Child Care provider Michelle Hardy enjoys outdoor activity with children in her care.

Within seconds of arriving at the residence of child care provider Michelle Hardy, 2-year-old Noah rushed to join Mykel, 21 months, Zoe, 3, and Joshua, 4. Noah’s mom smiled as she signed in before heading home to get some rest. 

“He normally gets here earlier, but his mom’s not feeling very good,” said Hardy, a Type B child care provider for Hamilton County Child Care, a unit of the Hamilton County Department of Job and Family Services. Type B Child Care homes provide care to families eligible for the state subsidized program. They care for up to six children in the provider’s personal residence. 

Loves being around children -- a lot
Hardy has been a home care provider for the county for more than 14 years. She cares for 10 children – five during the week and five on weekends – ages 2 to 7. The first child arrives at 6:15 a.m. and the last leaves at 8:30 p.m.

On this Friday morning, Hardy’s husband of 22 years, Dan, bounced a ball with the children on a backyard deck off a kitchen. The friendly UPS driver was home due to eye surgery. He said with a smile he enjoyed the lively kids, but was looking forward to getting back to work.  

Their tri-level home sits in a subdivision off of Colerain Avenue, less than a mile from Cross County Highway. The backyard features several plastic play sets and a dirt tricycle path. A wooden privacy fence encloses a yard frequented by cardinals and an occasional bluebird. Geese fly by often en route to a pond at an apartment complex. 

“There's no doubt that Ms. Hardy has genuine love for kids,” said Olu Abimbola, a home provider specialist at Hamilton County Child Care. “I have observed her attending to their needs compassionately. The children, in turn, are naturally drawn to her. She makes sure that their inquisitive minds are filled with developmentally appropriate reading materials and activities.” 

Enriching activities help children develop
Their daily activity includes “lots of puzzles,” chalk (board and sidewalk), planting and tending gardens and singing, Hardy said. 

“They love chalk boards – they’ve worn out a couple,” she added. “And they love singing. I try to get them ready for kindergarten. They’re learning their ABC’s.” 

Noah, for example, already has progressed to lower-case letters after learning the alphabet this year. 

Children only watch two television shows, both on PBS – Sesame Street and Zoboomafoo. By watching the latter, Hardy tried to help Mikel learn that all animals, including birds, aren’t called dogs. But the two Zoboomafoo episodes they viewed featured dogs, she said with a smile.

For the most part, the youngsters don’t care to watch TV. 

“I feel children should be active,” Hardy said. “They shouldn’t be sitting in front of the TV. As you can see, if the door is open, they want to go outside.” 

Children appreciate outdoor trips
Hardy tries to take the children to a park at least once a week. In the summer, they enjoy water parks at Winton Woods and Miami Whitewater Forest. They visit the Cincinnati Zoo and check out the turtles at nearby Farbach-Werner park. 

They especially enjoy going to the Serpentine Wall. They play on the Jungle Jim and walk across the Purple People Bridge for ice cream. 

“They’re mesmerized by the boats on the Ohio River,” Hardy said. 

Hardy’s mother, Dianna Powell, often took her two grandsons (now adults) to parks. Powell serves as a child care provider for Hamilton County. She encouraged Hardy to start a child care business after 10 years as a waitress. Hardy’s sister is a child care provider. 

“My youngest son had asthma bad when he was 4,” Hardy said. “My mom said that since I had to be home a lot, I might as well work from home.” 

Hardy mostly cares for pre-schoolers.  

“You don’t hear them say it’s boring,” she said, with a smile. “You can be having your worst day, and they will do something that cheers you up.” 

In the winter, the children spend a lot of time in the family room and a basement play area.  

“They’re allowed to have chalk up here, but they paint down there,” said Hardy, motioning to a staircase. The basement has shelves and baskets full of toys, books and items for arts and crafts projects.  

Always learning, trying new things
She gets a lot of ideas during 10 to 15 hours of annual training. She has enjoyed going to Forest Park Head start weekly to interact with other child care providers and learn about new projects to try with her kids. 

Hardy places great importance on building and maintaining good relationships with parents.  

“They can come any time,” she said. “They do not need to call me first. I encourage them to call, text or stop by. I take suggestions.” 

Most parents gladly accept Hardy’s offer to hold a low-cost birthday party at her home. Parents supply the cake and Hardy provides cups and pizza. 

Children stay in touch long after their day care years end. Some visit. Others e-mail, including a 10-year-old who sends messages daily. They tell her about their upcoming sporting events, which Hardy often attends. 

“They grew up here,” Hardy said. “Most of them were here from the time they were babies until they went to school.” 

Most families find out about Hardy from previous customers. She gets some referrals through listings by Hamilton County Child Care and 4C for Children. If her home is full, she refers parents to her mother in nearby College Hill. Her mother does the same. 

As the children rushed up to give a guest a hug, Hardy was asked about her future plans. 

“I plan on retiring doing this,” she said.