Today we’d like to introduce you to Stephanie Nelson.
So, before we jump into specific questions about the business, why don’t you give us some details about you and your story.
I have been working in childcare for almost 20 years now, which seems hard to believe but I started when I was 14 years old. I have been everything from an Infant Teacher to a Youth Program Manager on a Cruise Ship. Working on a cruise ship was probably one of my favorite jobs growing into my career. Not only was I able to work with children, but I was able to see the world in the process. It truly was a gift. So it should come as no surprise that my educational background is in Child and Adolescent Development. I have earned two degrees in my field, which has allowed me to explore many avenues within childcare. My passion has always been children and I have been lucky enough to make a career out of it.
I have felt very lucky to have found The Nook along my career, because it very quickly became like an extended family to me. We tend to spend so much time at work, that it’s nice when our work feels less like work and more like an enjoyable extension of your home life. I come from a big family, so The Nook has simply just felt like an addition to my big family. It just has that homie feel to it.
Has it been a smooth road?
I think the biggest obstacle I have faced in my career so far was moving away from California. It was my home for 25 years and will always be my “home”. I moved back to the Chicago area to be closer to family and spend quality time with grandparents and it was one of the best career decisions I could have made, but I miss the west coast every day. There are wonderful characteristics about each and every “nook” in the Chicago area as I become more acquainted with the areas, but there is no place like home.
So let’s switch gears a bit and go into the The Nook story. Tell us more about the business.
The Nook Daycare Center believes childhood is a time for exploring, creating, discovering oneself and meeting the world through many hands-on experiences. It’s a time for blossoming and being cherished.
The Nook Daycare Center’s administrators and caregivers are committed to the belief that children can achieve. We believe that most of life’s learning, including how to learn, occurs in the first five years of life.
Our facility is clean, eco-friendly, and inviting with lots of materials and equipment for both indoor and outdoor activities that your child can use to explore at his/her own pace. This is the perfect place for your child to blossom. We have carefully selected a loving and caring staff. And, together we will work to provide whatever is developmentally appropriate for your child, and help him/her to his/her fullest potential.
We respect parents as the most significant providers of care and nurturance. We are pleased to be an extension of the parents.
Play is essential; it is the way young children learn. With our low student-teacher ratios, our program can be as individualized as possible. The children will refine their social-emotional, language, cognitive, gross-motor, and fine-motor skills throughout our curriculum, which is based on the Reggio Emilia approach. We also provide additional extra-curricular activity classes, like music classes, Spanish class, and Clayanuage. We want to educate well round child and prepare them for the real world as best as we can.
How do you think the industry will change over the next decade?
We have definitely seen a trend of technology growth within our industry and we are trying to grow with it. We use an application within our school called Brightwheel, which tracks the child’s daily activities. Everything from naps, diaper changes, meals and activity pictures. Parents are able to follow their child along their day and not miss a thing.
Everything is becoming digital and we are trying to keep up with the trends.
Contact Info:
- Address: 2151 W. Armitage Ave.,
Chicago, IL 60647 - Website: www.nookdaycare.com
- Phone: 872-802-3833
- Email: s.nelson@nookdaycare.com
- Facebook: https://www.facebook.com/thenurturenookbucktown/
- Yelp: https://www.yelp.com/biz/the-nook-daycare-llc-chicago
Image Credit:
Stephanie Nelson, Center Director
Charlotte Norman, Assistant Teacher
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