Alright – so today we’ve got the honor of introducing you to Ivy Ward. We think you’ll enjoy our conversation, we’ve shared it below.

Ivy, thanks for joining us, excited to have you contributing your stories and insights. Can you tell us about a time where you or your team really helped a customer get an amazing result?

I made an appointment for a parent who was asked to leave another daycare/preschool. At the appointment, I watched the child play with blocks. I asked his mother what happened at the other daycare. She said he was considered problematic. He played in my office but did not speak very well. He was developmentally delayed. I agreed to take the child at age three.

The first few months were tough. This child had maybe five words. His favorite word was no. He screamed it all day. He was not bathroom-independent or potty-trained, and he did not socialize with the other children. He liked to bite very hard and hit. I quickly realized that we are dealing with more than a developmental delay. I asked the parents to have him tested, and they refused. It is challenging to help young children if you don’t know precisely what disabilities they have.

My staff and I came up with a list of skills that would help this child. The first was vocabulary. He needed words to communicate with us, so he had to use the few he had and talk to us. When he did not have a word, we asked him to show us. We used pictures to help him make connections. We made him flash cards using his favorite things, dinosaurs, for his basic needs. An example would be a dinosaur eating for hungry.

The second skill was to improve his motor skills. Both his fine motor skills and major motor skills were grossly behind. There is lots of playdough and running to help in this area.

The third skill was independence. He could not get dressed, use the bathroom, or clean up. We taught him slowly how to do most things.

The staff and I met with his parents and said we need you to help us by doing similar things at home.

One morning, I was walking around the outside of the playground when a little boy ran up to the fence and shouted, “Hi, Ms. Ivy!” I looked, and this child was smiling, playing, and speaking to me. This was a huge moment for him in his development. He was learning to speak, gaining confidence, and playing with other children. I immediately messaged his parents and told them I was excited to see this growth. He was going to be OK.

It’s been two years, and he is almost ready for kindergarten. He is walking, running, and talking and is extremely smart. This was not just my accomplishment but the fantastic teachers I employed and good parents. I do not believe he would have had such a good outcome had he gone to any other preschool and his parents will tell you the same.

Awesome – so before we get into the rest of our questions, can you briefly introduce yourself to our readers.

I started this business because there was a need in my town for a play place for small children. It grew into a preschool, daycare, gymnastics, dance, cheer, and ju-jitsu to fill the community’s needs. This is my eighth year in business. I am known for my preschool.

My preschool/daycare differs from most because I employ early childhood educators or teachers who specialize in the growth and development of children under five. Most preschool/daycare facilities do not. You might have one or two in a facility, but mine has seven. All of our extracurricular activities have licensed instructors, too!

In my preschool, there are only three rules: Be kind, be respectful, and be responsible. Daily, the children work on language arts, math, science, robotics, art, music, and movement. My facility is play-based, and each child is an individual learner. In the preschool, we work very hard to provide our children with the social and emotional skills they need to be successful in elementary school. The children that attend Ivy Land, LLC don’t get to play on computers or watch TV. They must play using their imagination and work on their social skills with other children.

I am most proud of the teaching staff. In the last five years, Ivy Land, LLC has been awarded Best of Fallon first place two times, Best of Fallon second place two times, and Best of Fallon third place one time. It is their hard work and dedication that has earned those awards.

Can you share a story from your journey that illustrates your resilience?

Every day in business, you learn new lessons. Some are good, and some are not so good. I have learned that people will talk about your business no matter what you do. Social media has given everybody a sideline seat to complaints, half-truths, and lies. If a parent or employee is upset with you, it will end up on social media. The most challenging thing a business owner can see is their life work being destroyed on social media because you hurt someone’s feelings.

I have hurt some feelings in my line of work—not because I wanted to but because I had to solve a problem. If a parent can not pay their tuition, their child can not attend class. This is classic for a parent to rush out to social media and create drama. Employees can do the same thing if you don’t pay them what they want. They will take you to task on social media. Let’s be honest: an employee will not say she was creating a hostile work environment, took too many days off, or did not get paid what she felt she should in that post. She will discredit your business using whatever she can to hurt your business.

In the preschool/daycare business, employees and parents can even report you to Child Care Licensing. Now, you have to endure a state investigation.

What lesson did I learn? I learned the art of not engaging in this drama. Yes, it hurts to know that people are cruel and vindictive rather than having a dialog that can solve issues. Their issues are not mine to solve, and I will not be a keyboard warrior to defend myself. It’s just not a good mindset to have or start.

My best advise is to not engage in any drama. Let it go.

How did you put together the initial capital you needed to start your business?

When I started this business, I had nothing to work with. Everything that began Ivy Land, LLC was donated or purchased secondhand. The term for this is bootstraped. My husband and I bootstraped the entire business. It was hard, but we did it.

When Covid-19 hit, we did not have anything in the bank, and about eight employees we did not know how we would pay. My business went from 40 kids to eight kids overnight. Tuition for eight kids could not pay the employees, rent, and utilities. We applied for a PPP and an EIDL. We got both, but it took four months before any money came in. I emailed my landlord weekly about where everything was. My staff slightly reduced hours, but we kept everyone but two who decided to leave permanently. All our staff were paid on time. I am proud that I could keep my people employed and earn a check during that time. I mention this because those funds helped us improve our program a little bit.

If you are starting a business, try not to bootstrap it. It’s hard work!

Contact Info:

• Website: www.ivylandfallon.com
• Facebook: Ivy Land