Jackson Child Care

Farm-to-Table Summer Camp Series
Thursday - Green Garden Day 🌱

Our young explorers discovered the wonderful world of leafy greens from Brown's Family Farm! Link to the Farm!
https://www.youtube.com/watch?v=aafRzkb_3Ok&t=29s
Fresh kale, collard greens, and spinach became the focus of another hands-on Farm-to-Table adventure.

Before lunch, children observed each leafy green using their senses. They compared:
👀 Color – Which green was the darkest? Which was the brightest?
🤲 Texture – How did the leaves feel before cooking? How did they change after cooking?
👃 Smell – What did we notice before and after they were prepared?
👅 Taste – Which leafy green was your favorite?

Children learned that cooking changes food in many ways. Fresh greens are crisp and firm, while cooked greens become soft, tender, and full of flavor.

Today's Caribbean-inspired lunch featured:
🍗 Island Stew Chicken
🥬 Seasoned Collard Greens
🌿 Fresh Kale & Spinach Exploration
🌽 Sweet Corn
🍝 Pasta
🍉 Fresh Watermelon

Every meal became an opportunity to build vocabulary, strengthen observation skills, encourage healthy eating, and appreciate the journey from farm to table.

A special thank you to Patrick Brown and Brown's Family Farm, a fourth-generation farm, for sharing fresh produce that has transformed our Summer Camp into an authentic learning experience. Your generosity has helped our children discover that healthy food begins with caring hands, rich soil, and dedicated farmers.

❤️ Learning | Playing | Growing Together ❤️

🌱 Farm-to-Table Summer Camp Series
Growing curious minds... one fresh harvest at a time. 🚜🥬🍉❤️

🌱🥕🚜 From Farm to Table: Okra Day at Jackson Child Care! 🚜🥕🌱

Yesterday, our Summer Campers enjoyed a special Farm-to-Table learning experience inspired by a generous gift of fresh produce from Brown's Family Farm. https://www.youtube.com/watch?v=aafRzkb_3Ok&t=29s

As part of our Caribbean Heritage Month celebration, campers
explored fresh okra, learned how it grows, practiced safe food preparation skills, and helped prepare a delicious Okra & Surimi Soup to accompany rice, vegetables, and salmon at lunch.

The excitement was contagious as children:
🥒 Examined fresh okra pods
🔍 Observed seeds and textures
👩🏽‍🍳 Practiced age-appropriate food preparation
🌱 Learned about the journey from farm to table
🍲 Enjoyed tasting a new recipe together

Hands-on experiences like these help the children build healthy eating habits while developing science, math, language, and social skills in meaningful ways.

A special thank you to Mr. Patrick, Brown's Family Farm, for sharing fresh farm produce and helping us bring Farm-to-Early-Care learning to life. Your generosity created an authentic learning experience our campers won't soon forget.

At Jackson Child Care, we believe some of the best lessons begin with real experiences, real relationships, and a little curiosity.

❤️ Learning | Playing | Growing Together ❤️



📸 Yesterday's highlights: Exploring fresh okra, preparing soup together, and enjoying the fruits (and vegetables!) of our labor. 🌱🍲🥒

💙 Community Resource for Families

Strong communities support strong families. Fairfax County has created a Federal Government Resource Hub to assist residents affected by federal workforce restructuring and employment changes.

Resources include employment assistance, workforce development services, information on financial support, and connections to community resources.

If you know a family, friend, neighbor, or colleague who may be impacted, please consider sharing this information.

At Jackson Child Care, we know that stable employment and reliable child care go hand in hand. Supporting families extends beyond the classroom.

🌳❤️ Together, we are stronger.

☀️🌳 Summer Camp Is Off to a Great Start! 🌳☀️
What a wonderful first full day of Summer Camp! Campers spent the day building friendships, exploring new ideas, practicing essential school-readiness skills, and having plenty of summer fun! From writing and literacy activities to preparing fresh salsa, building blanket forts, and enjoying outdoor adventures, every experience was designed to foster creativity, confidence, independence, and teamwork. Campers won't just be kept busy—they’ll engage in purposeful play, learning, and growing.
📚 Literacy and writing activities
🥗 Hands-on cooking and nutrition experiences
🏰 Creative fort building and engineering play
🌳 Outdoor games and physical activity
🎨 Imaginative play, teamwork, and friendship building
At Jackson Child Care, we believe children learn best through hands-on experiences, meaningful relationships, and purposeful play. Every day is filled with opportunities to learn, explore, create, and make new friends in a safe and nurturing environment. Learning • Playing • Growing Together
✨ School Readiness/Academic Growth
✨ Social-Emotional Learning
✨ Outdoor Exploration
✨ Healthy Habits
✨ Summer Fun
📣 A few summer openings are still available!
Know a family looking for child care? Tag them below or share this post—we'd love to welcome new friends to our summer camp community!
📍 Springfield, Virginia
📞 Call us to schedule a visit and learn more about our program. 703. 354-5913

Celebrating Juneteenth at Jackson Child Care

We honored Juneteenth, a celebration of freedom, resilience, and hope. Through stories, conversations, and creative activities, we learned about the significance of June 19, 1865, and why the day remains important today.
Together, we explored books celebrating history, family, love, and African Americans' contributions. Through age-appropriate discussions, the children were encouraged to reflect on kindness, fairness, respect, and the importance of treating everyone with dignity.

Daddy Speaks Love — Nurturing family relationships and emotional well-being
Juneteenth: Our Day of Freedom — History and freedom
Going Down Home with Daddy — Family heritage, traditions, and belonging

At Jackson Child Care, we believe that learning our history helps children grow into caring, thoughtful members of their community.

☀️🌱 Summer Play with Purpose! 🌱☀️

Looking for a summer filled with discovery, friendship, creativity, and fun?

At Jackson Child Care, children explore nature, enjoy outdoor adventures, build friendships, create, learn, and make lasting memories in a nurturing small-group environment.

🌟 Limited Summer Openings Available—Contact us today to learn more!

🇺🇸 Honoring the brave men and women who served our country. Happy Memorial Day. 🇺🇸

Exploring the meaning of Memorial Day through stories, music, discussions, and creative activities honoring military heroes and community helpers. ❤️🤍💙
The children enjoyed patriotic songs, read-alouds, including “Memorial Day” by Emma Berne, and hands-on crafts that fostered gratitude, kindness, and remembrance. From coloring flags and creating windsocks to building vocabulary and social awareness, a day filled with meaningful learning and creativity.
At Jackson Child Care, we believe in creating experiences where children learn through play, connection, and purpose.
✨ Learning • Playing • Growing Together
✨ Where Play Has Purpose

☀️ Memorial Day Community Celebration & Platinum Sponsorship Partnership 🏊‍♀️

We’re incredibly grateful to be a proud Platinum Sponsor of the North Springfield Swim Club for the 2026 and 2027 seasons! 💙

Community matters to us, and we love supporting organizations that bring neighbors and families together through connection, wellness, and fun summer experiences. Thank you to the NSSC team for the warm partnership, beautiful recognition, and the opportunity to be part of such a welcoming community tradition.

Be sure to check out the NSSC Community Open House and the wonderful activities they offer throughout the summer!
At Jackson Child Care, we remain committed to:
🌱 Learning
🎨 Playing
🌟 Growing Together
Thank you, North Springfield Swim Club, for your continued partnership and community spirit!

Honored to attend Chairman Jeff McKay’s Spring Social at the Fairfax County Government Center — a joyful event filled with community connection, conversation, and celebration of the rich diversity that makes Fairfax County so special. Grateful for opportunities to engage with leaders, neighbors, and community members while recognizing and appreciating the many cultures that strengthen our shared community.