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Caregiver of the Month Award Stories

There is no greater reward in life than giving unselfishly of ourselves. And so it is with the many wonderful child care providers who go above and beyond their "call of duty" in dedication to the service they provide, and in the invaluable assistance they give so many families. As you read the wonderful letters we've received from parents you'll understand completely how important a quality child care provider is to our children and our families.

If you've got a heartwarming story about your caregiver you'd like to share with child care online visitors, please email us your story at caregiveraward@childcare.net, or use the form below.  As always we welcome your feedback on these wonderful stories.

Story 1
From: Stacey Huxley (Winner)
Nomination: I would like to nominate Samantha and Steve Redman for Caregiver of the month. A couple of years ago, I found myself in a bind, a single mother of 3 children, trying to make ends meet working two jobs..Suddenly, my roomate couldn't babysit for my young children and I was stuck to find someone who could take 3 children, full time and work late hours. That is when Samantha and Steve came into our lives. Amazingly enough, she was open 24 hours a day M-Saturday!! I was extremely hesitant at first, leaving my babies with complete strangers at the drop of a hat. Boy was I in for a surprise. They were treated as part of the family, and Steve and Samantha even made exceptions for my work schedule and took the children along to church on Sundays when I had no choice but to work! Even though we had to move some 200 miles away, my children miss them and their children every day. I know that the special care that they received while with Samantha and Steve will be hard ! to find again.. and I thank God that they were sent to us.

Story 2
From: Talitha Bailey
Nomination: Hello everyone. I would love to tell you about a very special child care provider in Indiana. Her name is Sonya McQuade, and she runs a day care called Awesome Kidz II in Indiana. >I am also a provider, but my 3 year old daughter still attends her day care due to the education that she recieves from this woman. My daughter knows the pledge of allegiance, can count to 60 with no mistakes, knows the days of the week in order, and months of the year in order. My daughter comes home from day care every day in a cheerful mood, and has something that they have created at "school." I couldn't have a better provider. She needs to be commended for her excellence in teaching children, and I hope that you all can one day see her in action.

Story 1(Winner)
Name: Melanie Hollar
Nomination: Please submit your Caregiver of the Month story here. I am a mother of three and operate a daycare in my home on first and third shifts and also just went through the stars program and am working on my CDA's. I strive on watching the children learn from me and othersand I would like to nominate myself. Thanks

Story 1(Winner)
Name: Jeannie Delp
Nomination: I am a childcare provider, a mother of two, and I operate a home-based childcare! I love the children, they are my reason for waking up in the morning. I would like to nominate myself for this award! Jeannie

Story 2
Name: Genna Bass
Nomination: Miss Jeannie in Newport News, Virginia, is a blessing for my children. She runs and operates her home-childcare with open-love and warmth, providing care for each child there. She goes out of her way each day to make sure that all the children leave with a smile. She has loved my children, and others, as her own children, no special treatments! I believe she deserves this award for all her hard-work and dedication each day to her childcare children! She has become my best friend and I thank God she has come into our lives.

Story 1 (Winner)
Lina Andres of A+ Learning Center in Reno, Nevada is absolutely wonderful! She wears many hats during the day at the center: She cares for little toddlers in the morning, transports school-aged children to school, cooks meals for the 100+ children at the center, and offers plenty of TLC to each and every child needing that "one-on-one" attention. She is always happy and is quick to help anyone and everyone in need. Miss Lina warms our hearts every day with her loving smile and cheerful sense of humor - and the children absolutely love her! Her years of experience in the field always shines through with her thoughtfulness and guidance. Thank you for this opportunity to let this bright star shine, because she truly brightens our lives.

Submitted by Adina Cremeans

Story 1 (Winner)
I would like to nominate Miss Sarah Ramdath of Loving Touch Family Daycare in Paterson, NJ or "Miss Sarah" as all the kids likes to call her as "Caregiver of the Month." She is God sent to my family, full of the energy of love, always smiling and ready with a warm hug and a loving word. My girl-friend's daughter said "Miss Sarah is a big teddy bear, warm and fuzzy." As a parent I have learned so much from her over the years. She has taken care of my kids from birth, now they are 12 and 8. She is patient and loving, never raises her voice, yet when she speaks she commands their attention, even the parents of the children stop and follow on her command :)

It is because of her love, commitment and passion to and for children that I have decided to become a family daycare provider. Miss Sarah over the years have proven the phrase which she loves to quote as "her work being child's play" because she makes childcare, look like child's play......all fun and no work. Good providers as Miss Sarah are hard to find because they are priceless! She lets a kid be a kid.

I can tell my kids are happy when they are picked up from daycare because my daughter said to me, "Miss Sarah School smells like love". I wish every child could have a Miss Sarah in their life. When my sister in law relocated to Sarasota Fla. her kids wanted to take Miss Sarah with them, this is how special she is to the family of the children she cares for. She has been a building block in the lives of the children she has cared for. Thank God for all the Miss Sarah’s' out there. I think Miss sarah should be nominated as "Provider of the Month."

Sincerely,

Rachel Guerra

Story 1 (Winner - tie vote with Story 2)
I'm taking this time to nominate Vanessa Leyva, from Ft. Stockton, Texas as caregiver of the month.

It all started during her Senior year in High School, she would help out half a day, Mon-Fri. At her young age, we didn't think she'd be interested in childcare. She stayed on as our employee and has been a great teacher. She has always been ready to help in whatever is needed. Vanessa goes from Provider to Maintenance Girl in no time. She repairs our walls when needed, mows the lawn, paints, and has no problem getting dirty. Yet she still has time to play with the children in care.

This year(2002) in April Vanessa became Director for one of our centers. We had to ask for a waiver,she's 20, and God granted us this wish. She has excelled far and beyond at her "new" title. Her paper work is always on time, the curriculum is always ready,duties and responsibilities are always met and she is a wonderful Boss. (At least I have no complaints from the two employees under her.)

Vanessa seems very excited about the new year and our new curriculum. She is getting ready with teaching aids, props, etc. And her bulletin boards are ready for back to school, and she's done a great job at that too! We at Li'l Angels Playhouse are vey proud of her and admire her because despite her age she has proven to be a great asset to our childacre staff.

Sincerely,

Mrs. Nikki Ponce-Trejo, Owner
Li'l Angels Playhouse and Li'l Angels Playhouse

I would like to nominate Tama Beeson in St. Louis Michigan for Provider of the month.

Tama has been a provider in this area for over 16 years and has had my children since they were born. She recently won the State of Michigan Governor's Quality Care Award for outstanding care to Michigan's most precious residents. Tama always goes above and beyond in the care that she provides all the children at Kids Land. There is no place that I would rather have my children be when they can not be with me.

Story 1
My child care provider Tama Beeson in St. Louis, Michigan is a god send to me and my family. She really is a second mother to my children. I am not the only parent that feels this way either. Tama has been nominated for the "Govenor's Quality Care Award" for the State of Michigan. The winner will be announced June 19, 2002 and we are very excited. She is a winner to all of us no matter what the outcome! Submitted by Jan - Email: mandi7@excite.com (06/03/02)

I would like to nominate Laurie DeMartini of Belmont, California as provider of the month. This submission may be strange because I am not a day care parent, I am another child care provider from Laurie's area. But my nomination comes from the heart. Laurie is simply an inspiration. When I first entered the field of Family Child Care, Laurie not only helped me learn about technical things like contracts, licensing issues, and insurance but through observing her she taught me so much more. She is natural and caring with the children. Her care goes so much further than just meeting the children's physical and saftey needs. The children's social, cognitive, creative and emotional needs are surpassed too, leaving the entire families enriched. She unselfishly goes out of her way to assist other Family Child Care providers too. Ultimately improving the quality of care children receive county wide! It is the nature of the Child Care field to attract selfless caregivers, but Laurie goes above and beyond. So often people like Laurie work day in and out without their proper thanks. I feel Laurie should be honored as Provider of the Month.

Submitted by: Shannon Leigh Collins      
Email: LAURELPRESCHOOL@aol.com

Story 1 (May Winner)
Perhaps the most important thing in our lives is our children and for some of us, we cannot afford to not work so we need caregivers.

Bonnie Gompf and Debbie Weiss have been far more than caregivers to our daughters. They have taken them into their home and treated them much more like their own than as a source of income and a job. Although they care for children in their home, they have completely decorated the lower level as a daycare/school environment to stimulate the young minds they care for every day.

I had a great deal of difficulty with my second pregnancy and for much of the time I was unable to work or care for my 2 year old. They would keep her well into the evening until my husband could get her or even keep her overnight if we needed without ever asking for anything in return. I lost my job shortly after having my second daughter due to going beyond my medical leave leaving us with no income to pay for daycare and again they asked us to please ! bring our girls there and not to worry about paying them. They just loved having them there.

If possible I think they love my kids as much as I do. They have taken them in as part of their family and we could not have been luckier to have such loving wonderful people have cared for our children. If anyone in the Lakewood, Ohio area works and is in need of someone to take care of their children, please contact me and I will give you more information on these sisters-in law. If you cannot for any reason watch your own children, you will NEVER find anyone better than Bonnie & Debbie. I think we have shed more tears about losing them than pretty much anything else with our descision to relocate. We will miss them terribly and can only hope to find someone half as good to watch our girls in our new home. There are people in our lives that we should consider ourselves lucky to have found and known, Bonnie and Debbie and their families are without a doubt some of those people!!!

Laura Mayer - Email: Bobandlo@aol.com

Story 1 (Oct. Winner)
To whom it may concern:
I want to give all thanks to my caregiver and her assistant. Mrs Wanda Oliver and her assistant are the proud owners of Stay-A-While Daycare. I wanted to take the time to thank the childcarer providers for their continuous support and overwhelming caring of my daughter, Shayla, during her sick times and good times. I feel it is very important that a person stays very positive and energetic when taking care of children. Mrs. Wanda goes out of her way to make every parent happy, not just one parent.
I have never picked up my child wet, crying, hungry, or miserable. It is funny, sometimes my child is so full, she can only look at me when I come in. My child greets Mrs. Wanda with a smile every morning. A greeted smile informs me that my child is happy and loves Mrs. Wanda. Mrs Wanda has only been in the childcare business for about 5 years, but has raised her children and assisted with her grandchildren for many years. It is very hard to leave the daycare because it is such a warming and home-like feeling when you are in there.

I can remember one time my 5 month old baby was feeling terrible with a summer cold. I did not want to leave her , but neither me nor her dad could get off work. I informed Mrs. Wanda that if she was too much for her that she could call her grandmother to pick her up. Mrs. Wanda took her in anyhow and treated her as if she was one of her own sick grandchildren. Her business is picking up very well because of the continous community support. I really think that she needs some extra THANK-YOU's from somewhere else.

Oh! we don't want to leave Dee Dee out, because she is the offspring of Mrs. Wanda. They are a wonderful mother and daughter team. They both take care of the children with extra love and care. I have always feared taking either of my children to a daycare because of the many horror stories, but Stay-A-While Daycare of Valdosta, Ga. has really put the trust back in daycare providing. Please give her some recognition for her and her daughter's hard work and support of working parents.

Mr. and Mrs. Marshall and Corlisa Edwards
Valdosta, Ga.

When my son, Samuel, was 8 months old, he became ill with what first appeared to be a simple cold but was accompanied by a fever that climbed steadily, despite tylenol and many, many lukewarm baths. Every morning for several days, my husband and I would take Samuel back to the doctor because his fever would not go down and he was eating less and less. He had outpatient tests such as bloodwork and x-rays but the doctor could find nothing wrong. On the fourth morning, Dr. Ruben hospitalized Samuel in order to perform more serious tests and because he had become dehydrated due to his continuous high fever and inability to take in any liquids. Because he was so dehydrated, it was very difficult to find a vein in which to insert the iv needle. It took four experienced pediatric nurses many attempts to finally succeed.

I knew that Doreen would want to know how Samuel was--she had been keeping up with this illness just as she has always kept up with teething discomfort, every earache, sniffly nose, and anything that affects him--so my husband called her while Samuel was having his iv inserted. After her long workday, Doreen came immediately to the hospital, without even pausing to eat. When Samuel saw Doreen, he attempted to smile for the first time that day. He had been truly miserable, either crying or moaning ever since the ordeal of being stuck for the iv needle. He would not nurse, he would not drink his favorite treat of apple juice, he would not taste the numerous popsicles offered, he would not raise his head up to look around the room; he would only cling weakly to me. However, he managed to hold onto me like velcro due to fear whenever anyone approached him or I tried to put him down.

Samuel was so happy to see Doreen, he held his little arms out toward her with a faint smile on his wan, tear-stained face. Although his sweet head remained weakly collapsed on me, he focused and gazed up toward her, his sad eyes opened up a bit through the light she brought back into them. She embraced him, gently stroking his head and tired little body while speaking softly. He visibly relaxed and his arms even fell down by his sides, causing me to notice just how tense Samuel and I had been and that an entire day had just passed. Doreen walked with him, rocked with him, and talked and sang to him. He became happy in her arms, nuzzling close and gurgling to her. After awhile, she asked for a juice bottle. By playing with him, singing, and making funny sounds, she was able to coax Samuel into drinking 2 ounces of apple juice. This was the only fluid that he consumed by mouth for several days.

Samuel is fine now. X-rays revealed that all his sinus cavities were completely blocked with infection which cleared up after massive iv and oral antibiotic treatment. I am grateful beyond words that my baby is fine now. The most frightening, profound experience of my life has been when Samuel was in the hospital and his fever just kept going up and tests revealed nothing. To me, the fact that only Doreen could get Samuel to drink anything at all is indicative of the talents, wisdom and love she shares everyday as a caregiver.

As a working mother, I miss my son everyday more than I can say. But I know he is fine because he is with Doreen. Everyday she writes down the ordinary details such as what, when, and how much he eats, when and how long he naps, and little things about his day that let me feel a part of it. I keep all Doreen's daily sheets in a notebook that I will treasure always because her kindness and dilegence have recorded the moments of my baby's days when I could not be there. Samuel will soon leave Miss Doreen's baby room to move across the hall to the big baby room. He will be fine because he is in a great daycare and Doreen will continue to look out for him as she has played an invaluable, immeasureable part in his development as a very happy child.

I cannot imagine a more deserving recipient of the Caregiver Award than Doreen. I especially would like to see her so honored and recognized because I know that she must have touched many lives through her 23-year career in the way she has touched my and my child's lives. I am so proud to know Doreen and will always be grateful for the expert loving care she has given my son. I know that she has played a significant role in Samuel being a healthy, happy baby and in sharing her years of wisdom and practical knowledge in helping me to be a better mother to him. I would like everyone to know how special a caregiver Doreen is. She is the model of excellence and integrity in caregiving.

Thank you for considering Mrs. Doreen Meacham-Muhammed for the Caregiver of the Year Award. I hope you chose her. Please contact me if you have any questions or need any further information.

Sincerely,
Julie Walker

Story 3
From: QBALL10868@aol.com
Subject: Great Daycare "Mom"

I would like to tell you about a terriffic daycare "mom". Her name is Dorothy McMillen and she was my 3rd child's daycare provider for 1 1/2 years. Dorothy took my son into her daycare home when he was 4 months old. She gave him all the love, respect and care that I would have if I could stay at home. She has had her home daycare for 18 years. She is "mom, grandma, etc." to all the children she has taken care of over the years. Some of those children still visit her, even the teens she took care of from birth still call her "Mama Dorothy." I knew from the day I met her in church that she would be the perfect daycare person for my son. She allowed my frequent schedule changes with perfect grace. She always took the time to chat with me about my son's day and even sent home little "gifts" with him for Christmas, birthday, etc. I really hated to take him out of her daycare, but we had been transferred out of state. I often call her on the phone and talk about how her daycare is going and ask about her kids now. She is the perfect definition of "babysitter" -- "She has a saint's patience and an angel's love".

Thanks for letting me share,
Shirley