Fanny and her husband live in Bethel and are parents to three children. Fanny had always thought about owning her own family child care center. She worked for twelve years as a full time CNA in a nursing home. It was a secure job and the thought of leaving it felt too risky, until she was forced to leave for medical reasons.
She began looking for other work, but with three young children, she and her husband quickly realized that the cost of child care would far outweigh the benefits of her potential income. “At the time, my youngest was 10 months old, the middle child was three and the oldest was seven. All three of them needed care, but everywhere I went it was so expensive.” Her husband suggested she stay home with the kids, and he would work two jobs to make up the difference financially. But Fanny soon became restless and bored and knew it was time to make her dream a reality.
She first reached out to her family and recruited her cousin’s child as her first client – offering him a significant discount. Word of mouth spread, more of her family’s children joined as clients, and the rest, as they say, is history.
With five kids in her care, Fanny decided to formalize her business and pursue her family child care license. While her husband was skeptical about rocking the boat, Fanny was referred to All Our Kin, a national nonprofit based in Connecticut that trains, supports and sustains family child care educators. Once she successfully received her license, she reached out to 211 Child Care to be trained to accept clients who participate in Care 4 Kids, a program sponsored by the Connecticut Office of Early Childhood that helps low-to-moderate income families pay for child care costs.
Fanny receives a lot of support from other child care providers in the community, as well as from United Way of Coastal Western Connecticut’s Cora’s Kids program for continuing education and professional development – and from participating in our Staffed Family Child Care Network (SFCCN) through the hub at Team Inc. Through Team Inc., Fanny earned her Child Development Associate (CDA) credential. And within that hub of 126 community providers, Fanny leads a committee of 85 Spanish-speaking child care providers.
Being in this community of support with providers who experience the same things I do is so important. They understand what I do and what I’m going through. We’re there for each other as sounding boards, and we’ve become like family. And having the availability of local training is critical.
It’s a tough business, and there are struggles. “I have families who don’t qualify for Care 4 Kids because they just miss the eligibility requirements. The requirements don’t take a family’s expenses into account. Expenses like rent, mortgage, insurance, utilities are sky high. Once those bills are paid, these families barely get by and live paycheck-to-paycheck. I make exceptions for parents, and that is a struggle for me.”
Care 4 Kids is amazing. Without Care 4 Kids a lot of people wouldn’t be able to go to work.
Fanny considers herself successful. She is licensed to care for nine children and is always at capacity – all by word-of-mouth, with no advertising investment! And, she has a vision for her future: she has applied for a Women’s Business Grant to expand her business and plans to participate in the Parent Leadership Training Institute (PLTI), with a special focus on children with special needs.
I used to work as a CNA with the elderly, and now I’m doing the same thing, but the other way around – from watching the end, to watching the beginning. I am so passionate about this work because there is so much we can contribute to these kids and their futures that will make a difference in their lives. That keeps me motivated and excited. If we can do the right thing for these infants and toddlers and impact their early education, they can have successful futures.
Fanny’s own children are now 10, 13 and the oldest, 18, is in college. She has been a family child care provider for almost 10 years. What advice does she have for folks interested in child care?
- Don’t do it for the money. You must be invested in this business.
- Taking care of kids this age isn’t passive – it’s not about them sitting around and coloring – it’s a lot more than that.
- Be sure you have the passion, patience and vision to do this work.