In downtown Mint Hill, tucked between Mint Hill Dentistry and Queen’s Grant Community School, you’ll find The Sunshine House: a four-star child care facility and preschool.
If you are in the market for a daycare or preschool, The Sunshine House has a lot to offer. Its state-approved, award-winning “Creative Curriculum” assures children are school-ready by teaching socialization, literacy, character development and life skills. The Sunshine House also incorporates Spanish and sign language into instruction. Interested parents can learn more about the Creative Curriculum at www.creativecurriculum.net.
Children will love the center’s large, fun playgrounds designed for different ages, and parents can feel assured by the building’s secure, keypad entry and the fresh and nutritious meals and snacks. Parents can even use Sunshine House’s mobile app to get real-time photo and video updates throughout the day.
Center Director Brittany Deluca was born and raised in Charlotte and has lived in Mint Hill with her husband and two sons since 2008. She feels fortunate that her own two sons were able to attend The Sunshine House from infancy. “I know there is no place I would rather be,” says Deluca, whose background is in education. “My passion is educating and nurturing children of all ages and backgrounds. Every day, I strive to see all children in my care develop a sense of confidence, self-love, and passion for learning that will last a lifetime.”
The Sunshine House offers age-appropriate full-time, part-time and drop off programs for children from six weeks to twelve years old. For infants up to 12 months old, the teachers focus on maintaining a nurturing environment that promotes language acquisition and development through talking, reading, singing and moving. Sunshine House works with parents to provide consistency for young babies by mirroring the routines they follow at home.
Toddlers from 13 to 36 months old have a busy routine featuring storytime, outdoor play, song and dance. For preschoolers ages three and four, the focus is on building a solid foundation in the skills needed for kindergarten. Four- and five-year olds focus on a successful transition to kindergarten with a more traditional-looking school day that begins with a morning message and continues with small and large group learning experiences, storytime, and outdoor time.
Before and after school care for school aged children up to 12 years old is focused on supervised homework time and support coupled with fun, student-designed learning activities. The Sunshine House offers full-day care for school-aged patrons during spring and winter breaks as well as the summer months.
Sunshine House tuition is determined by a child’s age as well as how many days a week and hours a day your child needs care. The all-inclusive weekly tuition includes fresh, nutritious breakfast, lunch and snacks; Spanish, sign language, literacy and character development programs; music and movement instruction; and transportation from local elementary schools like Bain, Clear Creek, Crown Point, Lebanon Road, Matthews Elementary and Queen’s Grant Community School. They offer discounts to a variety of local employers. For more information on tuition and discounts, contact The Sunshine House directly.
One unique thing people may not know about The Sunshine House is that it houses a MECK Pre-K classroom. A county-funded program that eventually aims to offer universal pre-k to all of the county’s four-year-old children, MECK Pre-K is currently open to families whose income is 220% of the federal poverty level. The Sunshine House has one of only 33 new MECK Pre-K classrooms to open in the county in 2018. To learn more about the MECK Pre-K program, call Smart Start of Mecklenburg County at 704-943-9585 or email meckprek@smartstartofmeck.org.
