AT HOME WITH: Angela Armado; Living Life in a Daycare--Elisea

 

About this “Article”

This is an “article” about Angela Armado, from taking care of family in the Philippines to having a daycare in America.

THERE are small creatures climbing couches, smelly diapers piercing your nose, and toys scattered left and right from a small house in the city of Fontana. But behind the deep stack of “Blue’s Clues” reading books , plastic food things, and goldfish crumbs is a woman who runs it all, Angela Armado.

Angela Armado grew up in a small province in the Philippines where she was the 2nd youngest of 8. Due to the fact that most of her siblings were older than her, she was left to take care of her nieces and nephews at a young age while her siblings were at work. She grew to love entertaining and tending to them, but in hopes of giving own children a better life, she moved to America with her husband, Erik Armado.

After her first pregnancy, Mrs. Armado tried for another six years to have a child. When she discovered she was pregnant again, she felt a long awaited blessing had happened, however her 2nd child, Elisea Armado, was born 2 1⁄2 months premature at 2.1 oz due to unforeseen complications. Angela Armado was worried about Elisea as she had to stay in the hospital for a month after she was born and even after that, became sick quite often. Erik Armado often says Elisea was so tiny that he was able to carry her in his palm. After that, Mrs. Armado faced another difficulty as she felt Elisea was too small to be put in an ordinary daycare. It was then that Mrs. Armado decided to quit her job at the hospital, and take care of Elisea full time. After a few years, as Elisea grew stronger, Mrs. Armado decided she could once again pursue her passion of taking care of others, but struggled with the guilt of leaving her own children at home. It was then that she decided to open an at home daycare.

After she got her child care license, Mrs. Armado took on the daycare eagerly. After a few years, the chaotic daycare was her norm, but even more so, a rewarding challenge, saying “I love having a daycare, I get to see children grow into adults and get to meet so many new people,” “Each kid has a different personality, which you can start to see as a baby, and fortunately I get to see so many of them grow so quickly. Like one day I will teach them the alphabet and the next thing you know they are reading “Harry Potter” books. I could do without the baby shark though.”

Mrs. Armado spends a lot of time with the kids and likes to think of them as an extended family. “Seeing these kids everyday for years creates a deep emotional attachment. Like with my own children, I get to spend many milestones with them from their first steps to their first words. I’ve

been taking care of one family since their first child was 4 months old and now I’m taking care of the third and fourth twin children!”

Despite the fulfillment from this career, having a daycare is not all fun and games. According to the California Department of Education, from birth to age 3 are the most important years of child development. During this time, children require adequate nurturing , exposure to words through talking and reading, and visual stimulation. Mrs. Armado considers all of these when takes care of someone. Like a teacher, she makes math/ writing worksheets, plans educational crafts, and dedicates time out of the day for physical activity.

However the kids aren’t the only ones learning. “These kids taught me how to be patient, open minded, and a better listener. These kids come from different places, different backgrounds and families. I have kids whose parents are doctors, hair stylists, policemen, and teachers. Some kids like to read so we made sure to have a wall full of books for them to read. Some kids love arts and crafts so we have stickers, coloring books, paint and etc.” When asked how she felt about dealing with it all, she says “ As generations of kids pass through my daycare, I’ve learned to embrace the chaos. Every child I’ve met is their own person with their own thoughts and values. These are the children who will one day be taking care of not just me, but the world ahead”

“Despite the long hours, I always come back. These kids allow me to forever feel forever young. I’m grateful.” says Angela Armado.