Today we’d like to introduce you to Rayleen Tafoya.
Rayleen, can you briefly walk us through your story – how you started and how you got to where you are today.
I’m the CEO / Founder of Shine Preschool Center.
Since I was a child, I aspired to be a teacher. I decided to pursue a career in Early Childhood Education and I received my college degree in order to teach in the preschool industry. Growing up, I was the older sibling in my family and had a sense of responsibilities over my brothers. Also, I was teaching children voluntarily at my local church organization at the age of 12 years old. I’ve always had a passion to help young children grow into great people.
After becoming a Preschool Teacher for over ten years, I accepted a position as a Director for a non-profit preschool organization and I was in that role for over two years. I was happy to be able to bring my children to be apart of the school and see them grow. Everything began to come together but I wasn’t truly satisfied. I wanted to make a bigger impact in the world and in the local community.
I was at a crossroads. I’m a 32-year old wife, mother of two, and Preschool Director but I knew there was more.
As a working wife, I understood the struggle to afford preschool tuition for both children and manage our monthly expenses. It’s a juggling act! It is a struggle many lower and middle class families endure. I wanted to change that.
I understand that children between the ages of two and six years old are some of the most vital years of a young person’s life. I wanted to bring more light and change into our community. As a woman of faith, I wanted to exemplify those values into children in order to bring long-term change into our world.
In 2019, Shine Preschool Center was born. It was a leap of faith. We took our life savings and invested it into what we believe in. Shine Preschool Center lives on four foundational core values.
1. Affordability. We empathize with people that are working hard and providing for their families. We were there and we understand. We believe all children deserve early education. Our tuition rates will always reflect that. We are about 50% lower than our industry competitors and on par with many daycare center rates. We want our children educated!
2. Appreciation. We made it a point to always value and appreciate our hardworking teachers. We pay them above-market wages and it includes a daily coffee allowance, bonuses, annual work getaways and a ton of great perks. We feel that educators do not get the love and appreciation they deserve and we made it a purpose to change that.
3. Faith. We believe that our faith is the foundation to building a safe and loving environment. We want every single student believing they can do anything they put their mind on. We believe in what Matthew 5:16 says, “Let your light shine before others” and in this way, people would see this good light and find the faith to overcome. As a young woman, it was my faith and passion that helped me persevere through difficult moments in life and I want the same for the children at Shine Preschool Center.
4. Change. We want to make a difference. We want to make an impact. We want to change the world. We donate a percentage monthly to a local non-profit organization to bring that change. We’re hoping that one day we can open and operate a children’s orphanage across the world.
Shine Preschool Center is a place where children build long-term relationships, receive a high-level education, and learn life skills for the next stage in their life. Also, we use intuitive and interactive technology like Brightwheel to create a safe environment for children and for parents to receive up-to-date notifications daily. We want parents to be apart of the preschool experience as well.
After four months open, we’ve seen enrollment rates skyrocket and we anticipate to be fully booked by the Summer.
The plan is simple. We want to open many Shine Preschool Center’s throughout Orange County, Los Angeles County and San Diego County in the near future. We have our second location opening in Fall 2020.
Who knew what a 32-year old Latina, wife, mother of two could do when she pursues her passion and is willing to take a leap of faith. We’re seeing the dream unfold right before our eyes.
Great, so let’s dig a little deeper into the story – has it been an easy path overall and if not, what were the challenges you’ve had to overcome?
As there are struggles with every startup business, there’s tons of uncertainties and risk involved. I was involved in the preschool industry for over ten years but never owned my own preschool before. We were learning but relied on data to support our decision making. For the first month, we only had three students and two of them were my own kids. You can easily be overwhelmed by the pressures of the situation but it’s important to stay poised and pivot when needed. We’re thankful that we made the right decisions and had students enrolled by the 2nd month. I lost lots of sleep at night but it was worth it.
Do you look back particularly fondly on any memories from childhood?
I would say taking annual family vacations. We weren’t a wealthy family but it was fun being ourselves and spending quality time together. Family is everything to me.
Pricing:
- $700 ‘Special’ Pricing for Full-Time Students (Limited-Time)
Contact Info:
- Address: 2780 E. Wagner Ave. Anaheim, CA 92806
- Website: www.shinepreschoolcenter.com
- Phone: (714) 443-1284
- Email: [email protected]
- Instagram: www.instagram.com/shinepreschoolcenter
- Facebook: www.facebook.com/shinepreschoolcenter
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