Two girls and two boys ran in and put check marks by their names then ran off into the play room. The mom, Frankie guessed, was close behind, with a baby with her. She checked the list for the baby as well, then carried him to the nursery. Shortly afterwards a stream of kids followed the first five. Frankie guessed there were probably about eight or ten kids in her age group. Right before Jessica Hunt came to get Frankie, a little girl, probably about five, came in slowly. She had dirty clothes and messy, greasy hair. She smiled shyly at Frankie before checking in and then made her way to the playroom. Frankie guessed she was four, and hoped she was in her group. Seconds later, Jessica came in.
"Hi, Frankie," she said, shaking Frankie's hand. "Come to my office and I'll explain to you some stuff." Frankie followed her into a small room. Jessica's office consisted of a desk, three chairs, a small bookcase, a few pictures, and a boombox. She sat down behind her desk and pointed to a chair for Frankie to sit. "As you know, this is my day care center. I started it about eight years ago. I was pretty much in your boat. I had my daughter when I was nineteen. She just turned thirteen. I had a lot of trouble at first. I smoked and when Jenna cried I didn't know what to do. She probably stayed at my parents house more than mine the first year. I had to do some drug rehab for six months, and since then she's lived with me. Her daddy left when she was six weeks old, which was fine with me because he was verbally abusive and never paid any attention to Jenna. Anyway, I started this place because I knew there were other mothers out there who needed to work and had kids. They were too young to go to school or the mom didn't have enough money for school or fancy daycare. This place kids can come to, get minimal teaching - like adding and easy reading - play and make friends. The mom, or dad as a few cases are, goes to work. If they need help finding a job, they can come here and we can help them. Now, some of the kids aren't treated very well by their parents. We haven't had any beaten kids yet, but some are basically neglected by their parents."
"I saw a little girl come in here and she looked like she needed a bath," Frankie said.
"That was probably Lindsey. Lil."
"Lil?"
"Lindsey Irene Larson. Her initials. Sweetest thing, but very quiet. She's five, so she'll be in your group.
"But anyway, I get funding for this place through the government.
"What you'll be doing is working with the 4-6 year olds. You'll play with them, twice a week teach them to read, write, or easy math. Friday's we have the "fun day" which is when we go to the park, go swimming, to the zoo, stuff like that. You'll also help make lunches during their naptime. When they're having lunch is your break. Lunch is about 30 minutes and so is their naptime. You can rotate with the other workers in your group. Lets see, you'll need to be here at 8:30-8:45, depending on the day. Mondays you'll need to be here at 8:30 or maybe even earlier. The drop off is earlier because sometimes we get new kids on Mondays. Mondays are also the days we have crafts in the morning. You'll need to help set up before they get here. Otherwise be here around 8:45. Fridays are pretty slow for some reason.
"Do you have any questions?" Frankie shook her head. "Good. I'll show you around then you'll start your training. You'll help with lunch and meet your kids, spend some time with each of them. Tomorrow you'll make lunch again and watch everything. I'll be with you and explain things." Jessica then took Frankie though the building.
It was an old fire station and it was perfect place for a day care. The bottom floor was the lobby, the nursery, the 1-3 year old room, the playroom, and the offices. The garage was transformed into a gym with a pit with a rope and a bar to swing from. There were see-saws, a jungle jim with monkey bars, 2 4-square courts, a high slide, and a trampoline. Behind that was a little backyard so the kids could run around. The second floor had the lounge and kitchen. It also had the rooms for the 4-6 year olds, the 7-9 year olds, and the 10 and older kids, as well as a computer room. By the time the tour was over, it was a about 10:30. Jessica led her to the classroom to introduce her to the kids. There were five girls and four boys.
"Hey, kids, listen up. This is Frankie and she's going to start work here in two days. She's going to talk to you each of you and get to know you. Tell her something interesting, like your favorite animal or if you have a brother or sister. If she's talking to, Daniel, don't go up to her. She'll go talk to you when its your turn. Got it?" Jessica announced. The kids all nodded. Jessica turned to Frankie and whispered, "I'll come get you about 11:15 and you can help make lunch, okay?"
Frankie nodded, and Jessica squeezed her arm as she left. Frankie didn't know which kid to go to first. She decided on a little boy with brown hair and glasses. Frankie sat down next to him. His name was Isaac. He was four, had two brothers(7 months and 2 years) and two sisters(2 and 6). He liked rollerskating and sherbert ice cream.
Corrie was six, had a big brother and sister (13 and 15). She liked tigers, the circus, and painting.
Another girl was named Hilary Whitney Rogers. She was named after "some chocolate lady's character in my mommy's favorite movie." She just turned five and wanted to learn to play the violin.
Jake was six, had a baby brother, lived with his mom, and wanted a motorcycle for Christmas.
Jordana was six. She was Isaac's older sister. Her little sister and brother were twins - Gabby and Gideon, and her baby brother was Benjamin. She loved being the oldest and loved horses.
Timmy was five. He was an only child and lived with his dad. He liked to hunt and watch cartoons. He shot his first deer the past Thanksgiving.
Daniel was four and had big sister and a niece. His sister was 20 and his niece is a year. He liked to play with his niece, Kimmy, who he got to name, and with his puppy.
Grace was also four. She had an older brother (10), who she loved very much. She liked to play with her kittens and help her brother train their puppy. Sometimes she modeled and once got $50.
Lil was her last stop. Lil, 5, was an only child. She and her mom lived in a small apartment. She loved horses and wanted to be an actress so she could help her mom pay rent on the apartment, or buy her a new car and a new house.
Frankie's heart went out to Lil. She was so young yet she didn't think of herself. Frankie already liked all the kids. They seemed to know they were less fortunate but didn't let it bother them. She helped Kate, the other helper, get the kids settled with a coloring project then went to make lunch.
"So, how ya doin'?" Jessica asked.
"The kids are so cute. I love them already. It kinda makes me miss my daughter, though. I haven't seen her for five months," Frankie said, making PB and J sandwiches and putting them on a tray with juice boxes.
"Yeah, I know what you're going through. If you need to talk, my door is always open."
"Thanks, Jessica." Frankie was quiet for a minute. "That Lil, she's really something."
"She really is. Very bright. We all say she's Harvard bound. But poor kid, only gets a bath two or three times a week. The wash is done every other week, and she doesn't have that many clothes. She takes it well. She never asks for things because she knows how tight they are on money."
"She told me she wanted to be an actress so she could help her mom out."
"Thats Lil. She was in a commercial last year. Got enough for a new outfit." Jessica helped her carry out the lunches and served them, then Frankie and Kate go to know each other while the kids ate and took naps. The rest of the day went by quickly, and Frankie didn't realize how tired she was until she got home and took a shower. She called her mom and told her about her day. Then she fixed some leftovers and went to bed. She almost couldn't wait to go back to the center.
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