243: Building Community Connections in Childcare with Jordan and Christy

In this episode of "Child Care Conversations," Kate and Carrie chat with Christy Black and Jordan Owens, franchise owners of Primrose Preschool. They dive into the importance of community involvement and how it positively impacts both staff and families.

Christy and Jordan share their experiences with community outreach, like volunteering and hosting events, which not only enrich their staff's lives but also strengthen their community connections. They also touch on the value of continuous learning for leaders, emphasizing that reading is a key tool for effective leadership. It's a heartwarming and insightful discussion you won't want to miss!

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Transcript

Marie 00:00:01  Welcome to child care conversations with Kate and Carrie.

Kate 00:00:05  Welcome. And today we are going to have a conversation with two owners of a franchise program. And we're going to talk about making a community impact at a personal and community level. And I am so excited to bring Christy Black and Jordan Owens on. And so real quick, Christy, why don't you give us, you know, a really short bio and then Jordan, if you'll give us a really short bio so that folks get to know you and then we'll talk about why we brought you on.

Christy 00:00:37  Perfect. Thank you for having us. my name is Christy Black. I have been with the Primrose preschool, brand for 17 years. I've been a franchise owner for ten years. and we currently own and operate three schools in the Austin market.

Kate 00:00:58  Great. Well. Welcome. Christy.

Christy 00:01:00  Hi, I'm Jordan. thanks also for having us. I joined Christi seven years ago as a director at one of her locations, and I've been helping her with operations for the past four years.

Christy 00:01:14  And I signed up to be a partner of hers and ownership of the schools two years ago.

Kate 00:01:20  Well, congratulations. And I love that story. What a great story to go from, you know, director, management to owner. I think there's a lot of directors that probably think somewhere down the line they they'd be interested in that. So so excited. And who knows, maybe that's a different podcast.

Marie 00:01:37  So yeah.

Kate 00:01:40  So we are recording this podcast during a week, where there was a major holiday. And for over 23 years, Kari and I have been training directors. And one of the things that we talk about is community involvement. And that community connection is really, really important to stand out and in some communities out of a big crowd, because if you're in a major city, there might be dozens of programs literally within, you know, 5 to 10 miles of somebody's home. So I was so excited. And it is not a new thing. So Christie and her administrative staff do an awesome job of sharing, what I consider real community connections and impact on LinkedIn, as well as some of the school social media, but really much more in their in their professional presence on LinkedIn.

Kate 00:02:35  So, Christie, how did this start? When did this start? What is your thought behind giving back to the community on that day versus taking the day off or having a staff training?

Christy 00:02:50  well, first and foremost, I want to clarify. We volunteered the Saturday before, so not the actual holiday. So I don't want to get, you know, too many accolades for that. But, volunteering and community outreach has just been something that has been ingrained in me, I think as a human, my dad is a banker and has he just retired, but was for 46 years. And even when I first became an owner, he said, I said, what do I do? Like what's the first thing? And he was like, join your chamber, get involved. Like start like, get out there and start volunteering and start supporting your, your local community, all that grassroots stuff. And so I did. And so now we are very active, we try to get really involved in whichever local chamber is connected to one of our locations.

Christy 00:03:50  and it it's not something that I've just done personally. I want to encourage that in our business. And so I started this silly little saying, I like to make rhymes. It's really nerdy, but I was like, black pack gives back. Like, that's fun. That could go on a t shirt. And so we tried that and we started things like that. And it's just morphed into no matter what, no matter who shows up, no matter if it's two of us or 150 of us, we're going to show up quarterly and give back to something that's like near and dear to our heart or our family's hearts. we have to do an annual giving, campaign every spring. It's called Spring Fling. It's part of, like, our Primrose franchise. So we're so we're also tied to a brand, right, that that believes in giving back. but that's kind of how it all started. And now it's just morphed into this, this quarterly outing that that you, you got to see on LinkedIn.

Kate 00:04:52  Oh how exciting. Well, I think that's great to kind of go, okay. So, you know, you gave the props to, you know, for lack of a better term, whoever initiated it within the Primrose brand. But I like how you guys have kind of made it your own. So, you know, Kerry is Kerry and I both have been very active in volunteering with youth organizations because we had children. Right. And so, sometimes that's an easy connection when we weren't children. We were.

Carrie 00:05:22  Children also. I mean, I think it's relevant to everyone to be involved in youth organizations because they probably had people volunteering for them when they were. Yes.

Kate 00:05:37  Absolutely. And we did. yeah. So our kids also together, started a nonprofit and ran a nonprofit. So we won't talk about how many tree plantings we've done or how many times we have picked up trash somewhere. let's just say it was a lot. I actually do have a spreadsheet, if anybody would like to know, because I'm just like, of that person, you know, I wanted the youngest to be able to write college essays that talked about exactly how many tons of trash she picked up since she was four, or how many trees she personally planted.

Christy 00:06:13  That's a good.

Kate 00:06:13  One. She was able to do that.

Christy 00:06:15  So I also have a spreadsheet that tracks my children's community service hours. So I got you.

Kate 00:06:23  Everything I needed that I needed to know. I needed to know. So, Jordan, how do you feel about being part of an organization that really wants to be and stay connected to their community? What does that say to you?

Christy 00:06:36  I think we're just doing what we preach, really. we always say, you know, we're pillars in the community. We're here for not just childcare.

Jordan 00:06:44  Needs, but do you need a pediatrician recommendation? Do you need a dentist recommendation? Do you need a babysitter recommendation? And how can you be a pillar in the community if you're not involved in your community? so I think if you put it like that, it's really simple. I think also another really cool thing we do is we try to bring our team like the community to them, if you will. we do a, a special day called, Dreams Summit, and we've also turned that into like a little spin off called Dream Big University, which is more training and development.

Jordan 00:07:21  And, we work on Instagrams and things like that, just helping our team get to know how they function in the world with people around them better. But the the Dream Summit is really cool. It was, based off of a book we, we read, and we decided that we would use one of these days to, like you mentioned earlier, that we could be closed or we could do a training and development, but we do instead decided to bring our teachers to the community or the community, to our teachers, however you want to put it. But we try to. We've successfully done two of them. We'll do a third one this year, and we bring, you all came into a booth, travel agents, bankers that help with savings accounts for A1K how to get a mortgage loan. travel. I said travel agents and parks and rec person. So people from all different areas of life. And all of these people are chosen based on things our teachers have expressed to us, are important to them outside of work.

Jordan 00:08:23  And so we try to give them tools to build these dreams or, things outside of their homes so that they're more well rounded and more settled when they come into to work and work for us. Important to these kids. So it's really cool to see people who come to us on their, you know, first week of work and are struggling to pay rent in an apartment in two years. Later talking about I'm going to I'm saving for a home. This is how much I need to put on a down payment and to see that shift in them, partially because we've helped them gain these resources. So it's really cool.

Kate 00:08:59  I love that connection, that community connection to staff. Carrie, you look like you were going to say something.

Carrie 00:09:05  I was just going to say, so do you think that whole pouring into the community and making a connection between community and staff has helped with your retention rates, with your clients or with your staff?

Jordan 00:09:19  absolutely. we so the dream big university that I was speaking of, kind of it stemmed from this, dream summit.

Jordan 00:09:29  So we everyone that that starts with us takes the Enneagram and so everyone knows their two numbers and we put them out on, on their, the walls, on their teacher biographies outside. and it's really, we talk about it constantly, like two co teachers aren't getting along well. Have you read about their number, or are you speaking to them in the way that they can digest that. but it's also turned into them wanting to learn more about themselves and learn how they can have a more peaceful work environment, communicate more effectively to the parents, to us, to the kids. So we've started doing lunch and learns monthly, and we pick a development topic. And I think that also has helped with our stickiness. because they feel like not only are they coming to work and, you know, getting a paycheck and spending time pouring into these kids, but they're also learning how to better themselves, and how to be a great fit for any company or any role. If, you know, if they're interested in moving up with us, we, we require, you know, a little bit more from our leaders.

Jordan 00:10:36  And so we just start giving that to them right away.

Carrie 00:10:40  Awesome, awesome. And Christy, what about how it helps with enrollment?

Christy 00:10:47  Oh, gosh, I think, I mean, I think we've touched on this previously, but, you know, the old mantra still stands. You know, happy teachers make happy children make happy parents. Yeah. And so we kind of switched our funnel, you know, when ten years ago, when I first started becoming an owner, it was like the customer, the customer, the customer, like whatever the customer needs, whatever they want. And even after being a director for seven years and going to battle for my team, I had it backwards. And so it took us a second, but we figured it out and we flipped the funnel on its head. And so now it's all team focused and keeping them happy and healthy and engaged. And that in turn, has helped enrollment as well, because the teachers are sticking around. They're talking about us at at the grocery stores.

Christy 00:11:41  And, you know, they're they're happy at their jobs. And parents really want to see that, you know, in a, in a teacher in a classroom, they want to know that they're truly valued, taking care of, etc..

Carrie 00:11:52  Absolutely. I mean, there's a quote floated through my head and then it floated right back out as you were talking, because I was so engaged in what you said that like, it just went straight through. But it was something along the lines of, if you support your staff, then your staff supports your business. And oh it was I people always say, oh, I wish my employees cared about my business as much as I do. And Joey Coleman says, well, your employees wish you cared as much about them as you cared about your business.

Christy 00:12:31  It's true, it's true. And there's a fine line, right? Like we're never, you know, we're never going to get it perfect. It's never going to be exactly what each individual person thinks should be coming down the line.

Christy 00:12:43  But there's really strong odds that you can meet somewhere in the middle.

Carrie 00:12:47  Yeah.

Kate 00:12:47  Absolutely. Well, so Jordan and Kristi, if you were, if you had a director who was listening and you could give them just one piece of advice on why they need to get involved in their community or why they need to get their community involved in their staff. One of you can take one answer, one of you can take the other.

Christy 00:13:11  Okay. Who's taking what, Joe?

Jordan 00:13:14  You go.

Christy 00:13:15  I'll take whatever you don't, okay? I'll do the community and you can do the inside. if you don't, if you don't get involved with your community, then you're missing out on a huge referral resource right there. you know, when my, my franchise owner that, like, brought me up through the business. She was known as the Primrose Lady. You know, like, she would go to the grocery store. And that's what I aspired to be. You know, I, I love seeing children in the grocery store or wherever.

Christy 00:13:47  And they're like, you, you go here too, you know, and it's like, yes, like I'm an actual person, but they recognize us from their little lives that they get to, you know, have with us inside of the schools. And we should be the number, you know, top three out of someone's mouth, in any referral instance. And it's so easy to do, you know, it's it's not a hard thing. You just show up and then all of a sudden people are talking amongst other, you know, at a totally different event and they're like, yeah, my cousin's moving here and she's looking for a daycare or a preschool, and you're automatically you're right there, you're right there in their brain. So it truly is a no brainer. And you totally get out of it. Whatever you put into it is what we have found.

Carrie 00:14:37  Yeah. That's brilliant. Brilliant.

Kate 00:14:39  All right. Jordan.

Jordan 00:14:41  Okay. so I think, you know, obviously our dream summit event, we feel like bringing the community to our staff is really full for them on a lot of levels.

Jordan 00:14:53  But also, our franchise company encourages a lot of community and interactions in the school on a curriculum level also, which is an amazing benefit of our curriculum. So multiple times out of the year, we invite, fire trucks and police and the local dentist and a local nurse, and they can come into the school and on a child level, that is really cool for you to see to the, you know, the same, but but opposite of Christie's point for a kiddo to see a police officer in, in their safe setting and to know, you know, this is a safe person. It teaches so many values and community principles that they wouldn't learn otherwise. So on both levels, you know, for the child and for our staff, it's really important. And, and it then encourages them to go get involved too. You know, you have these people coming and serving their time for your class and your students and for you. It in turn, makes you want to get out there and get involved, too.

Kate 00:15:57  All right. I have two final questions. I don't care which one of you have one. You can wait a minute. So you mentioned that the Dream Summit came about as a result of a book that you all read. Was this you and Christie? Was this your administrative leadership team and what was the book?

Christy 00:16:17  Okay, it's called The Dream Manager. And I knew you were going to ask me this. I don't know who it's by off the top of my head, so forgive me. Author of The Dream Manager, but it was a recommendation to us from our business coach. he had done it with his team and saw and seen just profound results. The topic of our coaching call was stickiness. Like, we're we are coming out of Covid. We were just bleeding and turnover, you know, and and it was the same across the board. Right. Like everybody was was feeling these things. But it's like okay we're not going to change the outside situation. What can we change on the inside to be different, to set ourselves apart.

Christy 00:16:59  And so I mean, you put a book in front of me, twist my arm, I will read it for sure. And so did. And it was a short read, which is great, because then I asked everyone else to read it and they did. but it, it was a wonderful way to, to take what was in the book and make it our version. And that's how the Dream summit came to be.

Kate 00:17:21  But when you say everyone, are you talking about your admin staff?

Christy 00:17:25  Just our executive team? Yes. So is this something you guys?

Kate 00:17:29  Do you guys do this regularly?

Jordan 00:17:31  Books?

Christy 00:17:32  Yes yes.

Jordan 00:17:35  Yes.

Christy 00:17:36  Yes.

Marie 00:17:36  We do.

Jordan 00:17:37  We do. sometimes just the exacts and sometimes the whole leadership team will do a little book study or even just like an X chapter, a couple chapters. But yes, yes, Chrissy likes us all to have a book in our hand. And actually this week on our coaching with our business coach, he said, you can't lead unless you're you read and it it's true.

Jordan 00:18:00  Every leader should have a book in their bag. Every leader should be able to refer to someone brighter and more seasoned than them, and be able to take those ideas.

Carrie 00:18:12  It's the cheapest mentoring you can get.

Christy 00:18:15  It is.

Jordan 00:18:16  Yes.

Christy 00:18:17  Yes.

Jordan 00:18:18  Absolutely yes and at your own pace.

Christy 00:18:21  Yes. There's always at least one.

Carrie 00:18:23  So yeah.

Kate 00:18:24  Love that. Okay. Carrie. You said you had one.

Carrie 00:18:26  Yeah. You stole my question. Oh.

Marie 00:18:30  Sorry.

Kate 00:18:32  I was sure your question was going to be different than mine.

Carrie 00:18:35  No, that was my point.

Kate 00:18:36  Well, Jordan, Christine, thank you so much for spending some time with us. Carrie. What do you have to say?

Carrie 00:18:42  Okay, guys, if you learned something from this show, please share it with someone else who needs to know and go in and write a review of the show so that other people know what you think about Jordan and Kristi, and maybe take mine. So go on in and write a review of the episode or of the show in general, and, we'll talk to you next week.

Marie 00:19:06  Thank you for listening to Child Care Conversations with Kate and Carrie. Want to learn more? Check out our website at Texas Director. Org and if you've learned anything today, leave us a comment below and share the show.