A Little About Us
We are the many happy infants and toddlers who have been cared for and taught by John Morales in various classrooms—and at home—throughout North Texas. Most of us are between the ages of 12 months and 3 years, but some of us are as young as 4 weeks.
Now we'll bet you're a little surprised to find a man working as our primary caregiver. Well so were we at first, but we soon discovered that there were so many new things to learn and Mr. John loved teaching us! Things like how to share and be kind to one another; how to use a spoon and help clean up after ourselves. He taught us how to feed the fish, water the plants, bathe babies, and wash our hands―and still yet more important things, such as learning how to laugh while hopping like rabbits, finger painting and singing our ABC's...
...and yes, some of us have even learned how to speak!
Our Teacher
Unlike his female colleagues, Mr. John had to start at the top of the ladder and work his way down to the infant and toddler department. In January 2002, he earned first official educator's title as pre-kindergarten teacher for a local preparatory school while attending the University of North Texas in Denton as a fulltime student. In May 2002, John was awarded Teacher of the Year by his director and given his choice of teaching positions. He taught kindergarten during the summer, and then in September at the beginning of the regular school year, John became lead teacher for a group of 2 to 3 year-old preschoolers. His classroom transitioned to younger toddlers toward the end of April 2004.
John transferred from UNT to Texas Woman's University in the winter of 2005. He also left the preparatory school where he had been teaching for almost three years, accepting another job as lead toddler teacher for a private school. Within four months, he was appointed head over the infant and toddler department. John was later promoted to the positions of program administrator and director, during which time he remained lead teacher as well.
Although John loved administration, his passion was/is largely centered in teaching and teacher training. John was originally offered his first teaching position with a local preschool in December 2001. Unfortunately, time constraints in spring lab scheduling at the university forced him to withdraw his application. It was quite a disappointment at the time. This particular center was in the process of seeking accreditation from the National Association for the Education of Young Children (NAEYC) and John was excited about the possibility of participating. John finally made the move to the accredited preschool in January 2006 when he reapplied for and was hired as lead teacher for a classroom of 12-18 month-old toddlers.
Unofficially, John Morales has worked as a part-time nanny for three Denton County families. His last contract was for the care of a 9 month-old baby boy named Cezar. Not surprisingly, employment as a director and a teacher consumed a great deal of his time, so John's nannying became limited to weekends and a few odd nights during the week. Needless to say, he enjoys playing an active role in the 2% male involvement in America's child care workforce.
In October 2006, John said goodbye to the commercial child care industry and returned to the private sector at the request of a group of parents. Absolutely convinced that there is no such thing as quality commercial child care in Texas, he now operates Toddlerbright Home-Centered Child Care, a licensed 24/7 private home daycare in Lewisville, Texas. He continues to study at both universities following his graduation and enjoys reading and writing journal articles and poetry. He is considering adoption and expanding his child care operation to include a foster group home when he finishes his masters degree. At the moment, however, John is simply a single father with two grown children, one old cat, and an empty nest with occasional flybys—and he would love to care for your little dove!
