Hello, and welcome;

My name is Denise Canter, and I have been providing care for children since April 1990, six months after my son Anthony was born.

I was born and raised in Roanoke Virginia, and graduated from Northside High School in 1976. I have three sisters, two older and one younger. I married my husband, Dennis in December 1985 when he and I, along with his two children, Sherry 13 years old and Dennis Jr. then 12 years old moved to Raleigh, NC. (Should you ever meet these two wonderful children, now 36 and 37 years old with two children each of their own, don't tell them I told you they were my Stepchildren, I don't think they remember that.) I was truly blessed when I met and married these two children and their father in 1985.

After moving to Raleigh, I continued in my career field of management, where I held upper retail management positions for 15 years, managing 50+ employees.

After our son, Anthony was born in October 1989, and I experienced the world of day care facilities, I decided to change fields and become an In-Home day care provider. This allowing me to take care of Anthony, while giving to other parents what I wanted and found difficult to find in a day care facility. Our daughter, Ashley was born in January 1991, completing our family.

I opened my day care with 5 children, and moved up to being a State licensed In-Home day care facility caring for 12 children, after my mother, Phyllis Chapman moved in with our family. She is actually known as Granny to every child, AND their parent, and I doubt she would even answer to anything other than GRANNY.

We both have completed our Early Childhood Development courses, along with our First Aid and CPR classes, which is renewed yearly. We also continue to take day care related courses during the year.

This is Granny, my mother and second best friend. She is 80 years old going on 50. She was also born and raised in Roanoke, Virginia, where she married my father in September 1949, and raised four girls.

My father passed away in 1982. After mom retired from K-Mart in 1990, she moved in with our family.

Meet my husband, my best friend, Dennis Canter.

Dennis was born and raised in Bristol, Virginia. After marrying in 1969, Dennis was transferred to Pennsylvania; then settled in Roanoke, Virginia in 1975, with his company Kayo Oil, where he held a District Manager position for sixteen years.

He and I located to Raleigh, North Carolina with another major oil company, where he held the same position as with Kayo Oil.

Dennis' job involved a lot of over night travel, and after both Anthony and Ashley were born, Dennis felt that he would be happier with a job that did not require any travelling, and so he took a position with Frito Lay Inc. in 1995, where he is presently employed.

Meet Ashley, our fourteen year old daughter.

Ashley attends East Wake Middle School. Ashley also has received many awards for her academic skills during her grammar and middle school years. Ashley has been clogging for three years, and cheered for two years, and she has also done some modeling shoots.

Ashley has always played the big sister roll in our day care, and is still best friends with the children I provided care for when she and they were in day care together as toddlers.

Ashley is presently a member of the Young Marines, where she will march in local parades, perform in the color guards, and travel with the Marines to learn more about our Country. Ashley talks of attending college, but as for a career, Well!, if it doesn't involve clothes, makeup, modeling, or talking on the phone, she is not interested!.

UPDATE: Ashley attends Knightdale High School and works part time to support her clothing habit. Ashley has decided that her love is working with special needs children and plans to pursue her passion after Graduating from High School. She plans to major in Early Childhood development with an emphasis on special needs.

This is Anthony, our now fifteen year old son.

Anthony is a Freshman at Broughton High. He has shown a great many accomplishments in his short life. He started playing a Trumpet in the 3rd grade, and switched to a Saxophone in the 4th grade by teaching himself how to play the instrument.

He has received numerous awards from honor roll student and superior citizenship, to excellent conduct while attending grammar and middle school.

Anthony cheered for Elite Cheer and Dance for over a year. And he is presently a member of the Air Force ROTC program at his school, where he performs in local parades. He has performed in several color guards and Drill team events and competitions.

Anthony is also a Junior Firefighter with Eastern Wake Fire Department, and averages 60 volunteer hours per month since becoming a member.

He talks of enlisting with the Air Force after completing College, with the hopes of using his firefighting skills while in the Air Force. Of course, only being a Freshman in High School... all plans are subject to change.

Update: Anthony now works part time for Eastern Wake Fire Dept., as he works towars the completion of his Fire Fighter and EMT classes. Anthony would like to become a full time firefighter at the completion of his training classes. Anthony and his fiancee Lauren Johnson are proud parents of a beautiful baby boy, Anthony Cody Dawson Canter, born on July 19, 2007. Cody is not only the light in his parent's life; he and Lauren are a blessing to our entire family. Lauren attends Knightdale High School and wants to pursue a career in nursing.

This is our oldest daughter and her husband, Sherry and David Archivald. Sherry graduated from East Wake High School in 1988, and married in May of 1989, moving with her husband to Goldsboro. After having her two children, Kenny and Mary, and Mary only being a few months old, Sherry returned to school where she graduated from NC Wesleyan College with a Bachelors of Science and a Bachelors of Arts in 2006. How she was able to do this, while employed by the city of Goldsboro and raising two children. Sherry is also a Deacon of her church, and volunteers many hours with the homeless, and The Habitat for Humanity. Sherry never ceases to amaze me with all of her accomplishments.

And below, on the photo to the left is our oldest son, Dennis Canter Jr. He is married to Christie (photo to the right), and they live in Roxboro with their two children. Dennis graduated from East Wake High School in 1989, married and moved to Roxboro, NC. Dennis is the supervisor for Pepsi Cola bottling Co. and Christy owns her own business, Endless Tanning. They both are very involved in their community; Dennis is an active member of the Lions Club, while Christy is the President of her son, Dalton's High School PTA.

You can also see Dennis on the photo in the middle, with our other three children and our four grandchildren.

Dennis & Christie are blessed with two beautiful sons, Dalton, age 14 and Christopher, age 10; the two little boys on the photographs at the end of the page.

Jennifer joined our Family Day Care Staff in January 2007, her daughter Holly has been enrolled in our day care since February 2005. Jennifer previously worked for Right Time Kids in Cary, NC, while also working for NSC Systems performing accounting duties.

Jennifer graduated from the State University of New York at Delhi with her associates degree in Business Administration and she is currently working toward the completion of her associates degree in Early Childhood Development.

Meet Alex West, Would you believe Alex used to be a day care child herself many years ago?.

Alex was a part of our day care from the time she was one year old until she started school.

Alex is a junior at Knightdale High School, and plans to pursue a career working with children after she graduates from High School and Collage.

Alex brings out the best in everyone with her high energy personality. She has an unbelievable love and compassion for children and works endlessly with mastering each Child's individual skills and abilities.

Alex has been volunteering her time to our day care during school closing and breaks, and the summer since 2005.

She will be a true asset in working with children in any capacity, after her completion of College.