Meet Sheree Swanson of Happy Kids Move in Mid-City

Today we’d like to introduce you to Sheree Swanson.

So, before we jump into specific questions about the business, why don’t you give us some details about you and your story.
As a single mom of two young children, I struggled with the notion of working full time and ultimately having my children spend more time with caregivers than their own mom. It was nonnegotiable to me that I spend a good amount time with my children, so that’s what I did. I took my passion and turned it into my own company…Happy Kids Move. As parents we can’t always be with our children, but we sleep better at night knowing they’ve had a fun day of new experiences, new friendships and learning and growing. And that was important to me. Not only for my own kids, but for all kids. I’d watched the growing of the digital age, caregivers sometimes on their phones and even kids on tablets and phones instead of playing and engaging with others! I see children more and more wanting to watch TV and play video games. (Even my own kids!) So my vision was to create an environment where kids received all the attention they desired through a fitness based program because its imperative kids keep moving. It helps with academics. It helps with health! Some studies show children aren’t developing as quickly or as thoroughly physically, and that’s just not ok! A child’s job is to run and jump and explore the movements they are capable of. I want children participating in Happy Kids Move to want to get off the couch and come play!!

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 with anything new there’s a huge learning curve. “Everything seems impossible until it’s done.” Nelson Mandela

I’m only one person and can only do so much, while meanwhile maintaining a household, raising my children, bringing in income and running a start-up. But welcome to life. 🙂

The good news is almost everyone is extremely supportive, because the ultimate goal of Happy Kids Move is helping children. Right now parents pay for the classes and I’ve had schools say “parents just aren’t paying for extras these days.” So my next goal for HKM is to become a nonprofit so that all children have an opportunity to participate. Because all children deserve the opportunity.

Please tell us about Happy Kids Move.
At Happy Kids Move, we believe moving kids are happy kids! HKM classes are designed to strengthen your child’s physical development by enhancing gross motor skills and improving your child’s hand-eye coordination, total coordination, balance, and agility. We use stretches, exercises, parachutes, balls, agility ladders, cones and age appropriate team building activities to cultivate motivation, determination, and success. Children will be jumping, bouncing, running, marching, hopping, singing…the sky is the limit. Our method integrates children’s learning, enjoyment and physical fitness fun. We offer classes from 18months through 11 years old and each class is divided by age groups. Younger ages do activities like catching bubbles, stretching, learning colors and teamwork activities, while our older classes dive deeper into balance, coordination, speed and agility.

As the CEO, I oversee it all. I make sure all marketing material is up to par, from images to editing. I contact schools to tell them about HKM and set up free initial classes. I teach some classes myself, along with our certified instructors. I’m proud to be hands on, and how hands on we are as a company. Our overall goal, along with keeping children active, is also making sure children are engaged with so I personally make sure the instructor and classes follow the curriculum, that the kids feel included and have fun. Something that sets us apart from other class groups is that our lead instructor is an ex-NFL athlete. When working with the older children (6-11) this is an outstanding leg-up on the knowledge, speed and agility exercises we are able to offer.

Do you look back particularly fondly on any memories from childhood?
I have so many. My aunt used to take my sister and I to aquariums, zoos, water parks, to the ocean for snorkeling, to Virginia; snow ball fights, to her time share in Sebastian Florida to go boating and clamming. One time we took an all-day train ride with my grandmother to South Florida, which we thought was amazing. We would go four-wheeler riding with friends. I remember how my granddaddy had breakfast ready every morning for us before school, and how he would put our socks in the oven to warm them on cold days. He also had a garden. He would let me help plant, and my grandmother would tell me to (literally) go pick what I wanted for dinner. I would go pull corn off the stalk or pull peanuts out of the ground. We had wild blackberries that grew all along our driveway. I was really blessed as a child.

Pricing:

• $136 per 8 weeks
• 15% off for sibling discount
• 10% early bird discount

Contact Info:

• Website: www.happykidsmove.com
• Email: [email protected]
• Yelp: https://www.yelp.com/biz/happy-kids-move-los-angeles