CARIBOU, Maine – Brenda Keaton has taken care of children long enough that she is now welcoming her second generation through the doors of Kids World Day Care.
It started 30 years ago when Keaton’s sister, the late Jennifer Beaupre, had her first child, son Jacob, and asked Keaton to be his babysitter. When Keaton started caring for two other children, she and her husband Vaughn renovated a vacant building at 6 Kittinger Drive into a center that today is licensed to serve 21 children and is always full.
Keaton was 33 at the time and had spent 10 years as a school picture photographer while raising her two sons. Running a day care was a new experience but soon became Keaton’s longest and most rewarding career.
“I would do it all over again,” Keaton said. “It’s all the hugs I get every single day and the families I’ve met who are still friends today. It’s being invited to weddings of the kids who came through here.”
Since those early days, Keaton, now 63, has cared for over 200 children. Many of those children have become parents and seen their children grow up with Keaton’s care and mentorship.
On Sunday, dozens of current and past families joined Keaton to celebrate her 30th anniversary with a barbecue cook-out.
“Brenda’s place is like a second home,” said Brittany Theriault of Caribou, whose daughters Amelia, 9, and Aubrie, 5, currently attend Kids World. “She treats the girls like they’re her own family.”
Keaton, whom the children call “Aunt Brenda,” takes pride in preparing homemade snacks and lunches like chop suey and mashed potatoes with gravy, which has made her popular through the generations.
Caribou resident Nicole DiVito’s sons Michael, 7, and Camden, 5, who have come to Kid’s World since they were born, are among the biggest fans of Keaton’s cooking. DiVito said she doesn’t mind using Keaton’s reputation to her advantage.
“Brenda’s food is their favorite. Sometimes at dinner I’ll say, ‘Aunt Brenda made that’ so they’ll eat their food,” DiVito said, laughing.
In her 30th year, Keaton’s family has come full circle. Her nephew Jacob Beaupre welcomed his first child, a daughter named Evie, in April. Keaton has been helping to care for Evie since she was born.
Beaupre knows his aunt will give Evie the same love and affection she gave him and other children all those years ago.
“When kids enter the local schools, they know which ones came from Aunt Brenda’s. They’re so well mannered and educated,” Beaupre said. “She makes sure every kid gets quality time and is taken care of.”
For now, Keaton has no plans to retire but said that one day it would be great to train a younger day care provider who can take over.
Until that happens, Keaton wants to continue instilling the life lessons that have helped her children grow and thrive.
“I try teaching them to be respectful and kind, to be honest and treat others like they’d want to be treated,” Keaton said.
