Workers to Owners: The Story of A Child’s Place

[Music] we weren't in the very beginning really familiar with what a co-op was we had made a decision that we were going to leave the business we were going to sell the business but with working with a broker who was working with us he actually suggested that to us and we a crime the idea that we could actually sell the business or turn the business over to our employees was one of the best things we thought we did it we could ever do I was a kindergarten teacher my daughter at the time was 18 months old and I had a really really difficult time finding a sitter after a year and a half of being with a sitter that was not up to my standards I decided that I was going to start my own center and that's what I did within less than a year she had over 60 kids the following year she had over 100 that's really how we kind of grew as a family and some of that staff that started with us are still here with us today I had work with children that came here they went graduated from high school when the college had kids and I'm taking care of their kids that's how long it's been [Music] a worker owned cooperative is a place where the employees actually own the business if anything goes wrong hey they have to blame yourself mr. Brandon and I are administrators we manage we lead but the teachers are the crux of what goes on here parents don't send their children here because they love mr. Brandon and I they send their children here because their children love the teachers I always thought that I would be a part of the public school community or a private school community but given the opportunity to own my own school it gives me the chance to learn how a company is run it's exciting it allows for people to feel ownership for their own selves because then it ultimately turns into it being their company and it's a reflection of them there's so much love here and you can see it with the children with the teachers with the administration it's a community of love that's basically what I get out working in [Music] one of the main things that we lamented over in the very beginning was if we sell the business will the person who takes it on still carry on the same quality of business and mission that we have for Jaws plays sold this school to another company and some random people just you know came in and took over I wouldn't continue to leave my son here the fabric of how the school is made up I think that would be destroyed if it was sold to a company and we sell it to somebody else they could just change the whole center around it might be an apartment building talking about 67 people losing jobs but at the same time if I'm a parent and I can bring my child to a school where the teachers are invested to doing better I know I'm gonna have a good teacher in that classroom because they're in the classrooms and they are involved with the children majority of the day and one-on-one with the families their input is essential I'm planning on becoming one of the owners of a child's place I really believe in the mission statement that a child's place has with their uh nursery and we're a family run business and I like that and I would like to continue [Music] each staff member teacher and maintenance nutritionist front desk administrator finance everybody was going to learn all the different parts of the business and they would all have to make an initial investment a small investment but everybody would have skin in the game when we introduced this to the staff one of the first things was oh so we can give ourselves a race so we said sure you can what happens is at the end of the year we look at all the books we see what we need whatever profit was made and you can take that profit and either buy the things you need for your classroom or you can give yourself the rest of the money and so everybody started to think because these are not things that they normally think about it's been nothing but a positive decision people have to worry about losing a job or what's going to happen that they're seeing a change but it's all one in on their behalf that culture and that mission and the vision still stands the coop is a very very good option for any business owner because it allows you to step away with a sign of relief that what you implanted in whatever community or whatever district or any area that you're in can still survive we are part of this community we've created the kind of family environment and atmosphere because that's how we started most people do not have that opportunity to be a business owner and this is another way where people in the community can become a business owner more than good jobs ownership more than good jobs ownership ownership ownership [Music]