Provider of the Month: Maria Chinchilla

From Part-Time Job to Full-Time Passion

17 years ago, Maria Chinchilla was a single mom trying to make ends meet, and applied to work part time at the childcare center where her son was attending. “I had to keep two jobs to make enough to pay for childcare plus other expenses. And that helped. When he went to school full time, I decided I wanted to go full time at the childcare center as well, and I’ve been doing this ever since.”

In 2024, Maria decided to strike out on her own, and opened an in-home daycare. She runs it out of a separate home than she lives in, which helps manage the stress of living where you work.

“When I’m done, I can still go ‘home.’ It’s nice to separate that stress. And I also have someone that works for me, which helps me a lot. It's really wonderful. It's a dream come true.”

Maria’s care is a “dream come true” for the parents as well, with her nominator saying, “Maria is a rockstar of a provider. She started out watching children in a childcare center

and has now opened her own home childcare facility. Maria brings many of the high-quality standards from a center into her home facility. She is loving, very patient, and

works hard to provide an engaging and active experience for children.”

Maria cares for 10 children ages one through 5. Although none of the children currently attend preschool, she makes sure they are ready for school when the time comes.

“My favorite part of this is teaching. I am still doing everything that I did in the childcare center; I teach colors, shapes, letters, and everything. I get compliments from the parents about how prepared the kids are when they enter kindergarten. It’s rewarding.”

Aside from watching the kids learn, Maria just genuinely enjoys their company.

“I like watching them be happy. I give them love, and they show it back to me. They feel like family because I get to see them sometimes nine to ten hours a day.”

Maria is grateful for the Reno County Task Force resources, including the training opportunities.

“The trainings have helped me a lot. I like that the classes are in person and are small. It helps me understand more. The CPR are hands on, I can ask questions, and it's a better experience.”

Maria has also been able to utilize grants like the Immediate Needs Fund to make necessary repairs and updates to her backyard play area.

"I'm so glad I got approved for a new backyard fence! The old one is chain link, only about four feet tall, and didn’t provide any privacy. I even had one little boy try to climb it! The new one will be a six-foot privacy fence, which will improve safety. Kids love to explore, and this will keep them safe while they’re doing that.”

Maria hopes to see other people get into the childcare profession. And she emphasizes that it IS a profession, a skilled position.

“I tell people, it’s NOT just babysitting. I’m not sitting on babies!,” she jokes. “It’s important work. It's teaching: manners, how to get along, sharing, letters, numbers, etc. I am an early education professional. And I think if you like working with kids, you should consider this career. We especially need more young people getting involved, and if you have young kids, it works really well!”

Congratulations Maria! You are one shining example of why childcare providers are such an important part of the Reno County community.  

Know a childcare provider worthy of this award? We bet you do! Nominate them today!  

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