We recently connected with Simone Henriques and have shared our conversation below.
Simone , looking forward to hearing all of your stories today. How did you come up with the idea for your business?
The idea to open a preschool program was always there in the back of my mind. I have been an Early Childhood Educator for almost thrity years. The reality is that it is difficult to find the courage to invest money and time into a business and things can become even harder when you are a single mom/business woman. However, I knew that I wanted to create a beautiful Reggio-inspired preschool (Ekobé School of Learning) for children in my neighborhood. I also knew ( and I will) that I wanted to offer a bilingual preschool with Spanish and Portuguese as a Second Language. I’m bilingual and I understand the importance of speaking another language.
The journey to opening day was as bumpy as anyone can image! Let’s face it…no one prepares you for the ups and down of a business. The journey from getting funded to dealing with contractors and State Licensing to the opening day will be reserved for a book. So much learned during this phase!
Our preschool offers a unique approach – The Reggio Emilia Approach. Our Reggio-inspired Ekobé School of Learning thrives to offer an open-ended environment in which the children are seen as capable and participate in a more collaborative environment while respecting each one’s individuality.
I truly get excited about my work when I see a child’s progress over time. I feel accomplished when parents recognize the value of the quality childhood education offered by our center. It reminds me why I work with children and why my work matters.
Simone , love having you share your insights with us. Before we ask you more questions, maybe you can take a moment to introduce yourself to our readers who might have missed our earlier conversations?
Our preschool name – Ekobé School of Learning – was carefully chosen to fully represent the Reggio Approach. Ekobé means the “Essence of Life” and we believe the essence of life can be found in the child. The letter “O” is a brush stroke in the middle of the word representing the creative mind of the child, the “Leaf” in the center represents the growth of the child, and the “Circle” represents the community engagement.
The essence of life can be found in the creative mind, the passion, the love, the compassion, and the curiosity of young minds.
Our mission is to provide an educational environment that fosters a positive approach to respecting children’s ability to learn and grow in an open-ended learning experience through exploration, creativity and collaboration.
We are committed to creating a nurturing environment that inspires learning while stimulating the social, emotional, cognitive and physical well-being of the child to fully thrive in a diverse and inclusive community.
We value the communication among children, teachers and parents to create a challenging and joyful space that promotes the potential of all children.
Our purpose : We believe children are active learners. We believe they are capable. And together, we nurture the learning process. We create the environment for growth.
We help them thrive…one child at a time!
Where do you think you get most of your clients from?
The best source of new clients has been the relationship I have with my current and my former clients over the years. They are the best source! They are the ones who can express how well and engaging our preschool program is and how (me and the staff) truly care for our little ones.
Are there any books, videos or other content that you feel have meaningfully impacted your thinking?
At the moment, I can’t think of any specific book. However, I love reading and i am often reading new business books to help with marketing, educational strategies, managing skills and so on.
Contact Info:
- Website: https://www.ekobeschooloflearning.com
- Instagram: @ekobe_school_of_learning
- Facebook: Ekobé School of Learning
- Yelp: Ekobé School of Learning
Image Credits
Simone Henriques