By CRISTINA JANNEY
Hays Post
Shelley Scheck, 53, a Hays native, has been a child care provider for 20 years.
Scheck worked in banking before she was a child care provider.
When the family decided to move to Hays, her children were entering kindergarten and third grade. She didn't have anywhere for the kids to be after school, so she decided to provide in-home child care so she could care for her children.
Scheck followed in her mother's footsteps. She had a child care and cared for Shelley and her husband's children when they worked.
"Day care is the first stop before we start preschool, so their minds are like little sponges," she said. "We are the first people to start teaching them about manners, sharing, and being nice to their friends.
"We're the first stop for kids when they leave the comfort of their parents' house. We're the first place they go before school, so we need to make that a positive experience for them and make them feel comfortable."
Four people nominated Scheck for the Child Care Champion award for July, praising her big heart and patience.
Andrea Kuhn said, "Shelley is amazing with my daughter. She has so much patience, and her house is always spotless! She has the biggest heart and cares about all the kids she watches."
Andrea Scheck said, "The kids don't want to leave and absolutely love their time there. She has the cleanest environment, and you know your kids are in the best hands."
Corinne Karlin said, "Shelley is amazing with the kids. She is patient, kind and caring. She teaches them important things they need to do and keeps them in a great routine."
Jacob Karlin said, "She is absolutely amazing with the kids!"
Scheck's child care focuses on age-based learning, including learning shapes, colors and manners.
"They are so creative. Seeing the things they come up with is amazing," she said.
Scheck said the kids absorb everything.
"It's getting to know each and every child," she said. "They all have different personalities. ... They can tell you what we do from the minute they walk in the door to the minute they walk home."
She engages the children in making keepsakes for their parents for holidays, including Mother's Day, Father's Day and Christmas.
"I like to create keepsakes with pictures or the kids' handprints— something that will be meaningful," she said.
For Father's Day, the kids used paint to put their hand prints on gloves. She took pictures of the kids with the letters M-O-M and put them into a three-picture frame. The kids have imprinted coffee mugs and planted flowers in pots the children decorated with their fingerprints.
"The kids are so proud of them, they can't keep it a secret," she said.
Scheck said she has become close to many of the families whose children she has cared for.
"There are some families that I was close with that I am still friends with now," she said. "It's always hard when they age out and they go to start school because you get close to them and you get attached to them. It's hard because you feel like you are losing a child."
Some of the children she has cared for are now graduating from high school and in college. She has also had the opportunity to care for her grandchildren.
It's time she regrets not being able to spend with her son and daughter when they were small.
Scheck said child care has changed in the last 20 years as a business.
People used to call her a babysitter.
"They thought we were at home, drinking tea with our feet up and eating bonbons," she said.
She added, "It's not all sunshine and roses, but it has its benefits."
"When a little kid comes to you and gives you a hug or says they love you or just wants to come and sit with you for a little bit, that just makes it worth it."
Regulations have become stricter. She started her business as a registered child care home, which required her to only pay a $5 fee and have no annual inspection.
Today, she is licensed. She must have 16 hours of continuing education credits annually, be CPR and first aid certified and have her home subject to a surprise inspection annually.
She said she knows the regulations are there to protect children.
"I feel like my house is more childproof than half by child care parents," she said.
She would tell new child care providers that they needed to have thick skin. When she first opened her child care, she had a child struggling to sleep, and the parent was angry with her.
It ended up that the child was not sleeping well because he had an ear infection.
"I always say if you have a problem, come to me because your child is the main focus of my business, so we need to keep the lines of communication open," she said.
Scheck said she always thought she would work as a provider only until her children were older, but she stayed in the industry.
"I love it. I love being at home. I love the things that we do. I love kids. I waited my whole life to be a mom, and it seemed like my kids grew up overnight."
Now, as an empty-nester, she said being a child care provider fulfills that need to nurture others.
"I still have someone to take care of," she said. "It's just been a really good fit for us."
She also said since the Child Care Task Force of Ellis County started its efforts to create more child care slots in Hays, she has seen a decrease in demand for her services.
She used to have a continuous waiting list. She has an opening for a 2-year-old or older who will be available in August, but she hasn't received any calls to fill it.
If you are interested in enrolling a child with Scheck, you can reach her at 785-639-1757.