Aaaaaand we’re back! I cannot believe it has been a bit over a year since my last post. I think I owe you a major catch up…
So, remember our move to BK? We made the move primarily so that my sister and I could launch an at-home, Spanish bilingual program for toddlers, which we did. We were able to meet many families and build the little Lola & tots community. The program grew fairly quickly and a few months in, we set out to find a commercial space to grow our school, which we did not. We had many a sleepless night, managing and teaching, playing the role of care-taker, teacher, management, administration and of course while trying to be individuals/mom/wife/girlfriend, etc… To say we had quite the ride is an understatement. Well, it does not end there.
One of the characteristics I most admired about moving to Brooklyn was the sense of community that each neighborhood offers. The idea that there’s charm in a friendly greeting. I was not seeing the flip side… the discomfort of gentrification. One day this summer, as we went through our normal day at little Lola & tots, we came face to face with it. Quickly realizing that we had been under the microscope of a neighbor, one that decided to make preconceived notions of who we were as people without bothering to take the time to find out; whilst everything we had built, plans we were making, seemed to disappear. It became clear that this neighborly notion was not always true and just like we were affected by bias, I realized that my move into this particular street, posed a threat.
Although, at that moment, it felt like all we had worked so hard on was in vain, having a sister/business partner who manages to focus on making things happen and not seeing the limitations really helped, that and some sleep. To sum it up, we decided to treat our experience as a crossroad and instead of going down the straight path, we made a turn, one that turned right. We decided to change our business model, the following week we found a space, two weeks later signed a lease and here we are, at our new play space in Bed Stuy, Brooklyn two weeks after our grand opening celebration.
We took a leap into something new, something fresh to the area. More and more, I have realized that today’s parenting is not just about caring for the needs of a child. It is so much more than that. It is about exposing your child to different things. Building a community that allows them to grow as little citizens of the world that understand and respect differences. Little Lola & tots is just that… a space that nurtures creativity, growth and cultural exposure. I also believe that today’s parents want to maintain their social life, build new connections and that mothers are so much more than just a mother. We aim to cultivate this, to provide a space that allows for the growth of the mompreneur, the career mom and stay at home mother alike.
I invite you to take the leap with us. Here is a sneak peek into little Lola & tots.
open play area
play structures in the open play area
sensory wall
library nook in the classroom area
sensory wall
