April 17, 2017

Meet GJ Salcedo of Mentor Avenue Preschool in Central Pasadena

Local Stories

Today we’d like to introduce you to GJ Salcedo.

GJ, please share your story with us. How did you get to where you are today?
My personal story begins with a privileged childhood, growing up and graduating high school with I.B. Honors from Brent International School, Manila, Philippines. I furthered my education at the University of Southern California, Los Angeles, graduating with a Professional Bachelor’s Degree in Architecture. Thus, my passion, training, and educational background is in Architecture and Design. However, my exposure has been in business startups, construction, and entrepreneurial ventures. I guess it is the intersection of these two worlds which brought me where I am today.

My personal and professional lives have always been family ventures. And when I say ventures, I mean Adventures. It has ranged from a pig farm, grocery stores, hotel and commercial buildings in the Philippines, to land lording in Pasadena, owning and running hotels in Las Vegas, and most recently, the building, launch, and management of a successful preschool, Mentor Avenue Preschool. But I don’t take full credit for most of these, as they wouldn’t have been possible without the involvement of my entire family: My father Fil, the epitome of a visionary and an entrepreneur. My mother Alice, the matriarch who manages the most complicated business of all – the home. And my three older sisters Cristina, Cecile, and Marylou plus their children and significant others.

With Mentor, believe it or not, my youngest nieces and nephews (all minors) have been the most influential. At one time, my dad Fil wanted all of them enrolled in a good Pasadena preschool. In his search, amongst our choices, we discovered two things: 1) Preschool is expensive, and 2) they all had long waitlists. Together with a friend, Peggy, who owned a preschool and is a teacher herself, we concluded: let’s build our own preschool! We had the property which could be renovated, and so we did and here we are today 100% full with a waiting list and a solid reputation.

Overall, has it been relatively smooth? If not, what were some of the struggles along the way?
It was not a smooth road at all. Honestly, Pasadena is not the easiest city to set up a business. There are a lot of regulations to adhere to and regulatory agencies to deal with. (But then again, perhaps that’s the reason why Pasadena is such a beautiful city!)

The process of renovation and licensing Mentor Avenue Preschool took, not months, but years! Long story short, my nieces and nephews were too old for preschool by the time we opened on October 2, 2013.

But in hindsight, being devout Christians, our faith was strong and we never got discouraged at any point of the process. Although the road was not smooth, the direction was clear and obvious.

Alright – so let’s talk business. Tell us about Mentor Avenue Preschool – what should we know?
Mentor Avenue Preschool is a Christian Preschool. We provide a secure and nurturing environment for children ages 2 to 5 years old, in a setting where the children’s needs come first. We maintain a very low student to teacher ratio, and put emphasis on teaching children life skills and moral values, in preparation for life. We ensure that children are socially, spiritually, and emotionally prepared to face life’s journey, and are poised to excel academically.

Mediocre is a word we avoid at Mentor. No service is good enough unless we give it our best! We strive to go over and above the accepted standards.

Strangely, you know what we are best known for? Our food! And that’s because we employ the same above and beyond standards to our food as well. Filet mignon? If we find it reasonably priced, we’ll serve it and have the children experience what filet mignon tastes like! Herbs and vegetables – if we can have the kids grow and harvest them, we do! And we follow this attitude in all that we do. If we can imagine it and it’s doable, we do it!

What I’m most proud of is the team of teachers and staff we have assembled. We have such a wonderful team that the synergy can be felt the moment you walk through our doors. And this energy is felt and reflected in the energy that the Mentor kids and families radiate … just read our Yelp reviews. This is what we are most proud of and is what I believe sets us apart from others.

Any shoutouts? Who else deserves credit in this story – who has played a meaningful role?
I’d like to give credit to my dad Fil as having the original vision for Mentor. Truly, my ideas in the growth of Mentor are simply an extension of his vision. I’d also like to acknowledge my family for their moral, financial, physical, and all-around support, making Mentor a true family run establishment.

However, Mentor’s success would not be possible without the direction of Ms. Peggy Ransom, whose experience, love for her work, and love for children is unparalleled. But what truly makes a preschool are not the four walls nor the management. It’s the teachers that make a preschool what it is. Allow me to acknowledge the tireless efforts of Ms. Jazmin M, Ms. Yasmina, Ms. Diana, Ms. Joi, Ms. Jazmin R., Ms. Heather, Ms. Ashley, Ms. Vivi, Ms. Dorys, Ms. Amanda, and Ms. Rosie. It is their love for the children that make us who we are.

Going back to our startup, it pays to have supportive neighbors such as Olivia Glauber and the Salvation Army Church. And did I say dealing with Pasadena was difficult? Special thanks to Burke Farrar for helping us navigate through the permitting process.

Heartfelt thanks to supportive parents! We always say that preschool is not confined within our four walls alone, but instead is a partnership between parents at home and teachers at school.

Parents, thank you for loving your children!

But most of all, I thank God Almighty for making all this possible.

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