VALDOSTA — Jacquelyn “Jackie” Cain moved to Valdosta after her child switched school systems but she also pursued one of her life goals with the move: owning a daycare center.

Originally from Madison, Fla., Cain ran a family home center for 11 years, she said. A family home center is similar to a daycare but is ran out of the director’s home.

The move from Madison was prompted by her son switching schools to Lowndes County School System.

“I switched my son’s school to go to Lowndes,” she said. “Since he was in school here, I wanted to be closer and in town in case he needed me.”

When she came to Valdosta, she started working at Sunnyside Daycare in January with the intent of taking over the center, she said. It took a few months for the paperwork to come through and she officially took over the business in March.

She changed the name to Ms. Jackie’s Daycare/Learning Center.

Before becoming the owner, Cain spent her time learning the school systems, getting to know the parents who already used the center, learning about outreach programs she can use at the center, learning Georgia’s daycare law and learning anything else she could.

“I came in and got to know staff,” she said. “I was working basically 12 hours a day. … I knew nothing about Valdosta and now I know a lot about Valdosta.”

Since opening the center, Cain said it has been a satisfying and yet difficult experience.

“It’s a two-way street,” she said. “One way I feel accomplished because I stepped out on faith and I did it. I’m proud of myself for stepping out and doing what I always wanted to do. And from the other way, it has been a challenge. It has been a challenge getting to know the systems here because they are different from Florida’s. And it has been a challenge making myself known here.”

Not knowing anyone in the area means people may not make a connection with Cain because she had limited contacts in the community

“People are very particular about who they leave their children with,” she said. “I’m not from here.”

Cain wanted the name of her business to include the words daycare and learning center so residents know it is more than a daycare but not just a learning center, she said.

“I thought it would be more appealing to the community, because we do watch children throughout the day but I believe in learning through play,” she said.

“So, when I did daycare/learning center I did it because I think it takes both parts. You take care of the child’s needs and then the learning part comes in through taking care of the child.”

Cain has her teachers use an assessment and a template for children based on age, she said.

“Both my teachers have a template where they plug a child in and it shows where the child should be in all areas,” she said.

The assessment tests social, cognitive, fine motor, gross motor, emotional and other areas.

While the assessment has a template, it creates an individualized plan for each child.

“We individualize it based on their age and each child,” she said. “So, your 8-month-old child’s assessment may not look like my 8-month-old child’s assessment.”

Cain uses the assessment to find where a child scores the lowest and then focuses on that area.

“If we have a 2-year-old child who isn’t using a spoon right, then that child gets extra support at meal time,” she said.

Because her philosophy is to play and learn, Cain trains her staff to work individually with each child during play times.

For example, if children are playing with blocks, the teacher will sit on the floor with the child and ask open-ended questions such as: “What is this supposed to do?” and “Why are you building this?”

Cain said using open-ended questions is pivotal in helping children learn.

“You want (the children) to talk as much as possible,” she said. “The open-ended questions are essential for language development.”

When the children are outside, the curriculum changes to asking about birds, trees, cars, grass and anything else the children can talk about, she said.

“The key is to talk to them, not talk at them,” she said. “It builds their confidence; it builds cognitive skills because they have to think about how they speak. It helps with social skills, too”

When children get into school, Cain and her teachers work with the children on math and reading, she said.

Cain tries to work in tandem with school and the parents to best help each child succeed and learn.

“We’ll try to coordinate with the parent and the teacher to help the student,” she said. “Parents have to work and I get that. … In Madison, I’ve been known to go to parent school teacher conferences to see how I can fill in and help the parents.”

Cain recently added the Tiny Tots Tumbling Bus to her daycare.

“I just partnered with the Tiny Tots Tumbling Bus,” she said. “We partner with them to bring the bus in once a week to the kids. They brings the bus for children to have a 30-minute session with the kids. The parents pay the tumbling bus directly and not the daycare.”

The bus plays music and gives children a chance to run through an obstacle course designed for children.

Ms. Jackie’s Daycare/Learning center also hosts a Glow Night once a month. The Glow Night lasts from 8 p.m.-midnight. It is designed to give parents a date night or just an evening to themselves, Cain said. Food is provided for the children along with music and a movie with popcorn.

Glow Night is available to the public and not just children registered with the center.

Ms. Jackie’s Day Care and Learning Center, 500 E. Alden Ave., is open 6 a.m.-6 p.m. Monday through Friday. The daycare tends to children 6 weeks old to 12 years old. For more information, call (229) 588-4436.

Jason Smith is a reporter at The Valdosta Daily Times. He can be contacted at 229-244-3400 ext.1257.