Local daycare puts children first

michele@theheraldnewspapers.com

“It’s what I’ve always wanted to do,” stated Stacey Dockins as she talked about her new daycare center which opened in April in Seymour. Located at 213 Phoenix Court the center has a capacity for about 80 children with 60 little sets of feet scurrying around the floor of the center now. “I’ve wanted to do this for 20 years,” stated Stacey’s mom Sandra Carpenter who works along side her daughter at Child Care, Inc. Learning Center. “It’s my life ambition.” Carpenter has had plenty of experience with children. “I retired from teaching where I worked for 30 years,” stated Carpenter who holds her Masters in Education.
“I’m just one class short of getting my education degree,” stated Stacey. “But it’s so hard to find the time to go back to school to finish.”
A typical day has the women arriving at the center early waiting for their 6:30 a.m. guests to arrive and leaving around 7:00 p.m. each day. “It’s a long day but we love doing it,” stated Stacey who talked about her center. “We promote learning with children and we use the Knox County and Sevier County curriculum for preschool. We want our kids to feel safe and loved. We want them to want to come to our center, to come to excel and learn.”
The women say it’s a great place for the kids to socialize and have fun and with fifteen workers there are plenty of people to keep the kids occupied. “The state has guidelines for the number of children you can have per adult,” stated Stacey. For instance, you can only have four babies for one worker.”
“We’re here for the kids,” stated Sandra.
The center offers full day and before or after school care. For more information on Child Care, Inc. Learning Center you can call Stacey or Sandra at 579-2851.