CCRC works with a diverse array of child care providers who cater to families unique needs, from language, to development, and more. One child care provider in the San Fernando Valley leads her program in Russian and says she wants to create a welcome environment for immigrant families.
“We are creating a second home for children, providing them with a safe environment for learning and development,” says Alina Stolyarova.
At her home child care in Northridge, Alina educates and cares for young children. We visited her while the children were participating in a dance class.
“Dancing and music are the way to open up the creativity in kids,” she says.
Her desire to do this challenging, yet rewarding work comes from her own struggle to find child care for her son about six years ago. When she couldn’t find the right fit, she spoke with a friend who encouraged her to open her own facility. Though she has a background in education, she wasn’t sure if she had the resources to open her own business.
“At some point, I decided it’s a great opportunity for me to bond with my son and as a teacher and mom,” she says. “It was my inspiration to connect with other moms, other parents.”
Thousands of miles away from her homeland in Russia, Alina works to create a sense of community for other immigrant families.
“The goal was to create a community like a home where kids will learn the traditions and customs, the food that I was raised with in Russia,” Alina shares.
And this special cultural element has even enticed English speaking families.
“It’s very pleasant to see when parents who don’t speak Russian come to my day care and I ask, out of curiosity, why are you joining me? They say the like the layout, my personality, and see how I am with the kids. They go, we don’t mind learning another language, why not the kids speak another language.”
Alina wasn’t familiar with CCRC when a family receiving child care financial assistance asked to enroll. So, she called the agency and made that connection.
“They went through the process, how to enroll kids, how to do the monthly logs,” she says, describing the ease of working with CCRC.
Since then, at least eight CCRC families have selected Little Bee, a partnership that is not only good for her business but…
“It turned out that it’s not really my business, it’s my family,” she shares.
Families can use our keys to quality child care checklist on our website to find the provider who is right for you.
