Our child has been enrolled at Darling Dolphins Childcare for two years now. We appreciate them more than they will ever know. Our child has learned so much and has made so many memories and friends. Thank you for your hard work, dedication and kindness. We have nothing but good things to say about them and their family. Thank you for all you do!
1(805)801-3924
Open Mondays through Fridays
7am to 5pm
located in Lompoc, Ca
Small ratio of 1 teacher and 4 to 6 infants and toddlers
🐬 Our program is specifically designed for infants and toddlers; ages 6 weeks to 3 years old 🐬
License 426215921
🐬Waitlist & Tours 🐬
Please call or text to be added to our waitlist for our next infant openings. The average infant waitlist is usually around 6 months to a year. It is important to get on our waitlist as soon as you know you will need infant childcare.
If you would like to schedule a tour of our facility, please call or text us to schedule a weekend appointment.
The privacy and safety of their home, family and the children they care for are very important to them, so they do not post their address and names online.
🐬Ratios🐬
4 infants total (under age 2) to 1 adult or 3 infants (under age 2) and 3 toddlers (age 2) to 1 adult
Little ones move on to a preschool program around age 3. By age 3, most children are ready for a later nap time and to be with friends that are the same age and older than them.
🐬 Openings 🐬
~ 2025 ~
We completed tours and enrollment for our October 2025 infant opening.
We currently have one infant opening in December 2025.
~ 2026 ~
Our next three infant openings will be in September, October & December 2026.
🐬 Weekend Childcare 🐬
We provide childcare every 3rd Saturday of each month from 5pm to 8pm for $20 a child. The owner and her teenage daughter provide care together in their home for date nights, to run errands or a self care evening. These services are offered to past and present clients and their siblings, recommendations from clients and families who have toured with us. Spots are limited though! We follow our licensing ratio regulations.
Our next days in 2025 will be:
Saturday September 20th
Saturday October 18th
Saturday November 22nd
infants through elementary school age are welcome!
🐬 Enrollment 🐬
A tour does not guarantee a spot. Once it is confirmed a family is interested, the owner will reach out to offer the spot opening. An enrollment packet will be given to the family to review and complete. A meeting will be set up to review the paperwork and tuition and go over any questions or concerns. We will also discuss the child’s start date.
🐬 Philosophy & Mission Statement 🐬
To provide a loving, safe and developmentally appropriate environment for all infants and toddlers enrolled in our program.
We will work hard each day to create a collaborative environment with families to help each child learn and grow. We will respect each child’s individual needs, personality, learning style, interests, culture, and family background. We strive to treat everyone with respect and kindness, act with integrity in our daily actions, live our values through collaboration, find innovative ways to help serve our community and strive for excellence in all we do. We will use every experience to learn and grow and improve to keep helping families find quality and educated childcare.
🐬Curriculum Through Play! 🐬
We make sure each infant meets important developmental milestones by having tummy time, space and time to learn to sit up, crawl, pull themselves up and learn to walk.
An infant and toddlers job and how they learn the most is through play. Play is learning; it is the work of childhood! Play builds attention spans, language and problem solving, emotional regulation, and lifelong learning.
We provide the materials, nurturing, toys, activities and environment and children will learn through experiences and exploration. We believe it is important to let infants and toddlers be little as long as possible since they are growing and developing every single day.
🐬 Outdoor Play 🐬
We spend a lot of time outdoors, especially in the Spring and Summer! We have an outdoor classroom and a large yard for the little ones to explore, learn and experience nature and fresh air. We do water play during the summer months including a splash pad, water table and sprinklers! 💦
🐬CURRICULUM & learning🐬
🐬our darling dolphins 🐬
'If children don't grow up knowing about nature and appreciating it, they will not understand it. And if they don't understand it, they won't protect it. And if they don't protect it, who will?”
~ David Attenborough
Everyone is fighting a battle you know nothing about. Be Kind. Always.
~ Robin Williams
The owner & her family
📚👶🏼🐬 About the Owner 🐬 👩🏼🏫 🎶
She is a married to her high school sweetheart and they have a son and a daughter together. She opened her small licensed home childcare in 2020 and she graduated with a Masters degree in Education in 2021 while running her childcare business. After her own children started school, she worked many years as an infant and toddler teacher after completing her Associates degree in Early Childhood Education. She nannied for a family with three young children part time while completing her Bachelors degree in Human Services. She then worked in the social services field with young children and teens and volunteered as a Court Appointed Specialist Advocate for a few years. Helping educate, nurture and take care of little ones is her passion. She loves her job and feels so grateful to be part of each child’s lives!
🐬🐋🛥️🌊🏖️☀️
She has a kind and sensitive heart. She loves marine life and loves going on adventures to the ocean with her family. She loves music and reading and enjoys going on walks with their two dogs and spending time with her family and their pets. They are a very close-knit family. They are her whole heart and what keeps her growing, learning and working hard to provide.
Her teenage daughter helps her during the Summertime and on the Saturday evenings that they provide childcare once a month. Her daughter also volunteers every Sunday at the Humane Society. Her husband and young adult son both have full time jobs outside of the home and are busy working on their cars and motorcycles and keeping up with yard work in their free time. Everyone in their home is cleared through the FBI, DOJ and CACI, are CPR and First Aid Certified and are mandated reporters in California.
🚗🚙🏍️🐶🐶🐱🦜🦜
🐬 Disability Statement 🐬
The owner has an invisible disability/ physical impairment due to IBD and Ulcerative Colitis In her 20’s. After two years in and out of the hospital, many surgeries and being in the ICU recovering, this final surgery saved her life. She has a medical card from her doctor to always have access to a restroom and medical supplies. This information is only given to help others understand, educate and to advocate for herself.
Her physical impairment does not affect her ability to provide quality childcare. It just means she has to overcome challenges and use medical supplies in her daily life. She has been living with it for almost 15 years now. Her physical impairment is protected under the Americans with Disabilities Act (ADA). Sometimes the greatest battles are the ones no one else can see. Please be kind always.
🐬We Love Reading and Music! 🐬
We believe reading builds confidence and character and helps children gain important cognitive and literacy skills. Music brings joy to children and adults and we can all bond and have fun while singing, dancing and being silly together.
Reading helps children gain empathy and compassion for others and use their imagination. Children learn important social - emotional skills by building bonds with their caregivers and exploring different topics such as friendships, emotions, spreading kindness and how to problem solve.
A picture of our ocean library, symbolic whale and dolphin adoption certificates and ways we can help marine mammals are below!
🐬🐋🦭🐠🌊🐙🐳🐢🦀🐟🦈🪸🦦
Teaching Kindness and effective communication
🫶
🐬Enrollment Fee and Tuition🐬
*5 days a week
$500 non-refundable enrollment fee and tuition is $250 a week
*4 days a week
$400 non- refundable enrollment fee and tuition is $200 a week
The enrollment fee and first week’s tuition is due before child begins their first day. The non-refundable enrollment fee covers the last two weeks of childcare.
* Please keep in mind everything for our business is paid for out of pocket and comes out of our income.
Families are paying for their spot and not attendance. This is non-negotiable as with most licensed childcare facilities. We cannot run our business and pay for the supplies we need to maintain a healthy and safe environment without a consistent income.
The enrollment fee also will ensure families are serious about enrolling their child so we can run a successful educational environment and small business.
Diapers & wipes are provided by the facility
Food, formula and milk is provided by the families
We accept Subsidy and are enrolled through The Santa Barbara County Education Office.
🐬Family Childcare Role🐬
Family childcare is not babysitting or being a nanny. It is not comparable to any childcare center. It is families in relationships with a professional childcare provider in a family home and small business. It is designed to be a second home environment and families who trust each other, care for each other, partner together and educate each other to provide the best care possible to each child. We consider all of the families enrolled as part of our family.
🐬Expectations🐬
Kindness, integrity, empathy, a good moral compass and building healthy relationships are very important to our family and business. It is very important we have families that we can trust with their words and actions and that trust us, knowing their babies are loved, nurtured and taken care of every day.
Please remember this is also our home where our family lives. We want our home and business to be a safe and happy place for each child and family enrolled. We want families who respect our rules and values, appreciate us, can communicate in a healthy and respectful way and will work together as a team to help their child thrive. Healthy relationships are built on trust, respect, honesty and empathy.
♻️🌎🌊
Darling Dolphins Childcare strives to use eco- friendly products, recycles and is passionate about conservation of animals and the environment .
🐬🐋🐘🌎🦍🦅🐙🐢🦭🐅🐆🦧🦛🦒🦦
ZERO TOLERANCE
We are committed to fostering a safe, healthy and loving childcare environment. Bullying, harassment, inappropriate behavior, and any form of cruelty—whether physical, verbal, emotional, or digital—will not be tolerated under any circumstances. We want every child and adult to feel safe, happy, and respected. The owner has the right to set boundaries and hold people accountable to protect their time, health, energy, and business values. This policy helps ensure that all members of our community uphold these values so that trust, safety and integrity remain at the core of our business.
🐬Our Commitment & Dedication 🐬
At the heart of our home childcare is a deep respect for the trust families place in us each day. We understand that choosing a caregiver is one of the most important decisions a parent can make, and we are honored to be a part of your child’s life during these foundational years.
Providing care in our home is not just a job—it is a calling. It requires time, patience, flexibility, and at times, personal sacrifice. We open our hearts and our home to ensure children feel safe, loved, and nurtured, just as we would want for our own. This means early mornings, long days, constant learning, and a dedication that often extends far beyond typical working hours.
We strive to build a supportive and trusting relationship with every family we serve. Our goal is to work together as partners in your child's growth and development, offering not only a safe environment but also one filled with warmth, consistency, and learning.
Thank you for trusting us with your most precious gift. It is a privilege we never take lightly.
🐬Thank you for visiting our website🐋
🐬 License 426215921 🐬
"Above all, we must realize that each of us makes a difference with our life. Each of us impacts the world around us every single day. We have a choice to use the gift of our life to make the world a better place – or not to bother."
~ Dr. Jane Goodall
🐬Testimonial🐋
🐬Testimonial🐋
Our child is attending this wonderful home childcare program. We are very grateful for them and all of the love and support they have given us. They are a wonderful asset to our community and provide excellent care. They go out of their way to make sure each child knows they are loved and special. We know our child is in great hands every single day.