We recently connected with Karla Trujillo and have shared our conversation below.

Alright, Karla thanks for taking the time to share your stories and insights with us today. Naming anything – including a business – is so hard. Right? What’s the story behind how you came up with the name of your brand?

I had received news that due to budget cuts a couple members of my team had to be let go. I was one of them. I had a trip I was going to that night to Queretaro, Mexico for a friend’s wedding. I was very bummed, and I cried on a plane filled with wedding guests of my friend. I had to message her so in case she got word she’d know and not worry about me. I had a very emotional reaction for many reasons, but mostly because it was the first time I was ever let go. My boss was very graceful and offered me support for other openings or whatever I needed to get another job, so I knew I wasn’t a “bad employee,” but something about being let go hurt my soul. During our trip, I had time to look at things from another perspective, I had to, no one wants to be gloomy wedding guest. I always wanted to have my own preschool, where children would learn and parents would be happy to be part of a supporting, knowledgeable staff. I had been slowly working towards this goal in the past years, but it seemed like an unattainable goal. And one night, during my trip, I just came up with a business plan, a very clear mission statement, a vision of my home environment, an idea of what my fees would be, everything but the name. I wanted something short, different, powerful, that would reflect my being and mission statement at the same time. I played with names, but it wouldn’t land. The next morning, the bride had scheduled a tour for a group of her wedding guests, and she invited me. When we got to El Mirador de los Arcos there was a beautiful view of the city and the aqueducts. A lady was selling Mexican goods and one of them was a Mexican doll. This was the first doll I had bought for my daughter years prior, I just didn’t know it had a name. The guide shared a bit of the history of the doll. The name of this doll in Otomi, an indigenous dialect, is Lele and it means baby. My daycare would be for babies, infants under 24 months. In my daycare, I will be offering a culturally diverse environment. In my daycare I will share my home, therefore my culture, my traditions, my colorful art and dances. In my daycare, my children will be part of my business, and my daughter will share her toys, her doll. It was a full circle moment were it just hit me like a charger, “LELE! Lele is the name of my daycare!” And that is how Lele Daycare was named. The Lele doll is the cultural heritage artifact from the state of Queretaro, and I went through a very cathartic moment there, so this is the best way to also honor this moment, Best souvenir I got there!

Karla, 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 migrated into this country when I was 9 years old. Like many children of immigrants, I did not speak English. It took about half a year for me to understand a bit of the language. Looking back, I think this is what makes me passionate about education: By the time I was in middle school, I had become more fluent. I was in ESL classes and the teachers drill you with reading and writing, shout out to Ms. Taylor and Mr. Mcglathery! They were the best Lit. teachers. As a child of immigrants who don’t speak English, you translate, everything! In middle school I was translating legal paperwork, doctor’s appointments, employee/employer disputes, my mom’s and her friend’s. And one of her friends looks at me and tells me about how her son is having trouble in 2nd or 3rd grade with English and math. She offered to pay me like $20 per tutoring session and I took the job! I did not know anything about teaching, so I went to the library to research how to help children with math and English. And I came across an article that said that if you use red pen when teaching the child would remember the lesson much easier because neurologically that color attracts more attention. And I think on that moment I fell in love with education and the science behind it. And this is the root of my trait, finding ways to support the development of the child to help him or her become the best versions of themselves while making this process fun and memorable to help them build their solid foundation that will help them reach their full potential.

In high school, I took a ROP child development course. I learned to create age-appropriate lesson plans, to interact with children and other staff, and it was the base of my professional journey. I got a job from one of my internships. I stayed at that job from the age of 17 to 26. From Christ the Cornerstone and co-workers, I learned how to build community, to communicate with parents and colleagues, to be ingenious with what I had, and I learned that there is always room for improvement and to stay up to date with teaching methods.

After high school, I earned an associate’s degree in child development, then a bachelor’s degree in liberal studies. My goal was to earn a teaching credential and be an elementary school teacher, but it did not happen. I couldn’t afford not to work while being in the credential program.
I had my son at 25, and working with kids while being away from mine was very hard. I quit my job, and I joined my mother-in-law in her daycare. I learned first-hand what it is like to navigate the family childcare business, how to keep up with licensing regulations and inspections, how to upkeep the accounting aspect of the business, how to prepare your home daycare for tours, how to give a tour, make contracts, all while caring for my children and family as well. It is a very physically demanding job, but also very emotionally rewarding. And I really liked that I could earn money doing what I love, while caring for my children at the same time. I loved it so much I wanted to do the same from my home. I went back to college and took a business course at the REC in Miramar College. There, I learned how to sharpen the business skills I had learned amateurly into professional skills and made connections with many mentors, lawyers, and fellow entrepreneurs.

I provide quality childcare for my clients. The kind of quality care that you’d expect from a center, with the heart of a home. I have so much experience and education and love for my craft that I can assure my client their child is in a safe home environment, having fun, stimulating, and educational activities without a screen, while they are at work, The peace of mind alone is the greatest product I can offer any parent. Parents go to corporate centers expecting quality care and unfortunately, many times home daycares are overlooked for various reasons. I wished parents knew that there are home childcare providers such as myself, with experience and education and love for the craft and that makes as good or better than any center. And the teacher consistency and low ratio makes us a plus!

I have amazing communication skills, I can listen to your needs and receive feedback without taking it personal, because I also want what is best for your child. I started in this profession at such a young age that leadership in my field just becomes second nature to me. I invest my time to make my clients feel part of our community and build genuine friendships with them that out last our contracted time. I have families that I stay in touch years after taking care of their babies. I love learning what my students are up to. I recently learned that one of my first students is in his second year of nursing school and another one is getting ready to apply for college and you cannot help but be proud of their success because they hold a piece of you.

I am mostly proud of the good rapport I have established with the families I have worked with. The support they offer me when I share I have opened my own daycare is very positive. Seeing how they share my posts on social media and recommend me on Facebook groups and share lovely reviews on my google business account overwhelms me with joy and it is by far the greatest accomplishment. Knowing I wrote a happy story in their book of life when they were most vulnerable, because being a new parent is very vulnerable, fills me with pride and fulfillment. I want parents to know that when they work with me, they matter, their input matters, their struggles matter, their bundle of joy matters, and seeing that kind of feedback allows me to know that my intention was fulfilled.

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

I am an educator, mother of three, living in San Diego, meaning I make peanuts and the peanuts I have I use to make peanut butter sandwiches for my children and their sports. Funding for my business was not even an option, I was going it to use what I had to the best of my abilities; however, God is good, and He provides. I signed up for a business class at my local community college in a program called the REC, Regional Entrepreneurship Center. This program covers the basics of business creating, from how to create a logo to legal contracts and marketing. This is exactly what I needed as a reference point. I met with mentors and lawyers and was introduced to Canva and the Cricut machine. I learned about the elevator pitch and even learned how to make a YouTube video for my elevator pitch. Things that seem so mundane, but for someone like me who doesn’t have that business background, it was very educational and it offered me a starting point on how to manage my business. One of the blessings that came along that program was getting connected to the right people. I made a connection with a person from the YMCA and they offer programs to enrich child care providers with education, resources, and everything in between. Through that connection I became aware of the many grants that were available for entrepreneurs like me, people who wanted to start their own daycare and needed funding for structure, toys, certifications. I applied and received a $4,000 grant. For people like me that are hesitant to get their business started because money is a thing, I highly recommend looking for these kinds of programs. There are also angel investors who are just looking into entrepreneurs to invest in for the love of entrepreneurship.

What do you think helped you build your reputation within your market?

I think being genuine and consistent has helped me build a good reputation among, children, parents, grandparents, colleagues, school administrators. I take my role very seriously; I like to be professional, and set boundaries for the children and families, but also be empathetic and listen to their needs. I had a parent report me to my superior for playing Taylor Swift music in the classroom, I was told by my superior to not play this music again. I did not play it again, but I also reached out to the parent, I had genuine curiosity as to why and I knew it wasn’t personal, she is looking out for her child. I approached and shared what I had been told and asked her if she could please share more because the more I learn the better choices I can make. She shared what she had learned and her perspective, I listened. She shared a link, I read the information, and I understood where she was coming from. We continued to have positive interactions after this conversation. I think being open to difficult conversations, listening without taking things personally, approaching an unsatisfied costumer with genuine intentions helps you advance in any kind of field. Especially when caring for someone else’s children, there will always be difficult conversations to be had, “your child bit someone, someone bit your child.” How you approach it matters. This is why I work hard on building relationships with my clients, because it is such an intimate job that I will have to have a difficult conversation with the parent at some point. And I have to have a plan on what I will do so the incident doesn’t repeat itself and ask for their input. Make your client feel included. I have done this for the last 20 years and it has helped even in my personal life, dealing with my own children’s teachers.

Contact Info:

• Website: https://leledaycare.com
• Instagram: @leledaycare
• Facebook: https://www.facebook.com/profile.php?id=61568935431705
• Other: https://maps.app.goo.gl/rF31CKEXVdCJVa5h9

Image Credits

Karla Trujillo