriculum and guidance.
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I just want to tell everyone how grateful I've been for my 3 yr old daughter's childcare situation at Fern Friends daycare/pre-school. Our experience has been so positive I feel like I should recommend this little place to other parents because they don't do much advertisement. This is all coming from when I ask my daughter about her days and how she's always bringing up things she's been learning about like planets, animals, plants, new songs and games, etc. Zed is a 3rd generation early care/child educator and they have the daily process of the kids' activities down to an art form - especially in how they cultivate good manners and being polite to each other (which was one of my main concerns in having my daughter in daycare/preschool.) I love how the different rooms of the house are set up into different types of activities - musical, books, blocks and building toys, nature/running around zone, sand box, etc.
I can see the teachers really put their heart into their work so I just want to do my part to let looking parents know!
Zed runs an excellent child care here in Corvallis. The children get ample outdoor time, lots of song and story time, and plenty of unstructured play time as well. Zed is very good at establishing simple rules and routines for the children to follow. He is always willing to talk and share what has been going on with my child. I would highly recommend Fern Friends.
Fern Friends is an exceptional child care center. My daughter has flourished under the care of Zed, Leslie and Anne. She often comes home with new songs and stories to share about her adventures from the day. She enjoys the friendships the school has helped cultivate with the other children. She has become more independent since joining the child care center and often wants to show us how she can clear her place after dinner, zip up her jacket, etc. They help foster respect for others and, importantly, oneself. I would recommend Fern Friends to any parent looking for a loving, flexible and nurturing environment for their child.