Today we’d like to introduce you to Sabrina Baker.
Hi Sabrina, please kick things off for us with an introduction to yourself and your story.
My journey of opening my own online and local arts preschool began in October 2020.
I have been an Early Childhood Educator for 10 years and was tired of the low pay and over crowed classrooms with little funds to teach my students the way I feel they needed.
I was using the little money I did early from teaching to provide a fun, loving, and caring experience all children should have, especially when they are away from their parents for 8 – 10 hours each day, 5 days a week!
I joined an awesome online support group for women who wanted to start their own preschools with little money and no college degree. I felt that maybe if I could learn the business end of how to run a preschool I could add on to all my experience, including my Child Development credential, college credits that I already had towards an Associates Degree in Early Childhood Educations, CEU’s and all the health and safety requirements to work with young children.
Upon joining I felt so empowered that I was meeting women just like me all over the world who had the same passion for wanting to teach young children. After just 3 months I had learned all about running an online business, and that r my state did not require a license to teach preschool online. I also created a 1-year business plan to help keep me reaching my goals. I had managed to save a few hundred dollars and was feeling confident about starting my program by nannying for a family for a few months so I could have everything I needed to teach.
In February 2021 I took the plunge and registered my business name with the state and it was approved!
I was so excited and ready to reach out to my community about the online services that families were in need of during the pandemic. At first, it seemed difficult to get my name out there because I was still learning the demographic of parents who wanted an online Preschool program, especially an Arts based program
I continued to post my preschool name to reach families in my community, but I had no luck. I started to think maybe online preschool just was becoming too popular and no one was interested in my program.
One June summer morning, I had a sudden realization that maybe I should instead have a local preschool! I had all the documents needed to have an in-person program, I just needed a location and classroom furniture and toys.
So I did some research and found my local community center had classrooms for rent. I reached out to them via Email and waited ( which seemed like forever!) After a week of waiting, I finally checked out my email to see that the community center was interested in having my program for the upcoming Fall School year!
After meeting the director of the community center a few weeks later and submitting all my paperwork it became official that Creative Xpressions Preschool for the Arts (CXPA) was going to begin classes in September 2021!
For the remaining part of the summer, I hustled and worked side delivery jobs and a summer camp to save up to buy all that I could for the preschool. I was blessed with community members donating to my preschool toys and materials that in no time filling up my classroom with everything the students would need!
As of May 2022, CXPA has been open and running for 9 months and going well. I have been able to help a total of 5 families thus far this school year. We also have started 2 new additional programs, Little Artist Club, which is our online 30 min art class for toddlers and preschoolers twice weekly. We currently have 6 students. We also are preparing to have a 10-week artist-based summer camp for toddlers and preschools that will begin in June. I’m excited to also announce that we have a waitlist for our 2022-2023 school year.
I’m so happy and overjoyed that I have been able to become a black and woman-owned business but I was able to break a mold that I can run a loving, caring, and safe family-oriented arts preschool!
CXPA has been my pride and joy and my dream is to find a private and larger location so that I can obtain my group childcare license in the state of PA so I could care for 10 students. I also would like to finish up my associate’s degree in Early Childhood Education by 2024!
Alright, so let’s dig a little deeper into the story – has it been an easy path overall, and if not, what were the challenges you’ve had to overcome?
This process has had some tough times!
My biggest struggles were
1) Being able to start my program with little or no money while still working.
2) Building confidence to keep going and not stopping or ending the program due to lack of enrollment or lack of a location.
3)Advertising and finding parents looking for a small learning childcare program.
4) Time Management! – Finding time to not only teach my students, but also keep track of purchases, and save the correct amount for taxes. Also having time for myself to enjoy my personal life.
Alright, so let’s switch gears a bit and talk business. What should we know?
Creative Xpressions Preschool for the Arts is proud that we can provide families in our community with a warm and nurturing environment where children feel safe. Our unique Preschool offers various activities that are specifically designed to encourage each child’s growth. Through cooperative play and creative activities, kids reach their social, emotional, and physical milestones naturally and with ease.
I would like your readers to know that we are more than just an arts-based preschool. We provide music, yoga, and play-based lessons for young children as well both locally and online. Our students are provided with a variety of hands-on activities. They learn to respect, work and play with others in a positive environment. Age-appropriate activities are presented to children individually, in small and large groups in a safe and creative environment.
Skills presented in group activities include respect, sharing, listening, cooperation, and problem-solving. Students will also develop language skills, small motor (scissors, manipulatives, etc.), large motor (balance beam, ball-bouncing, etc.), dramatic play, creative art, music, mindfulness, and yoga. The teacher will offer direct instruction and positive feedback to guide the children throughout the day.
Are there any apps, books, podcasts, blogs, or other resources you think our readers should check out?
My favorite work apps for the Preschool that we cannot live without are:
Youtube- For Music, Movement & Yoga
Pandora- For Music & Movement Activities
Go Noodle- For Music, Movement & Yoga
Class Dojo – For Parent/ Teacher Communication and it’s free!
Facebook & Instagram- For our social media pages
Zoom- For our online classes
Paramount+, Hulu, and Disney + – For when we have education tv time
ABC Mouse- A resource we use for our students to learn when they have free time at home and it’s FREE!
Pricing:
- $200 per week for M-F local preschool care
- $175 per week for M, W, and F local preschool care
- $150 per week for T/TH local preschool care
- $40 per family for a monthly online art class
- $67 per school/ organization for monthly online art class
Contact Info:
- Email: [email protected]
- Website: https://cxartspreschool.wixsite.com/cxpa
- Instagram: instagram.com/cxartspreschool
- Facebook: facebook.com/cxartspreschool
