30 years of caring for Little Tigers

RUSSELLVILLE — When Rhonda Miller opened Little Tigers Daycare in 1996, about 15 children attended during the first two weeks.

Thirty years later, the center serves about 60 to 70 children a day, and some of the children Miller once cared for now bring their own children through the same doors.

Little Tigers opened Aug. 26, 1996, with about five employees. Within six months, enrollment had grown to about 35 to 40 children with 27 or 28 attending on an average day.

Today, about 20 employees work at the center on an average day. Little Tigers has two infant classrooms, two toddler classrooms, a preschool class and a pre-K class.

Miller originally planned to become a teacher. She said she became frustrated while in school because she wanted to work directly with children. Susie Willis, the mother of one of her friends, encouraged her to consider another path.

Miller changed her course of study and later worked at Mars Hill for several years before opening Little Tigers with help from Kenny Hurst and Chris Wallace.

“I just have an innate ability with them,” she said of working with children. “I can reach them. I can communicate with them effortlessly. It’s just a gift.”

Miller said making that connection with children “soothes my soul.”

A couple of years ago, she decided she wanted to be one of the first people children see when they arrive each morning. Miller greets them, takes them to their classrooms, and helps them get settled.

She said she wants each child to know there is someone besides the classroom teacher who can be “a safe spot to land” if the child is having a difficult moment.

Miller said her approach to early childhood education has changed during her years at Little Tigers. Early in her career, she focused more on academic skills such as writing names and knowing addresses.

Miller now places more emphasis on independence, emotional development, communication, and learning how to be a positive friend.

“I think all the academic stuff can wait,” she said. “I think it’s the foundation of being a good human.”

Miller said children can begin developing independence through small choices. For example: Letting a child choose between two pairs of shoes rather than making every decision for them.

Miller said young children also need interaction, outdoor exploration, and conversation. They need “not to be talked at, but to be talked to,” she said.

Miller said teachers can help children learn to recognize emotions by naming what they are feeling and giving them appropriate choices for how to respond.

“You give them the words and the emotion so they know, and then you give them the tool,” she said.

One of her former teachers recently came to Little Tigers to drop off her granddaughter. While she was there, one of the teacher’s former students walked in with her own baby. Miller said the teacher had not seen the former student since she was 3.

“That was a little thrill moment,” she said.

Miller said she often sees similarities between children and the parents she knew years earlier.

“It’s fun to see their little selves in their parent,” she said.

She has also recognized former students years after they left.

Miller said she once saw a grown man while both were crossing railroad tracks in their vehicles.

“I glanced up, and I see that little 4-year-old face in this grown man,” she said.

Miller called his name through the open window, and he confirmed she had recognized him.

Some former students remember Little Tigers for the food. Miller’s mother cooked at the center for about 20 years.

She said former students still remember her macaroni and chicken noodle soup, and a few later contacted her mother through Facebook about meals they remembered. Miller said her mother cooked for them again.

“They loved her macaroni,” she said. “They loved her chicken noodle soup because she made everything from scratch.”

Longtime employees are another part of the center’s history.

Karen Mims has worked at Little Tigers for 25 years. She spent about 20 years as a toddler teacher and now cooks.

Lauren Warren has worked at Little Tigers for 14 years.

Miller taught Warren at Mars Hill when Warren was a child.

Warren, a Russellville native, said she always wanted to become a teacher. Her son began attending Little Tigers when she started working there. She said she enjoys watching children become more independent and confident.

“In the beginning they always say, ‘I can’t do that,’” Warren said.

She said she likes seeing them become willing to try things they once thought they could not do.

Warren’s first class recently graduated from high school. She said she still sees some former students and keeps up with them through their families.

Miller said childcare has changed significantly since Little Tigers opened.

She said regulations have increased; training has become more formal; and teachers now document and assess children’s development in ways they did not when the center first opened.

Miller said the center has grown gradually over the years as she worked to provide more resources and experiences for the children.

“I wanted to be able to give them the best experiences and resources available that I could afford at the time,” she said.

The work still brings paperwork and other demands, Miller said, but the children remain the reason she has stayed with it.

“They give me joy,” she said. “They give me laughter, and that’s just something you can’t buy.”

Miller said talking and playing with the children is “everything.”

Asked what she would tell herself as the young woman opening Little Tigers in 1996, she said she would tell herself she could not do everything alone. Miller said she would also tell herself to have faith.

“I think I did a good job,” she said. “I think I’ve made our community proud.”