Stepping Out on Faith

When I first made the decision to quit my job to become a family childcare provider, the main thought that crossed my mind was, “I can do this better” than all of the other providers I have come in contact with.  Not only can I do it better, I must do it better because our children need me to.  My only objective was to work hard to make this dream a reality.  Remembering the experiences that my child had suffered at the hands of other providers was painful, but it gave me the determination, courage and diligence to keep trying.  If I were to be used by God as a vessel to work to improve the lives of our nation’s “little ones” then that was enough for me to feel fulfilled. 

Where would I begin?  After all, my BA degree was in Business Administration and Political Science with a minor in Accounting.  Although I babysat when I was younger and worked in an after school program in high school as an assistant teacher, neither experience qualified me to own and operate my own business with children.  After completing the 25- hour course, I decided to continue doing research.  I believe that when you are working at a job you should always work toward your next job.  Meaning, begin with the end in mind.  For example, when I began working as an in-home childcare provider, my dream was ultimately to own a childcare center.  Therefore, I set up my apartment and prepared all the paperwork as if I were already running a childcare center.  I was diligent and patient with children.  As a child, doing chores and being responsible proved to be a wonderful foundation for developing a good work ethic.

When the children went home and my child went to sleep, I spent evenings and early morning hours fine-tuning my parent handbooks, announcements and newsletters.  I wrote menus and fed the children meals with nutrition standards required by the United States Department of Agriculture.  I designed a curriculum and daily schedules for each age group.  I also began to look outside of the home for a larger space. 

Before you embark upon this endeavor, be sure that you know why you are doing it.  For example, ask yourself if you are attempting to break into this business because you think you will be instantly wealthy or is it because you sincerely want to improve the quality of lives for children and their families?  Let me set the record straight - the childcare industry is not the business that will instantly bring you millions of dollars.  As a matter of fact, you may never make millions owning and operating your own center.  However, if you are in this business for the right reason and your heart and soul is into it, you will be rich in love, rich in spirit, rich in passion, rich in being the best that you can be for children – because by being your best you are able to give your best in return.

I was never guided by the motivation to “get wealthy”.  Since the beginning, I have been driven by my passion to make this world a better place for children.  Therefore, when I began looking outside of the home for a larger space, my objective was to be able to touch the lives of more children.  My philosophy was if five children could be affected in a positive way; so could 45, 105 and prayerfully thousands. 

I went to City Hall, other property managers, and contacted real estate agencies to inquire, but nothing seemed to be working out the way I thought it should.  Most of the people that I talked to said that space was not available in a particular area of the city or that they didn’t want to take on the liability of housing a childcare center or “day care”, as it is often referred to.  I also spoke to a licensing specialist and other people who were very discouraging.  One lesson I learned as a child was that patience and persistence must take precedence in your life.  In addition, what lies behind us and what lies before us are tiny matters compared to what lies within us (Oliver Wendell Holmes).

So when things didn’t immediately work out the way I thought it should, I continued to pray and wait for God to lead me.  At that point, I didn’t do anything but stop and listen.  I stopped pounding the pavement.  I stopped calling all of the realtors and property managers bugging them day and night and I stopped harassing the contacts that I had made at City Hall. I began to focus more on right here and now.  I strived to make my in-home school the best place it could be.  I worked at home for approximately ten months.  On October 8, 1993, I received a phone call from the property manager that I had spoken with seven months earlier.  He informed me that a childcare center located in an apartment complex had gone out of business after twenty-five years.  He also said that he heard many good things about my in-home childcare. The next words that came out of his mouth changed my life forever, “Would you like to have the center?”