Childcare Profile: Christina's Family Daycare
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Providing childcare is nothing new for Christina Becker. She’s been a certified childcare provider in Monroe for almost 26 years.
She started in childcare in 1996, after her first son was born with congenital heart disease. Becker said her own heart guided her to be a stay-at-home mother for her son (who is now “thriving with his heart health”) and “care for the children of our future generations.”
Last fall, she became a licensed family daycare, enabling her to accept up to eight children, ages 2 months to 9 years old.
“I honestly care for each child as if they were my own,” she said.
She makes sure to introduce new, healthy foods to those in her care. “It’s so important for children to have good, healthy eating choices,” she said. Becker also makes sure to teach basic skills, like setting the table and meal prep, “with smiles and bear hugs and positive words.”
There’s much to enjoy about working with children and families, she said. Knowing children are learning in different areas of child development is one of her favorite things. She also loves making memories with the children and providing a sense of feeling loved in a healthy environment while their parents and guardians are working.
Transition times can be challenging when working with infants, toddlers and even older children. Becker has developed her own method to deal with these periods and help children ease from one activity to the next. “I sing positive words and keep faith in myself for each transition,” she said.
This positivity is important to Becker, who stresses other affirmations such as “sharing is caring” and “be a kind soul” to keep a calming atmosphere.
Becker said she hopes more people can focus on how childcare has evolved over the years. “We’re not babysitters – with the secondary education we do and yearly continuing education training in areas of child development, we’re trained professionals,” she said.
She encourages the entire community to support childcare by showing respect and appreciation for the work that childcare educators do. It impacts everyone because the work they do is vital for the health of communities.
“With the blessed circle of early childcare professionals, parents and guardians are able to provide for their families, and businesses have employees,” Becker said. “This allows businesses to remain open on a positive path forward.”
