We are now in our 33rd year of providing safe, reliable and loving care for children ages 6 weeks to 11 years!

Sunny Skies was voted "2012 BEST OF THE BEST" by the Royal Oak Tribune. We are extremely proud of this very special accomplishment and pleased that our hard work and dedication has been recognized.

Beginning in 1979, Sunny Skies Child Care, Inc. was established by Rebecca L. (Lamont) Henzie as a one-room facility in a closed elementary school in Clawson, MI.   

At that time our  simple mission was to strive for the safety and well-being of every child in our care, to make learning fun, and to encourage, encourage, encourage.  Over the past 31 years we have grown to four locations and cared for thousands of children. 

In all that time and for all those children, our mission has not changed.

LEARNING and FUN
ROLLED into ONE!

At Sunny Skies we believe the opportunities for children of ANY age to learn and grow is rooted in a positive environment that teaches exploration, self-awareness, individual and group success, pride, and fun. Our programs are designed to be effective regardless of the age of the child and we believe the children in our care can achieve personal and educational levels far beyond what anyone might expect.

Brain Development:

Research has proven that the first three years of a child's life is critical for brain development. Infants, toddlers and preschoolers who are exposed to active learning, and are given choices, are more successful in school than children who are not given opportunities to explore. We know the key to learning begins with communication, and we actively pursue every chance to bring awareness and understanding to the children. But it is a give and take; we teach them, but we also watch and learn from them. Because communication is so important, we teach many of our children - from infants to Pre-K - the elements of sign language, with surprising results! A young toddler who cannot yet form words finds a way to let us know he wants "MORE" or "ALL DONE". It is a wonderful and rewarding experience.
All children at Sunny Skies experience age-appropriate activities that promote active learning. They are encouraged to make choices that impact their day.

Discovery Science:

Infants and toddlers are encouraged to use all five senses. Children are given the opportunity to distinguish between sounds that are loud and soft, to experience textures, colors, shapes and sizes. Children are exposed to objects in the center that may be cold or hot. They learn about animals, plants, and are given the opportunity to tell about the appearance or how it feels.

Preschoolers are exposed to DISCOVERY SCIENCE and participate in experiments that encourage their thoughts of prediction. They learn about cause and effect, explore gravity, sound, and density. They practice measuring and, importantly, discuss their observations. Preschoolers gain a positive and healthy attitude about their environment when DISCOVERY SCIENCE is part of their day.

Creative Arts:

Sunny Skies promotes the "Process instead of the Product" when children are engaged in creative arts. Children are encouraged to use (safety) scissors, glue, paint, clay, play dough or pencils to produce their projects. When children participate in creative arts they interact with others, show control of using art tools, identify colors, explore different textures and express creativity. Children are encouraged to talk about their work. When completed, they are proud of their accomplishment - because they did it all by themselves!

Math Concepts:

Sunny Skies provides age-appropriate math concepts to our infants, toddlers and preschoolers. Infants and toddlers learn how to ask for more, use words that indicate a portion such as some, few or a couple. They learn to identify the shorter or taller of two objects, construct blocks that are at least four blocks high. Children attempt to count by saying numbers and touching the objects.
Preschoolers identify shapes, recognize basic patterns, match objects, duplicate and extend patterns. Preschoolers recognize and recite numerals and understand the concept of what the number ( one, two, etc.) represents.

Language Development:

Infants, toddlers and preschoolers learn basic sign language. Research has proven that infants and toddlers who may lack language and learn basic sign language words such as "more, all done, water" experience less of the possible frustration that can produce behavior issues. As children move through infancy into preschool they are taught to sign full sentences.
Sunny Skies provides language development activities that fosters children to imitate conversations, speak in full sentences, recognize where a story begins and ends, to use "what" and "why" questions to learn new words and concepts.
Preschoolers are encouraged to ask questions and make comments about a story, retell a story, and use prediction for the outcome of a story. All children are encouraged to use recall to tell parents about the events of their day.

Music and Movement:

Children at Sunny Skies experience daily music activities. Children are taught to recognize and enjoy repetition of familiar tunes, dance, clap, use different types of musical instruments from other countries, dramatize a song or rhyme, do motions while singing, and coordinate arms and legs while singing.

Life Skills:

Sunny Skies promotes life skills that children would do at home. Simple tasks such as sweeping, wiping tables, pouring milk from a pitcher, serving food, choosing where to sit for lunch, eating with a fork, and even washing babies, are acts of helping their teachers and interacting with their friends. This helps to develop a strong, positive self image.