Daycare - where would we be without it?

According to the National Center for Education Statistics, in 2019, 59% of kids 5 and younger who are not in kindergarten were in at least one weekly non-parental care arrangement. Of that, 62% were in daycare.

It's a resource so many parents rely on and it got its start in Buffalo back in the 1880s.

“Everywhere you look, it's hard not to think of Maria Love and hard not to think of the impact that she's had,” said Julie VanDyke Gicewicz, board president for the Maria Love Convalescent Fund.

It’s a staple of raising kids - finding good childcare.

“Of all the riches in the world, the greatest of all is what you can do for others ... in essence was her quote and I just think that is worth repeating almost every day,” Gicewicz added.

Today’s daycare centers can trace their roots more than 120 years back to Love.

“This is the original site of the Fitch crèche,” said Gicewicz, pointing to a parking lot on Swan Street and Michigan Avenue.

Love was a woman of wealth and privilege who sought to make a difference.

“She was very surprised to learn that women would go off to work and sometimes leave children home alone because they didn't have any child care,” explained Nancy Stevens, executive director of the Maria Love Convalescent Fund.

After seeing the crèche system in France, essentially a daycare with some changes, she brought it to the states. Food, education, and much more were all offered in a former dry goods store in Buffalo.

“These were the poorest of the poor," said Gicewicz. "They were brought here in an immigrant situation where they really had nothing.”

But Love's work didn’t stop here.

“Carrying on her vision of being able to lighten the load for somebody is just, it's very powerful,” said Stevens.

She and Gicewicz help run the Maria Love Convalescent Fund.

“You have an agency that refers you, there's a client that's in need, and somebody that whatever the item is that is being requested, so there's a vendor,” Stevens explained.

Love founded the fund in 1903. It helps purchase items for people with medical conditions to get back on their feet, from shoe insoles to medication pickups and feeding tube holders.

They serve about 25 people a month.

“We receive so many thank you notes in the mail," said Stevens. "I like to think of Maria smiling down upon all the good work that we're doing.”

Keeping that goal alive are events like the Charity Ball.

“It's an opportunity for kids to participate in an event and understand where the funds go, that the funds are going to other kids in the community who are desperately in need,” explained Gicewicz.

Now in its 120th year, it’s a beloved tradition. This work will continue Love’s mission for years to come.

“I think she would be pretty amazed and pretty wowed by the fact that her crèche is long gone, but the work that she started to help families grow and thrive continues today,” said Stevens.

The Fund also holds an annual spring luncheon to help with fundraising.

For anyone looking to help out or volunteer, you can contact the board by clicking here.