Maria Estrella looks back on a career dedicated to children. The longtime educator says her connection with the children and families keeps her committed.
Plant City, Fla. – For Maria Estrella, 69, caring for children under the age of five has been much more than a job. It has been 35 years of commitment to RCMA.
Estrella is an early childhood educator in Plant City, Florida. Over the many years in her field of work, she says the experience taught her just as much as she has taught the children.
“I learned about valuing the children, teaching them about language, about walking and about the support of their parents.”
Estrella says one of her favorite parts of the job is watching the children reach their important milestones.
During her latest season in 2025, she helped many children learn to walk. She says seeing their progress also brought a tremendous amount of happiness to their families.
“Their progress helps me a lot and it helps the families too because they were also very grateful to me.”
The appreciation from families is something that Estrella holds dear to her heart.
The relationships she has built over the years have continued even after the children left her classroom.
Estrella remains in contact with families she helped years ago. They remain so close that they visit her home and confide in her.
Those relationships are the reason Estrella loves her work and would not change it for the world.
Estrella says she wishes she could be with them all year long instead of just a season.
“I wish the season was all year long and not half because a part of ourselves is with them even if they are leaving one by one.”
Estrella also loves to dress up during the holidays to create memories for the children at the center.
But Estrella’s 35th year with RCMA began with uncertainty. Will she be able to go back to work? Will the daycare centers reopen?
She eventually got back into the classroom in 2025 and completed her 35th year with RCMA.
She now looks forward of returning to work and being recognized with a certificate for her milestone.
For Estrella, it is much more than receiving a certificate. It is about all the memories and career she wants to continue.
After 35 years, Estrella believes that the children, staff, and families make the job one of a kind. She looks forward to making more memories and being able to achieve more milestones with RCMA.
35 years is not just a number for her. It is decades of happiness, laughter, and relationships she hopes will continue in and out of the classroom.