Maria Aguilar is the bilingual registry commissioner for the Wisconsin Registry. In her role as the commissioner, she is responsible for reviewing the work of students hoping to receive a Wisconsin Child Care and Education Credential. At each credential commission, students from across Wisconsin present their work through a live presentation and portfolio of work. Maria’s job is to evaluate the students’ work and ensure that every student has mastered the strict criteria of competencies required to effectively care for and educate Wisconsin’s youth. The registry commissioner is an important and prestigious position in the Wisconsin childcare field.
However, Maria’s journey to Wisconsin registry commissioner was not easy. Maria grew up in Michoacan, Mexico and immigrated to the US at the age of 19. She taught herself English and began working hard to build a good life for her and her husband. When they started a family, Maria wasn’t happy with the quality of the childcare that her children were receiving.
“All day they were watching television with no educational activities,” she said.
Therefore, she decided to start her own childcare business. She created a childcare program where children receive lots of love, care, and educational activities throughout the day.
Now Maria’s children are older; her son is a college student at UW-Whitewater and her eldest daughter wants to go into the health care field. Even though Maria’s children are grown, she continues to care for and educate the young children in her program.
“I still love my family childcare program," she said. "I just love children! It is actually very hard to say goodbye to the children when they go off to kindergarten.”
She plans to stay in the early childhood field and wants to be a mentor for other childcare providers.
The TEACH scholarship and the online courses from UW-Platteville helped Maria go to college while continuing to run her childcare business.
“I completed the Preschool Credential, the Infant-Toddler Credential and the Supporting Dual-Language Learners Credential online at UW-Platteville,” said Maria.
These courses are offered in English or Spanish, and since English is Maria’s second language, it was easier for her to complete the courses in Spanish. The UW-Platteville credential program also helped Maria gain the confidence she needed to continue her college education. She has now completed college courses in English and is about to graduate with her degree in Early Childhood Education.
When asked about the challenges of returning to college, Maria said that she was afraid of what people would think of her accent, “Because I'm Hispanic and I have an accent, sometimes I'm afraid to ask questions. I was afraid that people would make fun of my accent. But you know that didn't stop me. That's my advice to other students, don't give up. Keep educating yourself and never give up.”
She also said that it was hard to return to school while raising a family and working full time.
“I’m not going to lie; it was really hard and there were days when I wanted to quit," she said. "But I want to inspire my children and others to achieve their goals and never give up. My advice to other students is to keep working hard and never stop dreaming. Also, stay focused and make sure to manage your time. College is hard but with determination you will achieve your goals.”