Around three years ago, when Desiree Graham started her new journey in the City of Wetaskiwin, she tried to find ways to connect with locals.
She found her passion taking care of kids.
That’s how Graham landed her new volunteer position as a board member for the Children Indoor Playground Society (CHIPS) in Wetaskiwin.
“I was looking at ways to socialize with other adults, as when you have a day home and you don’t have children of your own, you kind of feel a little bit isolated,” Graham said.
“So I started looking at opportunities of what the committee had to offer. And I found out about CHIPS.”
She explains that after all these years childcare doesn’t seem to be a job anymore, but rather a passion.
“I’ve always worked for childcare. My passion is childcare. I was born and raised in a day home my mom ran from our home. So I started babysitting at a young age; I was a nanny, and I’ve always been involved in volunteer work in the community,” Graham said.
While running CHIPS as the president of the non-profit, Graham, 31, is also running a day home out of her house for a living.
“Usually, I have about five to six kids in my care during the week and with me during the day when we attend CHIPS. I think it’s important to take them out into the community and let them interact with different children and even adults, as this helps their social development. I believe what CHIPS has to offer the children regarding their development to be huge,” Graham explained.
In response to a question about whether it would be nicer to run CHIPS as a for-profit organization, Graham said that the facility then wouldn’t be as affordable for users as it is now.
She added that CHIPS’s cost for drop-in of $5 per visit has remained unchanged for years.
Graham is an early childhood educator, volunteer, and day home provider—probably for the rest of her life.
“I’ve worked in childcare; this is my passion. I could see myself doing this until I’m a grandma; this is something that I truly believe in.”