These are but a few of AMD's childcare stories. Want to tell yours? Click here!
I became a single mother at the tender age of 17. My oldest child is now 10, and throughout the first nine years of her life, my parents were able to watch her while I worked the second shift. I now have three children, aged 10, 5, and 3. Up until March 2023, my parents were able to care for my children until my mom physically couldn't anymore.
I was off work for three weeks due to a lack of childcare. Because I worked the second shift, I couldn't find a daycare that was open late or someone willing to watch my kids at such late hours. During this time, I did some research and discovered a program called A Million Dreamz. I was eager to enroll my kids, and once I was able to do so, I was thrilled. This opportunity was not only for me to get back to work but also for my children to interact with other kids their age and socialize.
At the time of enrollment, my income was too high to qualify for state assistance for childcare. However, I was presented with the facility's flex rate program. This program took a huge chunk of financial stress off my shoulders, as I was able to pay a fraction of the standard rates required. The financial relief this program provided allowed me to stay afloat with my finances and ensure my bills were paid. Without this assistance, I wouldn't have been able to get back on my feet and be where I am today.
Initially, I was hesitant about how my children would respond to the change, given their lack of socialization with other children. However, the staff and care provided by the teachers at A Million Dreamz were exceptional. They made my kids feel welcome and helped them adjust to the change in routine after so many years. My 5-year-old has speech delays, and with their help and the school's resources, she was able to express her feelings more and vocalize what she liked, didn't like, or wanted when needed.
- LB
595My husband and I have five children aged 9, 7, 6, 3, and 6 months. While our older three attend school, our two youngest go to A Million Dreamz on a full-time basis, as we both work full time. Even with only two in daycare, we struggle every day to keep up with bills and food.
We have tried numerous times to apply for daycare assistance, but to no avail, we do not qualify. We made a financial decision, and I decided to take a pay cut and return to the daycare field. We hoped that with the reduction in income, we would qualify for state assistance.
However, even with the pay cut, we still exceed the income limit and do not qualify. In an attempt to alleviate daycare costs, we also applied for Head Start for our daughter, but there too, we exceed the income limit. We are at a crossroads and are considering the option of me quitting my job at A Million Dreamz.
The thought of quitting breaks my heart because I love taking care of these amazing kids and their families. Quitting my job at A Million Dreamz puts my family at risk of becoming homeless. With five kids, it is the scariest thought.
Every day brings more worry about not only our household bills, but also our daycare bill. We pay more for childcare each month than we do for the total costs of our home and all other bills. With the holidays approaching, we are struggling with the unknown as we were just able to afford costumes for Halloween.
We want our children to get the most out of life, but with all our money going toward bills and food, we simply lack the means to provide anything extra for our kids at this time. We have an amazing community. I know if we can all come together, we can come up with a solution to help not only families like mine but also all other families experiencing hardships due to daycare costs.
- SB
926Angel and her staff at A Million Dreamz are nothing short of amazing! Our community is so very lucky to have such a treasure for our children. During a very difficult time for our family A Million Dreamz welcomed us with open arms.
The real time updates we are beyond grateful for! The peace of mind you gain from every update of your child’s day is priceless and beyond appreciated. Our busy little loves going to daycare!
A Million Dreamz focus on education is Incredible! The staff is interactive, compassionate, and caring with our little. Those are just a few fun facts about this center. I would recommend this daycare to everyone in need of a reliable flexible caring center.
The enrollment process was seamless!
- KP
591I had my daughter on the waitlist for A Million Dreamz before they opened their doors in March of 2023. I still remember getting the call that they were open and had a spot for my daughter. It was the biggest blessing to our family. I had started my daughter at another daycare facility when she was six weeks old. Through some very traumatic circumstances and being a first-time mom, I almost gave up on daycare altogether.
I received a tour the week before she started and knew immediately that was where my daughter needed to be. Not only was that where I knew she needed to be, but I also asked two of her previous daycare teachers to apply there as well. They still work there today.
In only one year’s time, A Million Dreamz has exceeded any expectations I had for childcare, even before having a child. The staff at A Million Dreamz is constantly on top of my daughter’s care. They update me and ask questions, do many check-ins, and send out newsletters during the week to show me what is going on when I am not with my little girl. This helps me feel secure. The staff at A Million Dreamz greet me and say hello in the hallways to my daughter, making us feel special and not just another family. I never even received an in-person update from our past daycare. My daughter now gets excited to go to daycare, even if she’s sad about leaving us for the day.
I’ve worked in childcare for many years before, so I understand the stress put on staff and the hardships teachers may face each and every day. I no longer have a fear in my mind that she is being taken care of, and I know she is having a great day.
As a first-time parent, I appreciate all the accommodations A Million Dreamz provides to help make our lives easier. Besides the fact that they provide affordable childcare, they also provide diapers, formula, meals, and a change of clothes when accidents arise. I never have to leave my job to drop off anything, and if they do need supplies from us, there are constant reminders through the fantastic communication app we stay connected through.
I can’t say enough about how extremely blessed I am that A Million Dreamz opened up in Sheboygan. I’d drive an hour out of my way for the care we get right in our backyard. I know my little girl is happy, and as a parent, that is the most important thing in my life. I hope my daughter is a Dreamer for many years to come.
- BD
611Childcare has been a struggle for us from the start. We had our son in March of 2019. We called many childcare centers while I was pregnant with our son. Every single childcare center turned us down, saying they had a "waitlist" of 50+ kids. As a mom, I feared I wouldn't be able to go back to work or consider having more children.
Before A Million Dreamz, I found babysitters, but it wasn't always steady. One of them shut down on me abruptly, leaving me without childcare for 2 weeks! The other wanted to go back to a regular job. The first babysitter wouldn't unlock her doors until 6am, and I had to be at work by then. I was running late to work every day, waiting out in the freezing cold in winter. It was very frustrating.
I prayed that one day we'd find a childcare that would open early and be flexible with our work schedules. Many days, our son cried because he didn't want to go to the in-home "childcare".
Sheboygan doesn't have many childcare places. If they do, they're either full or have a huge waitlist. We need to find a solution, and I feel that A Million Dreamz is on the right path. They have so much going for them.
When we first heard of A Million Dreamz, I said, "24/7? No way! That's amazing".
Do you realize how many jobs require you to work weekends, let alone holidays? Oh wait, it gets better ... they're open until midnight?! (At least for now). What other childcare offers that? None!
I can't thank this place enough. The teachers are amazing. Mrs. Berry is fantastic, always willing to help and listen.
I've never seen my son so happy to go to childcare. He usually skips right in and gives his teacher a big hug. If this doesn't put your heart at ease, I don't know what would.
631I've been in the role of a single mother, dependent on child care. About six years ago, I had my son in day care from about six months to two years old. The last year we were there, he was sick one to two times a month.
I had to miss work to keep him home but couldn't afford to continue missing work because, obviously, you get charged for your time slot whether you use it or not. At one point, the director of the program told me, "This isn't your dumping ground." I was forced to bring him in because I had to work and had no family support or other options.
It got to a point where my daycare bills were so high I had to face the fact that, at this rate, I could not pay back what I owed in daycare fees. With government assistance, my monthly bill for full-time day care was $880. As a cook, my standard wages back then were $12-13 per hour.
My overdue bill at day care was about $2,000. After dating my current husband for a year, he said, "Why don't we take him out of daycare and work opposite shifts?" So we have been doing that.
It took me until tax time the following year before I could pay my daycare fees. Now that we have elevated our careers, we do not qualify for benefits, which makes us even less likely to use daycare options.
We, as people, cannot thrive with a housing crisis, tariffs and high food costs, with daycare fees taking half the wages of people in entry-level positions when the minimum wage is $7.25 per hour. This plays into why birth rates are down. After discovering the cost of child care, many families stop at one child.
According to a CBS News article, child care can cost more than housing or college tuition and the overall cost of child care has soared more than 50% in the last decade. A quote from author Elliot Haspel: "Having a young child in this country is a cause of poverty. It's not correlated with it; it's the cause of poverty."
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