Today we’d like to introduce you to Laurie McCracken.
Hi Laurie, thanks for sharing your story with us. To start, maybe you can tell our readers some of your backstories.
I started working with children while I was still in high school. It started as just babysitting, then evolved to the childcare program at my high school. I received all of my state-required certifications while spending half a day in school and half a day working in a local childcare facility. I eventually went on to get my Bachelors in Elementary Education and started substitute teaching while working on my degree. I started teaching Kindergarten just after graduation. I continued to teach public school in various capacities, including Kindergarten first, second & third grades. I also served as a Reading Interventionist, Curriculum Coordinator, District Trainer, Behavior Specialist, and a Reading Specialist. I did this for nearly 30 years. In early 2015, I found out that I was pregnant with our 7th child, our only boy. This prompted me to take a step back from teaching public school and provide childcare in my home. We had moved to Arizona during this time, and I started with just 4 children in my home, the first floor of which we had converted to a childcare facility. We quickly realized there was a huge need and demand for high-quality early childhood programs, so I became licensed and was quickly full with 10 children. I have always been passionate about high-quality early childhood programs, but this step was instrumental in laying a new path for me.
In 2021, we decided to move back to Florida, where I was born and raised, to be closer to our daughters and now my grandchildren. My husband and I opened Baby Fox Academy of Florida on Tuttle & Bee Ridge. This center serves children 3-5 years old who are fully potty trained. In the short time that location was open, we were bombarded with calls for infant and toddler care, dozens a week. A second location was certainly a possibly but was not in the “master plan” for another couple of years. The universe had a different “master plan” for us though. Just 18 months after we opened our first location in Sarasota, another location became available to us by sheer luck. With the help of our staff, parents, and the community we completely renovated the newest location in just 6 short weeks. This location opened in July 2022, is 5200 square feet, and serves infants through VPK. We are licensed for 91 children at this location, 45 at the first. We employ just over 20 staff members for both locations.
Can you talk to us a bit about the challenges and lessons you’ve learned along the way? Looking back, would you say it’s been easy or smooth in retrospect?
Owning a small business is never a smooth road. Especially a childcare business that you open in the midst of COVID. We had some of the same struggles as most businesses during that time. We also struggled with the lack of resources and funding opportunities that are available for new businesses, especially a childcare. My husband and I saved and worked several jobs to make this dream a reality. We didn’t receive any funding from loans or grants and were not backed by any big corporations or non-profits. For our first location or the second. It’s just he and I – the epitome of a mom-and-pop small business.
As you know, we’re big fans of you and your work. For our readers who might not be as familiar, what can you tell them about what you do?
Baby Fox Academy is a play-based early childhood education program. Children in our high-quality early learning programs ARE creating, moving, singing, discussing, observing, reading, and playing all day. They are engaging in intentional play, purposeful and meaningful hands-on learning. Children in our programs are NOT expected to sit still and be quiet 24-7. They won’t be doing worksheets, workbooks or drill & kill flashcards. Research tells us that these are not appropriate expectations for young children. Children at Baby Fox Academy will be seen gathered around books, tinker tubs, and sensory bins, not screens. You will see teachers modeling problem-solving techniques, giving out positive reinforcement, and redirecting when necessary. You will see loose parts, engaging equipment, and readily available materials. Children can get lost in curiosity and will spend their days surrounded by discovery and wonder as they will be engaged in playful learning. At Baby Fox Academy, we ARE preparing children for school, but we are NOT a boot camp for kindergarten. We ARE bringing back magical childhoods.
What sets us apart from others is that as owners, my husband and I very involved in our schools. I know our families, I know our children, I know our staff. We are constantly reinvesting in our centers and our staff. We strive to be the best place to work and the best place for children to build their educational foundation through play and hands-on, developmentally appropriate activities. As a former educator, I work closely with all of our staff to ensure they are fulfilling each child’s needs and that THEY have all the resources and training they need to be the best early childhood educators they can be.
Can you talk to us a bit about the role of luck?
I actually don’t believe in luck in the traditional sense. I DO believe I the power of positive vibes, karma, and things happening for a reason or the way they are supposed to. I had a rough road for many years. I suffered abuse in my first marriage for way too long, went through a terrible & lengthy divorce, and came out a completely different person realizing I deserved better. I started making better things happen for myself by working hard, not giving up, and speaking positive thoughts out loud (a vision board helped too). Meeting my current husband through our oldest daughters was an unexpected blessing. He grounds me but also helps to ensure all my aspirations and ideas for our centers come to fruition.
When I decided to step away from teaching in the public school system to open my small in-home childcare program, I never thought that I would have two commercial childcare facilities, both with wait lists, with plans to open a third location in the near future… Everything happens for a reason. Even the really hard things.
Contact Info:
- Website: www.BabyFoxAcademy.com
- Facebook: www.facebook.com/BabyFoxAcademy
Image Credits
Syliwa Ok Photography
Laurie McCracken
