Corrine Hendrickson understands how difficult it can be to find quality childcare. Fourteen years ago, she was working as a retail manager and trying to juggle care for her 10-month-old son with her and her husband’s schedules.

One evening, she was talking with three friends, each of them pregnant and struggling to find childcare. Hendrickson asked her friends if she quit her job and used her degree, would they bring their children to her? Soon, Hendrickson was taking care of two babies, born just a week apart, in addition to her own son, and added a third baby two months later.

Hendrickson’s venture is now Corrine’s Little Explorers, a family childcare center in New Glarus. The program seeks to teach children “who they really are, what their interests are, how to interact with others, and to cultivate a growth mindset within them so that they know they can do hard things and can become happy, productive members of society,” Hendrickson said. 

The program is play based, with an emphasis on outdoor activities. “Through play, I support a child’s development of self-esteem, self-awareness, self-control, as well as critical thinking, creativity, collaboration, and curiosity,” Hendrickson explained.

She enjoys supporting the children in her care while they are with her. In fact, her favorite thing about working in childcare is “the sheer joy children have while creating memories with each other on a daily basis. Watching them try something for hours and then succeed, and then listening to them as they describe their accomplishments to their parent at pick up” is immensely satisfying, she said. Likewise, she appreciates the opportunity to support parents as they navigate the challenges of raising children and watching her graduates thrive. 

Hendrickson said it can be difficult to meet the needs of children and their families, as well as the community, all while not being considered a professional and unable to earn a worthy wage. She hopes perceptions will change and the public will understand the childcare workforce is continuously taking professional development training in areas of child development. To that end, she wants people to understand that childcare is a “critical foundation for our entire economy and communities. We support today’s working parents’ ability to participate in the workforce AND build the brains of the next generations.”

She also advocates asking elected representatives to create and support policies that support families. 

“We are one of the only countries without paid family leave and that doesn’t offset the cost of childcare. This is directly impacting the ability of business owners to recruit and retain top talent, for individuals to start their own businesses, and is costing us at least $14 later instead of $1 now,” she said.

“Parents simply cannot afford to pay more to raise the wages and benefits of the childcare professionals and it is impacting all of our daily lives. We need to treat childcare as the public good it is.”

— Child care matters is a series written by local childcare providers. Corrine Hendrickson of Corrine’s Little Explorers runs a child are center in New Glarus.