Caring Hands Play and Learn

When we moved from Philadelphia to Elkins Park in 2010
with our 15-month-old son, Frankie, we began to search for
a daycare or preschool for him. Up to that point, Frankie
had been cared for only by family. My husband and I are
both career primary educators with the School District of
Philadelphia, so we began our search by visiting only the
most highly rated early childhood centers – Gutman,
Abington Friends, etc. While the facilities were beautiful,
we never got that welcoming feeling that we would have
liked for our extremely shy only child. A colleague of ours
at school mentioned that his own children were thriving at
Caring Hands, noting that Miss Tasha was a certified
elementary school teacher and former district employee as
well. Luckily, his older daughter had graduated that year
and there was a spot open for which he recommended us.
We visited and instantly felt at home and impressed not
only by the location and the staff, but also by the engaging
curriculum, warm friendships, and the personal attention
that the children were able to receive in a smaller setting.
Frankie started school in the fall and Miss Tasha made
every effort to seamlessly transition him into the Caring
Hands Family. Over the years, Frankie made lifelong
friends at Caring Hands and we never had to worry about
whether he was happy at school. Other homey touches, like
freshly prepared family-style meals, made being a working
mom so much easier! Frankie was extremely well prepared
for kindergarten when he started at Wyncote Elementary in
the fall of 2014, and was soon reading and writing with
ease.
When our younger son Leo was born in the summer of
2015 after years of struggle with secondary infertility, there

was no question where we would be sending our miracle
baby. Leo started attending Caring Hands at 4 months old,
and even from the very beginning, he was enjoying circle
time and other academic experiences with the older
students. The multi-age setting allows for children to help
each other learn from their peers so that the transition from
infant to toddler to preschooler is smooth. Our two sons
have very different personalities, and Miss Tasha related to
both of them perfectly. When the global pandemic hit in
March of 2020, Caring Hands was still there for us. Miss
Tasha pivoted seamlessly to a developmentally appropriate
combination of differentiated themed work packets and
regular Zoom meetings to maintain social connections. Leo
still got to have the experience of his “senior” year in
preschool and they even organized a mobile, socially
distanced graduation ceremony! With the advent of all-
virtual digital learning in the Cheltenham School District in
the fall, we were very lucky that Leo was welcomed to
return to Caring Hands and participate in a small pod of
returning kindergarteners who receive one-on-one attention
in completing their online schooling while still being able
to safely socialize. I feel extremely honored that we have
been lucky enough to become members of the Caring
Hands Family over the past ten years. I couldn’t have made
a better choice for my children.