
                         Roanoke Times
                 Copyright (c) 1995, Landmark Communications, Inc.

DATE: FRIDAY, April 12, 1991                   TAG: 9104120207
SECTION: EXTRA                    PAGE: E-1   EDITION: METRO 
SOURCE: JANE SEE WHITE/ STAFF WRITER
DATELINE:                                 LENGTH: Medium

TAKING CARE OF KIDS IS HARD WORK, SAYS VETERAN OF 21 YEARS

Deloris Hayden has been caring for children at her home in Northwest Roanoke for 21 years. She's licensed by the state and certified by the city's social services department. Her husband, Louis, who works for Norfolk Southern, helps out when he's home.

When Hayden started, her own three daughters were small, and the basement of her home was a "big old empty space, damp and dirty." Today it's paneled, has a wet bar, fireplace, a large color television and an array of toys, including a small blue and red plastic teeter-totter. Canvas cots for nap time are stacked at one end of the room, and through a doorway there's a small kitchen with a child-sized table and chairs, a bathroom and a storage room for books and toys.

Hayden works from 5:30 a.m. until 6:15 p.m. caring for eight children - one infant, a gaggle of preschoolers from age 2 to 4, and two children who come after school. One morning, while the baby slept and the preschoolers played to the accompaniment of cartoons on Nickelodeon, Hayden talked about her work:

"I got started after Louis finished in the service. He was on call every other eight hours with the railroad, and I couldn't find decent day care we could afford. The old principal at Addison High School said, `Why don't you take in children?' So I did . . . .

"We painted the basement and went to the Salvation Army for toys. I used sheets as curtains and finally we paneled the walls. (You be careful on that teeter-totter; you mustn't bounce him off of there on his head.) I've cared for 500 children through the years . . . .

"I take these children anywhere I have to go - the bank, the post office. You can't just sit home with the children and not invest anything in it. This week we went to Sam's to buy snacks to send to the troops in the gulf. We made a big valentine for the troops. People are always surprised at how well-behaved these children are . . .

"We very seldom get any recognition for what we do. A lot of people think taking care of children is a picnic. (Now, you can take that out and play with it, but you're going to pick it up and put it away when you're done.). . . .

"These children know that after they've eaten, their plates go in the sink, their napkins go in the trash and their chairs are pushed up to the table. I let parents know this is my home and we have rules. We say please and thank you. We say grace before we eat . . . .

"When I see a button missing or a zipper broken, I just fix them up . . . .

"With my parents I demand respect. I have a contract that I use and I let them know what I expect: respect, to be on time, don't take me for granted. And I let them know they can be confident I'll keep their children safe . . . .

"I take off one week in the summer. (Now don't be hitting him with that.) I have a girl who'll take over for me in emergencies. I don't always get weekends off. I used to do three shifts a day, picking up the children and delivering them home. But my children were here then. They used to help like my teen-age assistants do now in the afternoons - doing dishes, vacuuming, doing chores . . . .

"At Christmas I had an open house for the parents. The children put up a tree and we served hors d'oeuvres . . . (Come here now. Let me tie that shoe before you fall down.) We celebrate birthdays and Valentine's Day . . . .

"There's not enough good day care. There are a lot of people who call themselves sitters. I'm not a sitter. I love it. It's part of my life now."

by CNB