Beth Crawford a mother to many

Aug. 25—Childcare has always been in Elisabeth Crawford's blood. Her parents, Sunny and Mildred Wilson, opened her family business Wonderland Child Care in their home and have been serving Moultrie for over 40 years.

Crawford is a Moultrie native and has worked at the daycare center since she was 16 years old. She graduated high school in 1989 and later graduated from Moultrie Technical College with a nursing degree.

From Moultrie Scene

This article first appeared in the May issue of Moultrie Scene magazine. Click here to view the complete issue.

"She told my dad, 'I want the biggest childcare center in Colquitt County,'" Crawford said. "He bought a piece of land almost right behind my home and built a huge childcare center."

When the Wilsons opened their home for business, the daycare center was so full that they couldn't hold any more children. Crawford was inspired to continue the family business after witnessing her mother's passion and selfless spirit for childcare.

"We've always been a center that felt like family. It's just something that's always made me happy because it was a place where you could serve our community, children and the families," she said.

"I love being able to meet a need and to make life easier and happier for others, that's probably why I love childcare because it's the simplest things that make a child happy and feel loved, and when your child is safe, happy and loved, parents are happy and lives are made easier."

Since working with the Wonderland Child Care center, Crawford says her home has always been packed with children. She operates the center with her husband of 30 years Wayne Crawford. Wayne is a retired school bus driver for the Colquitt County School District and loves helping the children.

During her first marriage, Crawford had her first daughter Mackenzi. After her marriage ended she met Wayne Crawford who later adopted Mackenzi along with his prior children Melissa Newsome, Michael Crawford and Makayli Owen.

Together, the Crawfords have nine children, five of which they fostered at the daycare.

"Our home has pretty much always been full of kids, either from our own or our children's friends. It's always been full," she said.

The Crawford's began fostering in 2014 after witnessing Colquitt County's needs through their daycare. She would encounter several overworked caseworkers and saw an increase in children being uprooted out of their hometowns and put into the foster care system. They completed six weeks of classes every night to be able to foster.

Their first foster placement was for five sisters. The couple also fostered other children while being the sole foster placement for the five sisters — , Chole, Selena, Lois, Isabella, Petra Crawford. The youngest sister, Petra, was just a newborn when the Crawfords took them in. The oldest was nine years old.

The children were initially intended to be returned to their mother once she progressed on her caseload. In 2018, the five children's fates changed. They were placed for adoption.

"Of course, our hearts were attached to them. They had been with us that long, but we thought we were just too old to adopt five children," she said. "We'd loved them and we wanted them, but we thought they would be better with a younger family."

The couple hadn't made a concrete decision on the adoption plan until Mackenzi, Beth's late daughter, approached them about the girls.

"She said, 'Mama you can't let them go. You just can't let him go.' She said, 'I promise to always be here and help you.' She was my great helper. She was there at our house every day. The kids love their big sister," Crawford said.

The caseworker then told Crawford that the girls were going to be divided into separate homes. The couple immediately decided to move forward with adopting.

"We adopted and it's been great. Without them, I wouldn't have been able to get through losing my oldest child," she said fighting tears.

Mackenzi passed away in December of 2018 after suffering complications with thyroid cancer that transitioned to lung cancer. Doctors later discovered she had developed polyposis, which affects the colon. She is survived by her mother and one daughter, Isabella "Bella" Clausen.

"She's inspired me to do a lot of things that I thought were hard. She's inspired me in that way," Crawford said.

Wonderland Childcare Center has been home to several generations of Moultrie and Colquitt County families. Ally Mercer attended the center as a child. Now, she and Brandon Mercer, her husband, have planned for their three children to attend the center. Her oldest son and middle child have already attended the school. Their youngest son is next in line.

"They are like family here. My oldest son still wants to visit," Ally Mercer shared.

The Mercers have not missed any family milestones while their children are at the center. Ally Mercer recalled receiving videos and photos of her children throughout their care here.

Tamara Moore found the center after moving to Moultrie as a reference from a previous co-worker. At the time, she wanted her oldest child Jamya to interact with more children as a child. Her two younger children also followed her footsteps.

"It's my first choice every time. If I had to do it again. I would always choose here," Moore said. "Jamya always talks about Mrs. Crawford's mother and her time at the daycare."

Laurie Harper has worked in childcare for over 40 years with the last 20 years at the Wonderland Childcare Center. She has cared for several parents while they were infants and now their children their 123s and ABCs.

Angie Saldanha entered the center under Harper's care at five months old. Her son Lukas is now Harper's student and her oldest child Malory has attended as well.

"Mrs. Laurie raised me from a baby. They always have a positive attitude and atmosphere going on with the kids and the adults," Saldanhla said. "I love that it's quality rated, and they went over the top to reach their requirements. There was a waiting list [at first], but it was worth the wait."

The Crawfords and the center staff worked endlessly to be the first Moultrie childcare center to have a Georgia-funded pre-k program and a center that was Quality rated.

Quality Rated is the state's Department of Early Care and Learning voluntary rating system, similar to restaurants and hotels, that assigns one, two or three stars to early mediation and school-age care programs that meet or exceed minimum state requirements.

The center received a two-star rating on its first examination.

"We were the guinea pigs and it was very hard. It was a hard program. We had to change up our whole entire playground. We had to change our whole classrooms. We had so much construction going on and it was all at the owner's expense. It wasn't anything they paid for you to do. It was by choice but we really wanted to be above and beyond. When this program came out, it was our opportunity to say, 'We want you to come in and look at what we do for children,'" Crawford explained.

The Crawfords continue to instill safety and loving childcare into the Wonderland Childcare Center. They have been members of Heritage Church for 10 years and abide by 2 Samuel 22: 29-33.

"It of course has not been pleasant all the time, but we have found that our tests are our testimonies! We love our chosen family and our Wonderland Family," the Crawfords said.

Wonderland Childcare Center is located at 1416 Murdock St in Moultrie, Ga. The center can be contacted by phone for more information at (229) 985-7089.