We recently connected with Sara Bullock and have shared our conversation below.

Alright, Sara thanks for taking the time to share your stories and insights with us today. Parents play a huge role in our development as youngsters and sometimes that impact follows us into adulthood and into our lives and careers. Looking back, what’s something you think you parents did right?

I am a first generation American who has parents of Cuban and Italian descent. I grew up all over the world because my Father was in the military. My mother was a Child Care Provider who worked out of our home at times so she could contribute towards the finances and still be able to stay at home and care for me and my sister. These are the building blocks of what I am comprised of today. Moving to new cities, countries, I had to learn how to come out of the comfort zone of familiarity at a young age and embrace the change of being somewhere new, around new people, and overcoming adversity and challenges that come with that which can be very hard to do.
This instilled confidence in me that helped me to problem solve and overcome struggles. Growing up all over the world also allowed me the opportunity to embrace diversity and develop a keen sense of connecting with and identifying different strengths in others which enabled me to be able to work and connect with them on deeper level. Watching my parent’s strong work ethic and commitment to their responsibilities has put me in a position of strength and focus with mine. I will forever be thankful to them for their unwavering love, support and guidance.

Great, appreciate you sharing that with us. Before we ask you to share more of your insights, can you take a moment to introduce yourself and how you got to where you are today to our readers

My name is Sara Bullock, and I am the owner of MeTime Drop-In Child Care. We have 2 locations in Middle Tennessee. I absolutely LOVE working with children of all ages and have been in the childcare industry for decades. MeTime was realized through a need seen in the community. I was able to create this small business after spending a year where we lived and taking a deep look at what was needed here. `
There were many new families, much like us who were moving to this State and ones who had been living here that didn’t necessarily have any family or friends in the area that might be able to provide childcare if/when needed.
My mission was to create a safe, secure place for families to be able to bring their children in a licensed facility at any time, weekends, extended hours etc. without having to make a reservation (only infants under 12 months require a reservation). It was important to me that parents, or guardians had an option for their family when sitters cancelled, or if they had no family around to help etc… MeTime was created to fill that niche by offering a completely new way to look at childcare providing flexible days, and hours to parents whose schedules didn’t necessarily fit inside hours of a traditional daycare center.
I wanted to ensure that my small business had the tools to surpass all of the hurdles and logistics we had to work out since drop-in care is a fairly new concept. We had to work closely with our State to ensure policies and procedures were put in place to allow families this option.
MeTime has been used for everything from date nights, Dr appointments, gym time, the transition between two working parents, running errands, even taking a nap! We are also a great option for stay-at-home parents who have the opportunity to still be at home with their child but get in a break as well whenever they need it which they love! It’s a win win because children are able to come into a welcoming environment where they are able to meet friends their age and play.
Our rates our hourly, and we offer sibling discounts. We are licensed to care for children as young as 6 weeks old through 12 years of age. Parents only pay for the time they use! No weekly fees or paying for days they don’t come.
MeTime has two locations. Our Mt. Juliet location opened in 2017 and our Murfreesboro location opened in 202! We are open 7 days a week at both locations and our hours are Monday – Thursday 8AM – 10PM, Friday and Saturday 8AM – Midnight and on Sundays we are open 12Noon – 9PM. We have a Facebook Page for each location, we are also on Instagram and have a website where families can reach out to us or find out more about us. Our website is www.metimechildcare.com.
We have several employees at each location to closely monitor and help us maintain our ratios, which is so important to me and means a lot to the families we care for. Each employee at MeTime has to go through specific training and has to use the same certification program as traditional daycare centers in order to work with the children in our care. We exceed employee certification required by the State and I personally pay for each of my employees to go through training for their CPR and First Aid certifications as well. A big benefit we provide is If an employee has children of their own, they are welcome to bring in their child with them while they work for free. We do offer snack or meal options for families we care for at an extra charge. We offer breakfast menu and lunch/dinner menus so parents never have to worry about bringing food in although they certainly can if they choose too as long as all items brought in are NUT free since we are a NUT free facility.
We offer a variety of directed activities and games, as well as arts and crafts for every age level we care for and the caregivers are constantly engaging with them to ensure we provide a positive experience for each family that walks through our doors.
Not only does this type of childcare set us apart from other daycare center options but our relationship with each family is important to us and we strive to ensure the highest quality of care and to maintain open honest communication at all times. Every employee truly loves their job and plays an important part in our background of working with children.

Any stories or insights that might help us understand how you’ve built such a strong reputation?

Building a new company that starts from a simple idea to a brick-and-mortar facility meant alot of hard work and sleepless nights. MeTime would not have been able to grow without the wonderful customer base that we have! As a small business owner it is essential that your clients meet you and get to know the face of the company in the beginning. Childcare is the same as any other business in this aspect. Establishing a connection with your client base and building a relationship with them is critical to building your reputation in any market. Clients are your best referrals, and referrals are the fastest most reliable way to grow.

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

As a small business aside from referrals and word of mouth,another way to acquire new clients is through being involved in your community. Join the Chamber in your town/city and use those resources to ensure visibility with other companies you may be able to partner with on some level. Volunteer in ways that can bring new clients to you while helping others. Your connections may have connections that you were not even aware of so getting to know other like minded small business individuals and being active in the community you serve is key.

Contact Info:

• Website: https://metimechildcare.com/
• Instagram: @metimechildcare
• Facebook: MeTime Drop-In Child Care – Mount Juliet Location