Rochester woman wins child care provider of the year award

May 6—ROCHESTER — Christina Jacobs didn't get into child care for the accolades, but she's glad her families appreciate what she does.

Jacobs, who has been a child care provider for close to 30 years, has been named the Olmsted County Child Care Provider of the Year.

Jacobs keeps busy, providing child care while also juggling jobs as the head gymnastics coach for three Rochester schools and the community education gymnastics coordinator for the city.

She will be honored May 9, 2022, at a Provider Appreciation Celebration held by the Family Child Care Inc., Olmsted County's licensed family child care association, at the Rochester Eagles Club.

"We were just blown away by some of her extracurricular activities and her dedication to the community as well as her child care and her years of service," Katie Derby, who sits on the board of directors for Family Child Care Inc., said. "We just love keeping up the tradition of honoring providers because it's such a hard job."

Over the course of her career, Jacobs has cared for a multitude of children from infancy up to 12-years-old.

"I'm very surprised," Jacobs said. "It makes me feel warm that my families think that much of me to nominate me for this."

The type of connection she creates with children under her care is evidenced by the fact that she keeps in contact with them years after they leave her. Often she'll receive high school graduation announcements and recently was told by one they were getting married.

"We're all part of the same family," Jacobs said. "We usually do a big deal on Halloween and a lot of the older ones will come back and come by and trick or treat, and we just reminisce a little bit even though they're a little too old to trick or treat."

While she has received this award, she still remains humble.

"I don't know that I do any more than any other provider," Jacobs said. "I think if you're in this profession, you're here for the kids."

Spending time with kids doing fun things outside or learning different life skills makes every day different, she said.

"You get to know each kid and what each one wants and needs and what they know, their strengths and weaknesses, and you try to build on those for them so that way they're productive in school when they get to that point," Jacobs said.

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