Meet Jessica Haley | The North Shore Moms

meet-a-mom-jessica

Where are you from originally and what town do you live in now?
I grew up in Medford and I started my family in Melrose. We moved to Ipswich this past May.

How many children do you have and what are their age(s)?
I have one daughter. She turned 5 in June.

meet-a-mom-jessica

What’s your favorite family activity on the North Shore?
Hands down, our favorite place to go as a family would be the Crane Estate. The beach is gorgeous! And they’ve recently started up their Castle Hill Picnic Concert series on Thursday nights. That’s such a fun time! My daughter loves dancing barefoot on the lawn!

Where’s your favorite place to eat and/or shop on the North Shore?
These days, we’ve been having a lot of fun exploring all of the local spots in Ipswich. I love getting a pretzel and a beer at True North Brewery. I could eat my weight in lobster rolls from the Clam Box. And the Greek food at Ithaki is incredible!

meet-a-mom-jessica

What’s one thing people would be surprised to know about you?
I own a small family daycare called Miss Jessica’s Home Montessori. People might be surprised to know that I started this business when my daughter was only 4 months old. I remember her napping beside me on the couch while I navigated the licensing process and wrote up my handbook. She hung out in Baby Bjorn while I walked through Ikea picking out tiny tables and chairs for our classroom. And she was my little sales-baby, happily greeting my first families who came for a tour.

meet-a-mom-jessica

You run a home daycare program. Please tell us more about that!
I have been working in the field of early childhood education for over 15 years. I possess a Master’s degree in early childhood from New York University and I am a Montessori certified teacher. When I had my daughter in 2014, I made the decision to open a small family daycare in my home where I could continue teaching, but also be able to spend time with my own child. I operated for almost 5 years in my Melrose home before making the decision to relocate to Ipswich where we could be closer to family and enjoy all of the natural beauty that the North Shore has to offer. My mission is to offer high-quality, affordable education and care to young children following the Montessori approach.

meet-a-mom-jessica

What is your favorite rainy day activity for kids?
We like making homemade play dough. I always have the supplies in my cupboard. It comes out better than store bought and it lasts a super long time.

This is the recipe we use:

Ingredients:
1/2 cup flour
1/4 cup salt
1/2 cup water (with a few drops of food coloring)
2 tbsp cream of tartar
1 tbsp oil

Directions:
Mix it all up! With an adult’s help, stir in a pan on the stove over medium heat until it looks like play dough!

meet-a-mom-jessica

What is the best piece of mom advice you ever received?
Another mom once said to me, “The days are long, but the years are short.” That little saying is always on my mind. It helps keep things in perspective when I’m having a tough day of parenting. Our babies are only little for so long and I want to try my best to get the most out of this time!

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