Khiari McAlpin, Owner and Director of Vinehouse Nursery and Childcare Resources’ Junior Board Member
“I believe that everyone deserves quality child care, and if I can help at least one family in need, I feel like I am making a difference in the community.”
Khiari McAlpin joined the Childcare Resources’ Junior Board in January 2021 after several years of involvement with the agency’s programs and services as a child care center owner and director. We sat down with Khiari to discuss her previous and current involvement with the agency and her experience navigating the last year as a child care director.
What interested you to begin your service with Childcare Resources?
I am so excited and honored to serve as a Junior Board Member this year with Childcare Resources. I was already involved with Childcare Resources’ programs as an owner and director of a child care center when a friend and Junior Board member asked me if I was interested in applying to offer my volunteer services on the Junior Board. My experience with the agency as a new Junior Board Member has been great, and I am so excited about the upcoming Champions for Children Charity Breakfast. I cannot wait to be a host, and I look forward to serving on this fantastic board with some wonderful Birmingham pioneers!
Have you or someone you know used any of our programs?
At the beginning of my journey as a director of a child care center, I took several professional development training sessions that were so beneficial to the process. My center and staff also love using the Early Learning Resource Van for easy and free resources in our classrooms. We’ve also used the Supplemental Child Care Program to assist families with child care costs. I believe that everyone deserves quality child care, and if I can help at least one family in need, I feel like I am making a difference in the community. I am so grateful for Childcare Resources as they have played a major role in the success of my business.
Share a bit about your experience in 2020 as a child care center Owner and Director:
Every day I wake up and thank God for allowing me to be a child care center owner and director! It truly is a dream come true and such a blessing. I never feel like I am working, and I have enjoyed walking in my true purpose these past three years. It is certainly no cakewalk, but I have always lived by the phrase “nothing worth having is easy.” These past three years have taught me so much as a business owner, and I am still learning so many new things. I tell everyone that I never want my business to become stagnate and want to grow each and every year, just like my students.
In 2020, I had one of my most trying years as I was just two years in being a business owner when the pandemic hit. My initial thought was, what are the odds that I would be going through something like this so early? However, I heard God’s voice say, “keep your faith!” and that’s what I did. We were closed for six weeks during the pandemic, and I did not make my parents pay tuition. I just could not charge them for a service they were not getting. I knew if God wanted me to survive, He would make a way, and just as always, He did!
I have to also give credit to my amazing families. Several parents still wanted to support Vinehouse Nursery by providing a donation and it truly made me understand that I have something special, and they genuinely love us. I can only say the feeling is mutual times 100. To have support like that means so much to me and I will never forget them. Since then, we have thrived and I am so thankful that we were able to keep all of our staff, build a new classroom, and hire a few additional teachers. God is sooooo good!!
Why would you recommend someone to get involved with Childcare Resources?
There are many reasons I would recommend someone to get involved with Childcare Resources, but if I had to name one reason, it would be because of the number of resources they have for the community, especially as a child care facility director. If you have teachers that are in need of professional development hours, they are a great resource. The in-person trainings are so fun because they allow you to have hands-on experience and you get to connect with so many amazing people.
I am certainly thankful for the learning and connections Childcare Resources has provided for me and my staff!
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