I owe all that I am and all that I will ever be to the Good Lord above. Without Him as the guiding force in my life I would be nothing.
I would like to thank the TECTA program and all of the wonderful instructors that I have been blessed to have. Each left a mark in my life and helped me to gain the knowledge and skills to be here today.
Dolly Papuga, you encouraged me to pursue further into the program and taught me not to give up. Thank you for believing in my potential.
Kaye Davis, you are a true mentor, friend, and have taught me so much about myself.
Marilyn Buchanan, you challenged me to new heights in my professional walk. You have inspired me to do more educationally and helped me look inside myself to better myself. Not only are you my mentor, you are also a dear friend.
Kathy Tolliver Meridith, You believed in me when I started out and never gave up on me even when I wanted to. I thank you for listening to me cry through the early days of childcare and encouraging me to keep on. You saw more than that box of toys and provider with such limited knowledge. Your belief in me helped me to want to learn more and inspired me to learn. Without you in the beginning, today would not be here. THANK YOU!!
Sharon Aghabekian, I don't even know where to start to thank you. You are one of my dearest friends, my mentor, my sister in Christ, my sounding board when days aren't just right, and a true inspiration to me in the field. I thank God for you and your friendship.
Rhonda Soirez, I am so glad you are a part of my life and that I have had the chance to meet you. You are an inspiration to me and I am proud to have you for a friend.
Elaine Piper, What can I say about you that others haven't already said? You are simply the best there is and a constant source of inspiration to me. I look up to you and am so glad that our paths have crossed and I am honored to call you a friend.
Daphne Cole, Who would have ever thought that a simple phone call would lead to a lasting friendship. I appreciate all you do for the providers in Tennessee and I am glad that we are friends. You are a wonderful source of inspiration and have helped me to challenge myself to begin new tasks and go above and beyond in helping others.
Thelma Pate, You are one of the best providers that I have had the opportunity to meet and I thank you for all your ideas and help along the way. I thank you for being there to lean on through all times and I am proud to work along side of you in starting our provider group.
The many providers and professionals that I have been blessed to cross paths with and help along the way. Although you say I am teaching you, I want you to know that you teach and inspire me daily through the lists and your emails. Thank you for wanting to make the world a better place for providers and children everywhere.
My Daycare Parents: I am so blessed to have each of you in my life. You have supported me through school and the mentoring program. You bring your children to me each day and entrust them to me. That means alot that you trust me with them and support the work to better myself. Some of you have been with me since the day I opened and seen the changes. You are all the best that anyone could ask for.
My son Kris, I couldn't ask for a better son. Thank you for accepting cold suppers while I had homework to do at night. Thank you for believing in me and encouraging me to do this. You are an awesome young man and I am so proud of you.
To Keith, my best friend in the whole wide world. Thanks for the coffee pot to be up late at night and get my homework done, the shoulder to cry on during the bad times, the laughter through the good times and for always being there. You are the best
And a huge thanks for all the little reasons that I do this job each and everyday and work hard to gain more knowledge and become a better childcare provider:
Abigail, Adam, Marshall, Noah, Will, Saxton, Sawyer, Savannah, Shasta, Austin, Adriane, Seth, Whitney, Breanna, and Gracie.
I love you all so much and am so glad that you are a part of my life and get to spend time with me each week. Without you, none of this would be possible!
