Many’ Janay Weems, child care program director at Bessemer’s Legacy YMCA.(above)
Mini high-fives, simple words of encouragement like “You’re going to be great” and small but large heys are how Janay Weems is making a difference in children’s lives.
Learning that it’s not all about self is one life lesson that led Weems to Bessemer’s Legacy YMCA.
A native of Ashford who has made Jefferson County home since 2010, Weems is a proud graduate of UAB, where she focused on health care management, and now serves as the Y’s child care program director.
She started her career with the Learning Care Group, which specializes in caring for children from 6 weeks to 12 years old.
“The YMCA provides much to the communities, and I really appreciate how they help families,” she told us. “Their core mission and values are what really drew me in, and when the opportunity arrived, I said that I want to be someone who provides those same benefits to families through my work.”
Blessed to see kids grow in the classroom and improve day to day, Weems doesn’t take her title lightly. She focuses on tuning in to the kids she’s responsible for, learning more about them and finding ways to cater to their needs and levels of progress so they can become even greater at an early age.
With inspiration from Christian parents, she’s learned that the most seemingly small gestures can help our kids in ways we never could imagine.
“It doesn’t matter about the age, because you never know what kids are going through at home, and we have to always be mindful of how we communicate with kids, because it truly makes a difference in their lives,” she said.
A supportive staff and meeting a new group of parents and students have been the biggest highlights so far for Weems on this new journey in a career of passion that started at Girls Inc., where she went from front desk operator to classroom teacher. Weems thanks Jamie Hale for jump-starting her career as we know it today.
With aspirations of creating programs and classes for our kids in the coming months, Weems is set to have a major positive impact on the lives of parents and children.
For more information about Bessemer’s Legacy YMCA, visit 1501 Fourth Ave. SW or call 205-426-1211.
