5:00 a.m. – 2:00 p.m.
Breakfast, music and lunch
First shift · Zaynab Jarrah
Child care for shift workers, Elkhart
A teacher at the door when your shift starts
Honeybun is the child care center beside the Elkhart manufacturing park. We open at 5:00 a.m. and stay open until 11:30 p.m., so families on first shift and second shift at a dozen plants, and the neighbors around them, have a room, a teacher and a handoff built around their hours.
- Open 5:00 a.m. to 11:30 p.m.
- 6 weeks to 5 years
- Licensed in Indiana
The day, by shift
First shift and second shift, side by side
Doors open at 5:00 a.m. and close at 11:30 p.m. A first-shift family and a second-shift family each have a room, a teacher and meals built around their shift, and the two shifts meet at a handoff in the middle of the afternoon.
Every weekday
Showing 15 of 15
Monday
2:00 p.m. – 3:00 p.m.
Handoff at every room door
Shift change · Elieser Grajeda
3:00 p.m. – 11:30 p.m.
Outdoor play, supper and a story
Second shift · Jiahao Kuo
Tuesday
5:00 a.m. – 2:00 p.m.
Breakfast, garden walk and lunch
First shift · Zaynab Jarrah
2:00 p.m. – 3:00 p.m.
Handoff at every room door
Shift change · Elieser Grajeda
3:00 p.m. – 11:30 p.m.
Block play, supper and a quiet hour
Second shift · Jiahao Kuo
Wednesday
5:00 a.m. – 2:00 p.m.
Breakfast, stories and puppets, lunch
First shift · Zaynab Jarrah
2:00 p.m. – 3:00 p.m.
Handoff at every room door
Shift change · Elieser Grajeda
3:00 p.m. – 11:30 p.m.
Art table, supper and a story
Second shift · Jiahao Kuo
Thursday
5:00 a.m. – 2:00 p.m.
Breakfast, sand and water play, lunch
First shift · Zaynab Jarrah
2:00 p.m. – 3:00 p.m.
Handoff at every room door
Shift change · Elieser Grajeda
3:00 p.m. – 11:30 p.m.
Outdoor play, supper and a story
Second shift · Jiahao Kuo
Friday
5:00 a.m. – 2:00 p.m.
Breakfast, painting and lunch
First shift · Zaynab Jarrah
2:00 p.m. – 3:00 p.m.
Handoff at every room door
Shift change · Elieser Grajeda
3:00 p.m. – 11:30 p.m.
Dance and movement, supper and a quiet hour
Second shift · Jiahao Kuo
Nothing matches that filter.
Sample classes.
What you can check
Licensed in Indiana, with a number for every room
Honeybun is a licensed child care center. Here is who licenses us, how many children each teacher cares for and the routines behind a steady shift.
License
Licensed by FSSA, Office of Early Childhood
Child care center license · IN License # 000000Verify
Adults to children
1 adult to 4 children
Infants, 6 weeks to 2 years
1 adult to 5 children
Twos, 2 to 3 years
1 adult to 10 children
Threes, 3 to 4 years
1 adult to 12 children
Fours, 4 to 5 years
Capacity
100
Ages 6 weeks to 5 years
Staff checks and training
- Background checks
- CPR and first aid
- Safe sleep training
- Mandated reporter training
- Food handler training
Safety routines
A handoff at shift change
Between 2:00 and 3:00 p.m. the first-shift and second-shift teachers stand together at each room door. A child goes from one teacher to the next, and no one leaves a room until the next teacher has the headcount.
When overtime runs long
Call or text and tell us. Your child stays with a teacher they know until you arrive, and a lead teacher stays until the last child has gone home at 11:30 p.m.
Who may pick up
We release a child only to the people on your written list and ask for ID from anyone we don't know.
Cots and sleep
Infants sleep on their backs, in their own cots, with nothing else in the cot. Older children rest on a mat after lunch, and second-shift children have a quiet hour after supper.
Allergies
Tell us about allergies at the tour. We ask again in private once you enroll, and the room's teachers learn them before the first day.
Meals for both shifts
First-shift children have breakfast and lunch, and second-shift children have a snack and supper. Tell us what your child eats at home.
Ask us about child care assistance
Sample details.
Rooms and shifts
Four rooms, three ways to start
Pick the room by your child's age and the schedule by your plant's shift. Every room runs the same routine in both shifts.
| Ages | Adults to children | First shift5:00 a.m. to 3:00 p.m.Monday to Friday | Second shift2:00 p.m. to 11:30 p.m.Monday to Friday | Day hours7:30 a.m. to 5:30 p.m.3, 4 or 5 days a week |
|---|---|---|---|---|
| Infants6 weeks to 2 yearsTheir own cot, floor play and feeding on your baby's rhythm. | 1 adult to 4 children | Offered | Waitlist | Offered |
| Twos2 to 3 yearsA play kitchen, blocks and the first art table. | 1 adult to 5 children | Offered | Offered | Offered |
| Threes3 to 4 yearsCircle time, painting and a reading corner. | 1 adult to 10 children | Offered | Offered | Waitlist |
| Fours4 to 5 yearsStories, counting games and helping jobs. | 1 adult to 12 children | Offered | Offered | Offered |
Fees and what each is for
- Registration
- Starts your child's enrollment file when a place opens.
- Holding a place
- Keeps a place for your child until the first day.
- Overtime hours
- Extra time past your booked shift when a plant runs long.
Open places change through the year. Ask when you call.
Sample programs.
The people at the door
The people who open and close the day
Elieser has led Honeybun since it opened, and each shift has its own lead teacher, so the person at the door at 5:00 a.m. and the person at the door at 11:00 p.m. both know your child.
Elieser Grajeda
Director
Elieser runs Honeybun with the human resources teams at our partner plants and walks every room at both shift changes. He speaks Spanish and English with families.
Zaynab Jarrah
First-shift lead teacher
Zaynab opens the doors at 5:00 a.m. and leads the first-shift teachers, from breakfast through the afternoon handoff.
Jiahao Kuo
Second-shift lead teacher
Jiahao leads the second-shift teachers, from the afternoon handoff through supper and the quiet hour to the last pickup at 11:30 p.m.
The year
Open houses, enrollment and the first day
Fall places open in April, and families already on a shift hear from us in May.
This school year
- Open house
Open houses at shift change
Evenings in October and April
Walk the rooms when both shifts are in them and meet the lead teachers.
- Applications open
Fall places open
April
Brothers and sisters first, then partner-plant families, then neighbors.
- Decisions
Families hear from us
May
Elieser calls each family on the list with an offer or a place on the list.
- First day
First day of fall
Late August
Rooms are ready for both shifts.
- Closed
Closed days
A few holidays
New Year's Day, Memorial Day, the Fourth of July, Labor Day, Thanksgiving and Christmas.
Sample dates.
Employer partners
A dozen plants, one center
Honeybun is run by a group of employers in the Elkhart manufacturing park. Each partner plant schedules its shifts with us in mind, and neighbors around the park are welcome too.
Final assembly lines
Families on a 6:00 a.m. start drop off between 5:00 and 5:45 and are on the road before the line starts.
Chassis and axle plants
Heavy shifts that end at 2:30 p.m. fit the handoff window, when pickups and drop-offs happen together.
Fiberglass and trim
Second-shift crews bring children in during the handoff window and stay through supper.
Cabinet and furniture shops
Smaller crews with mixed hours use the day-hours schedule or split a week between both shifts.
Electrical and wiring
Technicians who are on call or work a long shift tell us ahead, and we plan the late room around them.
Metal fabrication
Plants that run Saturday overtime tell us by midweek so we can reserve a time for those families.
How to enroll
- 01
Step 1: Get in touch
Call or text Honeybun, or send us a message. Elieser or the front desk answers within one working day.
- 02
Step 2: Book a tour
Tours run at shift change, from 2:00 to 3:00 p.m., or before your shift starts by appointment. They take about half an hour, and children are welcome to come along.
- 03
Step 3: Apply
Tell us the room you are hoping for, your plant and your shift. Your family joins the list, and Elieser calls when a place opens.
- 04
Step 4: Register
Registration opens your child's enrollment file. We collect health details and the people who may pick up privately once you enroll, never through this website.
- 05
Step 5: The first day
Bring a change of clothes and what your child sleeps with. A teacher meets you at the room door, and you are welcome to stay as long as you need.
Questions
What families ask us first
What ages do you take?
From 6 weeks to 5 years, in four rooms: Infants, Twos, Threes and Fours. Each room runs in both shifts.
Can we tour?
Yes. Tours run at shift change, from 2:00 to 3:00 p.m., or before your shift starts by appointment. They take about half an hour, and children are welcome to come along.
What does a day look like on each shift?
First-shift children arrive from 5:00 a.m. for breakfast, then have morning play, lunch and a rest. Second-shift children arrive at the handoff, then have outdoor play, supper, a story and a quiet hour before pickup.
What does licensed mean here?
Honeybun is a licensed child care center. Indiana's early childhood agency licenses us under its rules for staffing, space and safety.
How many children does each teacher care for?
Each room has its own number of children for every teacher. We are glad to talk it through at a tour.
How does tuition work?
Tuition depends on the room, the shift and the days a week. Elieser goes through the number for your family at the tour.
Come at shift change and see both rooms
Tours run from 2:00 to 3:00 p.m. every weekday, when first shift and second shift are in the rooms together.