The Child Care Business Podcast

In this episode, we chat with Paula Polito, owner of Beary Cherry Tree in New Orleans. From humble beginnings 45 years ago to a four-building, 16-classroom operation, Beary Cherry Tree is a thriving business that boasts a four-star rating, low turnover and low ratios. However, the journey hasn’t been an easy one. From navigating the loss of her house and severe building damage during Hurricane Katrina to a once-in-a-lifetime pandemic, Paula has seen it all. But her resilient spirit, business acumen and focus on culture have helped her weather the storm (pun intended).

Topics we talk about with Paula include:

• How she hires and retains teachers through culture-building, caring leadership, professional development, lower ratios and a strong focus on mental health.
• Strategies for communicating with parents and staff in a transparent and compassionate way.
• Her approach to the latest COVID outbreaks.
• How she’s implemented a structure that allows for her to spend more time doing work outside the center, such as child care advocacy and earning her PhD.
• Paula’s storied background, including spending six years as a New Orleans Saints cheerleader as well as a stint on the show “Fear Factor.”

About Paula:

Paula is owner of Beary Cherry Tree in New Orleans. Beary Cherry Tree is a family-owned and operated day care center that is 45 years old and spans three generations. They have grown from 1,000 square feet in 1976 to what is one of the largest in the area.

Paula's center has a four-star rating from Louisiana’s Quality Start Program and is a 5210 Partner, which means her center is all about kids health, providing 5 or more fruits/vegetables, 2 hours or less of recreational screen time, 1 hour or more of physical activity and 0 soda or sweetened drinks.

Paula is currently getting her doctorate in Urban Studies/Affairs from the University of New Orleans and has a number of certifications, including:

• Pathways Level 3 trainer
• MTP Credentialed Coach
• MMCI Trainer
• CLASS TTT (Train the Trainer)
• CLASS Reliable (Infant/Toddler / PreK)

She’s also the Department of Education Advisory Board Chair.

You can connect with Paula by visiting her website: https://www.bearycherrytree.com/ or by emailing her at [email protected].

Additional Resources:
To get more insights on ways to succeed in your child care business, head over to our Resource Center at https://www.procaresoftware.com/resource-center/.
Contact Us:
Have an idea for a podcast or want to be a guest? Email us at [email protected].

Child care is full of inspiring stories, and LaFarris Risby is no exception. A mother at just 15 and married to an abusive husband, LaFarris knew she needed to make a change. In this episode, you’ll hear LaFarris’ amazing story about how, with just $50 to her name and two children, she left her abuser, went back to school and started an in-home child care business – a business that grew to be the largest African American child care center in Junction City, KS.

Today, LaFarris is the CEO of her own consultancy company and has written a book about her incredible journey called Dare to Dream.
Highlights from our conversation with LaFarris include:

• The turning point when she decided to completely change the trajectory of her life.
• How she purchased her first property and overcame a massive sewage issue the very first day her center opened – with very little money on hand.
• The ways her faith has helped her traverse even the toughest circumstances.
• When she fired her son from the center for not coming to work on time, and the lesson he learned to now become the CEO of her business.
• How she discovered hidden talents in herself, and how she helps tease those out of the clients she works with.
• Her plans to build a safe haven for domestic violence survivors.

About LaFarris:

LaFarris Risby is a CEO, award-winning business strategist, author, international speaker, radio personality, child care & parenting expert, executive coach and community leader.

She is the founder of the largest African American child care center in Junction City, KS and has more than 25 years of experience in early childhood education and family support.

Currently, LaFarris is the CEO of LaFarris Inc., a consultancy company where she fills the role of business strategist by helping a growing number of clients overcome their challenges in finding direction, purpose and success in life and business. A testament to her business acumen, she was recently selected as Top Business Strategist of the Year for 2021 by the International Association of Top Professionals.

Before LaFarris embarked on her career path, she earned her Associates of Arts in Early Childhood Education and then her Bachelor of Science in Human Services. As a Certified Family Life Educator (CFLE) for the National Council of Family Relations, LaFarris provides education, social and emotional, and cognitive support for both her students and parents.

She’s also the author of Dare to Dream, where she tells the inspirational and transparent account of her personal and professional life.

You can connect with LaFarris by visiting her website: www.lafarris.com.

Additional Resources:
To get more insights on ways to succeed in your child care business, head over to our Resource Center at https://www.procaresoftware.com/resource-center/.
Contact Us:
Have an idea for a podcast or want to be a guest? Email us at [email protected].

Ty’Heim Clark, perhaps better known as Mr. Ty, is the founder of The Childcare Whisperer, a consulting business that works with child care center directors to help them meet their goals and take their centers to the next level.

His experience in early childhood education started when he was a child and he helped his mother at her child care center. Since then, he has worked as a pre-kindergarten teacher, an assistant center director, director of curriculum and he has managed centers with enrollments ranging from 80 to 200 children.

In this podcast, he shares five tips to improve your success as a child care center director, including how to lead when it's difficult to find staff.
You can find out more about Ty on Facebook, Instagram and TikTok. His website is www.thechildcarewhisperer.com and his email address is [email protected].

As child care centers struggle to find and keep good teachers and other staff, building resilience is key.
In this podcast, Donna Skea joins us from Quebec to share some tips on doing just that!
Donna is the founder of The Infinite Educator, which provides workshops on all aspects of early childhood education, including on building resiliency in the childcare workforce, which is what she’ll be discussing with us today.

She also is an early childhood education professor at Vanier College.
Listen as Donna talks about getting back to the basics of why we love child care and early childhood educationand the importance of building community and offering professional development, as well as more!
Check Donna's Facebook page if you'd like to learn more about her services, as well as her page on LinkedIn! You also can email her at [email protected].

Aliya Johnson-Roberts, an education and business consultant who leads Consulting with AJR, is the executive director of the Bustleton Learning Center and Pratt Street Learning Center in Philadelphia, serving more than 250 children.
Her mother was an in-home child care provider, and Aliya went into the fashion industry before realizing her passion is early childhood education.
Aliya has a master’s degree in early childhood education and educational leadership from Arcadia University and is a PhD candidate in educational leadership. And she’s preparing to expand Bustleton’s Learning Center’s services to include kindergarten through the third grade.
In this podcast, Aliya shares some useful tips to help prepare your child care center for back-to-school season, which is something we traditionally think of as happening in a school setting like elementary school and in older grades. But it's vital for child care providers too!
Learn more about Aliya's consulting business at consultingwithajr.com and search her name on the social media channels you follow!