Hutcherson is manager of Therapeutic Childcare at Father Joe’s Villages and lives in Lakeside.
I am a boomerang. Never in a million years did I think I would be back. But then again, back before 2010, never in a million years did I think I would leave.
I started my journey here at the Village in 1996. This was supposed to be a steppingstone in my career. It was the perfect schedule for me; I would go to school in the morning and then go to a full-time job from noon to 8:30 p.m. I was not a native San Diegan and I had never heard of Father Joe Carroll or St. Vincent de Paul Village. All I knew was that a teacher needed to provide care to children into evening hours.
Of course, once I learned more about what St. Vincent de Paul Village was all about, I was excited to help families. The idea of helping them get back on their feet and start providing for themselves was exhilarating! After only a few months, my feelings changed. Seeing all the trauma the children experienced was very traumatic. I became depressed and I started taking that weight and worry home.
Thankfully, at that time, I knew a very wise woman. She noticed the change in me and asked how I was doing. I shared my feelings and she shared her wisdom. She basically told me I could not continue this journey. “Either you help, or you don’t. Your job is very commendable, and you can’t help if you’re letting it get to you like this. If you can’t do what you can while you’re there and leave it there, then you should quit.”
She had my attention and I knew I did not want to quit. At that moment I decided that I wanted to do my best in helping my neighbors in need. Quitting or being depressed about all the trauma wasn’t an option.
Fast forward four years later, I became program supervisor of Children’s Services. Two years later I was honored to get promoted as program manager of that same department. In 2010, my family was growing and although it pained me, I resigned from the position. My plan was never to leave Father Joe’s Villages. My plan was to work on-call once in a while, but never to leave. But alas, things didn’t work out as I had planned. The next time I came back to the Village was the grand opening of our new building in 2012.
About a year after moving to the new three-story building, the name of the program changed from Children’s Services to Therapeutic Childcare. The new name describes exactly what we do. We are a very unique child care center that provides not only behavioral and developmental child care, but clinically based as well. This means we support children with complex developmental traumas. We have an on-site clinician who provides therapy not only to the children, but to parents as well. Child development specialists (child care teachers) consult with our clinician and develop regulation plans to provide quality care to each child.
I returned to Father Joe’s Villages as the manager of Therapeutic Childcare in 2022. The aspect I enjoy most is giving our children new experiences. During the summer we have weeklong camps where we take various age groups to different places. We take them to parks, museums, bowling and even Disneyland. For many children, things like going to the beach are a new experience; not to mention amusement parks! But on top of that, the best part is that they get to leave the Villages for a few hours and forget their circumstances for a little while. In the Villages, they are living, eating, using restroom facilities and showering communally — which they are in through no fault of their own.
Despite the circumstances, I have been able to witness great successes. Right now, I know of at least two staff working at the Villages who used to reside here. They are successful community members now helping other neighbors in need. I ran into a previous client who we gave child care to and her daughter recently graduated from UC Irvine.
I’m proud to say I’ve contributed in my own small way for families to get back on their feet and succeed. I am so thankful to be back. I believe God led me back.
There is absolutely no doubt in mind that He did.
