Today we’d like to introduce you to Charisse Sims.
Miss Charisse served as a lead teacher for one of the most prominent preschools on the westside. After having her first (of 6) children in 2010 she decided to stay home with her daughter. She opened an in home daycare in 2011 and when her daughter turned three years old she started searching for preschool for her daughter, who was reading fluently and climbing bookshelves and in dire need of stimulation outside of the house! In her search for preschool she could find no school that met all of her needs, specifically the need to nurture her child’s individual development and unique gifts. Thus the beginning of Hidden Gems Preschool where we strive to nurture children based on their individual development and unique gifts as opposed to just by their age.
Miss Charisse is a firm believer that every child is a genius and that it’s up to the village to expose the child to as many opportunities possible in order for that child to explore and find their genius. She created Hidden Gems Preschool to be one of many opportunities for gems to get one step closer to finding and cultivating their genius.
We’re always bombarded by how great it is to pursue your passion, etc – but we’ve spoken with enough people to know that it’s not always easy. Overall, would you say things have been easy for you?
I’ve faced a lot of challenges along the way! Each challenge has shown me the cracks in my foundation allowing me to keep building for better.
One of the first and continuous challenges was starting the business, before learning about the BUSINESS! When I started, I knew I was a great teacher, I knew I connected well with parents, and had a great philosophy for teaching and supporting the family. I THOUGHT that was all I needed and jumped right into it. I didn’t learn about the different roles company have until messing up in every one of those roles along the way. Some of the roles are: the visionary (that’s me), the administrator, the MANAGER of systems and OPERATIONS, someone to build policies and then ENFORCE those policies, an accountant, a marketer and so many other roles! When entrepreneurs jump into a business and say “I wear all the hats”, for me, I didn’t even know there were other hats I needed to be fitted for and believe me, them hats did NOT fit!! More than learning from my mistakes, and learning how to build or repair these cracks in my foundation, I have learned that the most effective was to build a business is WITH A TEAM!
Please tell us about Hidden Gems Preschool.
I am a preschool owner. We work to cultivate children and support families who are raising children. My specialty is in recognizing the unique gifts in children and working to cultivate those gifts so that they can be great in their lane. I love that our school offers enrichment inside and outside the walls of our school. One of our main goals is to be able to expose our gems too as much as possible in an effort to help them meet their talents and interests and be motivated to continue learning. It is our goal to have them start primary school with a love and passion for education and a confidence in themselves that they are capable of doing anything. One thing that is unique to our school is our daily affirmations. We are ALL about affirming ourselves and one another. Each day, whether it be at circle time or lining up to go outside or come inside, the gems shout out, “I am STRONG! I am ABLE! I am POWERFUL!” while they all shout these affirmations, we have an affirmation leader who affirms them as well with, “YES YOU ARE!” It is important that we nurture our gems to recognize their own power as well as being able to honor and appreciate other’s strengths while having a desire to empower their friends/neighbors as well.
Has luck played a meaningful role in your life and business?
I don’t believe in good or bad luck. Anything that could have been considered “bad luck” in my business was ultimately some form of carelessness or ignorance on my part. I have, however, experienced great grace. That grace has ultimately come from God but has manifested itself through mentors and colleagues who want to see others succeed. It reaffirms for me the power in teaching our gems to empower themselves and others. When we want to see our neighbors succeed, and support them to do so, we all win! An example of that would be if I offer enrichment at my facility and send our karate teacher to my neighbor facility, I have gained a friend not a competitor. If my true goal and vision is for all children to get what they need, I don’t hold things to myself. My whole community benefits. In turn, when I run into a question or a problem, I now have the support of my neighbor who may have experience in the area I’m struggling with. It should be our goal to collaborate more not to compete.
Contact Info:
- Address: 2702 W Florence Ave
- Website: www.hiddengemspreschool.com
- Phone: 323-315-8750
- Email: [email protected]
- Instagram: @hiddengemspreschool
- Facebook: Hidden Gems Preschool & Enrichment Center
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