It's Your Oregon: Yvonne's Kiddy Care

Delores Denton: Portland, OR

Delores began taking care of children 15 years ago when she was a foster home caregiver. She also had a granddaughter to raise and wanted to be able to care for her full-time. This combination prompted her to start a full childcare center in the St. John’s neighborhood in Portland.

“You have to work for what you want in life,” she says. And in Delores’ case, she wanted to focus her time and energy on taking care of children.

Yvonne’s Kiddy Care, named after Delores middle moniker, cares for six children at the time. When Delores received a letter about OEC’s Eco-Healthy Childcare program, she knew it was something she wanted to become involved in. She is naturally motivated to practice ecologically-sound habits to “make things as good as possible for the kids.”

While Delores has always considered “cleanliness next to godliness,” she did take some additional steps after viewing OEC’s 25 guidelines. Most importantly, she took a new look at the house and put any potentially harmful items out of reach, such as wrapping the computer’s cords together to keep them out of the children’s sight. Tips that Delores would pass on to others include keeping both the inside and outside of the facility immaculately clean, and encouraging the children to wash their hands frequently.

When looking for a new childcare center, parents are more than welcome to check out the entire facility to ensure that their children will be in a safe and comfortable home. It undoubtedly relieves their minds that Delores teaches all of the kids about safety precautions and practices fire drills with them. She has also noticed that parents enjoy knowing that Dolores meets OEC’s health and safety qualifications. “The parents are lovely,” Delores says.

Click here for information on how to become an Eco-Healthy Childcare.