Otter Creek is located in a wonderful house that we own down a shady street,
minutes from the Middlebury Municipal Gym, Ilsley Library, the Middlebury College
campus and downtown creemee stands. A frequent and much beloved sight in Middlebury
are the baby trains, parades of bye-bye buggies or children strutting down the
sidewalk each holding a loop on a rope. At Otter Creek learning the ropes has
a very literal meaning!
The farmhouse has been creatively repurposed, the front parlor with pocket doors is now the infant nap room. As soon as the children can speak they will tell you who sleeps in each crib. The infants also have a room with a large low window facing the porch and the front yard; this is one of the first places they learn to pull themselves up and watch the world.
The next age group has a kitchen area where they do art projects and eat their meals and a large back room with beautiful bay windows looking out on a peaceful wooded section of our property. There are usually bird feeders hanging in the trees and hollering at the squirrels is a fun pastime for the toddlers.
The next age group is also on the first floor, they are in the far part of the house and use a back door to minimize disruption to the other groups. Their space includes what used to be the kitchen but the stove has been moved for safety. Their large playroom, like all the others, has soft corners set up for reading, open spaces for tumbling and sensory tables for exploring materials (water, snow, seeds, dirt, shaving cream - if it can be scooped it can be explored.)
Our preschool program is our largest group and they have most of the second floor. Years ago the rooms had different rugs and were named according to the rug color, this can be confusing for parents at first. If your child starts in one of the younger groups by the time they reach the second floor they will know every inch of the rooms up there, they'll know all of the teachers, they'll probably know every child and every child's parents and what kind of car every child's parents drive too.
Next to the preschool program there is a tiny meeting room with a huge couch, this is also a break room for the teachers. If you walk through the break room you'll be in the office. The office is a sunny welcoming room where the director and associate director work.
The third floor is partially furnished but it is used only for toy storage. Toys are rotated frequently at Otter Creek to keep them exciting. The basement has the center's washer and dryer and is used for some storage.
A cleaning service comes in every weekend and thoroughly cleans the entire center. Any toys that are placed in the mouth go through the dishwasher. Handwashing and sanitary procedures are followed everywhere. All floors are swept and vacuumed at least once a day. Our teachers work very hard to keep the center clean and inviting.