Day Care with Renee Kruger!
By Cindy Ladage

Renee Kruger has been watching kids for 35 years, running a licensed daycare. She has had a major impact on the lives of children and families throughout the Pawnee and central Illinois area. “Once her kids,” Renee, better known to her kids as Nee Nee says, “always her kids.”

“My mom had a daycare for 17 years,” Renee said sharing that she was used to being around kids even before becoming a mom and taking on more children. After having her own she said, “Leaving my child somewhere scared me to death and I just wasn’t going to do it. I am so thankful I was here for my kids and now my grandkids.”

For Renee those “kids” extend not only to her immediate family but those she has had over the years. “I regret not making a list,” she said when asked just how many children she has watched over the years.

“My first baby is still close to my heart,” she shared. Isn’t that what every parent wants for their child to be loved like they are the sitter’s own? What a joy to know how Renee feels about her charges from the time they enter her home and beyond.

The hardest time she said isn’t changing diapers, or dealing with temper tantrums etc. “I tell everybody the hardest time is when they walk out the door for the last time.”

The bond between sitter and child is a strong one. “Parents don’t realize the relationship between us. When they walk in from school, you hear about how it went, what the teachers said and did and gossip about who did what. If something important happened I share it with the parents, otherwise,” she shared, “we just deal with it.”

A big benefit that Renee sees in home daycares is that children of all ages spend time together. In structured daycare centers there is the baby area, the toddlers, school age children and more, at home daycare everyone is together, and learning how to interact with all ages. Renee said she explains when baby’s cry that they are talking to you. She
tells the little ones how to be around a baby, and everyone learns from one another. 

She knows what it is like to deal with children of various ages. Her own sons, Kyle and Lucas are seven and a half years apart. “The kids get close. They grow up together, and their parents get close too. They bond because we are small,” she said about the tight knit group of kids and parents that have grown and stayed close over the years. 

Many former daycare kids have come back to work with Renee. “I love having those kids come back. Last year we started having lunches with the juniors and seniors that were daycare kids once a month. I like when they drive and come back here.” 

The younger children get ready for school with Renee’s preschool program that she adjusts each year. While they learn ABC’s and such, she said the important things they learn are the social skills needed for kindergarten. “They learn to take turns, sit in a chair, hold their pen, colors and shapes.”

At her daycare, Renee adjusts to the children and their needs. “Everyone is not in the same box, everyone is different. We need to encourage what they are interested in.  Kids are fun.”

Renee really did not have advice for those looking for a daycare because she said everyone has different preferences. Basically, it is what fits you and your child whether that is the more structured daycare centers, or a home daycare. What is hard she said is when there is no choice and you can only choose what is available. “Find what fits.”

Being a licensed daycare provider, Renee has her own restrictions. How many children are allowed at different ages etc. She watches children between six weeks and the age of 12. Her family has been part of the daycare since day one, and now her husband Jeff is retired, and he is licensed to help her as well. “I’ve never not had kids here,” she said. 

She notes that this really is not a nine to five, Monday – Friday job because on the weekend she is getting organized getting ready for the week. She often answers texts and calls. Along with Jeff, she sometimes has two extra girls’ help, especially from the nap to snack to parents’ arrival time. Her own sons have worked with her over the years. Now she watches her own grandchildren along with others. 

Kids are special she said, and they are different with other people than with their parents. She likes working at home and with children. “Kids want to please you. It is fun to watch them grow where they are in life.”

Over the years she has collected pictures of “her kids” and the treasures they have created for her. When two of “her kids” graduated last year, she made Jeff go with her to the graduation for emotional support. “Time is a thief,” she said about how fast children grow and are on their own. “I get madly in love with the kids.”

Renee’s kids have become integral parts of the Pawnee community and beyond. Many
of us reading this have felt her loving care and we hope she continues to nurture our young for years to come.