We recently connected with Jena Dekdebrun and have shared our conversation below.

Jena, appreciate you joining us today. What’s been the best thing you’ve ever seen (or done yourself) to show a customer that you appreciate them?

I love to show my appreciation to my Muletown Kids Family! I am so thankful for every person that comes through the door. These amazing customers are supporting my dream! When I first opened, one of the moms that had come in a few times posted on a local facebook group and was just venting about all the struggles she was going through. I read her post and just felt every word. I could tell she desperately needed a break. From her post, it sounded like there were so many things going on in her life, with multiple homeschooled kids, job related stressors and trying to balance it all. She was super tight on money and was just looking for support. I privately messaged her and offered her a few hours at the facility for her 3 children at no charge. She was so thankful and immediately took me up on the offer. It made my heart full and she got to have a few hours to herself. I could see the relief in her face when she returned from just being able to decompress alone.
I have done this for a handful of families and I wouldn’t change a thing. If I can help someone in need to get a break, I am all for it. That is why this place is so important to me. This facility allows parents to take time for themselves, while they drop their children off somewhere fun and safe. We ALL need time to recharge, in order to be our best self, parent and partner. I know how expensive life can be these days and how busy life can get and I think we forget how to be “us”. So I really try to give back to my community with what I can. Sometimes, I’ll just write an hour off to regulars, just to say thank you for supporting Muletown Kids. I’ll do giveaways throughout the year of not only Muletown Kids Gift Certificates but other gift cards, like Maury County Local First Gift Card. It’s my way of saying Thank You! I have officially been open a year and it’s been an amazing first year! I am so thankful for this community. It really means so much to me! I hope every family that comes in, knows how much we care about their children and their continued support.

Jena, before we move on to more of these sorts of questions, can you take some time to bring our readers up to speed on you and what you do?

My name is Jena Dekdebrun, I am married to my wonderful and supportive husband, Ron. We have two amazing children together. I am the owner of Muletown Kids Casual Drop Off Childcare. We are located at 1412 Trotwood Ave. Suite 12 Columbia, TN 38401, in the Neely’s Mill Plaza. We are an as needed childcare facility. So if you need a few kid free hours, you can drop your children off to play, explore and make new friends. Whether you need to get errands done, house work, appointments, go on that overdue date night, we are here for you! I first found out about drop off childcare facilities when I was driving through Franklin. I started driving up there often to drop my daughter off, so I could go on dates with my husband and time to myself. A few months later, I started working there part-time. I fell in love with the concept and knew I wanted to open one closer to my home. I started the process to actually open one in Spring Hill, but quickly decided I could not commit to it at that time and put it on hold. I eventually transferred to working at a drop off facility that opened a few months later in Spring Hill and stayed there for a while. But, I never truly let that dream go. When life finally slowed down, I revisited the thought of opening my own drop off childcare facility and just went for it. My husband and I don’t have family down here, so I understand first hand how difficult it is to find childcare that you can trust and are available when you need them. With so many people moving to middle Tennessee, there are more and more families that need help with childcare. I have spoken to many that are from here or have moved here and are so happy to be able to drop off their children, just to get a few hours to themselves. Parenting is tough, so we are here to be a part of your “village”. All of my caregivers are cpr/first aid certified and background checked. I have done weeks of trials and training with my caregivers. I take my time to pick the right people to be a part of Muletown Kids and everything Muletown Kids represents. It is extremely important to me that families trust us and can rely on us. I am so thankful for this community!

How do you keep your team’s morale high?

My biggest thing is communication. I strive to make this a fun and positive work environment. I have looked back at my past jobs and really thought about what I wanted for my business. I have definitely made some mistakes as an owner, but I always admit and grow. And although being a Caregiver isn’t the highest paying job, I offer some great benefits for my Caregivers. Like tips from our generous families and they get to bring their children with them to work for free. They also get opportunities for discounted and free childcare outside of work. Which is huge! I am always open to having a discussion with my employees and how things could be done differently. I think it is always good to have a discussion about things, especially when the employees will be using the procedures everyday. So if I can make it easier for them and their time at Muletown Kids, I will do my best to make it happen. I try to show my appreciation to them, whether that is verbally expressing I appreciate them or other things, like I’ve bought or have offered to get coffee, meals, snacks, etc.
I strive to give my employees off when they need to, as I know we all have lives outside of Muletown Kids. So it is important to me to work with their schedules and availability, as much as I possibly can. I also want them to know I am there for them, if they need anything. So being available to answer questions or to assist them when things get busy or having backup available, is a huge thing for me. I think about the one job that I loved to work at, we always were having fun, buckled down together when we needed to, helped each other out when needed and cared for one another. It was amazing! So it was important to find people that were positive, reliable and a team player. It makes such a difference in the workplace. I feel like right now, I really have a great team!

Where do you think you get most of your clients from?

My best source for new clients is word of mouth. Which is the most meaningful and rewarding way to get new families coming in. I love to hear people say that they know “so and so” and they say how great your facility is and how much fun their children have. I have heard people say they were shocked that we have only been in the community a year, with how highly people speak of Muletown Kids. It brings me tears of joy. It is all I ever wanted as an owner of a childcare facility. So I can only hope that word of mouth referrals will continue for many years to come.

Contact Info:

• Website: www.muletownkids.com
• Instagram: www.instagram.com/muletownkids
• Facebook: www.facebook.com/muletownkids