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Esmelda Amarante’s passion for child care grew out of experiences from her personal life.
Her daughter was born premature, and required intensive care and intentional stimulation. Very early on, a neurologist explained to Esmelda that stimulation could change her daughter’s outcomes.
Today, her daughter is thriving, and Esmelda has strong convictions about the importance of early childhood development.
“I have always loved children, and when I recognized the need in my community for high-quality child care, I felt called to create a space that goes beyond supervision—one that nurtures, educates, and supports each child in reaching their full potential,” she said. “This is deeply aligned with my faith, my family values, and my desire to serve others.”
Esmelda received her official child care license in August 2023 and opened Harvest Child Care. She said the name came to her while she was working in her garden one day.
“I connected it to the idea of planting seeds in children’s lives so that, in the future, society can ‘harvest’ strong, responsible, and compassionate individuals,” she said. “I truly believe early childhood is the foundation of a person’s entire life.”
Running a day care was a new experience for Esmelda, and she faced some initial challenges and uncertainty. But with support from a local community program in Lexington, Nebraska, that provided training, guidance, and essential resources such as furniture and learning materials, she was able to start off without having to put forth a large financial investment.
She also participated in the Childcare Accelerator Award Program presented by the Center for Rural Affairs Women’s Business Center (WBC), Stearns Bank, and the Association of Women's Business Centers. The Center’s WBC was among seven across the country selected to serve as accelerator hubs and to receive grant funding.
Designed to help licensed child care providers scale operations, expand services, and improve sustainability in their communities, the program included 10 Nebraska child care providers who engaged in hands-on training sessions and gained personalized technical assistance and guidance in financial services.
“The program strengthened both my knowledge of child development and my skills in business management, financial literacy, and organization,” Esmelda said. “These tools have helped me work with greater intention, structure, and confidence, improving both the educational and administrative quality of my program.”
She used the grant money she received through the program to help improve her kitchen, which is essential since she prepares daily meals for the children. The grant covered only part of the renovation costs, so she invested additional personal funds to finish the improvements.
“The physical environment is one of my biggest ongoing challenges,” she said. “While I have received strong training and knowledge, the space itself plays an important role in children’s development. This upgrade helped me become more organized, reduced daily stress, and improved the overall quality of care.”
Esmelda is gradually making improvements to the learning areas, the children’s bathroom, and the outdoor space to make them more intentional, safe, and supportive of learning and motor development.
She prides herself on providing highly personalized care to the nine children under her watch. She operates without employees, although her husband plays a key support role in her program and her three children also help out when their schedules allow.
“We operate as a family-centered program, creating a warm and trusting environment,” Esmelda said. “My program is unique in its personalized, relationship-based approach. I do not simply provide supervision—I build connections with children and work closely with families.”
Harvest Child Care is also part of the Step Up to Quality program, which is managed by Nebraska’s departments of Education and Health and Human Services.
The program is Nebraska’s quality rating and improvement system for early childhood programs, and is designed to support child care providers continuously improve the care and education they offer to children and families. It includes different levels, each reflecting a provider’s progress in areas such as learning environment, staff training, curriculum, and family engagement.
“I am currently at the second level and working toward continuing to grow within the program,” said Esmelda. “I wanted to make sure that I am providing a high-quality and developmentally appropriate experience for the children in my care. The program aligns with my personal commitment to continuous learning and to offering families a program they can truly trust.”
Harvest Child Care offers a bilingual environment, emphasizes social-emotional development and values, and strives to support families in a holistic way.
“Our program naturally exposes children to both Spanish and English throughout daily routines,” Esmelda said. “We serve families from diverse cultural backgrounds, including Anglo and Hispanic families from countries such as Mexico, El Salvador, Guatemala, and Honduras. We value and celebrate these cultural differences by recognizing traditions and meaningful practices from each family, creating an environment of respect, inclusion, and cultural appreciation.”
Esmelda values relationships with families and the trust they place in her, as well as seeing the children's growth and development. She realizes not everyone is as passionate about child care as she is, and she advises those thinking about opening their own day care business to consider one question:
“Do you truly love working with children and feel called to this work?” said Esmelda. “This is not just a business—it is a vocation of service. I strongly believe that investing in early childhood transforms society. My commitment is to continue serving families with love, intention, and purpose—planting seeds in children’s lives for a better future.”
The Childcare Accelerator Program was made possible by Stearns Bank in partnership with the Association of Women's Business Centers. The Nebraska program is held in partnership with Sixpence Early Learning Fund and Nebraska Educational Service Units. The Childcare Accelerator Award Program ran from Aug. 23 to Sept. 13, 2025.
For more information, visit cfra.org/small-business-training
