“I Love Everything About Childcare!” | Why Upwards Daycare Provider Tanya Garcia Is So Passionate About Early Childhood Education

Upwards is proud to support all of our hard-working childcare providers across the country and we’re excited to highlight one of Los Angeles’ shining stars, Tanya Garcia. Tanya started her childcare business four years ago and enjoys guiding children in their development while constantly learning herself.

Tanya brings energy, creativity, experience, compassion, and enthusiasm to the lucky families who are enrolled in care at Angelica’s Daycare. Here, Tanya shares caregiving insights with our community and discusses how she started her own childcare business, in her own words.

Upwards: Why are you passionate about childcare?

Tanya Garcia: I really enjoy working with children of all ages, my favorite being toddlers. It is a wonderful opportunity to help children reach milestones in a confident manner. I love that you never stop learning when it comes to children’s growth as not all children are the same. You learn not only about their development but can continue to learn through other helpful sources giving you the confidence you need to provide a good environment for the children in your care.

Upwards: What is the story of when and why you decided to start a childcare business?

Tanya: I decided to start my childcare business in 2018. I have always had a connection with childcare since I was a child, my mother owns a daycare, and I worked as a nanny for six years while pursuing my Aviation Management Bachelor’s degree at CSULA. I did work in aviation for a few years until I decided to open my childcare business. At first, the decision to open my own childcare business was to help me be close to my own two children, but my love for it grew to twice the size! I began with a license to care for eight children and grew from there. I love everything about childcare, I never stop learning!

Upwards: At your Upwards daycare, how do you connect with children and keep them engaged?

Tanya: I do so many activities with my daycare children. We do science projects, musical instruments, singing, arts and crafts, and so much more. My assistant and I love to stay on top of the children’s development, as each child does develop at a different pace. We try to have fun at nearly everything we do. We want our children to learn but also to enjoy being around each other. We also record a lot of fun videos to show our families the environment their children are in and so that they don’t miss out on any of the important things.

Upwards: What is your favorite part of each day caring for kiddos and why?

Tanya: My favorite part of the day is definitely circle time. It is the time when we all just sit as a group and converse. We review our colors and numbers and the children also learn a lot by simply talking with one another. I work with mostly toddlers, so their speech development is very important because it is so new to them. I encourage them to speak up, listen to one another, and most importantly learn from one another and help each other.

Upwards: What has been the biggest challenge you’ve faced as a childcare provider?

Tanya: The biggest challenge has been all of the paperwork being demanded as a childcare provider. It’s not always just being with the children. There is so much paperwork such as invoices, vaccinations, licensing forms, incident reporting, up to date rosters and it all has to be perfect in case we have unannounced licensing visits.

Upwards: Do you have any advice or tips for caregivers who are just starting out?

Tanya: This career is one that you do have to have a passion about, otherwise the stress will not feel worth it for you. I do get overwhelmed sometimes, but the passion for it is what keeps me going — as caregivers, you will get a lot of curveballs and unexpected obligations thrown your way, as not all children are the same and not all parents are the same. There is a lot of room for growth, so if you’re passionate, childcare can be something that will bring you joy.

Upwards: How has working with Upwards helped your business?

Tanya: Their staff are very helpful and always in positive spirits, ready to assist. We have had many families enroll through the Upwards app. I have seen Upwards go above and beyond for the parents and childcare providers, helping my business with so much support!

Upwards: What is a favorite recent story from your time as a childcare provider?

Tanya: Childcare is actually very funny sometimes, the children do say whatever is in their heads. One day I left some M&M’s out and when I turned around they were gone. I asked the kids if they’ve seen them and they all shook their heads until I found it suspicious that they all unexpectedly put their masks on. They are all mostly two-year-olds, so they usually don’t ever do this voluntarily, but they all put their masks on. Come to find out, they all had M&M’s in their mouths and were hiding it under their masks! I thought it was so clever for two-year-olds to pull this off as a small group. I think it is so funny when they come together as a group to get their way.

Note: All photos are owned by Upwards and were taken in 2019.