More than just a great daycare teacher

As a Mother of two young children, it was important for Dave and I to find a good quality daycare we loved, and one the kids loved too. After R-man was born we switched to Generation Next. If any parent has ever made a daycare switch, you know it's nerve wracking and you wonder if you did the right thing. Well after the first week at Generation Next, we knew we did. We loved all of the teachers both of the kids had. When either Dave or I would pick them up the morning and afternoon teachers would always say, Little-C (well they said her real name), "How are you today?" As a parent, I often times had no idea who the teacher was, but the kids did because they got huge smiles on their faces.

Every fall the kids typically move rooms, similar to how elementary schools move you up to the next grade. Last fall, Little-C got moved to a new room and at first it's kind of like starting at the daycare all over again. You have to get to know the teacher, and you hope your child will love them.

Well, there was a teacher in Little-C's class named Kelsey Beadle. Little-C absolutely fell in love with her. As a parent, I've realized a good daycare teacher involves more than just watching my child everyday. Kelsey always made sure the children are safe, they assure the children are feeling okay and not infecting others, they watch the children's development skills advance, they provide proper nutrition during breakfast, lunch and their afternoon snack and they have a curriculum to educate each child.

What I loved about Kelsey is her ability to make Little-C feel welcome in her room. She always gave her a hug each morning and made sure she got comfortably settled in before Dave or I left the room. There were times before we left our home for daycare that she would be throwing a fit. I mean what three year old doesn't do that? But, it never failed by the time she got into her room and before Dave and I ever left, she was usually in a good mood and smiling. This had to do with the passion and care that Kelsey not only gave Little-C, but all of the kids in her room.
Whenever we would pick Little-C up for an appointment, Kelsey would be reading to them, helping them with activities and the room seemed ever so calm. A few weeks ago, we would ask Little-C if she had a good day with Kelsey and she would say, "She's not in my room anymore." I began wondering what happened and then a new sheet got sent home with Little-C's new teachers. Kelsey was moving! WHAT???

Kelsey is moving after she get's married so Generation Next is having her float around rooms so they can have dedicated teachers in each of the rooms. As a parent, I get it - kids need structure in their day to assure they abide by the rules and continue to get a great education. But, I was bummed by this. I can tell when I drop Little-C off and she see's Kelsey, she puts her head down and is very sad. She misses the teacher that gave her a huge each morning and welcomed her to the classroom.

Little-C with Kelsey during morning drop-off. She misses her a great deal as you can tell.

Kelsey came to visit Little-C and she was so excited!
She even asked her if she was staying in her room the rest of the day.

As my kids get older, I too find myself getting attached to the teachers. I'm hoping this continues as my kids age and move onto elementary school. As an adult, I still remember my 1st grade teacher Mrs. Hilligus - I loved her. My Mom worked on the farm so I never went to daycare, but everyday I would cry that I wanted my Mommy and I missed her. Mrs. Hilligus gave me a ride in the elevator to calm me down and would walk me up and down the hall. To my Mom, this meant a lot because she didn't have to come to the school to calm me down.This is what Kelsey means to Little-C.

Last week, Little-C said she wanted to get Kelsey a gift before she leaves. I knew she loved Iowa State University, which is good because buying something for the other Iowa team would have been tough. We got her a Cyclone tumbler from Bed Bath & Beyond and candle from D&K Candles. We still had to make a card so I got on Pinterest because I knew I could find something creative to make.

I found a card and knew it wouldn't take long to make with an ink pad and cardstock. I printed out the tree and the saying and I let Little-C put the leaves on the tree. The leaves represent the ways in which Kelsey helped her grow over the past nine months.

Little-C and I making the leaves on the tree.

The final product.

Little-C made her some artwork on the inside too. 

As a parent, we want to thank Kelsey for being such a great teacher to our daughter. Kelsey loved Little-C like her own daughter. We knew she was getting a great education with the things she's learned, but the care and passion Little-C began to give her family made us realize this was well represented in her classroom by her favorite teacher. Kelsey, you will be missed, but our family wishes you the best and we can't wait to stay in touch!