Good Neighbor Podcast: Frisco

EP 286: 24-Hour Childcare: Meet Mrs Williams and Her Unique Home Daycare Service

• Sophia Yvette

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What Makes Jeannette Williams with Mrs. Williams Childcare a Good Neighbor?

Stepping into the world of childcare brings both tremendous responsibility and heartwarming rewards. Mrs. Williams shares her journey from homeschooling mother of five to running a 24-hour home daycare service that supports first responders, healthcare workers, and families with non-traditional schedules.

What makes Mrs. Williams' approach unique goes beyond her flexible hours. She offers a refreshing perspective on separation anxiety, explaining that tears at dropoff actually signal healthy parent-child attachment. "It shows they have bonded with their parents," she notes, adding that children typically settle quickly after parents leave. This insight alone provides immense relief to parents who struggle with guilt during morning goodbyes.

The conversation explores practical strategies for both childcare providers and parents. Mrs. Williams shares her dropoff protocol—recommend quick, loving goodbyes rather than lingering farewells, and sending reassuring photos throughout the day. She also discusses the importance of finding the right fit between child and daycare environment, sometimes even facilitating transfers to more suitable settings. Her wisdom comes from years of experience caring for children from six weeks old and up, observing their development, and supporting families through various transitions.

For those interested in the business side of childcare, Mrs. Williams offers surprising marketing insights. Unlike many small businesses focusing on social media, she emphasizes location-based discovery tools like Google Maps and Yelp, explaining that parents primarily search for daycares positioned between home and work. This practical approach highlights her deep understanding of her clientele's needs and decision-making process.

Whether you're a parent seeking childcare, a provider looking to improve your service, or simply curious about how essential workers manage family responsibilities, this conversation provides valuable perspectives from someone who's dedicated her life to creating a nurturing environment for children.

To learn more about Mrs. Williams Childcare go to:  https://mrswilliamsfamilychildcare.weebly.com/

Mrs. Williams Childcare

817-862-7251

Speaker 1:

This is the Good Neighbor Podcast, the place where local businesses and neighbors come together. Here's your host, Sophia Yvette.

Speaker 2:

Welcome to the Good Neighbor Podcast. Are you in need of a home daycare? Well, one may be closer than you think. Today I have the pleasure of introducing your good neighbor, Mrs Williams, with Mrs Williams Child Care. Mrs Williams, how are you today? Doing? Well, Great. Now we are excited to learn all about you and your business. Can you start by telling our listeners just a little bit about your company?

Speaker 3:

So I do a home daycare. Mine is a little bit unique in that I offer 24 hour care, including weekends and holidays. We had a little bit unique in that I offer 24-hour care, including weekends and holidays. We had a little guy here on 4th of July. His mom was a nurse and she needed childcare that day.

Speaker 2:

And how did you originally get into this business?

Speaker 3:

Originally. So we've got five children. They're all adults now, but when they were younger we lived in this wonderful neighborhood in a tiny house and my husband was like we need a bigger house. And I was homeschooling them, so I was home all the time and so to generate more income to afford a bigger house I thought I have a house full of five kids and all their friends. I, you know, just doing daycare just seemed like the next natural step.

Speaker 2:

Wow, so many questions for you, Mrs Williams. Let's start with this one. What is the most common myth or misconception you come across in your industry?

Speaker 3:

Oh, let's let me think, um. I think that with um parents, when they drop off their child and their child cries, it's very heartbreaking, especially, you know, their first time in daycare. But that is actually a very healthy thing for the child because it shows it has bonded with their parents and usually by the time you even get to the car, they have settled down. So I know it's heartbreaking and it is very, very difficult, but it actually shows that they have bonded. There was one time when that did not happen and I'm like something is seriously wrong and there was. It was. I won't go into the details. Something is seriously wrong and there was. It was. I won't go into the details, but there was definitely a. There was no bond between the parent and the child. So it's actually healthy.

Speaker 2:

Is there a certain time period that that's healthy for?

Speaker 3:

Yeah, they will. Some. It varies on, you know, the child and everything Some children take. It just takes longer than others. So they generally will settle down after a while, realize that this is a fun place to be.

Speaker 2:

OK, now switching gears for a second. We know marketing is the heart of every business. How do you currently target your clients that you get?

Speaker 3:

So for parents, they're looking for childcare according to location. They need it to be between house and work generally, and so putting so for me I do like Google Maps, Yelp Maps, Apple Maps. If you're on that, that's where they're going to look for childcare, not, you know, Facebook pages and everything that's great, but they're going to look on the map and find a daycare between where they work and where they live, and those are the ones they're going to contact, not if you're you're. You know, paying for ads to come up on the top is location what about when it comes to reviews?

Speaker 2:

are there reviews where the parents can find you online as well?

Speaker 3:

yeah, we have reviews. I would say most. Most daycares probably do have reviews, unless you're brand new and you're just getting started, but I would think that most of them at least have a few reviews.

Speaker 2:

Now, have you ever thought about having your very own podcast? I?

Speaker 3:

have not. Actually, I've had different people say you need to write a book because when you're raised by kids and you have been in this for so long, you pick up like little tricks that work. And for new moms that's all new to them, and so I have. Yeah, I've had people say you should write a book, but that's before social media. Now they're probably going to say get on TikTok and make these little things.

Speaker 2:

So now outside of work. What do you like to do for fun with your family?

Speaker 3:

So generally we're very involved in church. So that's our community. But on a daily basis, just for like right now, it's nap time for me, obviously otherwise I would not be in here doing a podcast but reading. I'm always reading a book, a book with paper pages. It is just so relaxing for me and so that I do on a daily basis when I've got a few minutes, and mornings, evenings, nap time.

Speaker 2:

While I feel you there, what are your favorite types of books to read? I like more.

Speaker 3:

I know it's crazy. I like things that really happen. I like history. Right now I'm reading about Queen Elizabeth's parents and how they met and how they grew up. That's what I'm currently reading, but I've read different types of things that really happened when the miners like the 10 miners that were stuck in the mine in South America. I read that one. That was fascinating. I like knowing, just you know, historical things, sometimes a novel, but not often.

Speaker 2:

Now please tell our listeners one thing they should remember about Mrs Williams' childcare.

Speaker 3:

I think the thing to remember would be that I offer 24 hour childcare, including weekends, holidays for a lot of, you know first responder types that work those days, so that would be the thing to remember.

Speaker 2:

And Mrs Williams scenario here. Let's say you know I was a parent dropping off my child. What would be the first thing you would tell me to kind of reassure me before I drop off my child?

Speaker 3:

Um, so I would, I would say, depending on the age of the child.

Speaker 3:

If it's, you know, an infant, they are just, they're too young to, they've not entered that separation anxiety and some are. It's more difficult for some than others and then if, if a something is happening, happening in their family that's very disruptive, like a separation of parents, that's highly disruptive, then it will all kick in again. It's just very fearful for the children, and so what I say is that you hold them or keep them until they'll. You know, tell me everything I need to know while you are holding your baby. And then, at the very last minute, it's like you know, hand them over, close the door, you know, love, kisses, all that.

Speaker 3:

Before you hand them over, we close the door and come in, otherwise they, if parents linger, the child gets their hopes up that you know, mom, your day, they're gonna stay, everything's gonna be okay, and they, and then it's dashed because they have to go to work, and so I try to tell them we're going to do a quick drop off, tell me everything what you're holding baby, and then it's, you know, goodbye, we'll see you later, and then we come in. It just is easier for them.

Speaker 2:

Do you ever allow for parents to do check-ins for the first couple days? Oh yeah, I will send. Yes.

Speaker 3:

I do. I'll take pictures of them and say they've already a lot of times they've settled down, like I said before you even get to the car, and then I'm taking a picture, sending it right off. They're doing fine. And then throughout the day, when they do cute, funny things, I'll take pictures, or just really funny little things that they said, which is just it's just so cute so they can see through their day that, oh, this is what they're doing right now. And for new ones I'll take a picture. Ok, they're asleep, they're napping. I'll take a picture of them, you know, sleeping.

Speaker 2:

Just you know, so they can see that. And how would it work for children who may be a little bit more difficult at first, to have a harder time adjusting? Do you have methods in place to work with those children?

Speaker 3:

Yes, we do have methods that we use to to help the children and but there are times when it's just not a good fit. Not every child fits with every child care provider and so there are times when I've told parents you know what this is not a good fit. You know you've got a five-year-old going to start kindergarten and we've got all these babies. He has no one to play with. So I recommend this other day care that I've already contacted and asked do you have space for this child? And you know to make sure. And then I give them the contact information and they're always like it's hard because you feel your child has been kicked out but we're just transferring them to a better environment. And it always works out that way. And it's been vice versa.

Speaker 3:

We had a little guy from you know tiny. He was tiny and then they moved away like 30 minutes. They were trying all these daycares. It was not working. They were having issues that we never had. So it really depends on the mix. So I would tell parents, don't feel bad if it's not working out. You know you want some place that's going to work out for your child.

Speaker 2:

And what's the smallest age you allow children into your home daycare?

Speaker 3:

For me I do all ages into your home daycare. For me I do all ages. So like six weeks generally, if you've got that short six week window of maternity leave on there, so yeah, six weeks is the youngest we've had.

Speaker 2:

And where can our listeners go to learn more about Mrs Williams child care?

Speaker 3:

My website has all the information, my policies, contact information, some pictures on there and that is all spelled out. Mrs Williams family child careweeblycom.

Speaker 2:

Well, Mrs Williams, I really appreciate you being on the show. We wish you and your business the best moving forward.

Speaker 3:

Thank you.

Speaker 1:

Thank you for listening to the Good Neighbor Podcast. To nominate your favorite local businesses to be featured on the show, go to GNPFriscocom. That's GNPFriscocom, or call 469-221-9345.