Daycare grew out of her love for children
Frankie Johnson’s youngest daughter, Angela, “took a nap one day and never woke up.”
“I had this big house, and I liked being around kids. So I decided to have a daycare.
“At first I kept one or two kids in my home, and then it grew to about 17 kids with just me. Oh, they had rules at the time. But I told this state worker, ‘You need to know right off the top that I don’t like to obey rules. I like to do my children like I like to do my children. I take care of them. I feed them. I change their clothes. If we’re going to have problems, let’s get them out there now.’ She told me that as long as I cared for them properly, I was good.
“I wanted to have more babies than anything else, so that’s what I did. I told her, ‘I need babies around me. I need to be able to hold them and carry them around.’ She said that was OK, as long as I didn’t overdo it.
“Some of those kids, you looked around and there wouldn’t be anybody for them. I wanted to be there for them. I’m not saying I’m the best mother in the world, but I’ve always loved kids. I’ve always loved taking care of them. I’d still do it today if I could.”
— Frankie Johnson
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