Aundrea Luerkens (17) is a high school student who works and spends her time at Lisbon Early Childcare Center (LECC). Her love for children was deeply rooted in her experience with her own little sister, which taught her both the joys and the challenges of caring for young ones.

At LECC, Luerkens faced struggles that came with her job. Meeting the diverse needs of the children. Each day presented a new set of challenges and Luerkens had to constantly adapt her approach to ensure every child received the care and attention they required.
One of the main difficulties was managing the balance between different needs and preferences. “Some days it felt like a juggling act,” said Luerkens. Trying to create a learning environment while also trying to establish a safe and nurturing place where kids can learn good behavior can be hard especially when you don’t know how they will react.
Another difficulty is knowing how to deal with kids because every kid is different and requires different needs. “It can be really challenging to know how to react in the moment,” said Luerkens, “All kids are different and it can be hard to know how to deal with their specific needs.” This is what Luerkens says makes working with the kids at LECC so impactful, dealing with kids in different ways to help them grow is so cool to see happen.
Luerkens says caring for her younger sister, who is 3, has really helped her become interested in child care, and has given her the experience she needed to help her in the child care field. “Having a younger sister has really helped me become interested and confident with child care,” she said.. Knowing the basics and the challenges has really helped her be successful in her job.
While there are many challenges with child care there are also a lot of benefits, Luerkens loves her job at the LECC not only because she loves working with kids, but also because she loves to watch the children grow in knowledge and behavior. “I love working in child care because of caring for my sister, ” explains Luerkens, “I also love child care because I get to make an impact in the lives of the kids at the LECC.” As Luerkens continues to work at the LECC, her dedication and love for her job shines through. Her ability to care for children and have empathy, resilience, and a good mind set every day, makes a really big impact in the lives of children and in the community. Working at the LECC won’t only benefit the children, it will also benefit her in the future to have these experiences and memories and to apply what she’s learned in the future.