Connie Rodgers
Home Child Care Provider
February 13, 2019
As the third oldest of ten siblings, Connie Rodgers has always taken care of other children. When she attended school for child care, she compared it to a hand with glove - it just fit. She strives to empower children to be their best, building their confidence and watching them grow. Her passion for helping children has kept her home child care, Happy Hearts, open and full for over 18 years.
"Children are a product of their environment and I want them to be successful. I try to show them positive attitudes, respectfulness, and kindness. I want to do my part to raise the children into adults that can make the world a better place.”
Connie and the children work in the home garden they have planted. They enjoy watching fruits and veggies start as seeds and then grow into something they can eat. Connie prepares the vegetables using various cooking methods for the children to taste. They have grown broccoli, summer squash, zucchini, tomatoes, and even watermelon.
Along with the preschool curriculum, Connie focuses on being involved and exploring the community with the children. They go to the library, a local farm, aquarium, movies, and museums, tying their field trips into the lessons learned. She urges the children to be kind and helpful to others, treat others how they want to be treated, know that sharing is caring, and to always mind their manners. For Connie, they are learning skills to help them succeed not only in school, but also in life.
Connie truly wants the children to be able to make good choices throughout their life because of what they learned at Happy Hearts. Hopefully, through those choices they will find themselves to be the best they can be and be able to follow her motto, "When the heart is happy, the soul is tickled pink!"
From New Bern, North Carolina, Connie has been a CACFP participant through Cape Fear Tutoring since 2001.