I’m Kath Houlahan and I’ve been blessed to serve as the director of Oak Lane Day Care since April 2019. Oak Lane is a loving, nurturing place for both kids and adults. Our motto is “Learning to live…together” and I could sum up our mission and philosophy in just two words — play nice. 🙂
Just another day. Except, it’s not. It never is. While the cumulative days of each season with a child may blend together, each day — like each child, teacher, and parent — is unique and special.
Thirty years ago, as a toddler teacher at another school, there was an incident involving someone’s lunch. For months and even years after that day, my class kept reminiscing about it: “Remember the day that [child’s name] threw up peanut butter on the rug?” It was a moment they would never forget. Neither did I! (I’m not sure that carpet ever got entirely clean.) For some reason, known only to the wisdom of two-year-olds, asking the question became a tradition with that class, part of its history and identity. Would an adult have remembered that day, that moment, with the same sense of wonder, belonging, and glee at the yuck factor?
Now, as the daycare director at Oak Lane, I am once again blessed to participate in wonder-full moments in the lives of a community of children, teachers, and families. And, yes — throwing up on the rug is still a thing.