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For over 35 years, Beverly Oliver has been providing quality child care to the Onondaga County community, most notably the town of Lafayette.

Oliver is the founder of the After School and Early Learning Program at the C. Grant Grimshaw Elementary School in Lafayette, where she works with a diverse population of students.

“I just want them to know we can get along no matter what you look like,” Oliver said.

Oliver received one of Syracuse University’s 2022 Unsung Hero awards, which SU gives to faculty, staff, students and community members in honor of Martin Luther King Jr. and his commitment to positive change.

Oliver said her passion for childcare came from her mother, who worked with children her whole life. Originally from Queens, Oliver did computer work prior to child care and ran a small farm with her husband. She was also a stay-at-home mom.

“I never thought I’d be doing so much work with kids,” she said.

The after-school program provides school-aged children attending C. Grant Grimshaw Elementary after-school child care. When asked how she came to establish her after-school program, Oliver said the amount of “latchkey kids” during that time inspired her to open a program where parents could leave their children rather than leaving them home alone after school.

“I spoke to my neighbor and a few others, and they got me housed in a church, and after the church I got to a larger church,” she said.

Oliver’s program continued to grow out of building after building until she moved it to C. Grant Grimshaw Elementary School, where she found a supportive and diverse community.

When Oliver found out she was awarded the Unsung Heroes Award, she thought it was a scam.

“I had no words when I realized it was legit,” she said. “I think I cried for a long while that my community would think that much of me.”

“It’s a great community,” Oliver continued. “They treat me very, very well. When I found out that these people got together, including my superintendent, it took my breath away.”

With the start of the pandemic, most educational facilities shut down operations, worsening an already existent national child care crisis. Oliver made the decision to keep her program open.

“I knew these parents needed their care,” Oliver said.

Oliver credits the school for being supportive of her decision and helping her remain open. The school gave her the space, rules and resources she needed to be successful.

“I didn’t have those fears of catching COVID, getting sick. That’s not me. I was just happy to do what I did,” Oliver said. “If it wasn’t for the school system being so supportive, I don’t know if we could make it work.”

In 2000, Oliver also brought a group of students to Afterschool Advocacy Day in Albany. A student of hers wrote an essay and was invited to the event.

“We advocated for funds for the school program,” Oliver said. “To this day a lot of the same children talk about that trip. It was very, very exciting.”

Colleen Cameron, a professor of practice in human development and family science at Syracuse University, started occasionally volunteering with Oliver’s program after she became familiar with it. From volunteering with Oliver, she got a stronger sense of what she does for the community.

“I realized she worked with children and families as if they’re her own family,” Cameron said. “I realized this was more than just going into work every day.”

Oliver plans on retiring after this year to work with Syracuse’s Light a Candle for Literacy Program. She’s partnered with the program in the past to bring children from her program and theirs together.

“She creates community with children at a very early age,” Cameron said. “From a developmental perspective, you can be one person in a child’s life who creates an impact.”

Published on March 3, 2022 at 12:16 am

Contact Sarah: semarshall21@wells.edu