Child care near Suttons Bay, Michigan
Toddle is a licensed child care center on a rural lot, for children from 18 months to 5 years. Every day has long stretches outdoors, whatever the season, and a warm room to come back to.
Four seasons
The shape of the day stays the same. The weather decides the details.
Spring is mud season, and we plan around it. Boots go on at the door, the mud kitchen opens and the children plant seedlings in the raised beds.
Rain boots and rain pants at the door
Seedlings in the raised beds
Puddles, mud and a first walk to the tree line
Summer days start early in the yard, while it's cool. By midday the group moves to the shade of the oaks, the water table and a picnic on the grass, then rests indoors.
Sun hats on at the gate
Water table and sprinkler in the shade
Lunch on a blanket under the trees
Fall is leaf piles, acorns and a lot of walking. Layers come off and go back on as the day warms and cools, and everything dries on the hooks.
Raking and jumping in leaf piles
Pinecones and acorns for the nature table
A fleece, a hat and a spare pair of socks
In winter we go out in short blocks and come back to a warm room, again and again. Snow pants, boots, mittens and a hat are the uniform for the season.
Snow forts, snowmen and a snow kitchen
Mittens drying on the hooks
A story and a warm-up between outings
Three groups
Toddlers and twos come first here, and the day is built around them. Pick a schedule for your child's group.
18 months to 3 years
Short outings, a lot of carrying and digging, and rest indoors after lunch.
3 to 4 years
Longer walks, the garden beds and the mud kitchen.
4 to 5 years
Projects that stretch over days: a fort, a bed of beans, a trail.
Places in each group change through the year; ask at the tour.
Sample programs.
What you can check
What you can look up before you visit, and what we do every day.
Licensed by LARA / MiLEAP
Child care center · MI License # 000000Verify
1 adult to 4 children
Toddlers and twos, 18 months to 3 years
1 adult to 10 children
Threes, 3 to 4 years
1 adult to 12 children
Fours, 4 to 5 years
Capacity
36
Ages 18 months to 5 years
A teacher meets each child at the gate and hands them back at the gate. We release a child only to the people you list in writing, and we ask for ID from anyone we don't know.
Each morning we look at the forecast and the wind and decide how long each group stays out. Cold, wet or smoky days mean shorter blocks outside and more time in the warm room.
We count the children every time we change places: out the door, at the yard gate and back in.
Hands are washed on the way in, before snack and after digging.
Children rest indoors, each on their own cot, with a teacher in the room. A child who doesn't sleep rests quietly with a book.
Tell us about any allergy at the tour. Once you enroll, we ask again in private.
Ask us about child care assistance
Sample details.
Our team
Jace is at the gate most mornings, and Breanne is outside with the toddlers.
Director
Jace grew up on the Leelanau Peninsula and started Toddle on his family's land, a few acres of meadow and woods, so that children could be outside as much as the weather allows. He meets families at the gate and answers the phone.
Lead teacher, toddlers and twos
Breanne leads the toddlers and twos. She is the one at the mud kitchen in April and the one checking every pair of mittens in January.
The year
When to visit, when places open, and when we close.
Most Thursdays
Come in the morning, when the yard is in use, and dress for the weather.
March
Families on the waitlist hear first.
April
We call each family and hold the place until you answer.
May
Plant a bed with us and meet the teachers.
Early September
A gate-side welcome for every family.
The last week of December
We close for the week; other closing days are posted at the start of the year.
Sample dates.
Call, text or use the form with your child's age and the schedule you have in mind. We answer within a day.
Come in the morning, when the yard is in use, and dress for the weather. A tour takes about an hour, and you can bring your child.
Send the application and tell us which schedule you want. If a place is open, we hold it. If not, we put your family on the waitlist and tell you where you stand.
When you accept a place, you finish enrollment with the forms and records the state asks for, completed in private.
Bring a full set of outdoor clothes for the season, a water bottle and a spare set of clothes. Jace or Breanne meets you at the gate, and you can stay as long as your child needs.
Children from 18 months to 5 years, in three groups: toddlers and twos, threes, and fours. We don't have an infant room.
Yes. Book a tour and come in the morning, when the yard is in use. You can bring your child, and we'll walk the yard, the garden and the indoor rooms together.
Arrival at the gate, time outside, snack, more time outside, lunch, rest indoors and a last stretch outdoors before pickup. The weather decides how long each stretch lasts.
Toddle is licensed by the state of Michigan as a child care center. The state sets the minimum for staff checks, training, space and the number of children for each adult, and we follow it. The license record is linked at the bottom of every page.
Tuition depends on your child's group, the schedule you choose and the days a week. Jace gives you the figures in writing at the tour, and the tuition page explains the rest.
Tell us your child's age and the days you need when you write or book a tour. If a group is full, we put your family on the waitlist and call the family that has waited longest when a place opens.