WHO WE ARE

Whole Child.
Whole Family.
Whole Community.

Lotus empowers children, supports families, and builds stronger communities through intentional learning environments, workforce development, advocacy, and holistic family support

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OUR PROGRAMS

Early Learning

Nurturing childcare, preschool and homeschool programs in intentional, play-based environments.

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Professional Development

CDA Academy, training, coaching and educational leadership for Early Childhood Professionals.

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Family Support

Parenting support, Doula services, workshops, and resources for the whole family.

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Community & Advocacy

Rooted in community. Leading change. Building a brighter future together.

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32+

Years of Experience

Keystone

STARS 4

Quality Rated Program

95 + and growing

Educators Trained and Coached

5000 +

Children & Families Served

100 +

Community Events Workshops

🎨 Wonder About Me: Self-Portraits

Over the last few days, our Lotus friends have been busy in the Creative Studio, studying their reflections and creating self-portraits! 🪞✨

Using fabric, yarn, beads, paint, paper, and other open-ended materials, each child made thoughtful choices about how to represent themselves. There was no “right” way for a portrait to look. Each creation became as wonderfully unique as the artist who made it. 💛

As we begin our “Wonder About Me” investigation, experiences like this invite children to notice their features, express their identities, make creative decisions, and explore the big question:

“What makes me, ME?” 🌿🎨

Little moments of wonder at Lotus 🌱✨

Our Lotus Friends are settling into their environment, exploring materials, making discoveries, creating, connecting, and finding joy in their everyday experiences. 💛 Around here, the environment isn’t just where learning happens. It’s part of the learning.

🌿 What Sets Lotus Apart? Nationally Accredited Care. 🌿

Quality childcare is more than a beautiful environment or a full activity calendar. It’s about the standards behind what happens every single day.

Lotus Family Education Center is proud to be NAFCC Nationally Accredited, a distinction that recognizes family child care programs that go beyond basic licensing requirements and demonstrate a commitment to high-quality early childhood practices. ⭐️

Accreditation means our program has undergone a comprehensive quality-improvement and evaluation process examining areas such as relationships, learning environments, developmental practices, health and safety, family partnerships, and professional responsibility.

For our families, that means choosing a program that has made an intentional commitment to accountability, reflection, continuous improvement, and excellence.

We may be small by design, but our standards are BIG. 💛

🌱 NAFCC Nationally Accredited
⭐ PA Keystone STARS 4
🏡 Intimate, relationship-centered learning
🔎 Wonder-Led Learning

Whole Child. Whole Family.
That’s the Lotus difference. 🌈

🍃 September Classroom Updates | Wonder About Me 🍃

A new school year means new wonders, new discoveries, and so much growing ahead! 💛

This month, our classroom theme is “Wonder About Me,” as we invite children to explore what makes them uniquely them.

Through play, conversations, art, stories, and hands-on experiences, we’ll wonder about our families, our bodies, our feelings, our interests, and the special things that make each of us who we are.

Our September environment is ready with fresh table toys, invitations to explore, and open-ended materials designed to encourage creativity, problem-solving, early literacy and math skills, fine-motor development, and LOTS of wondering. 🔎🌱

Here’s to a beautiful month of getting to know ourselves, one another, and our classroom community.

Whole Child. Whole Family. Wonder-Led Learning. 🤎

Located in the Cobbs Creek/Southwest Philadelphia community, Lotus Family Education Center is a nationally accredited family child care program where children learn through play, wonder, and meaningful relationships. We provide a warm, home-like environment that combines the comfort of family child care with the highest standards of early childhood education.

🌿 Nationally Accredited by NAFCC and a PA Keystone STARS 4 program

🌿 Small group, licensed family child care in a nurturing home environment

🌿 Project-based, wonder-led learning that builds literacy, creativity, problem-solving, and a lifelong love of learning

🌿 Degreed early childhood educators with extensive experience supporting children’s growth and development

🌿 Brightwheel for daily communication, photos, messaging, attendance, and convenient online payments

🌿 Freshly prepared meals served daily, including vegetarian options

🌿 Safe outdoor learning and play spaces that encourage exploration and healthy development

🌿 Flexible scheduling and drop-in care available based on enrollment

🌿 A welcoming community where children and families build life-long relationships

🌿 ELRC (CCIS) accepted

At Lotus, we believe every child is capable, competent, and full of potential. Together with families, we nurture curiosity, independence, and joyful learning in a place that truly feels like home.

⭐️⭐️⭐️⭐️ STAR 4 RENEWED! ⭐️⭐️⭐️⭐️

Another three years of Keystone STARS 4 for Lotus Family Education Center! 🌱💛

This renewal means so much because STAR 4 isn’t simply something we achieved once. It’s a commitment we’ve continued to uphold as our program has grown, evolved, and become even more intentional about the experiences we create for children and families.

And this renewal hits a little differently. 🥹

We recently became NAFCC Accredited, and now we’re entering our next chapter with both national accreditation and our renewed STAR 4 designation.

We’re proud of the program we’ve built, but even more excited about where we’re going.

🏡 NAFCC Accredited
⭐️ Keystone STARS 4
🌱 Wonder-led. Family-centered. Village-rooted.

Here’s to continuing to learn, grow, and show what’s possible in family child care. 💛

#LotusFamilyEducationCenter #KeystoneSTARS #STAR4 #highqualityeducation

I can not believe how quickly summer is flying by!

Messy hands.
Big questions.
Water play.
Nature discoveries.
New friendships.
Lots of laughter.

Summer reminded us that the best learning doesn’t always happen at a table. It happens when children are free to explore, wonder, create, and simply be children.

As we get ready for a new school year, we’re carrying all of this curiosity with us. 🔆

In December 2019, Lotus Family Education Center opened its doors.

Back then, it was just me, my mom, and a friend who shared the dream of creating something special for children and families.

Our original plan was to open as a group child care program, but after running into zoning challenges, we had to completely change course and become a family child care instead. Before we even had time to catch our breath, the world shut down.

COVID brought uncertainty, changing regulations, financial stress, and difficult decisions. Our original plans shifted, our team changed, and at times it felt like Lotus Family Education Center might not survive before it ever truly had the chance to begin.

But I had been dreaming about this village for years.

Giving up was never an option.

So, in 2022, I started again, almost from scratch, with just one enrolled family. (A special thank you to The Hernandez family, who believed in the village from the very beginning and are still part of our Lotus family today. 💚) @anovelpearl @_chefsagedad_

Less than three months later, we were fully enrolled.

Within one year, we became a Keystone STARS 4 program.

Since then, we’ve continued to grow through every challenge, every lesson, and every season. We’ve refined our vision, strengthened our practices, and never lost sight of why we started.

Today, that journey reached another incredible milestone.

✨ Lotus Family Education Center is officially accredited by the National Association for Family Child Care (NAFCC).

This recognition places us among the highest-quality family child care programs in the nation.

This isn’t just an award on the wall.

It’s the result of years of perseverance, countless hours of learning, moments of doubt, unwavering faith, and a commitment to providing children with the very best.

To every family who trusted us before we had awards…

To every child who has walked through our doors…

To every person who encouraged us when things felt uncertain…

Thank you. ❤️

A little chalk. A little water. A lot of learning. 🌿💦🎨

When children are free to explore, mix, pour, create, and get wonderfully messy, they’re doing so much more than playing. They’re asking questions, solving problems, building friendships, and discovering the world with all of their senses.

At Lotus Family Education Center, we believe childhood should be filled with wonder… and sometimes that means coming home a little messier than you arrived. 🔆

#LotusFamilyEducationCenter #MessyPlay #LearningThroughPlay #OutdoorLearning #WholeChildWholeFamily

Located in the Cobbs Creek/Southwest section of Philadelphia, Lotus Family Education offers childcare that is convenient to meet your families care and educational needs.

🌟Licensed Home-based childcare in a safe, loving, home environment with small group setting.

🌟Degreed teacher with ample experience in Early Childhood Education.

🌟Brightwheel App for easy-to-use parent communication, payment & messaging directly to teacher.

🌟Offering flexible schedules & drop-in care.

🌟Join a network of families & build lifelong relationships.

🌟Meals cooked fresh and served daily, with vegetarian options.

🌟Outdoor play space on the premises to strengthen gross motor development.

🌟Well-designed curriculum that incorporates STEAM, literacy, language and social/emotional support for Toddlers and Preschoolers development.

🌟ELRC (CCIS) welcome.

An unforgettable evening at the NAFCC Toast to Quality in Chicago! ✨🥂

Surrounded by family child care leaders from across the country, we celebrated excellence, innovation, and the incredible impact of early childhood educators.

Moments like these remind us that quality isn’t just a rating—it’s the relationships we build, the families we partner with, and the children whose lives are forever changed because someone chose to invest in them.

We’re returning to Philadelphia inspired, energized, and more committed than ever to serving our children, families, and the early childhood community.
Here’s to continuing to learn, lead, and rebuild the village. 💛
#NAFCC2026 #ToastToQuality #FamilyChildCare #EarlyChildhoodEducation

📚✨ Summer Reading. Year-Round Growing.
While the children are enjoying summer, our teaching team is busy learning too.
We’re diving into books, videos, @nafccs conference & researching best practices, and challenging ourselves to rethink what early childhood education can be.
This year, we’re reimagining learning as an even more meaningful experience—one filled with child wonder, curiosity, autonomous thinking, authentic investigations, and joyful discovery.
Our focus includes:
🌱 Project-Based Learning
💭 Documentation of children’s thinking
🎨 Open-ended art and creative expression
🏡 Purposefully designed learning environments
🤝 Strong family partnerships
Because when teachers keep growing, children benefit.
We can’t wait to welcome our families back this fall and begin this next chapter of learning together. 💚
#LotusFamilyEducationCenter #ChildLedLearning #ProjectBasedLearning #EarlyChildhoodEducation #childwonder

🍕Dinner with Dad was a huge success!🦸🏽

Nothing brings families together quite like building your own pizza, sharing laughs, and making memories around the table. Thank you to all of the amazing dads who joined us.

To all the Lotus Dads, I hope you all know how much your presence matters to ALL of the Lotus friends ❤️

You are so incredibly loved by your children and irreplaceable to the Lotus Village. Thank you for all that you do!

#DinnerWithDad #PizzaNight #LotusFamily #FamilyEngagement #WholeChildWholeFamily

📢✨ A Day of Advocacy. A Day of Community. A Day of Impact. ✨📢

Here is another behind the scenes of FCC Educators.

Yesterday, the Lotus Family community traveled to Harrisburg for Family Child Care Awareness Day, where providers, families, advocates, and children came together to make our voices heard.

We met with legislators, shared our stories, built new relationships, and stood alongside others who believe that every child deserves access to high-quality early learning and every family deserves a strong village of support.

A special thank you to @senator_anthonyhwilliams, @joanna_mcclinton, @senhughesoffice, @repdarishaparker, and @sheriff_street for taking the time to meet with us, listen to the experiences of providers and families, and for your continued support of children, families, and early childhood education.

Advocacy isn’t just about policies, it’s about people.
It’s about the children who thrive in nurturing environments, the families who depend on quality care, and the educators who dedicate their lives to serving their communities.

Thank you to our families who joined us, shared their experiences, and helped represent the power of family child care. Together, we are helping create a stronger future for children, families, providers, and communities across Pennsylvania. 🌱🏛️💚

#FamilyChildCareAwarenessDay #FCCAwarenessDay #LotusFamilyEducationCenter #AdvocacyInAction #FamilyChildCare EarlyChildhoodEducation

⛺ Happy June from Lotus Family Education Center! 🐞
This month we’re kicking off our summer adventure with a deep dive into the fascinating world of bugs, insects, and all things creepy crawly! From observation and investigation to hands-on projects and outdoor exploration, our little learners will be discovering just how amazing the tiny creatures around us can be.
This week’s classroom updates include a peek at our learning spaces, invitations to explore, and the exciting adventures ahead as we transform our classroom into a bug-filled camping experience.
We can’t wait to learn, explore, create, and grow together all summer long! 🌿🦋🐛
What was your favorite bug to catch as a child? Let us know below! 👇🏾
#LotusFamilyEducationCenter #BugStudy #ProjectBasedLearning #FamilyChildCare

You’ve seen our classroom adventures, learning activities, and special moments. Now I want to take you behind the scenes of what it really looks like to run a Family Child Care program! 🌈

Come unpack this week’s daycare groceries with me. From meal planning and grocery shopping to curriculum prep and daily routines, I’ll be sharing more of the work that happens beyond the classroom.

Be sure to follow along to see what’s on the menu this week! 🍎🥕🥛

#FamilyChildCare #ChildcareProvider #DaycareLife #BehindTheScenes #ECE EarlyChildhoodEducation LotusFamilyEducationCenter

On Monday May 11th, the Lotus Family stood alongside educators, families, and advocates at the Day Without Child Care because child care is essential and valuable work!
It is the workforce behind the workforce. It is early learning, safety, nurturing, community, and a village that helps families survive and thrive.
As I shared in my speech, family child care programs deserve equitable access to funding, fair opportunities for programs like Pre-K, and support systems that recognize the real emotional, physical, and financial labor of this work.
ECE educators should not have to choose between serving children and sustaining themselves.
At Lotus Family Education Center, we see every day what happens when children are raised in environments rooted in love, culture, belonging, and community. Families deserve access to high-quality care. ECE educators deserve respect, resources, and support.
This movement is bigger than one program. This is about protecting the future of children, families, and the people who care for them every single day. 🌱✨

We invite more providers, parents, educators, and community members to stand with us next year for Day Without Child Care on Monday, May 10th. Your voice matters, and real change happens when we show up together. 🤍

Where will you be on May 10th , 2027?

Music Class with @karensmithdrums ☀️🥰
Our favorite day of every month 🪘🥁🪇

Finally sharing our April & May Classroom Updates:
🪿 Life Cycles Study 🐸
Over the next two months, our classroom is diving into a beautiful, hands-on Life Cycles study.
Beginning with birds & nests and gradually flowing into our pond exploration.
Our space has been intentionally refreshed to reflect this journey—inviting children to explore, question, and connect with the natural world around them.

In April, we’re focusing on:
🐦 Bird studies, nests, and eggs
🪺 Dramatic play, storytelling, and early literacy connections
🔢 Counting, sorting, and number exploration through real-life materials
🎨 Open-ended art inspired by nature

As we move into May, our learning will evolve into:
🐸 Pond life and animal habitats
🌱 Life cycles in action through observation and discussion
🔍 Inquiry, prediction, and deeper questioning
🧠 Connecting what we learned about birds to new life in the pond

Throughout this study, children are building skills in language, math, social-emotional development, and creativity through meaningful, play-based experiences.

We are so excited to share as we explore through nature & hands on learning ☀️

Lost Files 🗂️ 🚀👽🛸
Mission: Cozy Up & Read - 4th Annual Lotus Family Literacy Night
#earlychildhoodeducationphilly #familychildcareprovider #lotusfamilyeducationcenter

It takes a village, and this is one easy (and delicious) way to support ours! 🍿💛
We’re raising funds for our program and every purchase helps us continue creating amazing experiences for our children and families.

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Nadir Andrews, PA-Early Learning

"I appreciate the Lotus family for welcoming me and my family with open arms to such a loving and supportive environment. My family made a great decision regarding my child’s education and care since joining!"

Ernest Young, MD- Parenting Support

The one on one program was very helpful in my quest to get my children back. I would totally recommend this program to anyone who wants to strengthen their parenting skills, or who are in the fight to get their children back.

Nadia Crawford. PA-Professional Development

“Lotus Family Network made my CDA journey feel possible. Their guidance, encouragement, and hands-on support helped me successfully complete my portfolio and grow in confidence as an educator. I am so grateful for the mentorship and community they provided throughout the process.”

Join the Lotus Community

Together, we're growing children, uplifting families,

and transforming communities

WHO WE ARE

Whole Child. Whole Family. Whole Community.

OUR PROGRAMS

Early Learning

Professional Development

Family Support

Community & Advocacy

​

Keep Up With Lotus

Growing Educators. Strengthening Families. Building Community. ​

Upcoming Events

Join the Lotus Community

Whole Child.
Whole Family.
Whole Community.

Growing Educators. Strengthening Families. Building Community.