Black History Month: Celebrating the life and legacy of Black Women Educators – Nannette Ausby

 

Nannette knew the importance of early education for children and decided to open a small child care business.  She went back to school to get her advanced degree in Early Childhood Education from Wake Technical Community College in 2002.  She became the owner and Director of Sister’s Childcare Service (SCCS), where she was affectionately known as “Mommy Ausby”.  This is where her love for “all things education based for early childhood” became stronger and her passion to share this with others.   

 

Nannette became an Educational Trainer for UNC-TV North Carolina Public Media (now PBS North Carolina), which allowed her to travel the state of North Carolina assisting in events and trainings for Parents, Caregivers, and Educators.  Over the years she would develop deep ties within the Child Care community, State partners, and State community organizations and local community families.  Her energy, spirit and love for people made her shine bright and anyone who came into contact with her felt that immediately.    

 

 Nannette became a Program Coordinator for Family Childcare Association of Wake County (Wake County FCCA) where she affectionally called herself the “quiet one”.  Planning continuing education workshops for Wake County Child Care providers was very important to her.  She loved education and had a desire to teach others what she knew.  She valued the Wake County FCCA and all that it has provided for its members throughout the years.  Everything that she did she did with the mindset of how her FCCA family could benefit from what she had learned in workshops and through training from PBS NC.  Her drive to teach, whether it was academics, environmental, social/emotional skills, or even arts and crafts, was done with the purpose of not only helping others to become better at what we do but to help us love what we do as educators.  She was an advocate for education, for children, for parents and for all educators!  

 

She became a social worker for some of us as well.  Mommy Ausby, gave advice and encouragement that was always seasoned with the spices only she could use that made everything she said taste good to our soul.  Even if at the beginning we found it hard to hear.  That is because her words as she said, “are from the Bible. There is no way you can be wrong with that!”  Her faith was strong and whenever she could talk about it, she did.  Yes, she was a spiritual teacher as well.    

  

In everything that she did, Nannette truly believed that “A good name is to be chosen rather than great wealth; To be respected is better than silver and gold.” (Proverbs 22:1)

  

We found a story that she had saved and how appropriate it describes her giving spirit:

Starfish Story by Loren Eiseley  

  

One day, an old man was walking along a beach that was littered with thousands of starfish that had been washed ashore by the high tide. As he walked, he came upon a young boy who was eagerly throwing the starfish back into the ocean, one by one.  

Puzzled, the man looked at the boy and asked what he was doing. Without looking up from his task, the boy simply replied, “I’m saving these starfish, Sir”. 

The old man chuckled aloud, “Son, there are thousands of starfish and only one of you. What difference can you make?”  

The boy picked up a starfish, gently tossed it into the water and turning to the man, said, “I made a difference to that one!”  

  

The moral of this: Like Nannette Ausby, no matter what, never, ever stop doing good and trying to make a difference in people’s lives, even if it is just helping one person at a time.