It’s summertime, and many of the children at Sowing Seed School – a community-based daycare owned by Marilyn and Alexander Duran – are taking a walk outdoors with their teachers before lunchtime and naptime.
Before the pandemic, Sowing Seed was near capacity: 130 children, from infants to toddlers to pre-K students. When lockdowns began, parents started working remotely. As a result, the school’s attendance plummeted to 20 children. Now that parents are returning to work, Sowing Seed’s numbers are steadily rising.
“We expect to be at full capacity very soon,” Marilyn said. “Parents should not wait too long or they will find it difficult to get their children into their preferred early childhood school like Sowing Seed. It is interesting to note that several of our parents working remotely are using our school too because they have discovered they cannot effectively work from home while caring for young children.”
Sowing Seed School has established a reputation for delivering a healthy, safe, clean, loving and developmentally-stimulating environment for young children. Sowing Seed is housed in a modern 10,000-square-foot building. The building has numerous large windows, allowing plenty of natural light and air into rooms assigned to various age groups. The windows have custom-made coverings that transform each room into a comfortable, shaded space to nap in. Each room has a small kitchen and a bathroom with changing rooms for the infant. The teacher to child ratio is 1:3. All teachers are required to be certified in early childhood development and are required to attend ongoing professional development to remain informed about educational trends, early childhood theory, and best practices.
When asked why she chose to build a school and operate it when she could opt to work in the family’s restaurant business or stay at home, Marilyn simply stated, “I love children. I always have worked, and I love what I do.”
Although Covid-19 threw a monkey wrench in their very successful school, everything’s returning to normal. with Mr. and Mrs. Duran are in the planning stages of opening a second Sowing Seed School along the “Gold Coast.”
