Jodi Huebert just wrapped up a commendable daycare career of 25 years. Reflecting on these years makes her eyes light up and her voice passionately reveal the love she had for her daycare kids. There were certainly many of them to love as she cared for over 100 children who passed through her doors.
Jodi’s daycare career began shortly after she had married her husband Hans. She was approached by a teacher in town who asked if Jodi would watch her baby. Jodi thought that sounded like a great idea because she loved children. From that point on, her business continued to flourish. After the birth of her first son, Mitchell, she decided that it was time to get licensed in order to accommodate more children. This allowed her to have eight children during the day and ten after school.
There were many enjoyable aspects of doing a home daycare for Jodi. She loved playing with the kids, watching them interact, and seeing the silly games they created. It was especially rewarding for her to watch them develop friendships that continued beyond daycare. Teaching manners, talking about Jesus, and praying with them at meals was all of great importance. In the summers, she loved taking them to the pool, and in the winters, they could be found exploring in the snow. A particular highlight that she remembers was taking the kids on a field trip along with a few parents to the pumpkin patch.
One of the greatest benefits of running a home daycare was the opportunity for Jodi to stay home with her own three children while earning an income. This also afforded her the experience to homeschool her children. Jodi’s three kids were able to form good friendships with the daycare children always welcoming others into their house.
While there were many positives, a home daycare also presented challenges. One of the hardest was watching children move away. After developing a close relationship with the parents and children, it was never easy to say goodbye to them. Another difficulty was that packing up to go anywhere with that many children was often a long process. Dinnertime could be a bit crazy cooking up food with hungry children waiting. In the summertime, Jodi also had the obstacle of accommodating a wide age range of children.
Despite the hard times, it was a meaningful task for Jodi. While she said it was God’s calling to do her home daycare, God now has other plans. She and her husband were asked by his parents to move to the country to help them out. Living in the country was always a dream of theirs, and they felt it was the right direction for the next stage of their life. She will also now have more time to spend with her son Maverick who will be a senior, her three grandchildren, and other family.
Reflecting on such a meaningful 25 years can be emotional. Jodi said, “I will miss the kids. I will miss their hugs, the ‘I love yous’, the giggles, seeing them in Walmart and hearing my name yelled across the aisle, and the relationships with the parents.†However, she also commented that as she looks to this next stage, “I am looking forward to being the mom, wife, and grandma I was made to be.â€
As Jodi continues on to her next adventure, it certainly feels like the end of a daycare era in Henderson. She was deeply appreciated by her daycare families as she completed the admirable task of helping to raise over 100 children. “It wasn’t just a business, it was a family. People would come as clients and leave as friends,†said Jodi. It was that caring environment that cultivated memories and relationships that will never end.
