AKRON, Ohio — At Flower Garden Early Childcare Center in Akron, owner Candace Haynes plants seeds in little minds each day.
"Good morning! Good morning!" Candace says to her kids.
She teaches lessons in letters and numbers and even a little patience. It's what she's always dreamed of since she was a little girl.
"My graded papers that I got back from school, I would pass them out to my stuffed animals and I would just pretend like that was my classroom," Candace said. "But then life happened and I didn't really believe in myself. I didn't think that I could do it."
She got married, moved out of state and had two children. Then, everything fell apart.
"There was some domestic violence going on. I had some custody issues, the back and forth sort of thing. So I've experienced a lot," she said. "I moved back from Texas with just the things in my car."
That's when she found the strength to believe in herself for the very first time.
"I can ... why? If I need help, I can get help. If I want to go back to school, I can go to school. If I fail a class, I can try it again. I can get the tutor. There is no 'you can't,'" Candace said.
So she went for it, earning her child development associate certification. Then, she filled her space with bright and educational tools, thanks to some very generous donations.
"Someone called and was like, 'What do you need my credit card?' Then somebody else called and was like, 'Well, I have things from my old classroom, books, toys,'" Candace said.
But getting to where she is today hasn't been a walk in the park. It's taken money, sacrifice and time -- something parents don't always have.
"There were situations where it's like if somebody could just hold onto my children for just a minute, give me some time to get on my feet, I will be okay," Candace said.
Now on the other side of her struggles, Candace can be that support for others, offering free childcare to parents who have interviews, for up to four hours, and with proof of an interview.
"I feel like if I can help someone get on their feet in any sort of way, this is what I'm able to do," she said. "That's my way of giving back, which ultimately my goal is to start a nonprofit organization, which I believe God laid on my heart as well, where I can offer extended care for those same families."
Her selflessness shines every day on the kids in her care, but it's also the guiding light for her own children; especially, her 17-year-old daughter, Alyviah Abernathy.
"She is very inspiring and so she also makes me feel like it's never too late to try anything," Alyviah said. "If I had a different parent or a different upbringing, it would not be the same way. I feel like I was lucky. I have a good one."
The work here isn't finished, and sometimes, it's tough to get by. She worries if she'll have enough money to buy groceries for the kids in her care some weeks.
But, this is what Candace was called to do: Nurturing young hearts and giving back to the community that got her here.
"I'm very, very grateful. None of it would be possible without everyone else listening to their heart and offering support," Candace said.
For more information on Flower Garden Early Childcare Center, click HERE.
Have a story idea for Heartstrings? Email to: Heartstrings@wkyc.com.
MORE FROM WKYC:
