Jenkins Family Day Care

Providing loving care for South Bay children for 36 years

Written by Laura Roe Stevens | Photographed by Philicia Endelman

Generations of South Bay families have attended Jenkins Family Day Care of Carson. Local families have described this small, family-run day care as “a godsend” and “a home away from home.” Now, after 36 years of providing affordable care for children between the ages of 6 weeks and 8 years, the beloved center will close its doors in June.

“The Jenkins Family Day Care has been an oasis of peace and love for my family for 35 years,” says Rita Rubin, a mother of three from Carson. Her daughters, Ralana, 35, Raquel, 32, and Ramara, 28, attended when they were young, and her granddaughter Averi, 3, currently goes to the day care.

“You can smell the delicious meals before you reach the house,” she says. “School days are filled with fun learning, laughter, singing and plenty of gooood food! No one wants to leave.”

Rita remembers the Jenkins family “going the extra mile” to help Raquel, who had childhood asthma. “Harriet Jenkins and her amazing family carried Raquel and her nebulizer everywhere. She attended all school activities, events and field trips.”

“Harriet and her family, day care and staff will be truly missed. They will forever represent a place of love, hope, encouragement and success in our hearts,” Rita adds.

Top: Harriet Jenkins and daughter Catherine Hargrove Above: Harriet and one of her many happy students

A Family Labor Of Love

Harriet, now age 80, opened Jenkins Family Day Care in 1988 to provide affordable and loving care for children. The center cares for a maximum of 14 children at a time. The home environment is one where children can freely play outside, participate in arts and crafts, learn through play, visit local parks and gardens, and enjoy home-cooked meals made daily by Harriet. Families are often surprised by the low rates.

“When I asked my mom why she continued to charge only $125 a week (her rate when opening the day care in 1988) to care for children from 6 a.m. until 6 p.m. Monday through Friday, my mom said: ‘This is the rate God wants me to charge.’ She just wouldn’t budge,” explains Catherine Hargrove, RN, one of Harriet’s daughters, who runs management operations and curriculum for the day care in her “free time.” She has worked as a nurse at Torrance Memorial Medical Center since 1995 and now is the manager of health education.

“My mom feels it’s important to help families who need to go to work. And she loves children. When parents arrive to pick up their children, there will be a few wrapped around my mom’s legs not wanting to leave! It’s always been that way,” Catherine shares with a laugh.

A special component of Jenkins Family Day Care is the family involvement. Harriet’s husband, Allen, 80, has always been handy and fixes anything around the center. Harriet’s four children and two granddaughters have worked (or still do) at the center. Catherine says she’ll retire when her mom does in June.

Catherine’s two daughters, Adrianna and Briana, both worked for 10 years at the day care. While Catherine’s siblings are now out of state, they too used to work at Jenkins Family Day Care and are also now in the health care field.

Catherine’s sister Regina Jenkins-Lynch, RN, was a labor and delivery nurse with Torrance Memorial for 23 years and is now working in perinatal care in Ohio. Catherine’s brother Christopher Jenkins, RN, is a respiratory director with Baylor hospitals in Texas.

“Growing up, we all helped with the day care. We all love children and believe you can never have too many hugs!”

During the pandemic, Catherine used her nursing and hospital skills to create safety protocols for the day care. They never had one outbreak or had to shut down, allowing grateful parents to go to work.

“I did the paperwork [to follow guidelines set by Torrance Memorial and the CDC for safety protocols.] I bought boxes of masks, and each child had their own box that was by their cubby. So each morning they’d get a new mask to put on, and they were eager to put them on and show us how they could wear them. Even during nap time, when they could take them off, they’d usually keep them on. It was so cute. They were proud to be able to wear them and to wash their hands,” explains Catherine. •

Jenkins Family Day Care has served generations of the same families in the Carson community for the past 36 years.

WHAT TO LOOK FOR IN A QUALITY FAMILY DAY CARE

Catherine Hargrove has helped operate Jenkins Family Day Care for nearly 25 years. She advises parents to look for the following qualities when choosing a day care:

• Small numbers. Seek a day care with 12 to 14 children max, or a 7-to-1 ratio between caregivers and children.

• Seek a day care with good ratings, happy children and staff and with no—or few—COVID-19 outbreaks.

• Ask about the day care’s employee turnover rates. You want one with low numbers.

• Ask about the curriculum. Even at a young age (baby through toddler), there should be a curriculum to challenge, engage and encourage fun exploration for children.

• Day cares with home-cooked meals or gardens to teach children about good nutrition and how produce grows enhance children’s health. Be wary if a day care has too many snacks with food coloring, sugar and preservatives.