Over the last few months, a theme has started to emerge from our childcare stories: some relationships do not end when a child leaves the classroom. First, Gigi shared what it feels like to watch children grow up and bring their own children back through the doors. Then, Jack shared what it meant to return to HCM as a parent, trusting his own children to some of the same people who helped shape him. This month, Stacy helps us see that story from another side: what it means to stay long enough to welcome the next generation.
“My goodness, I am OLD.”
When Stacy says this, she’s laughing. It is usually her first response when someone points out that she is now teaching the children of children she once taught.
After 41 years in childcare, those moments happen more often than they used to. The joke always gets a laugh. But underneath it is something remarkable. Few people stay anywhere long enough to watch a second generation come through the doors.
Stacy has.
For more than four decades, she has been part of HCM’s childcare program, helping children learn, grow, and prepare for kindergarten. Long before she became one of the familiar faces at the center, she was a child who loved being around other children. Looking back, she thinks she probably got that from her mother, Tena, who spent more than 40 years working in childcare herself.
In many ways, Stacy followed a path that was already being laid before her. She studied Early Childhood Education and Child Development and began building a career around something she had always loved. Along the way, she met people who would shape her approach to teaching and caring for children. One of the most influential was Joyce, the first director of the childcare program when it was located at Edenside.
Before Stacy became a mentor to others, she had a mentor of her own. Joyce taught her the importance of patience and understanding when working with children. She taught her how to build curriculum and create lesson plans that would engage young learners. Just as importantly, she helped Stacy find her voice.
“I used to be very withdrawn,” Stacy recalled. Joyce encouraged her to become more comfortable speaking up and connecting with others, lessons that would serve her well throughout her career.
Today, Stacy spends her days helping children develop those same skills. That is one reason she gets frustrated by a common misconception about childcare. People often assume childcare workers are babysitters.
Stacy does not see it that way.
The children in HCM’s childcare programs are learning every day through structured activities, curriculum, and intentional teaching designed to prepare them for kindergarten and beyond. There are lessons to plan, developmental milestones to track, and countless opportunities to help children build confidence, curiosity, and independence.
“Come spend a day with us,” she said. “Most people have no idea what we do.” Her pride in the work is obvious. It is also earned. After 41 years, she has seen firsthand what happens when children are given a strong foundation.
For Stacy, some of the most meaningful moments happen long after the lesson plans are put away. A parent will stop her and say, “He’s always talking about you and what you learned this week.” Those moments never get old. They remind her that the work matters. They remind her that children are listening, learning, and carrying those lessons home with them.
And sometimes, years later, they come back. Recently, one former student returned to HCM with twins of his own.
It is a story that has become increasingly familiar over the years. Children she once taught are now parents. Families she came to know decades ago are still part of her life.
When asked about one such family, Stacy did not hesitate. “They’re family,” she said. Not former students. Not former parents. Family. That sense of connection is part of what has kept her in the work for so long.
She loves getting to know children as individuals. She loves watching them discover new things. She loves knowing she played a small role in helping shape the people they become.
And after all these years, she still loves coming to work.
Outside the classroom, Stacy’s life reflects many of the same values that have defined her career. She is deeply involved at Mt. Olive Missionary Baptist Church, where she serves in several leadership and hospitality roles. She enjoys spending time with her parents, exercising with coworkers, and gathering with friends and family.
Community has always mattered to her. Whether she is teaching a classroom full of preschoolers, welcoming visitors at church, running the loop at Seneca Park with coworkers, or sharing one of her homemade transparent pies, Stacy is building the same thing she has spent decades building at HCM: relationships.
The world does not always celebrate longevity. People change jobs. Families move away. Communities shift. But every once in a while, a child grows up, has children of their own, and walks back through a familiar set of doors.
And standing there is someone who remembers them. Someone who stayed. After 41 years, Stacy is still showing up for children and families every day. And every now and then, she gets another reminder of what a lifetime of caring can become.
“My goodness,” she says with a laugh. “I am OLD.”
