Caregiver provides best care at Elmendorf

  • Published
  • By 2nd Lt. Erin Slaughter
  • 3rd Wing Public Affairs
ELMENDORF AIR FORCE BASE, Alaska --  Hard work, dedication, and a lot of play time paid off for one local provider. Kristi Morgan was named Provider of the Year by the Family Child Care office Nov. 16 based on points that are earned for things such as training, mentoring other providers, being on time with monthly requirements, inspection scores and parent nominations, said Loretta Morgan of FCC.

"I was surprised to learn that I won because there are so many good providers on base. The parent recommendations have to be what put me over the top," said Kristi. "Relationships with the parents are important because we are working as a team for their child. Without that relationship, you have nothing."

She began home day care when she was pregnant with her first son 13 years ago.
"I wanted to stay at home with my son, but still earn an income," Kristi said. "This seemed like the perfect way to do that."

Now three of her four children are at school, but that doesn't keep her from watching four children full-time and another part-time. The ages of the children she watches daily range from two-years-old to four-years-old.

That kind of responsibility can be hard on a person, but Kristi handles it well. Earning the license was difficult at first, because she was just starting out and had not heard of the many theories that exist about child development. Fortunately, it has become easier through the years. Part of that is due to her earning an associates degree in Early Childhood Education and beginning to understand those theories about young children and their development.

She has learned how to keep them busy, approaching her activities with a theme in mind. For Halloween, they took apart pumpkins and talked about the parts and their purposes before painting them. They also frequently do things like reading and playing dress up.

In order to take the four-day certification class to become a home child care provider, an individual has to live on base, be at least 18 years old, have a high school diploma or GED and be able to speak, read and write English.

The FCC provides training monthly and those classes are free of charge. Once an individual is a licensed provider, they are required to stay current with all monthly training and unannounced monthly inspections.