Life of caring for children looked back on fondly

Evelyn Smith has mixed feelings after retiring on Sunday after almost three decades of being a family day care educator and caring for babies, toddlers and children up to the age of 12.

“It’s not a joyous occasion, it’s kind of sad, ” Evelyn said.

“I’ve had all these little people come to my house for nearly 30 years and they’re not going to come anymore.”

Evelyn has lost count of how many children she has cared for but the figure was 400 children way back when she’d only been at the job for 10 years.

Some children just have a casual visit but others have been with her for many years as their parents worked fulltime.

She cared for the children of one family for 14 years.

Many things have changed since she started in 1985 and the most tiresome was the increased volume of paperwork and regulations.

But one thing that hadn’t changed was the joy Evelyn got from caring for children, watching them grow up and attending family celebrations such as birthdays, sporting events and dance concerts.

“I have loved being part of family celebrations and milestones and hate the goodbyes when children go out of care, ” Evelyn said.

Fellow family day care educator Jacquie Stewart said Evelyn Smith was good at forming lasting relationships with her clients. “Many of the children Evelyn cared for are in their 20s now and some have children of their own and they still keep in touch with her, ” she said.

“I wish Evelyn well.”