Success Story: Aunties Babies Family Childcare LLC

Aunties Babies Family Child Care: Built at a Kitchen Table. Powering Kern County’s Workforce.

Location: Central California | Kern County | Bakersfield

Business Type: Childcare

CalOSBA Partners: MCSC Kern Women’s Business Center

Assistance Received: Business Planning, Financial Management, Entrepreneurial Development

California State Assembly District: 35

California State Senate District: 16

Visit Aunties Babies Family Childcare online

When Shanita Ford became a mother at 37, she didn’t just look for childcare—she built it.

She imagined a place where children could feel safe, loved, and inspired, and where working families could walk into their day with confidence and peace of mind. What began at Shanita’s kitchen table is now Aunties Babies Family Child Care, a growing, home-based business serving families, employers, and communities across Kern County.

With a background in psychology and human services, Shanita had the heart for the work. But building a licensed, professional childcare business meant mastering operations, finance, compliance, staffing, and scale. That’s where the MCSC Kern Women’s Business Center stepped in, part of the CalOSBA SCALE Network and the statewide California Women’s Business Centers Network (CA WBC).

CA WBC Network is California’s only coordinated economic development infrastructure built specifically for women entrepreneurs, serving more than 17,000 clients annually through 21 Women’s Business Centers across 54 counties and reaching 88% of rural ZIP codes. CAWBCs deliver no-cost, high-impact advising to women entrepreneurs—especially women of color, immigrant founders, and rural women—and serve as a critical link between the state’s entrepreneurial pathways and childcare business development, workforce, and rural development.

With WBC guidance, Shanita strengthened her systems, sharpened her financial strategy, and positioned Aunties Babies for rapid growth. That momentum led to major successes: Aunties Babies was selected by the Kern Coalition to provide childcare services at 18 workforce and community events across five regions in Kern County. She also became the first childcare provider in Kern County to receive a state contract, setting a new standard for quality, professionalism, and reliability in the region.

Today, Aunties Babies delivers high-quality, age-appropriate childcare for children ages 0–13, complete with supervised care, snacks, games, arts and crafts, and enrichment activities. The impact goes far beyond the kids: parents can fully participate in trainings and meetings, employers see higher attendance, and community programs reach more people. Now, Aunties Babies is scaling its partnerships with corporations, organizations, and public agencies—proving that dependable childcare isn’t just a family benefit, it’s workforce infrastructure.

“I truly appreciate the role the Women’s Business Center has played in supporting my journey,” Shanita shared.

Aunties Babies Family Child Care is another powerful example of what the CA WBC Network sees daily: women entrepreneurs building businesses that uplift families, fuel workforce participation, and drive California’s economy forward.

From a kitchen table to a countywide impact, this is what happens when vision meets opportunity. To learn more about Aunties Babies Family Child Care, visit them online. To start or grow your business in Kern County, connect with the MCSC Kern Women’s Business Center for no-cost advising and business support.

1/27/2026