If you have ever stood in the sculpture garden at Sunnylands and watched how quiet and steady it feels, you know the kind of calm a small child needs. Now think about the opposite. A big room. Twenty kids. Two grownups who barely have time to learn each name. For a lot of Rancho Mirage parents, that busy, noisy picture is exactly what they are trying to get away from. That is why so many of them choose a family day care with a low child-to-teacher ratio.

Susy's Family Childcare is a licensed home day care that has served Rancho Mirage families since 2005. Our home is a short drive down Highway 111 from The River, close enough for parents near Mission Hills Country Club or off Bob Hope Drive to reach us with an easy morning drive. The thing that sets us apart is simple. We keep our group small on purpose, so every child gets seen, heard, and cared for.

A ratio is just the number of children for each caring adult. The lower that number, the more attention your child gets. Some larger programs run as high as seven children to one adult. We keep ours far lower than that. In a small group, a caregiver can catch the moment a toddler is about to melt down, notice when a shy child is ready to join in, and sit one-on-one with a preschooler who is learning to write their name.

For families used to bigger Rancho Mirage programs, the change is easy to feel on day one. Your child is not lost in a crowd. When you pick up near dinner time and head to The Cheesecake Factory at The River or grab a booth in the trolley car at The Old Spaghetti Factory, your child has a real story to tell you about their day, because a grownup was actually there for it.