Child care owner embraces her mission

Canton Repository - 10/23/2021

MASSILLON - Charlene Taylor understands children.

Perhaps it is because she is a mom of five and a grandmother of 19.

But her mission involves serving and helping parents, too.

Taylor last year opened Nunu's Family Child Care located in Friendship Baptist Church at 920 Third St. SE, where she is a member. The center serves children from 6 weeks to age 12.

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"I started in my home," Taylor said. "It was a type B' (home-based) center, and I wanted to serve more families. This area really needs this. Many times parents can't take shifts because they don't have dependable child care. We're the only center that provides evening and overnight care. No one offers the hours that we do."

As the only Black-owned church-affiliated child care center in the city, Nunu's has earned a "star" rating from Ohio's Step Up To Quality rating and improvement system, which also enables it to participate in publicly-funded child care programs.

Private payment also is accepted.

Taylor said Nunu's is more than a place for kids to play while parents work.

"It's my passion," she said. "I love helping people and families. The reason I got into child care is to be resourceful to families. I think child-care providers often get information before parents because we have a link with agencies. The key to getting to families is through the kids. I have one family who needs a home right now."

Jennifer Horner, assistant administrator and Taylor's cousin, said Taylor goes above and beyond.

"She's awesome," Horner said. "She doesn't like to be called 'boss.' She wants us to be a team."

Horner's daughter Shemika Oliver rounds out the staff as a teacher.

Taylor stressed that what they do is not merely babysitting.

"We had to let parents know it's not a 'drop-in' center," she said. "We have a curriculum."

Taylor said Nunu's conducts an ASQ (ages and stages questionnaire) for each child. "So we can see how far a child has grown in the first 30 days. That gives us a guide on how to bring them up to speed to introduce them to preschool."

Taylor, who took classes at the Early Childhood Resource Center, encourages her staff to do the same.

Founded in 2000, the ECRC is a ministry of the Sisters of Charity Health Care System. It offers professional development programs and classes for providers, parenting classes, and SPARK (Supporting Partnerships to Assure Ready Kids) which works with families to provide kindergarten readiness for preschoolers to 3- and 4-year-olds.

According to experts, early childhood education has both immediate and long-term benefits. The National Education Association states that early childhood education ensures that children are:

In 2017, the Journal of Research in Childhood Education published a study that found:

"There is considerable evidence among those who work with child development and early education that 4-year-olds gain from being in a high-quality, early learning setting."

The report further states that the time between birth and age 5 is one of the most critical in a child's life because it is when they develop their language, thinking, social, emotional, and behavioral skills.

An estimated 25% of children in Stark County live in poverty.

Taylor said she required her staff to get vaccinated for COVID-19. The school has avoided cases, she said.

"When COVID came, it made us lower our capacity; we had a lot of online learners," she said. "'I've since kept the same number. There are 18 on the roster. We want to make sure they're in a safe environment."

To learn more, contact Taylor a 330-809-0858 or 330-207-1292 or by email at nunusfamilychildcare1@yahoo.com.

Reach Charita at 330-580-8313 or charita.goshay@cantonrep.com

On Twitter: @cgoshayREP