Alma Johnson has been a well-known name in her community in Crowley, Louisiana for decades. Known as the “neighborhood nanny” she has helped raise children there for many years.
Alma has opened the doors of her apartment at Kathy Apartments where she has shaped a village of support and love for the children in her care.
Realizing that childcare costs can cause huge problems for many parents in the community, Alma didn’t want to see struggling parents her neighborhood so she offered her services for free.
No child is turned away from Alma’s door. She does her best to provide for all who come for help and she is there seven days a week without fail.
If a parent is struggling to provide the basics like food or diapers, Alma does her best to supply them. And while there are parents who are able to bring supplies, those who can’t are eternally grateful to be able to lean on the community Alma has created.
Alma and some neighborhood children (KATC-TV 3: Acadiana’s Newschannel)
Alma grew up the area and is very familiar with the struggles many are facing now. She uses her own experiences and her faith for motivation. Speaking to CBS News she said: “My house is never empty…I just love them, ’cause I made a promise to the Lord and he gave me the strength to do it.”
“It takes a village to raise a child,” and that is the proverb that Alma lives by.
Growing up, Alma worked out of necessity and never got to go to school and as a result, she wants to see that the children growing up there now get the chance at education she never had.
For the children in Crowley, taking the bus is the only way they can get to school. However, Alma notices if or when a child misses the bus and offers to take them herself so their education doesn’t suffer.
“I bring them to school in the morning, I’ll pick them up if it’s raining—and the Lord always blesses me with a few dollars to keep some gas in my car, so I can keep going. It just makes my heart full,” she told KATC.
Natalye Goffney is a mother who is more than grateful for the help she receives from Alma and her unofficial daycare facilities. Natalye started bringing her sons to Alma after leaving an abusive relationship because she couldn’t afford childcare. “I didn’t have no babysitter, no money, no nothing,” Goffney said.
The cost of childcare can set a person back up to $250 a week and people who don’t work can’t afford that. Alma says: “Over here a babysitter a week is $250, $200. They cannot afford it ’cause they got to pay their bills. They’re working people and if they don’t go to work, their kids won’t have a roof over their heads.”
Alma Johnson does all of this out of the goodness of her heart if parents can chip in for supplies they do. “I don’t have a lot, but I have a lot of love and a lot of attention,” she told CBS news.
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