We caught up with the brilliant and insightful Beatrice Henry a few weeks ago and have shared our conversation below.

Beatrice, appreciate you joining us today. Did you always know you wanted to pursue a creative or artistic career? When did you first know?

I knew I wanted to pursue a creative/artistic path after the birth of my first child. I was transitioning from working full time in education and coming from an early childhood development center where I’d worked for almost a decade. I wanted to create the same classroom and educational atmosphere at home for our daughter. However, we were also transitioning to a single income household, so I knew I had to get creative. I was very familiar with creating for home and the classroom separately so now I had the opportunity to connect the two. It was such a joyful time, and really the best of both worlds. I was able to be home with our daughter, educating her along the way and creating, both personally and educationally. I got so many requests for in-home childcare because of what we created. I figured there had to be a way for me to share with other parents without offering childcare myself. I began creating content online with activity and material ideas for parents and caregivers to adapt for their personal needs. As our family and educational needs grew so did the content and scope of things we created. It has grown in so many ways since conception, including a weekly virtual story time titled “The JOY of Reading”. I also collaborate with schools and educational organizations to further support families in teaching their children in a way that works best for them.

Beatrice, 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?

I am an Educational Consultant and I create Early Childhood and Elementary Literacy curriculum. I also work with parents, caregivers and educators to teach the importance of education through play. I get to use my educational, creative and parenting knowledge to create meaningful experiences that help families build and strengthen academic skills and family engagement. I love helping to bridge the gap between home and the classroom. One of the things I remember from teaching in the child development center were parents saying how disconnected they felt. They were away from their children a big chunk of time during the day. It’s awesome to have a safe place for your child to have consistent care while you work, but it does limit the daily time you have available with them. Knowing this I created activities and games with families in mind. I wanted things that can be effortlessly added into their already busy schedules that support their child’s education, while encouraging family engagement.

Is there mission driving your creative journey?

Yes, my goal is to help support and equip families in literacy and family engagement across the board. I know first hand, as a four generation educator, the importance of having a strong educational foundation. I don’t want this to be something just focused on the children either. The whole family needs to be supported as a unit for the success to be fully functional.

For you, what’s the most rewarding aspect of being a creative?

Right now the most rewarding aspect of creating is seeing people experience the things I have created. When I create I also create with the participants in mind. How do I want them to feel, respond and connect to what I am creating? I love seeing in real time how they respond to what I share and any feedback they have to enhance the experience for the next person. I am super excited to see how others respond to the next project we have coming up. I am participating in the 2026 Kansas City Parade of Hearts! The heart will be on display for everyone to experience April 2026. The sculpture is titled “The JOY of Reading” and I have also created a weekly virtual Story Time that connects to the sculpture. You can join us online for story time each week (Weds at 10:30 cst) on our YouTube channel and visit the sculpture starting in April. Please share details of your experiences with both story time and the heart sculpture using our hashtag #joyheartkc

Contact Info:

• Instagram: https://www.instagram.com/iambeatricehenry/
• Facebook: https://www.facebook.com/beatrice.henry.7547
• Linkedin: https://www.linkedin.com/feed/
• Youtube: https://www.youtube.com/@BuildEngageAbsorb

Image Credits

I have the rights to all photos. I took them myself!