CHICAGO — Two students that Debra Baker baby-sat when they were in diapers still call her from college.
A lot of alums of her child care program keep in touch, said her son Levell Baker, who is her business partner in Vision Builders Early Learning Center.
"Parents still call in and thank us for their children being on the honor roll," Levell said.
The Bakers' hard work caring for children has garnered them the "Unsung Hero Award" from the Women's Business Development Center, 8 S. Michigan Ave.
"To be recognized is wonderful," Debra Baker said.
"It’s an honor, because we are very passionate about what we do," Levell Baker added.
Vision Builders in Austin is open for children ages 6 weeks to 6 years, and began 23 years ago.
The factory job that Debra had held for 14 years was outsourced to Mexico, so she decided to do a bit of baby-sitting.
"I never thought I would have my own business," she said. But the business grew, and in 2009 Levell joined her.
"The business has grown exponentially in the time we've been working as a team," he said.
Debra grew up in the Robert Taylor Homes in Bronzeville and attended Austin High School. She now mentors other child care providers, and attends workshops and training sessions regularly.
Levell attended Prosser Career Academy High School and is working on his bachelor's degree in children and family services at Prairie State College, though his route to the formal study of child development has been more circuitous.
Studying child care in college in the mid-1990s, he felt unwelcome as a rare man in the field, so he left it to work in business.
But when he visited his mom's business one day, he knew he wanted to get back to working with kids, and realized he could apply his business savvy to Vision Builders.
"It was kind of like my calling," he said. "I recognized in that moment, 'I'm supposed to be right here.'"
The "Unsung Hero Award" will be presented during the 17th Annual Early Childhood Education Entrepreneurship Expo, 8 a.m.-5 p.m. Saturday at the UIC Forum, 725 W. Roosevelt Road. Tickets can be bought for $40 online at www.wbdc.org or for $75 in person on the day of the expo.
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