Barbara, married and the mother of a school-aged son, moved to Richmond from a small town in the late 1990s. With the birth of her second child, she was forced to quit her job due to the family’s inability to pay for child care.
Starting with little more than a few used toys and the determination to succeed, Barbara decided to become an in-home child care provider, so that she could continue to care for her own baby while contributing to her family’s income. She learned of ChildSavers‘ Child Development Services Department’s many programs and resources, which are offered at little or no cost to individual child care providers, through the Virginia Department of Social Services.
- Barbara enthusiastically began the process to become a registered child care provider through our Voluntary Registration program. Throughout this process, we helped Barbara comply with health and safety standards and complete a criminal background and child abuse check. We provided her with a safety kit and enrolled her in workshops to help her improve her professional skills.
- She participated in many of our training workshops and activities, including a program to help child care providers work with emotional and behavioral special needs children. Many providers are unprepared to handle such challenges, but Barbara received appropriate training and has since then worked with many special needs children who flourished in her care.
- She even launched a Family Child Care Association that held regular meetings and produced a newsletter.
Barbara was exceptionally enthusiastic and capable, and we soon began to refer parents seeking quality child care to her. Her hard work and natural talent resulted in a successful home-based business, and we are proud to have helped her achieve that success.
