About Ellen’s Home Daycare in Acton, MA
My Story Begins Here
Ellen’s Home Daycare began over 20 years ago—not as a business plan, but from a mother’s heart.
While I was a stay-at-home mom caring for my own young children, I became licensed and opened my home to a small number of families seeking safe, trustworthy childcare in a nurturing home environment. I wanted parents to feel true peace of mind, knowing their children were cared for with love, consistency, and genuine attention. What began as a way to earn extra income and provide playmates for my children quickly grew into something far more meaningful.
My love for young children, combined with a natural entrepreneurial spirit and a deep desire to support families during their children’s most important early years, evolved into a lifelong career—and the rest truly is history.
With a background in Business Administration and many years as a business owner, I run my daycare with a thoughtful balance of flexibility and structure. Families appreciate the professionalism, reliability, and predictability I provide, while children thrive in an environment where they feel supported, secure, and understood.
As an early childhood educator, my goal has always been simple: to create a space where children feel safe, happy, comfortable, and deeply loved—just as they would in their own home.
At Ellen’s Home Daycare, children are encouraged to explore, play, and express themselves freely. Learning happens naturally through a play-based approach supported by age-appropriate, themed activities. These experiences balance child-initiated play with gentle guidance, helping children develop confidence, creativity, patience, and a genuine joy for learning.
Caring for young children is both demanding and deeply rewarding. Over the years, building strong relationships with families and watching children grow—from infants into confident toddlers—has been the most meaningful part of my work. I truly believe that a nurturing early environment helps instill values and skills that last a lifetime.
Outside of daycare, I enjoy spending time with my family. My husband, Bryan, and I have two grown sons, Conor and Aidan, and our beloved dog, Appa. We love traveling, exploring international cuisines, and enjoying quiet family time. I also prioritize self-care through yoga and meditation, which helps me stay present, calm, and energized for the children in my care.
I look forward to welcoming new families and providing high-quality, loving care in a warm, home-based setting.
Our Care Team and Culture
At Ellen’s Home Daycare, children are cared for by a small team of dedicated early childhood educators who work together to create a safe, nurturing, and engaging environment. We believe that strong teamwork leads to better care for children.
The culture and values of our program are intentionally set and modeled by me. I lead by example, and all educators are guided to follow the same standards of care, respect, and professionalism. No matter who joins the team, our expectations remain consistent: children come first, and we work together to support one another and meet the needs of every child.
Our educators communicate openly, help one another throughout the day, and share responsibility to ensure routines run smoothly. This collaborative approach creates a calm, well-organized environment where children feel secure, supported, and free to learn and explore.
Through clear leadership, shared values, and teamwork, we maintain a high-quality program that families can trust.
❊ Testimonials
Loved by Children, Trusted by Parents.
But don’t just take our word for it—here’s what families have shared with us over the years.
My son had been cared for at home for 11 months before he joined Ellen's daycare. Needless to say how careful I was in my selection of care centers. After I met Ellen for the first time, my gut feeling reassured me that my son would be well taken of. Ellen emits such vibrant energy and her passion for kids continues to amaze me. Its not easy for us parents to trust other people with our defenseless youngsters. Before I made my decision I need to know who else lived in the house.
Ellen's husband is an ER Nurse just like me and as health care professionals, we are held to a certain standard, which I expected from her husband. Besides, he works during the day and is not involved in the day-to-day activities of Ellen's daycare. Her full time assistant, Jane, is loving, compassionate and absolutely loves being around the children. My son has learned so much from colors, animals, the alphabets, shapes to name a few. My daughter, Lily, is now with Ellen also. My children loves being at Ellen's. I would highly recommend Ellen's Home Daycare to anyone who is looking for a safe and nurturing environment for his or her child. Thank you Ellen and Jane!
Vee and Carl Bernard, Maynard, MA
“
I am so thankful to have found Ellen's Home Daycare for my 3 month old daughter. As you know, or will soon find out, bringing your 3 month old to daycare for the first time when you return to work is a difficult transition. I can't emphasize enough how much Ellen helped us through this transition and made it much less difficult and emotional than I imagined. Whenever we dropped my daughter off or picked her up, the loving, nurturing, and genuine concern both Ellen and Jane have for the kids put us at ease. Our daughter is always happy, engaged and tired at the end of the day. She has a smile when we drop her off and a smile when we pick her up. They made it easy to keep the lines of communication very open and honest which was important during a time that was new for them, myself and my daughter. Ellen goes above and beyond the 10 hours she spends with all of the children. She plans activities that are always new, creative and exciting for the kids. She documents the activities with photos that she shares with the parents. The loving and caring nature that both Ellen and Jane have for the kids is always evident and comforting.
Nicole and Jeff Powers, Harvard, MA
“
Our daughter Carina has been going to Ellen’s since she was 9 months old. Ellen provides a great playbased learning environment which my daughter has loved. I have now my second child, Connor (4 months old), and he is thriving well at her care. She incorporates both inside and outside play with imaginative and exploratory activities. All of the kids have so much fun together in a great safe environment. Ellen also does a great job sending the parents pictures of the kids playing in fun collages. We feel very fortunate to have found Ellen’s day care for our children Carina and Connor (update: they are now 5 and 3 yrs old) . -
Alicia and Ted Larkin Acton, MA