"I haven’t met a parent yet who doesn’t want the best care possible for their child."
A conversation with family child care provider Melody A. Robinson
Melody A. Robinson is the CEO and founder of Parent’s Helper Nature School Daycare. Melody has over 35 years of experience educating and supporting children and families, and is passionate about mentoring and establishing network supports for new and existing child care professionals. She recently spoke with Capita’s CEO Joe Waters to discuss how we might build a child care system that supports flourishing for family child care providers and the families they serve.
This interview has been edited for length and clarity by Nancy Vorsanger. Our thanks to Home Grown for their help in elevating the voices of family child care providers as together we build a more just and humane future for child care providers.
“But whatever form of child care a parent decides for their family, I don’t want them to lose an opportunity to have a choice. People should be allowed to have choices about which form of child care is best for their children, and to take away even one of those choices can have a detrimental effect on families.”
Joe Waters: Can you tell me a little bit about where you're located, the type of business you run, how many kids you have, and where they come from?
Melody Robinson: I’m located in Oak Park, Illinois. Right across the street from Chicago. I run a group home daycare, where I’m licensed to care for 16 children with an assistant. I serve children 6 weeks to 12 years old.
Currently, I care for 12 children ages 18 months to 10 years old. I service families from many communities. My current families are from Oak Park, Berwyn, Chicago, and Forest Park, Illinois. In my community, most family child care homes don’t accept government subsidy assistance because of the low state reimbursement rate for childcare. I service both private and state-subsidized families. Currently, my enrollment is about half of each.
I choose to accept clients receiving government subsidized assistance because the need is there. Far too many families don’t have the financial resources necessary to afford high-quality child care. I have always believed that all families should have access to a safe and nurturing learning environment, even if they can't afford it. I haven’t met a parent yet who doesn’t want the best care possible for their child.
You started this business 1985. Were you working somewhere else before?
Yes, I was working at Hatch Public school in Oak Park, Illinois. I worked as an assistant teacher in a special education classroom teaching kindergarten through third grade. Prior to working at Hatch, I worked at a childcare center in Chicago as lead teacher and assistant director. I have my degree in early childhood education with a 0-4 teacher certification. This certification allows me to teach infancy to third grade.
What do you think needs to change to better support people who are in your business and in your role?
“Too many policies and rules don’t fully apply to family childcare. Family childcare is a unique puzzle of its own and many times, center-based rules and standards don’t apply to our home care.”
Respect and acknowledgement for the important role quality early care and learning plays in society. We are supporting and nurturing future citizens and leaders. What is more important than that? Another important change is a cohesiveness effort to come together when legislators and policy makers are deciding on standards and policies that will govern family child care homes and the field of early childhood education. How can decisions be made about us and the work we do every day if our voices aren’t heard? How will you know our stories if we aren’t provided opportunities and a platform to share them?
Too many policies and rules don’t fully apply to family childcare. Family childcare is a unique puzzle of its own and many times, center-based rules and standards don’t apply to our home care. No matter how hard you try, some pieces--standards--just won’t fit. So we have to go back and say to licensing, "Hey, that doesn't quite fit here." Let's create an advisory board that incorporates the voices and needs of family child care.
We need a system that recognizes family child care as a vital business resource in the community. And not just a babysitting service created to pass time. We are professionals and serious-minded businesses.
Do you feel like child care licensing is there to help you and support you?
No, not really. Many of my colleagues and I feel licensing is more of a regulating body. We don’t view it as a support system created to assist families and caregivers as intended. One example of system failure was the pandemic. I reopened my program as an essential workers site. But DCFS [the Department. of Children and Family Services] wasn’t a reliable source for guidance during this critical time. In order to reopen safely, I reached out to the CDC office in Illinois for guidance. I searched and gathered information daily. I eagerly shared information I got through their website with friends, families, and colleagues. The CDC and family child care professionals networking and supporting each other was the lifeline we needed to get through the pandemic safely. The guidance and online resources provided by the CDC were a major factor in my program reopening and staying Covid free.
Licensure and family caregivers should be a team, collaborating for the best interests of children and families. Because of the disconnect between family childcare and licensing, home child care is dwindling. Many FCC providers are becoming discouraged and leaving the field, while others are retiring. Currently, there just aren’t enough people interested in opening a family childcare home. That leaves center care or friends and family as caregivers.
You're concerned that it's going to all be center-based care in the future. What is the value of family-based care? Why shouldn't it just be all center-based care?
Melody Robinson
I've taught in both center and public school settings and if I had a magic wand to go back in time, I would make the same choice of caring and teaching a smaller, more intimate group of children in my home. There’s plenty of time for formal education. Kindergarten through 12th grade, undergrad and grad school. There’s only a few years to be a child. Children are going to grow up soon enough. I believe they need time to be children. To explore, reason, and ask questions and marvel at the world. Time to not be pushed or hurried through life's crucial stages of development, just because teachers and school board officials have certain standards or guidelines that must be met to ensure school readiness or academic achievement.
Learning doesn't just take place in a center or in a school building. Learning never ceases, no matter what age we are. But we have this notion, at least here in America, that we can only learn and advance in society if we're in a school-like environment. I don't believe that. I believe in allowing children to be just what they are, children! Growing and developing in an atmosphere, be it home or center, where they feel loved, valued, and appreciated at every age.
I love caring for children in my home. The children have more freedom to move about the environment. Their day isn’t overly structured. If a child wants to lie down and relax, it's okay. They don't have to wait until a 1pm nap time. If they want to read a book in a cozy area, it's okay. If they don't want to play with anyone, that’s okay too. I respect the children’s need to make meaningful choices about activities they want or don’t want to engage in during the day. I encourage independence. We’re not always in a group setting for activities, but we do have moments when we do things as a family. I tell the children, "We're family, we're a daycare family. And we respect and treat each other like family."
You asked, why shouldn't it be just center care? My answer is why shouldn’t families have choices? Some parents will choose center care. Others prefer home-based child care, especially for infants and toddlers. But whatever form of child care a parent decides for their family, I don’t want them to lose an opportunity to have a choice. People should be allowed to have choices about which form of child care is best for their children, and to take away even one of those choices can have a detrimental effect on families.
That's a really beautiful articulation of the value of home-based childcare. I don't think we hear a lot of that. I can see why you’re so determined to make it available to all children, including the ones whose families need subsidies.
In my world, everybody counts. Every human being has a purpose in life. And if I can make life a little easier and more hopeful for children, families, and all mankind, I have fulfilled my purpose for being. I want to leave a positive foundation, that no matter where you're from or what might happen in life, you can accomplish great things. Someone believes in you. Do your best and don't give up. No matter who you are or how old you are, you know you’re not alone and someone believes in you and supports you. Like I tell my children: You are strong. You are smart and you can do ANYTHING!
Melody A. Robinson is the CEO and founder of Parent’s Helper Nature School Daycare. Formerly known as, Parent’s Helper Home Daycare & Academy. Parent’s Helper is located at 1212 N. Austin Blvd. in Oak Park, Illinois.
She serves as a family child care advisor for the Erikson Institute, Town Square, and Home Grown. In addition, Melody holds memberships with the National Association for Family Child Care (NAFCC), National Association for the Education of Young Children (NAEYC), Supporting Providers Network Association (SPNA), West Suburban Home Daycare Association Inc. (WSHDA), National Association of Professional Women and the Oak Park Providers Round Table Collaboration. She holds credentials from the Illinois Gateway to Opportunity Professional Development System in Family Child Care, Infant/Toddler, School-age, Center Director and Early Childhood Education. She is nationally accredited through Nature Explore and the National Association for Family Child Care (NAFCC). She holds a Silver Rating through Illinois ExceleRate Quality Rating System.
She received her B.A. in Early Childhood Education and Psychology from National Louis University and holds a State of Illinois 04 Teacher Certification.