My FCC Child Care Story

Hi, my name is Corrine and FCC has made a difference in my life. As a child my mother did home daycare. I was lucky to spend the day with my mom and to be able to learn and play with the other children without even having to leave the house. My mom made it feel like home for all the kids while providing them a routine with a fun and safe environment. 30 years later and she still keeps in touch with some of her past daycare kids because of the impact she made in there lives. Growing up with home daycare provided me with strong family ties and know that family is more than blood.

Later I realized that FCC is the best of both worlds for my children. As a parent in the work force, I wished I could be home and focus on raising my child, but that wasn't an option. My husband and I both had to work. I wanted my daughter in a loving home atmosphere even if it couldn't be in my own home. So at 6 months old, my daughter started home daycare on Fairchild when I got a different job on base. The provider worked with me in each stage of here life. She gave me daily reports on how she was doing. She scrapbooked photos, planned little family parties, had a lesson plan and even went on field trips. My daughter knew at a young age to be on a schedule and to play with other kids. I think it made her a happier baby. I was always so excited to pick her up after a long day at work. It was also helpful that she taught my daughter and I baby sign language before she could even speak. We were able to communicate what she wanted or ask her simple questions.

Once I had my son three and a half years later, he started in FCC as well when he was 6 weeks old. My son had many of the same experience as my daughter. Unfortunately, about a year later my provider had to PCS and my kids went to a different provider. They missed their old one, but adapted well no matter where they ended up. My kids had four different providers while they were little and each one was great and played a role in raising my kids. Each was a bit different but had just as much of an impact as the first.

Now my children are 14 and 11 years old. My daughter is a freshman in high school and she still keeps in touch with her first FCC provider. She is taking American Sign Language and is top of her class. I contribute that to her provider teaching her baby sign. Both my kids had great experiences as part of FCC and I wouldn't change it for the world. It was hard dropping them off each day but I feel that they got the best of both worlds. Leaning and playing with others in a small home group setting, laid the path for my kids in school and beyond just as it did for me as a child.