As we continue our ‘Meet the Director’ blog series, we are excited to introduce you all to Ms. Lexy! Ms. Lexy is our Director in our Grimes location in Iowa. Lexy began as a lead teacher in our West Des Moines school and then she moved over to our Grimes location to be our Director. We are so thankful for all of the passion and work that Lexy puts into mentoring her teachers, teaching her students, and welcoming her families!
To get to know Lexy more, we asked her a few questions! Our first question was “What started your career in early childhood education?”
“I started my career in early childhood at my university child care center. I fell in love with learning through play and spending every day with children. I continued on to join AmeriCorps Vista and worked for a mentoring program for a year in Washington, D.C. After that, my career goal was to make every day a stepping stone toward making a brighter future for each child.”
Next up, we asked her “Why did you decide to become a Director at Yellow Brick Road?”
“When I learned about Yellow Brick Road, I immediately connected with their mission, philosophy, and core values. I have felt very welcomed and loved throughout the last two months of being a Director at Yellow Brick Road.”
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?”
“Don’t be afraid to ask lots of questions, tell us what you’re looking for, and look at our website for extra information, core values, etc”
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?”
“I always look forward to seeing my amazing staff. We have teachers who love these kids with all their hearts and it makes it a welcoming place to come to each day. I also love building relationships with parents and children. It’s rewarding to see them grow and change throughout the year.”
As a Director, growth is imminent and unavoidable, in the best ways possible! So, we asked Lexy, “In which areas have you grown professionally since beginning your career with Yellow Brick Road?”
“I started as a lead teacher and was promoted to Director. I think there’s a lot of opportunity within Yellow Brick Road and can’t wait to see what the future holds!”
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 in our classrooms! We had to ask Lexy, “Which of our core values stands out the most to you?”
“The core value that stands out most for me is fun. I think a lot of workplaces are missing this piece of the puzzle. My goal is to have staff that are excited to be here, children that are having fun throughout the day, and parents to feel welcomed as soon as they walk into the building.”
The final question that we asked Lexy was this, “What piece of advice would you give to a teacher beginning their career in early childhood education?”
“My advice I would say is to be flexible and remember your “why”. In childcare, you’re not going to ever have the same day twice. It’s going to change minute to minute. It won’t always be easy, but remembering why you started will keep your bucket filled.”