Little Sunshine’s Playhouse: Innovation in Early Learning

Little Sunshine’s Playhouse and Preschool is a family of early learning centers inspired by the  Reggio Emilia philosophy of education and a commitment to the highest standards of excellence. That is evident by the extraordinary teachers and students at each of their 23 locations (and growing!) across the country.

Learning at Little Sunshine’s Playhouse is based on the principle that children are collaborators and communicators and that teachers are partners, nurturers, guides, and researchers. This means a very high level of attention to quality in how their program is delivered in each classroom. The admissions process for new students includes a period of discovery and engaged dialogue to ensure the success of each child in the program.

By partnering with WatchMeGrow, the leadership team is using secure streaming technology to make sure there is quality and consistency every day and at each school. This is an imperative that cannot be compromised according to company co-founder and CEO, Rochette Dahler.

Rochette and her husband Matt launched the company in 2002 and have found the driving engine behind their success has been an unwavering commitment to quality. They have since expanded to Arizona, Arkansas, California, Colorado, Georgia, Illinois, Kansas, Missouri, Tennessee and Texas.  Along the way, they have created innovative methods to ensure quality and safety in their program, like the use of secure streaming video as a tool to improve the classroom experience.

Rochette shared more about the value of streaming video to a dedicated quality assurance team at LSP’s home office in this Q & A.

Q: How do you use WatchMeGrow streaming video to coach teachers at Little Sunshine’s Playhouse and Preschool?

A: We believe that “what’s praised is repeated.” Streaming video to our quality assurance team allows us to capture some of the best winning moments in our classroom experiences and in customer service. This not only allows us to praise those teachers in the moment, but also use real life examples to inspire and train our teams.

Q: How do you rely on cameras to help you achieve the highest standards of care?

A: At Little Sunshine’s Playhouse, our goals are to create consistency, operate successfully, and be promise keepers of our brand. WatchMeGrow cameras are used on a daily basis as a means to ensure that standards and procedures are followed and that services meet our performance requirements.  As a home office team, it’s nearly impossible for us to have a daily presence in every school. WatchMeGrow cameras allow us to do just that: define, measure, and improve quality in ALL areas from a distance.

Q: What is a “scheduled observation topic” at Little Sunshine’s Playhouse?

A: We host deliberate and specific video observations on pre-planned quality metrics items  that include sanitization, food service, customer service, diapering procedures, hand-washing, curricular, space setup, supervision and more on a  daily basis. We hold on a particular topic until every classroom in every school has passed inspection…essentially a “no classroom left behind rule”.  This programming empowers our staff and ensures that training is well engrained and carried out in their daily operational practices; not just a policy they signed off on, but deliberate accountability and constant affirmation of quality.

Little Sunshine's Playhouse and Preschool has been named as one of the Inc. 5000 America's fastest growing private companies for five years by providing an elite standard for educational child care. For more information visit www.littlesunshine.com.