Ann Aaron of Aaron Home Daycare in Newnan, Georgia has been a member of ProviderWatch since August of 2003. She took time to speak with ProviderWatch about her childcare business on February 2, 2006.
Ann is an experienced childcare provider who has been working in the industry for over 23 years. She currently owns her own family childcare business and is licensed to care for 12 children.
Ann, who speaks with a lovely southern accent (of course, she probably thinks our interviewer from the Northwest is the one with the accent!), operates a rare 24-hour childcare center. Even in the small town of Newnan, 24-hour care is a much needed commodity. Ann is glad she is able to fill this niche for her parents.
Ann made the decision to operate her own childcare business in order to be able to stay home with her daughter, who is now 4. It was one of the best decisions she could have made. After her daughter was born, she was later diagnosed with Autism. Thanks to being able to stay home and work with her, Ann's daughter has made tremendous progress.
The greatest reward for Ann is being able to see her daycare children develop at above average levels due to the one-on-one support, encouragement, and love they receive.
"I have a 2 year old daycare child that is learning at the 4 year old level, so I feel I must be doing something right!" Ms. Aaron explained.
When asked what one thing she would change about the childcare industry, Ann had to think carefully. Finally she said she would change the pay. "Providers are definitely underpaid," she stated.
"The best advice I can give to a new provider is to retain and use every piece of information they receive from the core classes. So many providers don't let this information soak in and it can be so valuable." Ann continued, "It will help them understand more about their kids"
When asked if there was anything else she would like to add, Ann said, "I wanted to say thank you to my sister who also runs a daycare. I worked with her and was able to see how things were run before I started my own childcare. Thank you sissy!"
