Meet Brenna Karis of Karis Family Daycare in Glendale
“Today we’d like to introduce you to Brenna Karis.
Thanks for sharing your story with us Brenna. So, let’s start at the beginning and we can move on from there.
I had wanted to open my own daycare for many years. I was drawn to the idea of working for myself, following my own philosophy of childcare, and hopefully making a difference in the daycare industry. When I first moved to LA from Boston I worked as a nanny. I spent two years building up a network of families until I was confident that I would have the clients I needed to open my own business. It was this network of incredible families, plus the support from my friends, family, and mother (who moved to LA to help me start my daycare) that has helped my dream of opening a business become a reality. I would never have guessed that I would have been able to accomplish this goal so quickly and smoothly, and it gives me hope and excitement for the future as I hope to grow and expand my daycare.”…
http://voyagela.com/interview/meet-brenna-karis-karis-family-daycare-glendale/
How Did We End Up With A Child Care System That Serves Absolutely No One?
“Parenting is political, whether we're talking about the affordability of child care, access to paid family leave, or the controversial movement for school choice. Denying that mothers care about these issues is both incorrect — they actually care more once they have kids — and dangerous; 16 million millennial women had become mothers by January 2017, and millennial women were responsible for 82 percent of births in 2015, according to Pew Research. Removing mothers — who are also voters — from discussions about health care and education denies them a place in conversations that directly affect them and their children.”…
Meet Brenna Karis
“Hi Brenna, thanks for joining us today. Let’s start with what makes profitability in your industry a challenge – what would you say is the biggest challenge?
Childcare is a challenging field to be in. Being a business owner, especially a female one, intrinsically comes with its ups and downs, challenges, financial risks and burdens. Childcare in particular is under-funded and under-appreciated when it comes to government grants/contracts, outside investment, and even mainstream forms of funding. We have tight revenue streams despite the desperate need for care. Because of this, many childcare providers (myself included) struggle with the conscience of wanting to help parents afford care (we are in the service industry! We love families, children, and want to help in any way that we can), while also maintaining our bottom line and staying relevant against competition. We struggle with decisions to raise rates and we work hard on fundraising, all while trying to maintain a perfect program for the children in our care. It’s exhausting!…”
Meet Brenna Karis
“Brenna, sincerely appreciate your selflessness in agreeing to discuss your mental health journey and how you overcame and persisted despite the challenges. Please share with our readers how you overcame. For readers, please note this is not medical advice, we are not doctors, you should always consult professionals for advice and that this is merely one person sharing their story and experience.
Being a sole-proprietor can be a lonely and stressful endeavor! Covid quarantines in particular brought out a lot of mental-health challenges in many people. I myself have struggled with depression and imposter-syndrome throughout my 9 years owning my childcare business. As a solo entrepreneur I have to wear ALL the hats: HR, marketing, administrative, legal, as well as day-to-day hands-on childcare duties. It’s a lot to manage and I can’t say that I always do it gracefully! When you are dealing with all that, plus mental health, the world can feel like a lonely place. I am grateful that I have a very strong support network of friends and family to lean on when I am struggling. Being around children daily has also been a blessing in my life…”