We were lucky to catch up with Shakira Johnson recently and have shared our conversation below.
Alright, Shakira thanks for taking the time to share your stories and insights with us today. What’s the backstory behind how you came up with the idea for your business?
As a child I always wanted to be a Teacher. I loved school, I loved reading and learning new things. I also loved helping others learn.
After graduating High School I knew that I wanted to work with children but I wasn’t sure which direction I wanted to go in. Eventually, I decided that I wanted to start my own childcare business. I had hoped to start in my home and soon began taking all of the necessary classes to become certified in childcare.
At the time I had a very strong support system working with me to help me to achieve my goals. This was a dream that I was determined to accomplish.
My mom the late Cynthia A. Green was my biggest supporter, she was willing to be anything that I needed her to be in order to help me to achieve this lifelong dream. My bonus mom the late Windy G. Lemon was also one of my greatest inspirations. She believed in me and would be sure to help me through all of my classes. My baby sister Sireana took all of the classes with me and we kept each other motivated. My then co-worker and Best Friend the late Delvrona T. Hutchins would always encourage me and promised that she’d one day be my Director whenever the day came that I’d open up my very own childcare center.
I always tell people it’s one thing to want others to win, it’s another thing to actually help them win. I can remember all of us taking the CPR & First Aid classes together as one big family that is a memory that I will forever cherish. It felt so good to be surrounded by my family and loved ones as I took on the challenge of becoming certified in childcare.
I am forever grateful that when I started this journey nearly 14 years ago that I had so many people close to me who believed in me, supported me and also challenged me to grow as an early childhood educator.
As always, we appreciate you sharing your insights and we’ve got a few more questions for you, but before we get to all of that can you take a minute to introduce yourself and give our readers some of your back background and context?
I am an Educator, Advocate and Entrepreneur. Born and raised in Baltimore, Maryland by my Amazing Mother the late Pastor Cynthia A. Green. From an early age I have always been dedicated to making an impact on the world one person at a time.
My children Symphony and NcKinley are my world and I strive daily to build a legacy for them.
In 2007, I began my career within Baltimore City Public Schools where I served in various positions.
Additionally, In 2007 My colleague and Best Friend the late Delvrona T. Hutchins and I established the three time Award Winning Inner Harbor East Academy for Young Scholars Choir (IHEAYS CHOIR) where we both served for 5 years.
In January 2024, Symphony Early Learning Center officially received its License and began enrolling families.
Currently our program provides services for children ages 6 weeks-5 years old. We also offer Before Care/ After Care and Summer Camp.
In March 2024, we officially launched “Our Cozy Reading Corner” an early literacy program where families can bond and create lifelong memories while enjoying the magic of a good book. We launched this program in partnership with Macy’s and Toys “R” Us in Towson Town Center. We work closely with Violesia Tull, Personal Stylist at Macy’s to foster family engagement.
It has been a joy building such a dynamic community partnership with such renowned brands. We are truly grateful for the opportunity to be able to connect with families at the Macy’s store and providing them with Free Books and Resources.
We host “Our Cozy Reading Corner” once per month and are excited about the great things that are happening with our program.
We are Family Oriented. We provide quality childcare services while building a foundation for lifelong success. We incorporate various languages into our program and we are big on Family and Community Engagement. Currently we have partnered with nearly 10 local community organizations and are committed to providing resources to our families and local communities.
To learn more about our programs visit us online at www.SymphonyELC.com
We’d love to hear a story of resilience from your journey.
In 2021, I suffered a tremendous loss, My mom died suddenly and my life was forever changed. Shortly after, I also loss my grandmother, bonus mother Windy, my best friend Delvrona and husband all in a matter of months. Between 2021 and 2023 I suffered a loss of 10 relatives in total including my God Father who raised me as his own child. I was completely devastated but I never loss my faith.
I decided that I wanted to rebuild my life and thought it best to honor all of my loved ones by pursuing every single one of my dreams.
After much prayer, grief counseling and therapy I decided it was time to return to my first love which has always been early childhood education. This time I reached out to numerous schools in hopes to establish my very own childcare center and was able to partner with Dr. Bernard Harris Sr. Elementary School here in Baltimore.
Our center is conveniently located inside of Dr. Bernard Harris Sr. Elementary School where we proudly serve families who attend the school and live in the community.
How did you put together the initial capital you needed to start your business?
Honestly, it took a lot of prayer, diligence and sacrifice. I had absolutely no money saved, no investors, no startup capital JUST FAITH. I secured my location within the school and began saving money from my paycheck each week. I sacrificed a few vacations, leisure experiences and shopping.
I zoned in on my goal. I cut out all unnecessary spending and bargain shopped as I purchased furniture for my center and toys. It was no easy task after all no one believed in this more than me so it was all or nothing. I skipped out on elaborate birthday celebrations with my kids and did smaller more cost effective celebrations. I minimized my spending at Christmas time and tapped in to my community of resources for the things that we needed most. I reached out to organizations for donations and invested as much of my own money as I could whenever possible.
If I could have done things differently I would have applied for any grants or possibly taken out a loan but then I would have missed the miracle that was happening right before my eyes.
GOD DID IT! Once people understood what I was trying to do people started reaching out and making donations. I created an Amazon Wish List and was able to receive furniture, supplies and books from complete strangers. The school even donated to my center. I remember calling a dear friend crying my eyes out to share with her how much of a Blessing the staff at Dr. Bernard Harris Sr. Elementary School were to me and my new program.
Anything you want in this life is possible you just have to have faith and be willing to make sacrifices to get what you deserve.
Contact Info:
- Website: www.SymphonyELC.com
- Instagram: Symphony Early Learning Center
- Facebook: Symphony Early Learning Center