We recently connected with Christa Black and have shared our conversation below.

Alright, Christa thanks for taking the time to share your stories and insights with us today. If you could go back in time do you wish you had started your business sooner or later

This is a tough question because I feel like God has perfect timing. My family and I moved to Tennessee from Florida in 2016. After taking a year off from teaching to help my then 8-year-old son get adjusted to our new life, I decided to hop back into the preschool world where I belong.

While teaching in Tennessee, I noticed that we did not have enrichment programs visiting our school. When I was hunting for preschools in Florida, enrichment was a priority! I wanted to be sure the school offered a variety of experiences for his little active mind and body. That is where I first experienced Stretch-N-Grow from a parent’s perspective. After doing some research, I realized that our area did not offer the opportunities for enrichment that our children so desperately needed. That is when Stretch-N-Grow of East Tennessee was born!

I do wish the idea would have come a bit sooner, but I also believe that the seeds for SNG of East Tennessee were being planted for many years. My gut tells me that we opened at the perfect time.

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?

My name is Christa Black, and I am the proud owner of Stretch-N-Grow of East Tennessee! Stretch-n-Grow is the world’s largest network of certified youth fitness professionals providing fun and engaging enrichment programs that get kids moving all over the world.

We go into our local preschools, private schools, and community centers to offer movement-based enrichment like physical education, dance, sports, gymnastics, yoga, field days, camps, and so much more!

It is such an honor to get to do what we do. We go into schools and show children how much fun movement and exercise is so that when they grow up, it’s something they love instead of dread. The kids get so excited when we come in, you almost feel like a celebrity. Parents want their children moving and learning through play. They always tell us that SNG days are their child’s favorite days at school. These are things that make me so proud as an owner, director, teacher, and mama. We are here to make changes in the way our children look at movement, and I get to watch those changes every day. It is beyond rewarding!

Have you ever had to pivot?

Honestly, we have been blessed with awesome schools and directors that share our passion to enrich the lives of our children. The pandemic was a struggle, as we were just getting our feet off of the ground. Many schools were not allowing parents into their schools, so vendors were of course also not permitted.

That being said, we also had several schools that made movement for their children a priority during this stressful time. We are forever grateful for them.

We did have a bit of a pivot. I taught preschool for many years, so we started making preschool curriculum boxes for families whose children were missing out on preschool. We also made lots of videos to help families keep their kids moving while they were home. We just kept looking for ways we could help.

The pandemic was tough, but it was also a season of learning and growth for us in many ways.

We often hear about learning lessons – but just as important is unlearning lessons. Have you ever had to unlearn a lesson?

For years I was looking for something in a specific package. I was sure I would be the owner and operator of a brick-and-mortar preschool. I have come to learn that sometimes things can be even better if you open your mind to what the package could look like.

If I had not had an open mind, I would have missed the opportunity to be a part of this awesome team and reach thousands of kids. I would not have met so many of our awesome local school directors and teachers.
I would not have gained this family of awesome coaches that I thank God for every day.

If I would have been stuck on a brick-and-mortar program, I would have lost more than I could have ever imagined.

Contact Info:

• Website: www.sng-easttn.com
• Instagram: @sngeasttn
• Facebook: @sngeasttn

Image Credits
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