Nikia Moore, a Family Support Specialist for the Division of Child Care and Early Childhood Education (DCCECE) Family Engagement unit, often smiles while case managing  the child care assistance program, because she knows how the program can change a hard-working parent’s life.                    

But Moore became familiar with the initiative long before she started working for DCCECE as there was a point when she was in need of help.  

“I used this same child care assistance many years ago, and the moment I learned that I was eligible for just 20 percent of the assistance I jumped up and down, screamed, and thanked God,” she said.  “I reached a point where I was able to pay for child care on my own. I no longer needed the program. That was a goal I set for myself, and I conquered it!”     

At one time, Moore was a single mother of two kids struggling to make ends meet.

“I knew there was more to life than what I was living,” she said.

Moore returned to school and eventually got a better job. Yet paying for child care remained a barrier. So she applied and got approval to be part of the child care assistance program.

“Being a part of the program has helped me become what I am today, a college graduate.” Moore said. “In fact, it impacts how I now do my job as a caseworker.”                     

In 2002, Moore joined the DHS accounts payable staff. The new job allowed her to leave the child care assistance program.

“I never forget my past. When I’m working, I think of where I started and that motivates me to give my best effort. I enjoy going to the different sites and giving people the same valuable information my caseworker once gave me,” Moore said. “I strive to be a source of hope for our parents because serving families is what I do. I love it! I’ve been on the other end, so I think about myself, what I needed, and what helped me become self-sufficient.”