When Oxford resident Beverly Shufflin decided to turn her 74 Pontiac St. home into a child care facility, it was supposed to be a temporary thing to help her oldest son pay for college.
“I was only going to stay in it for probably five years,” said the 61-year-old.
Two decades and more than 100 children later, Shufflin closed Tender Hearts (which offered day care, preschool and latch key programs) and retired July 3.
“I originally went into it for the money for my son, but after a few years, I realized it was about meeting the needs of the children and giving them the love they wanted. That’s what kept me in it. No other reason,” she said.
Shufflin said she found it “very rewarding” to watch the kids’ “progress” after “successfully teaching them social habits like how to share.”
The lessons Shufflin’s students learned at Tender Hearts stayed with them as they entered their elementary school years.
“I got very good reports from DA (Daniel Axford Elementary) and Holy Cross (Lutheran school),” she said.
But beyond the usual arts and crafts, field trips, and learning shapes, colors and numbers, Tender Hearts offered children a family atmosphere created by Shufflin’s nurturing nature.
“I think the most important part was that when (the kids) came, they felt right at home,” Shufflin said. “The kids acted like brothers and sisters. They had their fights, but they were all very protective of one another.”
“Maybe the paperwork wasn’t always done or maybe we didn’t have all the materials we wanted, but I always gave them love,” she said. “I felt like a grandma to all of them. . .I did a lot of things for the kids as if they were my own.”
Shufflin explained that one little girl would “come dirty all the time.”
“Her hair was a mess and filled with a smoke smell,” she said.
Shufflin said she gave the girl a bath everyday and always kept three fresh outfits on hand for her to wear.
Sometimes she would pay for the children’s haircuts, if their mothers couldn’t afford it.
Many times Shufflin would host sleepovers, free of charge, for the kids.
“We’d make popcorn and watch movies. We’d have a girls night, then a boys night,” she said.
“My husband used to (jokingly) call this the ‘giveway day care,’” Shufflin added.
Shufflin noted that her husband of 39 years, John, was always “so supportive” of her and Tender Hearts.
“He was wonderful,” she said.
The children’s parents were also very supportive of Shufflin and Tender Hearts.
Once when Shufflin was ill, the parents chipped in to have Molly Maid clean her house for a few months.
“The parents gave back. They were very kind,” she said. “I’ve remained good friends with all the past parents.”
As for retirement, Shufflin plans to devote much of her new found free time to her grandchildren.
“They’re going to take up a lot of my time,” she said of grandchildren Travis, 7, and Raymie, 5. “I’m spending a lot of quality time with them. They’ve helped fill the void since my retirement.”
Shufflin said she plans to do volunteer work at their school, Pine Tree Elementary in Orion.
Attending her older grandsons’, Nick and Nate, high school football games is also high on her priority list.