Liliana Vázquez Díaz, A.A., Director of La Casa De Lily Learning Center and Lead Mentor in the Home-Based Provider Network 

Home-based child care professionals play an essential role in nurturing children and supporting families. Home care provider Liliana Vázquez Díaz, is driven by a passion for helping families. Her experiences overcoming challenges during the COVID-19 pandemic strengthened her resolve to provide quality care and education.

She emphasizes the importance of recognizing home-based providers as educators: “The biggest challenge is to get people to acknowledge that we are educators, not babysitters. If we don’t value our own work, nobody else will.”

Her commitment to professional growth is unwavering. “When somebody implies I’m a babysitter, I educate them about my role in education and early childhood development, because I do so much more than that. I graduated with my associate’s degree, and I’m always pushing people to reach for their dreams.”

Liliana also highlights the importance of personalized solutions for each child and family. “I always tell my friends, you have to find the one thing that’s going to work for that child and family. If you have problems with behavior or participation, find a way. There’s always a way.”

Join the Early Childhood Home-Based Provider Network, a community dedicated to the growth and success of home-based programs like Liliana’s. Offering professional development hours, monthly meetings led by fellow providers, and a stipend for online meeting attendance, this network supports the unique challenges and opportunities of home-based providers.