Q&A with Wonderschool Academy Senior Program Manager

Innovative child care platform Wonderschool has launched “Wonderschool Academy” in New Mexico, a free program to help prospective providers start child care businesses out of their homes.

In collaboration with the New Mexico Early Childhood Education and Care Department, Wonderschool will offer its technology to support New Mexico-based parents, teachers or anyone who loves working with children in a virtual eight-week training program where they will learn how to create a sustainable child care business. The deadline for prospective providers to apply to the program is Feb. 21.

Access to child care has been a growing concern for New Mexico caretakers as families struggle to find care. As a way to provide in-person and virtual accessibility, Wonderschool Academy will be offering its first hybrid cohort. The program is designed to be inclusive and bring more providers to the region with the goal of filling the child care gap. With options for diverse challenges, participants will have the choice between accessing the class from their home on Zoom or gathering in a physical space.

“At Wonderschool, we are dedicated to removing barriers and making it easier for participants to start their programs so we can do our part in solving the child care crisis,” said Darcy Heath, new supply senior manager at Wonderschool. “We know that starting a child care business on your own can be intimidating. Many of the business owners we’ve worked with have faced unique challenges. That’s why we’re committed to providing free training for New Mexico residents to get licensed and offer tools, resources and coaching to help our providers successfully overcome those challenges.”

Heath answered some questions about Wonderschool recently as the Feb. 28 deadline to apply approaches.

What do you think is the biggest challenge in addressing the child care gap in New Mexico? Or, what inspired this partnership with the New Mexico ECECD?

“One of the biggest challenges is that New Mexico has many small towns and rural areas where families live that lack access to child care centers. Where there are centers, they are often full with long waiting lists. I spoke with one community member in Lovington who shared that there are families who make the 20-mile drive into Hobbs every day to access child care. 14 of New Mexico’s 33 counties– home to about 21% of the total population – could be classified as child care deserts. Home-based, family child care programs offer a solution to this by providing communities with more local options.”

How is Wonderschool Academy uniquely positioned to improve the childcare landscape of New Mexico, both for providers and families?

“At Wonderschool we provide support to aspiring child care providers – those who want to open their home to provide care for children in their community. Our program managers work with each individual to navigate the multi-step process to obtain the necessary documents and inspections to apply for their child care license. This individualized support is often the key to successfully completing the process. One New Mexico provider shared that she would have given up on her dream of opening her own program if she hadn’t found Wonderschool. We also have a virtual cohort program that offers a space for providers to connect with others who are also opening family child care programs to share resources and insights.

By partnering with New Mexico ECECD, Wonderschool is helping New Mexico families have more options for child care in their community. Ultimately, this can lead to more adults returning to the workforce and positively impacting New Mexico’s economy.”

What are some of the benefits of Wonderschool’s platform that provide an innovative solution to the child care crisis in the United States?

“The Wonderschool platform provides tools to help streamline running the business and operations components of a child care center, leaving more time for providers to care for children’s needs and provide them with an excellent curriculum. The platform offers providers tools for marketing their child care business, tracking attendance, managing billing, recording revenue and expenses, communicating with families, and more. Using Wonderschool’s technology improves profitability for child care providers, and saves them time by alleviating the often complex, logistical activities that go into running a business.”

Do you have a local New Mexico provider who has gone through the Wonderschool Academy program?

Mariann Holland-Rivera of Two Steps Ahead LLC participated in the New Mexico Wonderschool Academy. After working as an educator in New Mexico for over 25 years, Mariann retired but still desired to leverage her early education skills and support the community. She decided to launch a child care program but quickly learned the process of starting a business is cumbersome and daunting, struggling with obstacles from delays due to lost paperwork to hours of failed Google searches for answers. Mariann joined Wonderschool Academy, and the program provided her with the guidance to navigate these logistical challenges and pursue the process of becoming a business owner. Mariann is currently enrolling for her own child care program and is slated to open this year.”

Wonderschool Academy participants will be able to design, launch and enroll students into their own child care program and use Wonderschool’s AI technology and tools to run their business. They will receive one-on-one coaching and support with tools and strategies for running their business and how to market it, and preparing for state licensing. Upon graduating from Wonderschool Academy, participants will receive up to $500 for the first year of insurance for their program, up to $500 for their licensing fees and support costs, and a complimentary, professional photoshoot of their space.

Wonderschool Academy eligibility requirements:

• Must be 18 or older
• Must live in the home where the program will run
• Must be able to pass background check
• Apply by Feb. 28