As we continue our Meet the Director blog series, we are excited to introduce you all to Ms. Becky! Ms. Becky is an excellent example for her teachers, students, and families in our Maple Grove location. She always has the best attitude, smile, and jokes to ensure every day at Yellow Brick Road is fun and positive! Speaking of being fun and postive, she exemplifies every single one of our core values daily, and she has fully embraced what we call the YBR Way!!
To get to know Becky more, we asked her a few questions! Our first question was “What started your career in early childhood education?”
“Since I was young, I’ve always had a passion for working with children. I started babysitting family and neighbors at a young age and eventually started working with young children by coaching gymnastics at the club I grew up in. I chose to pursue Early Childhood Education in college simply due to my love for children. While doing so, I continued coaching gymnastics, working with children of all ages. In the midst of struggling to obtain a steady teaching job, I continued coaching gymnastics full-time in Michigan and when I moved back home to Minnesota. Upon the closure of the gym I worked in, I revisited pursuing the education field and putting my degree to work – landing me at YBR!”
And of course, we are so thankful that Becky’s journey lead her to Yellow Brick Road!
Next up, we asked her “Why did you decide to become a Director at Yellow Brick Road?”
“Truthfully, the Director role was not really on my radar when I first began working at Yellow Brick Road. I was getting back into the education field after having coached gymnastics for 20+ years and had not previously worked in a childcare center. Though I knew I did have an interest in growth within the company, my immediate sights were set on becoming the best teacher I could possibly be while learning the ropes of childcare. I remember watching Meagan, our now regional director, in awe of everything she was doing and could do, and thinking “wow, I could never do what she does”. Fast forward a few months, and here I am plugging away doing things I never thought I could do.”
Becky quickly reached her goal of being the best teacher she could be. With amazing parent and student rapport as well as fully immersing herself in the YBR way, she was a clear fit in the Director role. She may have thought that she could never execute the position of Director the way her successor did, but her leaders and families never doubted her.
One of our favorite questions to ask our directors is, “What is the best piece of advice you could give to a first-time parent while they are touring preschools?”
Ask ALL the questions. You’re putting all of your trust into those who will be caring for your child, so there are never “too many” or “silly” questions. All of your questions are valid – and if they’re important to you, they’re important to us!
We could not agree with her more! At Yellow Brick Road we understand the importance of partnering with our parents, answering all of their questions, and being a resource in the early childhood community!
When you tell someone that you’re a Director at Yellow Brick Road, everyone wants to know, “What do you look forward to most when you come to work each day?”
“The HUGS! Hugs have always been my most favorite thing, and there is certainly no shortage of them here at YBR. Without even knowing it, our tiny little humans have the ability to turn any day around for the better.”
Becky has the gift of making everyone feel loved and supported – likely because she loves and supports everyone she meets! By connecting with her students she is inspiring emotional development and stability in them from the youngest ages!
As a Director, growth is imminate and unavoidable, in the best ways possible! So, we asked Becky, “In which areas have you grown professionally since beginning your career with YBR?”
“I feel I’ve grown in my overall knowledge of the childcare field and everything “behind the scenes”. Having never worked in this field before, there was (and still is) so much to learn. I’ve taken everything I’ve learned and applied it to our day-to-day operations to ensure our days are running smoothly.”
In the education field it is a known fact that educators are life-long learners! Becky has made it clear that she wants to learn all of the things, and she is accomplishing that by learning something new each and every day!
It is no secret that we care about our core values A LOT! We talk about them in every orientation, tour, staff development day, and especially our classrooms! We had to ask Becky, “Which of our core values stands out the most to you?”
“COMMUNICATION and FUN!! Communication is key in forming trusting, long-lasting relationships with our families and children! I want our families to feel comfortable reaching out with questions and concerns at any time, so it is really important to me to keep those lines of communication open. It is also important to me that our kiddos are having fun while they are here. We want them to go home each day with a smile on their face with fun, happy memories of their time here!”
We couldnt express the importance of these two core values any better ourselves!
Our final question that we asked Becky was this, “What piece of advice would you give to a teacher beginning their career in early childhood education?”
There’s not a single teacher out there who has it all figured out – not even the veteran teachers. Every day comes with its challenges and we’re all still learning every single day, so it’s important to give yourself grace.”
This bit of advice is so useful! In any fiend it can feel daunting learning new skills. But at Yellow Brick Road, we make sure that our teachers know everything that they need to know before stepping into the classroom on day one, and that they have the support and tools to continue their growth in their career with us!
We can not express enough how thankful we are to have Ms. Becky in our Maple Grove location! The respect, communication, and care that she offers her families is invaluable! Thank you for answering our questions, and letting us get to know you a little bit better Ms. Becky!
