Eboni Delaney, Director of Policy and Movement Building
Svitlana Uniyat arrived in the United States from Ukraine in 1999 with a lifelong commitment to education. In Ukraine, she worked across elementary, middle, high school, and college settings, with experience in education, psychology, and social work. After immigrating to the U.S. and becoming a mother, she encountered a model of care that would shape the next 25 years of her life.
“As a new immigrant, I arrived in the USA in 1999, my daughter was born here in the USA, and I discovered something exceptionally unique we didn’t have in Ukraine – the field of Family Child Care.”
Family child care allowed Svitlana to remain home with her daughter while continuing her work as an educator. What began as a discovery became a professional and personal calling.
“What an amazing discovery it was – I could stay with my daughter at home, create an educational and enriching program, and continue working in the educational field I used to work in Ukraine.”
Svitlana earned her CDA in addition to her Ukrainian degrees and became nationally accredited through NAFCC in 2010. Today, her family child care program in Minneapolis still holds NAFCC accreditation and has a four-star Parent Aware rating in Minnesota. She has worked in early childhood and family child care in the United States for 25 years and has also worked with Reading Corps Minnesota for over a decade.
Her leadership extends beyond her own program. Since 2010, Svitlana has served as a Minnesota Develop approved trainer and has presented at NAFCC conferences every year since 2015, building strong connections across the field.
“Working as a trainer and a mentor in the family child care and early education field for many years extended my connections to many professionals in the field and created a deep commitment to the mission of strengthening family childcare and early education.”
In 2013, Svitlana was recognized nationally as the Accredited Family Child Care Provider of the Year and shared her story on the national stage.
“I was selected as the 4-star National Accreditation Essay Contest winner, accepted my award, and shared my story on the National stage in Arizona about growing up in Ukraine, playing with flowers in my garden, and always wanting to be a teacher.”
Her relationship with NAFCC is deeply personal. Svitlana is a lifetime member, a Train the NAFCC accreditation trainer, an observer, a NAFCC Minnesota State Representative, and a member of the NAFCC Accreditation Council.
“NAFCC is my second family, it is about creating a unique and special support for Family Child Care educators, it is about love for our profession, connecting, supporting, friendship, sharing memories.”
Culture and identity have always been central to Svitlana’s work. Early in her career, she deliberately chose to connect her family child care program to the local Ukrainian community and to other cultural communities in Minnesota.
That commitment showed up not only through community events, but in the day-to-day experiences of the children in her care. When one of her students wanted to participate in a cultural celebration, Svitlana purchased traditional Ukrainian clothing so the child could take part fully and feel included. For her, honoring culture was not symbolic. It was practical, intentional, and rooted in care.
“Many years ago, when I started a family child care business, I decided to connect our activities to our local Ukrainian community and other communities and organized many cultural events.”
Her story also includes profound personal loss. Svitlana’s husband was part of her licensed family child care program for many years. During the COVID pandemic, he passed away.
“My husband has been with me on our Family Child Care license for many years, but unfortunately, he passed away during COVID. I thought my life stopped during those tragic events.”
Yet, like so many family child care educators, she continued.
“But no, all of us FAMILY CHILD CARE Educators kept going, we worked, we served the families and communities, and we do it now, no matter what is happening.”
Today, even as Minnesota navigates significant challenges, Svitlana’s story reflects a bright spot. Family child care educators continue to show up every day, grounded in their belief in children, families, and the importance of early care.
“No matter what, we all – Minnesota Family Child Care educators and Early Care Educators work hard every day, and we are deeply committed to serving children and families because we believe that early years are the most important and children are our future.”
Svitlana’s journey reflects the beauty and power of family child care, built through experience, commitment, and community, and carried forward even in difficult moments.
With so much troubling news coming out of Minnesota in recent weeks, it feels important to pause and acknowledge the real pain and trauma many families and communities are experiencing. Reflecting on this moment, Svitlana shared why it weighs so heavily on her.
“My heart is with those who have experienced unimaginable pain or trauma,” she said. “I know what it feels like to be in pain, and because of that, supporting families, children, and communities across Minnesota who are facing trauma, uncertainty, and fear must be our priority. People need basic human support, understanding, acceptance, and love.”
NAFCC stands in solidarity with FCC educators across Minnesota. Read our full statement on recent immigration enforcement actions and their impact on family child care here.
