Following the successful launch of her first crèche in Gland in 2012 (read our article here), owner Barbara Lax has now opened a second crèche in Morges, operating on the same educational principles as the first.
Located close to the autoroute junction, at the Lake Geneva Park in Tolochenaz, the Little Green House has its own private garden, and is surrounded by a large park – the perfect situation for a center that places a high emphasis on healthy living and respect for the environment.
Barbara explained to us, “Like the crèche in Gland, our new center in Morges will follow the concept of nature and health. At both our centers, children are encouraged to get involved in outside activities every day, ranging from physical exercise where they may run bare-footed over the grass or in water, through to gardening in our own vegetable plot. The sooner children learn that healthy living is not only good for you, but can also be fun, the more likely they are to carry on these habits into adult life!” It goes without saying that all meals prepared at the Little Green House crèches are made, where possible, with bio ingredients, produced locally.
Another “habit” which Barbara is keen to encourage children to adopt as early in life as possible is multilingualism. With over 25 different nationalities represented at the Little Green House centers, many of the children do not speak French – however, their parents recognize the need for their children to speak more than one language. To address this need, each of the centers employs English, French, and German-speaking educators, so the children are exposed to all three languages at as early an age as possible. However, the emphasis is on fun rather than formal lessons – games, singing, and story-time are considered the best way for the children to familiarize themselves with each of the languages.
Unlike the crèche in Gland, the new center in Morges includes extra provision for children up to the age of 7. In addition to the 78 places being offered to children between the ages of 0 and 5, there are also 12 places for children aged 5 to 7 years old. Barbara explained, “Many parents feel that children are exposed to formal learning too early in their lives, and we agree! At the Little Green House, we like to give our children the freedom to play, and invent their own games, which are far more precious in terms of developing their creativity, and autonomy. Independent learning is one of the most useful tools that our children can take with them to the next stage in their schooling, so the longer they have to learn these skills within the safe and nurturing environment of our crèches the better!”
As a working mother of a young child herself, Barbara knows only too well the frustration experienced by many families, in finding suitable childcare that matches the hours demanded by their employers. So, like the crèche in Gland, the Little Green House in Morges takes into consideration the fact that parents are occasionally asked to work late, and gives them the option of leaving their child longer at the crèche, outside the standard opening hours of 07h00 and 18h30. Barbara also hopes that she will soon be able to offer parents the option of leaving their child overnight under exceptional circumstances. “We want to be able to offer parents a reliable and professional option for those situations where they simply need to be away for the night. Children are much happier staying in a place that they know, with people they trust – a night at school can also be a valuable learning experience, and certainly lots of fun, something children read about in books as they grow older!”
The Little Green House is holding a series of information evenings over the next few months, to enable parents to see the crèches for themselves and to meet the staff in person. In addition to the founder, Barbara Lax, parents will have the opportunity to meet the new Director at Gland, Valerie Cheikh, the new Director in Morges, Chrissy Matthey, and the General Pedagogic Director, Julie Duc.
Little Green House Morges
Lake Geneva Park
Imeuble C
Route de Lully 5
1131 Tolochenaz
This email address is being protected from spambots. You need JavaScript enabled to view it.
Information evening, 29 January and 4 March, 2014
French session at 18h45
English session at 19h45
Little Green House Gland
Route de Avouillons 12
1196 Gland
This email address is being protected from spambots. You need JavaScript enabled to view it.
Information evenings, 13 January and 6 March, 2014
French session at 18h45
English session at 19h45
Little Green House
(central office for enquiries in Zug)
041 740 21 09
078 897 65 95
www.littlegreenhouse.ch
