Pam Ramp sits in the office at the Banana Bunch Children’s Learning Center colorful drawings of stick figures and rainbows lining the back wall and school photos, including a few high school graduation announcements, covering the door. Some preschoolers wander in wearing mischievous grins while the sound of giggles, and a few unhappy cries, flow from classrooms.

Pam starts the count 3 … 2… but before 1, the preschoolers return to their spots, and the life-long educator continues her conversation. Buses arrive; teachers pop in, and yet the 65-year-old does not skip a beat.

Her days are often crazy and long. The pay is less than ideal. The rewards, however, are numerous.

“The success stories are when you can potty train a child; when they can write their name; when they are proud to show you something they accomplished or the things they say; when they come up and give you a hug or their face lights up when they see you at Wal-Mart. I do this for them and for their parents. Some of the parents need help and direction or just someone to listen to them. And sometimes we need them too. It is a two-way street."

Those successes are why Pam has been in child care for more than 30 years, 28 of those at Banana Bunch on St. Patrick Street. She loves watching her children grow and develop into confident, self-sufficient learners, and being a part of that development.

Originally from a small town in New York, Pam always knew she was destined to work with children. She started babysitting at 10 years old with her goal of becoming a teacher. Her path took a slight detour when, at the age of 20, Pam joined the Air Force and met her husband Jim, an aircraft maintenance specialist. While stationed in California, Pam began earning her education degree while working as a teacher’s aide and child care provider.

In the early 1990s, after the California base closed, the Ramp family relocated to Ellsworth Air Force Base. In 1995, Pam joined the staff at Banana Bunch, a child care center that opened a decade earlier.

“I started teaching four-year-old preschool and haven’t left,” Pam said. “My oldest preschoolers are in their 30s now.”

Pam decided to forgo a degree and focus on teaching her kids at the Banana Bunch.

In 2010, when George and Mary Wadeson wanted to sell, Pam bought the center. It is now a family business with her son Jeremy and daughter-in-law Andrea working at Banana Bunch and some of her former preschoolers joining the team as teachers.

While her staff is strong, it is not abundant.

Banana Bunch’s capacity is 140 kids aged six weeks old through fifth grade. They currently have 96 with a waiting list for some ages. Pam has 22 staff members and needs 33 to be at full capacity.

Her “Now Hiring’’ sign in the window seems to be a permanent fixture. “This is just such a critical industry, and it is the toughest time I have ever seen in child care. No one wants to work, and it is not us. Two major centers closed because you can’t get enough staff to make it.”

Pam, however, is luckier than many. More than half her staff have been with her long term. “Consistency is so important for kids and for us. I know their strengths and weaknesses, and it just makes it so much easier.”

At 65, Pam hopes to retire soon.

She can’t begin to count the number of kids that have come through the doors of Banana Bunch, but she hopes that she has impacted each in some way.

“It’s not the perfect job for everybody. You have to interact and play. You have to correct and guide. You have to know how to talk to each child differently. They don’t react the same. They don’t do the same thing. They are all different.”

While it is not the perfect job for everyone, it is the perfect one for Pam.

She hopes more passionate people enter the child care profession, because while it is not easy, it is fulfilling and so critical. Her advice for those entering child care is to find mentors.

“Whether you are starting out as a teacher, a director, or an owner, find someone who has gone down the path before and ask them questions and advice. You’re not in this alone.”

Click here to read the other stories in the December Issue of Elevate!