Licensed Home Daycare in Muskego, WI

Availability for Toddler on Thursdays

Occasional Drop-in Days: Tuesday, Wednesday, Thursday

---

Providing safe, nurturing and high-quality care to children and their families.

Since 2019

---

---

---

---

Commitment to our Families

The primary goal of Growing with Kids, home daycare, is for each child to be happy and healthy.

Here we learn through play, reading, talking, listening and positive feedback. We have a unique opportunity for children to develop social skills in the comfort of a home, so we take pride in providing a safe and joyful environment where they will always find unconditional love. The mixed age group ranging from infant to toddler to school age mirrors a realistic social setting. The younger children are able to observe and thus absorb developmental skills, socialization and independence. Then as they grow up they practice responsibility, effective communication, patience, gentleness and compassion.

Another staple of our program is creating predictable routines where consistency creates a sense of control and security. Here we lean into our deep comprehension of infant and toddler schedules with an emphasis on quality sleep and calories. We serve whole-food plant-based nutrition in order to promote energy, growth and foster a love for fruits, vegetables, whole grains and legumes.

The final component of Growing with Kids philosophy is fueling our spirit with the central teaching of faith, love. You are beautiful and loved for who you are. We treat others with kindness and respect. We ask for forgiveness when we make bad decisions and we graciously forgive others.

There is an immense amount of critical development that occurs from birth until five years old, making these early days impactful. This is a responsibility we recognize and appreciate. The trust that is forged between a parent and a provider is truly unmatched. It is a temporary partnership but a lifelong bond.

---

Curriculum

Each child learns and grows at their own pace, in their own way. We use the Wisconsin Model Early Learning Standards (WMELS) to guide developmental progression in order to meet every child where they are at and help them achieve the next developmental milestones. 

We focus on the developmental domains of health and physical development, social and emotional development, language development and communication, approaches to learning, and cognition and general knowledge.  

Our approach is both play-based and child-centered. We learn best through play. It’s a joyful time which makes the children naturally focused, engaged and excited about what they are doing. Creating the perfect opportunity to develop and grow. Children guide the way, following their own interests and curiosity. Meanwhile, I actively engage with them and incorporate the developmental domains. Having fun is how we acquire skills that stick with us for a lifetime. Play is also a hands-on experience that is intentionally child-centered opposed to adult-centered. Play stimulates early brain development, sparks creative thinking, improves communication, vocabulary and language, promotes impulse control and emotional regulation, grows social competence and empathy, and strengthens relationships with caregivers and peers.

---

Our Secret Sauce

Ultimately it is about choosing the daycare setting where your family feels most comfortable. It is important to find the provider and facility that is the best fit for both your child and family. This list of features is simply to help paint a picture so you are able to make an informed decision. There is nothing more valuable than our children.

Comfort of Home

Caring for children inside my home creates an environment that feels familiar, safe and warm. There is room to move around and explore. Together we experience daily life activities all while practicing social skills. This is a welcoming home filled with unconditional love. This is also a new construction home, allowing it to be fresh, clean and intentionally designed to run a home daycare. I ran a home daycare for 4 years at our former home. So we incorporated that knowledge and experience during construction. 

Mixed Age Group

Here we care for children anywhere from newborn to 6 years old. All children are in my care together, there is no divide based on age. They have many school years ahead where they will be divided and grouped by age. And progress will be defined by academic achievements and testing. These are the early years where play gets to lead the way. 

Mixed age groups develop social skills and help build confidence. Siblings can stay together while still making new friends. Interactions are based on individual needs and skill level opposed to being bucketed into the average needs and skills for your age group.

State Licensed

Going through the process of opening a licensed family child care center in Wisconsin means that I successfully completed quite a few requirements to obtain this status. Examples of such are: 70+ hours of education encompassing the child care profession and caring for infants and toddlers, CPR and AED training, First Aid training, AHT training, SIDS training, radon testing, medical professional health report, having an emergency back-up provider trained and available, having an extensive list of emergency contacts, written and practiced emergency plans, in-person visits from the licensing department, annual continued education, background check for myself and anyone living in the home, and specific requirements for providing a safe, engaging and clean indoor and outdoor space.

High Quality Nutrition

Everyday we provide a morning snack, lunch-time meal and afternoon snack. Each is an opportunity to introduce children to a wide variety of fresh, whole grain, and plant-based foods. This nourishment is prepared daily with home-cooked components. Healthy foods provide the energy to run, play, imagine, learn, create, and grow.

Culturally Responsive

Everyone deserves to be heard and seen. To find a home away from home where they belong. It is a continuous process of asking, improving, and reflecting. It is a process I am committed to because it is a goal I am passionate about. We value each individual’s culture, identity, lived experiences and communication style. We want all families to feel represented so that each child can build a connection between home and daycare.

Consistency

There is comfort in consistency. It makes it so expectations and boundaries are clearly defined. It also helps guide the children through their day because they have a sense of what is coming next. It gives them control and helps ease those challenging transitions. 

Over the course of 5 years, while I raised our 3 children and cared for 20+ different families, I developed easy to follow schedules for children from newborn until 2 years old. These schedules ensure that each child meets their need for sleep and calories throughout their day. I know first hand the mental and physical challenges you go through when you have an infant that cannot sleep at night. These daily schedules proved to be my lifeline. With the families I work with, we will follow your existing schedule from home or lean into my notes. Either way we will create a predictable routine together. 

Positive Atmosphere

This is a nurturing and supportive environment where we value building impactful relationships. We focus on strengths and accomplishments to develop a positive self-image and sense of confidence. Our communication style is active listening, serve and return interactions, and positive reinforcement. Other positive guidance strategies that we utilize are: redirection, reasoning, cool down time, clear expectations, modeling, providing acceptable outlets for expressing feelings, avoiding overstimulation, age-appropriate activities, natural or logical consequences and realistic expectations.

It’s Personal

I am the primary care provider, this is my business, and this is my home. All this stacks up to say that everyday, every interaction, and every relationship matters to me. The scale of a home daycare allows me to be free of the worry of quality staffing and high turnover. You know who will be interacting with your child and you know what to expect. Relationships matter to me and I build those relationships with empathy, authenticity and trust.

---

References

“Excellent care and beautiful space, Jessica is so great with my toddler. My daughter had separation anxiety with other arrangements we tried and she warmed right up to Jessica’s warm nature. Individual attention is clearly a priority and Jessica keeps me updated on their activities through the day. Highly recommend!”

Jamie, Client

“Ms. Jessica is the BEST! My daughter had never been in the care of anyone besides her grandparents and choosing someone was very hard, until we met Ms. Jessica. From the moment I walked in to meet her and saw the beautiful and organized space, I knew it was the place for my daughter. She was comfortable with Ms. Jessica and her kids right away. There is no better feeling than dropping my daughter off and going about my day stress-free, knowing she is in the best hands. Ms. Jessica is incredibly kind, patient and passionate about what she does. She loves every child in her care and gives individualized attention to each one. I would highly recommend Ms. Jessica to anyone who’s looking to put their kid in child care.”

Janelle, Client

“I am a huge fan of this in-home daycare and so are my girls (we’ve done public daycare in the past and switched to in-home)! Knowing my girls are safe and loved while using their creativity and imagination to play and learn puts my mind at ease while I’m away from them. Can’t say enough good things… we LOVE Miss Jessica!”

Tina, Client

“I highly recommend Jessica. She cares for several of my children and was always kind, attentive and understanding. She was flexible and consistently dependable. Your kiddos will be in amazing hands.”

Opal, Client

“Ms. Jessica is a kind and caring person who truly loves your kids. She watched both of our children and really did such an outstanding job looking after them. We felt they were always safe and well taken care of when they were with her. They both just loved her. We also felt she was very communicative and incredibly sweet and genuine whenever we interacted with her. We can’t recommend her enough!”

Haleigh, Client

“Ms. Jessica is such an amazing and kind woman who went above and beyond to care for my children. I was so thankful and at peace knowing they were being cared for by her. She was always quick to respond to any questions or concerns and always welcoming to our family. Ms. Jessica provided a wonderful routine for our children and I would highly recommend her to anyone in search of an in home daycare. Our family has experienced some bad experiences at a daycare center in the past and we were so very blessed to find Ms. Jessica we miss her dearly.”

Jennifer, Client

---

About Me

Hi Families! 

My name is Jessica Cera. I am the owner and child care provider for my home daycare, Growing with Kids. My husband, Nick, and I have three beautiful children. When our first child was born I opened up a daycare out of our home in Grafton. Since then we have been blessed with building our forever home here in Muskego. This wonderful community has embraced us and we are excited to open our doors to its families!  

Prior to running a home daycare, I studied at Purdue where I received an Industrial Design BA and a Certificate in Entrepreneurship. Post college I designed for Graco, Baby Jogger and Rubbermaid. Working on products that made a real impact in parents’ lives. My favorite project being a car seat I developed alongside my husband. As my life transitioned into motherhood I looked for ways to combine these passions; entrepreneurship, supporting young families, and raising our children. This led me down the path of opening a home daycare. Five years later, I am so grateful to call this my career. Caring for children is an incredible responsibility, it is rewarding, it is meaningful and it brings me joy. It truly is a privilege to be welcomed into your family. 

When I am not surrounded by a mob of kiddos. I enjoy spending time with family. Partaking in sibling weekends with my three older brothers, our family’s annual bocce ball tournament (haven’t managed to bring home the trophy yet), or picnicking in a park with music. I also love to play soccer, travel, hike, bike, cook and especially find creative outlets. I am an avid DIY-er which leads me down a rabbit hole of house projects, Halloween costumes, gift creation, building furniture, sewing, and writing and illustrating children’s books. I have a bad habit of deciding I can make something myself. 

Thank you for your interest in my program and for taking some time to get to know me. I look forward to meeting your family and partnering on the growth and development of your child. 

Feel free to reach out through the contact submission below. I look forward to hearing from you and answering any questions you may have. 

All the best on your child care journey.

---

Get in Touch

Growing with Kids
Jessica Cera, Owner

Complete the form below to learn more about my home child care. Once connected, we can schedule a time to meet and tour the space. I look forward to hearing from you!

---