Daycare and childcare are often used interchangeably. Both generally describe care provided for children while parents work or manage other responsibilities. A quality childcare center also supports children’s social, emotional, physical, and cognitive development through age-appropriate activities, routines, play, and interaction.

Look for experienced and attentive caregivers, safe and engaging spaces, age-appropriate activities, clear parent communication, opportunities for active play, consistent routines, and an environment where children appear comfortable and involved.

A tour is one of the best ways to evaluate these qualities in person. Parents can book a tour of Santa Fe Centers to meet our team and explore our programs.

High-quality daycare gives children opportunities to develop communication, independence, problem-solving abilities, emotional awareness, and social skills. Children also become familiar with routines, group activities, new experiences, and learning alongside other children.

Yes. A group childcare environment gives children regular opportunities to communicate, cooperate, play alongside peers, take turns, and begin working through everyday social situations with adult guidance.

These experiences can help children build confidence and learn how to participate in a classroom community.

It can be. Educational childcare uses play, conversation, exploration, movement, creative activities, and intentional learning experiences to support child development.
Santa Fe Centers believes children learn effectively when they have opportunities to explore and discover using engaging materials and experiences. You can learn more about our philosophy on the About Santa Fe Centers page.

Santa Fe Centers welcomes infants beginning at 12 weeks old. Our Infant and Toddler Center provides a family-like environment designed to support babies as they grow, move, explore, and develop.

Learn more about our Infant and Toddler Program.

Parents should look for responsive caregivers, safe spaces for movement, individualized attention, developmentally appropriate activities, good communication, and routines that recognize the individual needs of babies.

During a tour, pay close attention to how caregivers interact with infants and how the environment allows babies to safely observe, move, and explore.

Infants learn through movement, sensory experiences, communication, observation, and responsive relationships. A quality infant daycare can provide opportunities for babies to explore safely while caregivers support developing motor, language, cognitive, and social-emotional skills.

Attending daycare does not mean parents stop being central figures in their baby’s life. Consistent, responsive relationships at home remain extremely important. A caring childcare environment can give babies additional opportunities to build trusting relationships and experience positive interactions with familiar caregivers.

Toddlers learn through active exploration. Daycare can help them practice language, movement, social interaction, problem-solving, independence, creative expression, and everyday routines.

At Santa Fe Centers, toddlers have opportunities for child-directed activities and sensory experiences such as painting, sand, and water play as they develop new skills.

Toddlers naturally begin wanting to do more for themselves. Teachers can support this by giving children age-appropriate choices, encouraging participation in routines, providing accessible activities, and allowing children to practice new skills with guidance.

The objective is not to rush independence, but to give children safe opportunities to become increasingly capable and confident.

Predictable routines can help young children understand what happens throughout their day and make transitions more familiar. Meals, rest, play, outdoor time, and classroom activities create a dependable rhythm while still allowing teachers to respond to individual needs.

Preschool broadly refers to early childhood education before kindergarten, while Pre-K typically focuses on older preschool-aged children approaching kindergarten.

Santa Fe Centers’ Pre-K Center includes age-based groups for children from approximately 2½ through 5 years old, with learning experiences that support social, emotional, physical, and intellectual development.

Pre-K children build foundations in early literacy, mathematics, science, communication, creative expression, problem-solving, and social-emotional development.

At Santa Fe Centers, classrooms include learning areas for art, music and movement, building, sensory exploration, science, and math. Children also practice readiness skills involving letters, numbers, writing, colors, and scissors.

Explore our Pre-K and childcare programs for more information.

Pre-K helps children practice both academic and classroom-readiness skills. Children develop early literacy and math knowledge while also learning to communicate, follow routines, work with others, make choices, manage age-appropriate responsibilities, and become increasingly independent.

Strong kindergarten preparation supports the whole child rather than focusing only on letters and numbers.

Play gives young children opportunities to investigate ideas, use their imagination, solve problems, communicate, move their bodies, and interact with other children.

At Santa Fe Centers, hands-on exploration is a central part of the learning experience. Children are encouraged to discover and engage with materials that interest them rather than spending their entire day in adult-directed instruction.

Yes. Outdoor play is an important part of the Santa Fe experience. The Pre-K Center has multiple play areas on nearly an acre of land, giving children opportunities to run, climb, explore nature, garden, and stay active throughout the seasons.

Outdoor experiences support physical activity while creating additional opportunities for exploration, social interaction, and discovery.

Yes. Santa Fe Centers offers enrichment programming to enrolled families at no additional cost. Current offerings can be explored on our Enrichment Programs page.

These experiences complement children’s regular classroom learning and give them additional opportunities to explore new interests.

Santa Fe Centers has an Infant and Toddler Center at 1441 Springfield Avenue and a Pre-K Center at 1496 Springfield Avenue in New Providence, NJ.

Our New Providence childcare centers also welcome families from surrounding communities. Families searching for daycare or preschool nearby can visit our Areas We Serve page to learn more about the communities convenient to Santa Fe Centers.

A great first step is visiting the center. A tour gives parents an opportunity to explore the environment, learn about available programs, meet members of the team, and ask questions about their child’s needs and current availability.

Santa Fe encourages prospective families to tour the centers as part of the admissions process, and placement is based on available space.

Ready to learn more? Contact Santa Fe Centers and book a tour to speak with our team about infant care, toddler programs, Pre-K, enrollment, and availability.