Why Giggles & Growth?

That is one of many questions I've been asking myself over the past few months. The others were, "What do you want to do with your life," "What kind of impact do you want to make on the world," and, the most life-changing (after being so flighty with my other answers), "What are you afraid of?". These are the questions that brought me to "Giggles and Growth". As mentioned on my about page, I have always loved working with and being around children but had a hard time zeroing in on what I wanted to do that was both rewarding and impactful.

I remember being 8 or 9 years old, and dreaming about being a Neonatologist and the joy it gave me. That is until I realized how much work I had to invest before I could actually begin to care for newborns and infants. Because I couldn't foresee the amount of time I would waste trying to figure something else out, I let my dream fade away. I never let go of the desire to care for children, though. As a teen, I spent my summers working in a child care center my grandmother worked at, and later in life, I worked a few years as a private nanny, but let's fast forward to my recent years in preschool education.

In 2015, 10 years after working at my current place of employment, I earned my degree in Early Childhood Education. After graduating, I was determined and preparing to open a preschool of my very own. I mean, I had lesson plans galore (mostly from college), and effortlessly developed my curriculum, which was derived from NAEYC’s outlined developmental domains and developmentally appropriate practice. I drafted policies, schedules, supply lists, floor plan layouts, and more. I mean, you name it, I had it on paper. I even began the childcare licensing process and was scouting out locations. It wasn't until I truly began envisioning myself as a childcare center director and owner that I decided I didn't want to take on so much responsibility. Call me scared, but I knew what I wanted, and that wasn't it. I'll leave what my considerations entailed to another blog post...especially now that I'm reconsidering the very idea. The moral of that story - clarity is real!

UPDATE: I’m starting my own childcare business!! Check out my blog [Starting Your Own Childcare Business?] to learn about my early learning center’s purpose.

Once I decided that I didn't want to open a center, I began to remap my plan. I dug deep into who I was and what I loved to do, and staring me in the face was my love of entertaining, by way of singing, dancing, and generally making others happy. If I could make you smile or laugh, I was elated and felt fulfilled. Then there was my love of children, and helping them learn and grow. Now I'm staring at the fork in the road, trying to figure out which way to go; staring so long that the two visions blurred into one. That was when I realized what was staring back at me: Early Childhood Edutainment!

I immediately thought of (televised) mainstream edutainment shows my children, and I, quite frankly, grew up watching - Sesame Street, Barney, Blue's Clues, Bear in the Big Blue House, etc. After envisioning what that would look like, I didn't want to jump that deep into it (at least not to start), so I pulled back a bit and decided to turn preschool into e-school. The next question was, "How can I ensure it will be entertaining," to which I quickly and confidently replied, "Have you met yourself?!" The result brought me here. Designing, recording, editing, uploading, blogging and beaming with pride over my website. One that I actually made public!

The fact that I love having fun, making others happy, and helping children laugh and learn gave me enough confidence to turn my edutainment vision into reality. I am excited to be on this journey and look forward to the growth that awaits. Mine and your child's!

Thank you for visiting my website. I hope you enjoy the resources. I am looking forward to being one of the top contributors to your child's Giggles and Growth!

​ Laugh on!