It's surprising when it involves anyone, but especially someone who works around children on a regular basis.

Since we're in a small town, it's easy for people to assume they know all about the children, so I tried to approach it as if we knew nothing about the children. That way, the parents can tell us everything we need to know about their child, and there won't be any mistaken assumptions. Some of the parents like to (jokingly) call it a novel, but I think it's important for us to know as much as possible about the children we'll be caring for.

This is my favorite part of the day. “Good morning, Class Two C,” I say. The entire class leaps up and sings out, “Good morning, miss!” Twenty-three faces are smiling at me. Sometimes they shout it with so much conviction that I laugh.

Of the 35 children who are enrolled, 31 will start April 24, and there are six of them in each class, except for the four and five-year-old class, which has seven.

We wanted to give them something that would be a real eye opener. We wanted the children to see first hand how people pollute our environment and then let them get even more information here. We hope they will remember this the next time they go to throw a piece of paper on the ground.

I wanted my children to understand that not all children get everything they ask for or want. That not all children have parents. I called around and asked about foster homes and found out about Everyday Blessings.