Little Tot's Early Childhood Care & Education Autobiography Lisa Boni

Just a little about me! 
Career beginnings, Life, Family and Future Goals.
            For as long as I can remember, I have loved children.  Some of my earliest memories are of time spent with my extended family and a house full of children.  Our family would get together on the weekends for family time, and we fourteen children would try hard to stay out of trouble.  There were no planned activities for us, but we found lots to do, and to get into.  I remember secret hiding places, learning to apply makeup, jumping from haystacks and lazy days by the creek.
            Perhaps these experiences led to my love for children.  I began babysitting officially (someone other than my little brother) at the age of thirteen; the same year that my eldest niece was born.  Every other weekend for the next few years was spent finding fun stuff to do with young children that I took care of. 
            Lucky for me, my older sister enrolled my two nieces at a family childcare home within walking distance of my high school.  Each afternoon I would go directly from school to visit my nieces and wait for my sister to arrive.  The provider, Trish, was so happy with my visits that she hired me as soon as I graduated high school in 1990.  It was during my two years employment with Trish that I decided that this was the job for me, her home was welcoming, her daycare children were treated like family and the parents loved her for her knowledge and care. 
            For additional experience, I took the opportunity to work in the most progressive child development center in downtown Olympia.  This facility applied the concepts of the most cutting edge early childhood research findings, to the day to day teaching and interactions with young children.  These concepts sparked my interest and gave me the desire to one day complete a degree in Early Childhood Education.
            In 1992, I married a handsome young soldier from Michigan, and we rented our first home together.   I then opened my own daycare in my hometown Olympia, Washington.  I named my business Little Tot’s Daycare.   For two years I had, a wonderful group of families enrolled and greatly enjoyed my new business.  In 1994, the US Army decided that they need my husband in Texas, so off we drove from Olympia to Killeen Texas in our little tiny car with our great big German Shepherd dog.  I reopened my business in Texas and was privileged to have worked with a very diverse group of families.  I learned quite a bit about not just the children, but family diversity, culture and parent involvement. 
            In July of 1995, my husband’s term in the Army was up.  We then decided to try his hometown and moved here to Michigan.  As luck would have it my in-laws put their house up for sale shortly after we arrived, and we were able to purchase it from them while living here.  In the time between moving in and purchasing our home, it was necessary to gain employment to enable us to qualify for our mortgage.  After several job offers I chose a local daycare center.  Although I gained some positive life experiences from this short time (4 months), I also learned exactly why center based care is neither natural, nor beneficial for young children.  I vowed to use this knowledge to educate families and to provide the best possible home away from home experience, bestowing true family values in a home educational setting.
            In early 1996, Little Tot’s Daycare reopened as Little Tot’s Daycare & Preschool.  During the last 15 years, I have accomplished so much.  I became a mother; Lou and I are now the proud parents of four beautiful, smart, funny, precocious children.  I completed my Associate of Applied Science in Early Childhood Education and graduated Summa Cum Laude the top 11 of 1400 graduating students.  Upon graduation, I gained the honor of one of Macomb’s Most Distinguished Graduates of 2002 and was inducted into the national honor society for two-year colleges.  In 2004, I enrolled in Rochester College’s, Bachelors of Science in Early Childhood Education degree program.  I graduated Summa Cum Laude with a 4.0 cumulative GPA, on December 16, 2006!  Again, I was honored for outstanding achievement and inducted into another national honor society, Alpha Sigma Lambda. 

            Though I would not exactly call myself a lifelong student, I do very much enjoy being in school.  This spring, I graduated from Oakland University with a Masters in Education.  Again I graduated at the top of my class with a cumulative GPA of 3.97.  My specific degree is a Masters of Education in Early Childhood Education, which represents a expertise in education for children from birth to third grade.  
    My business is not just a job for me, I love children and truly appreciate being able to provide the level of education and care that I do.  The knowledge that I have gained through school has given me an insight into both the development of children as well as how to best educate them.  For this, it has been well worth all the effort!
            In 2007, I decided that it was time for Little Tot’s to take on another name change.  I chose a name that more adequately describes my program, Little Tot’s Early Childhood Care & Education.  The term early childhood refers to all children, from birth to 8 years old.  My main responsibility to the families enrolled is to provide consistent, loving care, for their child while the parents are away.  My second responsibility is to provide each child with a day full of learning experiences and education.  Little Tot’s is not just a preschool.  I plan activities for infants and toddlers, preschool and prekindergarten aged children as well.  We prepare each child for a life love of learning, through close personal interactions that influences a child’s sense of wellbeing.  This feeling of comfort, with a lack of anxiety or stress, provides each child the confidence and self-esteem to focus his or her thoughts on learning and doing, a benefit that will last a lifetime. 

            What do I see down the road for Lisa Boni and Little Tot’s as well?  I hope to continue to provide care and education for young children well into the future, because it is the love for children that brought me into this field.  I also aim to teach more adult ed classes in the evening to continue to share my 21 years of experience with our next generation of early childhood teachers.  Families will always need quality care and education for their children.  It is my desire to not just educate our new teachers, but also continue to inspire others to provide such a comprehensive program.