Little Hands Big Steps: The Newest Child Care Center in Yuma
Child care centers and in-home child care providers are crucial in Yuma. As of May 2024, there were 18,000 children under the age of 6 in Yuma County, but only enough child care providers to cover 6,000, according to First Things First. Additionally, DES has 18 Certified Child Care Providers in Yuma County, with only seven in Yuma itself, which is why the grand opening of the Little Hands Big Steps facility on August 10, 2024, was not only a significant achievement for its owner, Martha Aguilar, but also a much-needed win for the community.
The opening of Little Hands Big Steps is a testament to her hard work and dedication. During her 12 years working as a DES Contracted and Certified Family Child Care provider, she has visited just about every pit stop along the child care interstate.
When Martha started on her career path, she was an agricultural worker and a single mother to five children. She knew caring for and educating kids was her passion, so she took the steps toward fulfilling her dream.
“I decided to take English classes and then obtain my CDA (Child Development Associate) from AWC (Arizona Western College) since I always knew that I love to be with children,” said Martha. “It seemed like a good option to help families with child care while I was with my children.”
“I started with a small group with four children through DES,” explained Martha. As a DES-certified provider, she could care for a maximum of four children and was eligible to receive financial reimbursement for caring for children in families who qualify for DES child care assistance.
Martha grew her business to become an Arizona Department of Health Services (DHS) Group Home to care for more children, “but my dream was always to have my own center,” she said.
Martha said her favorite part of being a child care provider is working with children, and being part of their “developmental discovery.” Through her new facility, she'll now be able to provide those experiences and learning opportunities to even more children.
“I feel so proud and happy - proud for having achieved an important goal, and happy for having created a safe and educational space for children.”
DES Certified Child Care Providers run their own business, choose their hours of operation, and earn compensation for caring for children. To learn more about becoming a child care provider, visit the Child Care Resource & Referral Provider website.
Read text version of Three types of child care providers infographic.