Chantelle Hester for #GANeedsChildCare

Speaker: Chantelle Hester

Well, this is Chantelle Hester, and I am a a family child care provider, and the name of my program is Smart Starters Academy Family Childcare Learning Home, and we are located here in Savannah, Georgia. At this current time, I do serve ages, um, I believe 1 through 4, maybe 5, depending on the birthday. And I have right now only 2 infants at the time, and I am not participating in the CAPS program at this time.

Well, what do I love about childcare? Mainly, um, being able to witness the little ones grow and develop and learn as they're playing, as they're mimicking, as they're doing. Everything in their little world, you know, I know that they're growing and they're developing and learning what it is that they need to learn. And being able to witness that and have them to go back home and show mommy and daddy and sister and brother, the things that they've learned. That helps me know that I'm doing my job and doing it well.

Well, a story, um, with me giving impact. I, maybe about a year or two ago, had a little guy who has Down Syndrome, and his mom was very worried and because – and frustrated, because she was trying to find a child care provider or a center that would accept him in. And so someone referred her to me, and we–. She came with the little guy, and she was like, "I just, I can't find anybody to take him, you know. He's very functionable, you know. He's just not speaking, but he knows, you know, he has–. He's very functional. He knows how to follow directions." She was just so flustered and really worried that if this lady doesn't take my baby, I don't know what I need to do, because I still have to go to work. So, talked with my husband about it, and I was like, "I don't know. I've never had a little one, you know, with a medical diagnosis." And so, he was like, "It's up to you." I said, OK. I said, well, I'll give it a week. I told the lady, I will give it a week to see how it goes. And from that week up until. last year, I think it was. Yeah, he is an awesome little guy. He's still mute, but he has really good sense. He knows how to follow directions. He knows and has learned all of the basics of what he needs to know before going into kindergarten. So, even though he is mute and he's going to speech therapy, you can't say anything less about that guy, necause he has really grown from that one week up until 2024, and he graduated from Smart Starters Academy Family Learning Home. Thank you.

Well, what is one of the biggest challenges? Right now, currently, my biggest challenge is very low enrollment. Here in the state of Georgia, family learning homes are only licensed for 6 children, if you're working on your own. And so at the moment, I only have 2. And so it's–. Hopefully I'll have another one, but my biggest challenge right now is low enrollment, which means low funding for myself and my family. Um, so. The additional support will help me overcome tons of um, home utility bills and home bills period, because again, that is my job as being a family child care provider. But I also have my family that I need to provide for, as well. So, low enrollment and low income causes my family to have what they need, but can't get. So, the additional support will really help with me allowing to be able to provide for my family. Um, that's

So. What is one thing that I would like for the elected officials to know about? Hmm. The greater need is funding, money, period. Everyone's lives are centered around money. We can't be able to provide for our families if there's no money there. Families aren't able to have child care if they don't have money. We need a balance. We need the consistent flow of funding, not just for the families, but also for the child care providers, because we also have families. You have a family, and I'm pretty sure you have little ones too, and they're probably going to child care. You may be able to afford it, but another parent on the other side may not be able to. So, if we don't have the funding for the families, they're not able to bring their babies here. We're not able, as providers, to keep our doors open for them to bring their little ones to us and trust that we're going to take care of them. So, the support and the investment that we– that we need is extremely important. Because at this time right now, I think I said it before, I only have 2 children. I'm only licensed for 6, so my low enrollment is taking, is, is messing with my income, which is messing with my family's income. Because I have children, and they need– they have things that they need, and if I'm not able to provide that, then what's left for me? I'm a worker as well. I'm not a babysitter. I don't provide services for free. I am also a worker in this workforce. So we need the consistent funding, period.