From Bricks To Bytes: My Transition To Online Preschool

I've always been a dreamer, a planner, and a bit of a risk-taker. So when the idea of starting my own online preschool popped into my head, I knew I had to give it a shot. It was a leap of faith, but one that I've never regretted.

Let me take you back to when I started college many years ago. I had no clue what I wanted to major in and what career path to take. During my freshman year, I enrolled in general education classes and still couldn't decide what I wanted to do. In my sophomore year, I took the early child development path, which was highly recommended by a family friend (she knew how much I enjoyed being around children).

She was definitely right as I instantly fell in love with all my classes during the first semester especially when I had the opportunity to work hands-on with the little ones. During my early senior year, I started filling out applications at local preschools. I was so excited when I was hired as an infant assistant teacher at a small preschool. This is where my career began as a teacher and I enjoyed every second of the journey. Over the years, I transitioned to teaching different age groups at a few other preschools and I realized that my heart was passionately devoted to the three year olds. I taught for seven more years and in my eighth year in the field, I was promoted to Assistant Director. After a few years, I became the Director of a very successful preschool.

Although I loved my career, I needed a little reset, sought a new challenge, and personal growth. It led me outside of the child development field and into another industry. I traded in my tiny tyrants for grown-up tyrants (aka lawyers). But that didn't last long. I missed the chaos, the laughter, and the feeling of actually making a difference.

Then the pandemic hit, and suddenly, the norm became obsolete, everyone was stuck at home and homeschooling their kids. My husband and I, along with our dog, traveled in our RV from coast to coast while working remotely. (I had no idea that I would really enjoy and desire this kind of lifestyle until I experienced it). Seeing an opportunity, I took a leap and decided to jump back into the world of teaching, but this time from the comfort of my pajamas.

I spent weeks and months searching, reading, learning, brainstorming and planning. I felt very nervous since this was my first rodeo as an entrepreneur, and running my own business. I wasn’t sure how my online preschool was going to work or if I had made the right decision. The one thing that I was sure of was that online learning was still in demand, and the majority of families around the world had transitioned to homeschooling.

In January of 2022, I accepted contract jobs for a few teaching platforms and taught children virtually ranging from preschool to 1st grade. Two months later, I created a website, an LLC, and finally launched my own online preschool, Little Turtles Preschool.

I would say that I am still fairly new to the online teaching world and still learning something new everyday. I’ve met amazing students from all over the world, other educators and learned so much about myself and the world around me. It hasn’t been easy, but it’s been worth it.