Special Story: Smart Start Really Matters!

So, the assignment from my big boss at work was: provide a special story about how the work you do at the Partnership affects the children of Cumberland County. I struggled with this. I kept thinking, "I'm paperwork. I'm behind the scenes." And, then it dawned on me, I couldn't tie a specific work event to having affected the children of Cumberland County, BUT, I could tie a specific LIFE event to the work I do for the children of Cumberland County. I was telling husband about the special story, and my boss' response to the special story, and he suggested that I blog it. And, then, share it. For me, saving Smart Start is NOT about saving my job. It's about saving kids. Like mine. Like his best friend, Tyler. Like his other classmates. Like the classmates they'll have when they start school. High Quality Child Care matters! It makes a difference. If funding Smart Start is what it takes to make it happen, then we need to tell our legislators to HOLD THE LINE ON SMART START!

I learned first-hand the importance of those silly little stars on a child care provider’s license. My son’s health, and convenience to location drove me to place him – approximately 8 months old at the time – in a 1-star Family Child Care Home. His UNC Pulmonologist requested that we remove him from a center-based child care setting for the sake of his health. From our home, there are 2 child care providers within a reasonable driving distance. One was the center-based child care setting where he was enrolled, and the other is 1-star Family Child Care Home where we moved him to. Location to my home was important because my schedule created the need for others than myself to pick him up from daycare on a regular basis. He had a really hard time adjusting to the move. There were lots of little “things” during the 9 months he was there should have SCREAMED to me to move him, but I felt trapped, like I had no choice – the doctors say he needs the smaller environment; there’s no one else nearby; the transition was so hard on him, I don’t want to do that again. During those 9 months, he learned to watch a lot of TV. And he learned to snatch toys and run down the hall, screaming “No No No.” He clung to his sippy cup like it was his lifeline. I chalked it up to his developmental stage. And then, the BIG thing that shouted, screamed, and slapped me into reality happened. She physically disciplined my child, and had the nerve to tell me about it. She just couldn’t keep watching a child who wouldn’t just sit in the floor and play with the toys (none of which were developmentally appropriate for a child his age). And, I realized, too late, that those behaviors weren’t his developmental stage, they were learned behaviors; that he was learning from the two 3-year olds he was in daycare with. He never went back there. The following week, I enrolled him in a 4-star center. One that’s not quite so convenient to our home location. And, because of his compromised immune system, one that doesn’t keep him quite so healthy. But, within 3 weeks of being there, he was feeding himself every meal. There were no more sippy cups, unless we were traveling. He no longer snatched toys. He was calmer and more well-behaved. That experience with my own child made me realize just how important the work we do here at the Partnership truly is to improving and promoting high quality child care. Every child should have the opportunity to learn in a high-quality setting. When you’ve never experienced it, you don’t see the difference. Every quality enhancement grant agreement; every subsidy MOA; the DSP contracts with DSS and Easter Seals that I process, those are my means to effect change in the lives of children in Cumberland County.