Infant and toddler care in Orono, Maine
Two rooms, eighteen children, from six weeks to three years. A teacher reads, holds and feeds your baby on their own rhythm, and you hear about the day at pickup.
What you can check
Nuzzle is licensed by Maine's child care licensing office.
Licensed by DHHS Child Care Licensing
Child care center · ME License # 000000Verify
18
Ages 6 weeks to 3 years
Babies sleep on their backs, each in their own crib, with nothing else in the crib. A teacher stays in the room.
A teacher holds every bottle. Feeds follow your baby's own rhythm, and each one is written down for you to read at pickup.
A teacher takes your child from you at the door and hands them back to you. We release a child only to the people on your written list.
Hands are washed on arrival, before every feed and after outdoor play, by teachers and toddlers alike.
Tell us about any allergy at your tour. Once you enroll, we ask for the details in private.
Children go out every day the weather allows, in layers and boots, and come in when hands get cold.
Ask us about child care assistance
Sample details.
The Infant room
A bright room with cribs along one wall, a rocking chair by the window and a soft mat on the floor.
Babies sleep on their backs, each in their own crib, with nothing else in the crib. A teacher holds every bottle and writes down each feed, so you read how the day went at pickup.
Sleep on the back, in their own crib, nothing else in the crib
Feeds follow your baby's rhythm, not the clock
Tummy time and floor play every morning
Three age groups, two rooms
Choose the days that suit your family. Places in each room change through the year.
6 weeks to 12 months
In the Infant room: a crib of their own, a mat for tummy time and a rocking chair.
12 to 24 months
Walkers move to the Toddler room when they are ready, with a teacher they already know.
2 to 3 years
In the Toddler room: a play kitchen, an easel and a quiet corner with books.
Ask at your tour which places are open now.
Sample programs.
Your visit
It takes about half an hour, and you are welcome to bring your baby.
Chiaki or a teacher meets you and your baby at the front door of the house, and you see where your child's things would go.
Sit in the rocking chair, and see where babies sleep, eat and play on the mat.
Say hello to the lead teachers, and ask how a feed, a nap and a pickup go.
Ask about the license, tuition and when a place opens. We tell you plainly whether there is one.
The people
Each room has a lead teacher, and Chiaki leads every tour.
Director and founder
Chiaki turned the house she raised her own children in into Nuzzle after many years of caring for babies. She leads every tour and answers the phone herself.
Infant room lead teacher
Vanna leads the Infant room. She keeps a note for each family: feeds, naps and what your baby tried today.
Toddler room lead teacher
Kota leads the Toddler room and spends part of each morning in the Infant room, so the move up is a short walk to a familiar face.
Through the year
Come to an open house, or book a tour on any weekday.
Early April
Walk through both rooms and meet the teachers. Bring your baby if you like.
Early October
The same walk-through for families planning a winter start.
Spring and fall
Babies join the Infant room as places open, with a short visit first.
First week of July
Closed for the week, reopening on the next Monday.
Late November
Closed on Thanksgiving and the day after.
Last week of December
Closed from Christmas Eve to the first weekday of the new year.
Sample dates.
From six weeks to three years, in two rooms: the Infant room and the Toddler room.
Yes, please do. Book a tour on any weekday, or come to an open house in spring or fall.
On their backs, each in their own crib, with nothing else in the crib. A teacher stays in the room.
Write or call and we will tell you whether the room you want has a place. If it is full, you join the waitlist and we call when one opens.
Yes. A copy hangs by the front door for you to read at your tour.
It depends on your child's age group and the days you choose. We give you the figures in writing at your tour.
Book a tour on any weekday, or call and we will find a time.