Conversations with Annette Gladstone

Today we’d like to introduce you to Annette Gladstone.

Hi Annette, so excited to have you with us today. What can you tell us about your story?
I am a mom, early childhood educator, and mentor. Being an early childhood educator is incredibly gratifying, and I enjoy creating nurturing spaces for young children to lead by creating calm, loving environments. Navigating the preschool landscape during the early part of my career often left me yearning to create a school where children could freely explore their individuality without all the pressure of meeting milestones and expectations. I wanted to blend the cozy comforts of home with the benefits of access to passionate teachers. In 2005, I founded Segray (named after my sons, Sebastian and Grayson) in the living room of my one-bedroom apartment in Atwater Village. A year later, we moved Segray to a house where it would remain for 14 years until we settled into our current campus in Eagle Rock.

I’m sure you wouldn’t say it’s been obstacle free, but so far would you say the journey have been a fairly smooth road?
The road to realizing my dream was not without challenges. I wasn’t on the best financial footing after my divorce; I had two young children to support, and my experiences teaching preschool often left me feeling unfulfilled. In 2005 I decided to take a chance and work on bringing my vision to life. I began by offering classes to 6 students. At the time, I had no funding for supplies or materials, so I had to be creative with what I had for our programs and activities. My first year wasn’t easy, but my two sons kept me going. As more parents enrolled their children, it motivated me to keep going. Today Segray serves over 150 families in Eagle Rock and surrounding neighborhoods.

Alright, so let’s switch gears a bit and talk business. What should we know about your work?
With the help of my now co-founder Steve Heller and our dedicated team, I am proud of what Segray represents in our community. We offer a preschool program for ages 12 months to six years, including pre-kindergarten and kindergarten where our focus is on child development through nurturing, experiences, and respecting individuality. Our foundation is built on creating happy, healthy, global citizens through interaction with the world around us, development at each child’s pace, and mindfulness.

Can you talk to us a bit about happiness and what makes you happy?
My happiness comes from many sources, but it makes me especially happy that Segray provides a career path for early childhood educators to blossom and establish self-esteem in their teaching ability. It’s very much a full-circle moment for me to create the type of learning environment at Segray that I wish I had when I first started. We encourage continuing education and empower our staff to seek professional growth opportunities and leadership roles within our school. This approach not only benefits our educators but our children because, in turn, they have access to more resources.

Contact Info:

• Website: www.segray.com
• Instagram: Segray_preschool
• Facebook: https://www.facebook.com/Segraypreschool