To the editor:

The article on April 9 on choosing child care had very good recommendations, such as a friendly environment, experience, training, references, schedules and learning activities. Having been a licensed day care provider for 25 years, I have learned there is so much more to day care than what appears on the surface. It is not just changing diapers, baking bread and putting on Band-aids. I have a wonderful opportunity to touch children’s lives forever, as they do mine.

Children learn to be kind, loving and compassionate individuals from those who care for them. While schedules and learning activities are important, so is listening to and really talking with a child. A day care provider can be someone a child can love, trust and truly depend on. We can offer emotional support and friendship to our children and their families. Being a day care provider is a wonderful profession.

I have been blessed with a wonderful husband, two sons, and a daughter-in-law, as well as the many children that have shared our home on a daily basis. Where else can you get hugs and kisses all day long?

Anita Meyer,

Lawrence