Ellington Top Business Nominee: Little House in the Country

ELLINGTON, CT — Recently, Ellington-Somers Patch asked readers to nominate their favorite local business for Business of the Year. Many area businesses have managed to navigate the turbulence of 2020 with steadfast determination and an unwavering commitment to the clients they serve.

Little House in the Country Child Care, located just off Route 140 at 2 Nutmeg Dr., began as a home daycare program, Lindsey’s Playhouse, out of the owner’s home in 1994. In 2005, Little House opened in a small plaza at 89 West Rd. in Ellington; expanding from a licensed capacity at home of six children to a daycare center with a licensed capacity of 72 children.

Within two years, the program had outgrown the capacity of its space in the plaza, and in 2010, owner Janet Settle purchased the building on Nutmeg Dr., which had previously been a garden market. The capacity expanded to accommodate up to 98 children.

Settle is a longtime Ellington resident, raising four children through the Ellington public school system. She has been involved and continues to volunteer in the community through the schools, her church and Ellington sports programs.

Little House offers programs which provide children a strong foundation for a lifetime of love for life and learning. All supervisors and many classroom teachers have been employed with Little House for several years. Full-time teachers are certified in the online Waldorf Teacher Training Early Childhood Education II program from the Sophia Institute in Washington state.

The facility's playgrounds and gardens are designed to foster a deep connection to the natural world. Little House has four outdoor playgrounds, featuring age-appropriate shaded play equipment, paved areas to accommodate ride-on toys, and trees and grassy areas. Additionally, a 3,000-square-foot greenhouse playground offers extended gross motor play and fresh air for all ages, even during inclement weather.

"Several of our teachers have worked with us for two to fifteen years," Settle said. "They love working with our families and all work well together, as indicated by our reviews on the Indeed employment website. They support each other at work and in their own personal lives. We are very blessed to have this amazing group of professionals working together to care for the children of our community. Our teachers put in long hours and care for the children as their own, then many of them go home to care for their own families.

"Our management team, Tara, Nicole and Yani, are an absolutely amazing group. Their dedication to the children and teachers who work with them is unsurpassed. In addition to the hard work of caring for and educating so many children, these women also are dedicated to the community through community service projects including letters and visits (pre-COVID) from and with our children to the residents of the Pitkat Congregate Living Center in Vernon, as well as many other community service projects. The love and commitment that all of our teachers and managers have for the children, their families, and for each other is inspiring!"

Several customers provided glowing reviews of the center.

• "These ladies are so committed to their students and kids. They remained open since March and have made sure to put the safety of their kids and staff above anything. They have remained a solid and reliable comfort for parents during such unprecedented times." - Ally Gable
• "The women who run this business have been phenomenal and resilient." - Alicia Harlow

Toddler room supervisor Yanitza Vazquez said, "This is a place where wonderful women work together to care for the most precious things in the world, our children, and it is a difficult job and constantly overlooked. They are teachers and mothers who are a major part of our children’s development."

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