Welcoming Wonder

08/18/2026

Buffalo was home to the first childcare center in the United States—and the second in the entire world!

The Fitch Crèche, located at 159 Swan Street near Michigan Avenue, was founded in 1881 by Maria M. Love. Maria recognized the need for safe, reliable care for the children of the city’s working women.

The Fitch Crèche operated in a former dry goods store donated by philanthropist Benjamin Fitch and cared for thousands of children over the years.

The historic building remained standing—but in disrepair—until 1998, when it was ultimately demolished.

As Buffalo early childhood educators, Maria’s work reminds us that childcare has always been about supporting working families, creating opportunity, and giving children a safe place to learn, grow, and wonder.

Buffalo has a remarkable childcare history—and we’re proud to be part of its next chapter. 💛🧡💜

08/15/2026

A Day of Firsts 💜✨

Today was truly a day of firsts at Welcoming Wonder Childcare. 🥹

Today, we celebrated our first-ever Welcoming Wonder Pre-K Graduation Ceremony 🎓 and hosted our first family pool party! 🏊‍♀️☀️

And while these moments are exciting, what means the most to us is remembering where it all began.

To the families who trusted us before we had an identity, reviews, testimonials, or years of history to show you—thank you. ❤️ You took a chance on us, believed in what we were building, and trusted us with the most precious people in your lives.

Thank you for sharing your children with us. Thank you for your partnership, your support, your encouragement, and for allowing us to be part of their childhood and their journey toward kindergarten and beyond.

Today, we celebrate the children who made history as the first-ever Welcoming Wonder graduating class! 🎓🌟

Congratulations to the Welcoming Wonder Childcare Class of 2026! We are so incredibly proud of each and every one of you. Your next adventure is just beginning, and we cannot wait to see all the wonderful things you accomplish. 💜

Here’s to the firsts that become memories, the memories that become traditions, and the families who make it all possible. 🥹💛💜

Congratulations, Class of 2026! 🎓🌻
You will always be our first.🧡

08/09/2026

🚔💙 Community Helpers! 👮‍♂️✨

Our daycare friends had a very special visit from a local police officer! Our little learners loved getting the chance to talk with a real police officer, ask questions, and learn more about how police officers help keep our community safe. 🥰

And of course… the BEST part was getting to hear the police car siren! 🚨👂 The kids were absolutely fascinated! 😂

Experiences like this make learning come alive and help our children build positive relationships with the community helpers who care for and protect us every day. 💙

A huge thank-you to our local Buffalo Police Department officer for taking the time to visit, answer all those curious little questions, and make our day so memorable! 👮‍♀️🚓

We may have a few future police officers in the making! 😉💙

08/08/2026

🚜👷‍♂️ Our favorite kind of neighborhood entertainment! 👷‍♀️🚛

The kids LOVE watching our neighbors at A 24 Hour Door National, Inc hard at work! During outside time, we get a front-row view of all the heavy equipment, big trucks, and different vehicles coming and going. 🚚🏗️

It’s like a live construction show right outside our playground! 😂❤️

The kids are fascinated by all the moving parts and LOVE pointing out the trucks, watching the equipment in action, and seeing what’s happening next.

We love being part of such a great community—and having some pretty awesome new neighbors! 🥰

08/07/2026

🚶‍♀️☀️ Out and About with Our Friends! 💛

We are SUPER excited to share that we have received all of the necessary approvals to begin our exterior playground renovation project this evening! 🎉

This project will transform our current outdoor area into a much-needed, larger play space for the children. While we patiently wait for it to be ready, we’ll be taking our adventures out and about in the neighborhood! 🥰

You may spot our little crew cruising by in the stroller, enjoying some fresh air, getting a change of scenery, and taking in everything around us. 🌳👋

If you see us, feel free to wave! 👋 Our little ones LOVE a friendly hello! 💕🛝✨

08/07/2026

🎉 WE HIT THE JACKPOT! 🎉

Our latest haul from Bella Kids Consignment Sales of Buffalo was PACKED with FUN, engaging, and educational goodies for our friends at Welcoming Wonder Childcare! 🧸💛

We found SO many things we can’t wait to put to work in the classroom:

🎶 Musical toys to encourage exploration & creativity
💡 Light-up stepping stones for our climbers—hello, gross motor skills!
🐄 Farmhouse bowling kit for coordination & active play
🐞 Lakeshore bugs for hands-on science & discovery
📚 Bob Books for early literacy & pre-K learning
🧣 Play scarves for movement, imagination & dramatic play
🍎 Big Feelings stacking fruits to support social-emotional learning
🧘‍♀️ Sensory & self-regulation tools to help little ones identify and manage big feelings
🧲 Magnetic sorting toys for problem-solving & fine motor development
🧱 Soft blocks for building, creating & endless open-ended play
…and SO much MORE! 🤩

We LOVE finding materials that children can have a blast with while they’re also building important developmental skills. Learning doesn’t have to look like sitting at a table—it can look like playing, moving, experimenting, creating, and discovering! ❤️

A HUGE thank you to wnybellakids for helping us stock our classrooms with affordable, high-quality materials that keep learning FUN! 🛍️✨

We can’t wait to see what our little learners do with all of this! 🥰

08/06/2026

🧠✨ It’s More Than Just Stacking Rings! 🌈

While stacking rings may look like simple play, this activity is packed with developmental benefits. 💪🧩

As each ring is lined it up, picked up and placed onto the post, the children are developing:

🎯 Hand-eye coordination – coordinating what they see with the precise movements of their hands.

🤏 Fine motor skills & dexterity – strengthening the small muscles in their hands and fingers while learning to grasp, release, and manipulate objects.

🔎 Precision & spatial awareness – figuring out how the ring needs to be positioned and where it belongs.

🧠 Concentration & focus – staying engaged with the task and paying attention to each step.

⏳ Patience & persistence – learning that sometimes it takes a few tries to get it just right!

🧩 Problem-solving skills – experimenting with different approaches and learning through trial and error.

🌟 Confidence & independence – experiencing that wonderful moment of “I did it!” when they successfully complete the task.

Play-based learning doesn’t always look complicated. Sometimes it’s a few colorful rings, a little patience, and a whole lot of developmental learning happening right before our eyes. 💛

08/02/2026

Visit from WNY Reptiles! 🦎🐍🐢🐊

07/31/2026

Happy International Day of Friendship!

07/28/2026