My husband and I have been together for 18 years and have four children ages 4, 8, 12 and 17. My husband is a U.S. Border Patrol agent with training as an emergency medical technician. He is my back-up caregiver whenever he's at home. Our 17-year-old daughter has extensive babysitting experience and as a volunteer in the nursery and in AWANAS at church. She is my childcare helper whenever available.
I am licensed by the State of California, Department of Social Services, Community Care Licensing Division. By law, to care for children from more than one other family, you must be licensed. June 2010 will mark my 12th year in the professional childcare field.
PET DOGS - We have two females, a spaniel and an Australian Shepherd mix (ages 13 and 11) that are primarily outside dogs. A third female, a 1-1/2 year-old German Shepherd, spends most of her time outdoors during daycare hours but does also interact with the children.
We also have an 8-1/2 year-old male German shepherd who is a narcotics interdiction canine (my husband's partner at work) and is also sometimes indoors during operating hours. He is NOT a "police bite dog." He has visited area schools doing demonstrations with my husband, and has a very passive personality.
All of our dogs are excellent with children. Over these last 12 years, we have NEVER had any bite incident or pet-related injury of any kind. We do not, however, recommend this daycare facility for families with pet allergies or aversions.