BECOMING a mum herself, helped Kelsie Martland realise just how important the early years are in a child's development.

A qualified childcare educator, Mrs Martland had fully intended to return to her job working in the office for a local builder, but on having son Leo, and wanting to spend more time at home with him, she made the decision to take the plunge into family day care and Kelsie's Family Day Care was born.

Mrs Martland said her philosophy was simple.

"I want a safe, nurturing and learning environment for my son to grow up in," she said.

"And all qualities and values I want for him I want to instil in the families and children I care for."

Mrs Martland said she worked in child care for four years and loved it.

"I can't wait to get start and work together with families to foster those developmental milestones," she said.

"I believe that every child has a unique set of skills and experiences that they bring to the world due to individual knowledge gained through all the of the different interactions and environments they are exposed to.

"There is so much they can gain and learn from one another and there is so much I can learn from them.

"It's so rewarding all round."

Mrs Martland said she made the decision to start the business in December.

"It was a bit of a rush, there was so much to get done," she said.

"Physical things like fences and certain safety requirements to registrations and fees and charges and lots of paperwork.

"I had to register with a service provider and have done that through Enhance Family Day Care."

There are about 20 Enhance Family Day Care educators operating in Warwick currently.

Mrs Martland said she was limited as to the amount of children she could take on.

"We're limited to four children under school-age or seven children maximum, three of those being school-aged," she said.

"With family day-care you only pay for the hours you're booked in for, so it can be a more affordable option for families.

"There's also a regulated program we follow, called an early years learning framework."

Mrs Martland said she saw many benefits to family day care.

"Smaller groups means more one on one time and being in the home environment can make it a lot more comfortable for the children," she said.

For more info contact Kelsie at kelsiemartland@gmail.com