Success has not been easy for Karan Vincent, owner of Karan’s Kids daycare, who had to find the time to balance her family and her personal goals.

Vincent was enrolled in child development classes at Northwest Shoals Community College in an effort to meet a personal goal of working with children and she was also working nights at the local hospital, but she ultimately decided the arrangement wasn’t good for her family, so she decided to stop working in order to raise her two sons, Cliff and Kevin.

However, Vincent’s love for teaching children only grew stronger over the years. Soon, family and friends allowed her to watch their children while they worked, so Vincent started observing local college daycares in the hopes of opening her own daycare.

Vincent made the necessary steps to become a legal daycare owner, but in the beginning stages of her business, she wondered if she would have enough children to come. She had set up the facility in the garage of their home with the assistance of her husband, Danny, and eventually she had many children to attend her daycare.

Vincent felt her business was going well, but she felt there was still something missing. With the encouragement of Rhonda Williams of CER, Vincent joined the Family Child Care Program (FCCP) housed at Auburn University. This step led her on the road to national accreditation. She received a scholarship through FCCP to attend the National Association of Family Child Care conference in Nashville, Tenn., and the information she gained there motivated her even more to become a high quality, accredited child care facility.

After 90 credit training hours, two four to six-hour long observations, feedback surveys, interviews with NAFCC and lots of paperwork, Vincent finally earned her accreditation on July 28 and became one of 37 facilities in Alabama to hold that distinction.

“Daycare is not just about coloring or changing diapers,” Vincent said. “It’s about caring for God’s gift to us, our children, and showing love and compassion to every child that walks through my door.

“It is about learning how to teach without being harsh or overbearing and letting the children grow at their own rate. It is about giving a high-five when a child reaches a milestone or accomplishes a simple goal. It is all about the love for our children.”

Vincent said she couldn’t have earned her accreditation without Mamie Thomas, her mentor at Auburn University; Johanna Mann and Sherrie Kirby, who helped during the accreditation process; and her current assistant, Kristin Wilson Cavender.

To learn more about Karen’s Kids, call 256-332-6352.