Yorktown Business Spotlight: Childcare/Preschool Marks 31 Years at the YCCC

Every local business has a story worth sharing with the community. The plan behind this series at Patch is to shine the spotlight on all our favorite local businesses, and to learn a little about the ones we may not know that well.

This is as much about supporting local businesses as it is about celebrating the places and faces that make our community special. Click here to get to a simple form where local business owners can answer a few quick questions to be part of this ongoing feature.

Our spotlight today is on Evelyn Mocbeichel and Mara Ziedins.

Business: Bright Beginnings Pre School Learning Center
Owners: Mara Ziedins & Evelyn Mocbeichel
Website: www.brightbeginpreschool.com
Address: YCCC 1974 Commerce St Yorktown Hgts, NY 10598 (for 31 years!)

How did you come up with the name?
The name signifies our goal, which is to give preschool children a “bright beginning” on the educational path that will continue with them their whole lives! :)

Why choose that location? Why start a business in this town?
We both live in YH, there was a need for full day child care/nursery programs back in 1983. Our program was the only LICENSED full day camp and school program.

Briefly, what business are you in?
Educational/pre school/day care

What’s the most difficult moment or challenge you’ve faced as a business owner?
Starting up and getting all the licenses in place. After that it was interviewing and hiring qualified teachers. Working in a preschool environment on a daily basis takes a certain kind of teacher and we work dilengently to find the right staff. We are very successful because many of them have been with us anywhere between 7, 11, 18 and 26 years! This is an accomplisment because pre school and day care centers usually have a VERY high turnover rate.

Were there any challenges that made you second guess your decision to be an entrepreneur?
Only in the beginning when our own families were younger and we had to balance family life, our own children’s schedules, while working full time. Thankfully, we both had supportive husbands that helped renovate the classrooms, pitched in extra at home and understood our busy schedules.

What’s been your favorite moment or proudest achievement since opening?
Our program accepts children from 18 months through kindergarten. At the end of each year we have a “Moving Up Ceremony” for those children going on to public school. When we see how much each child has grown, learned and developed, it is so rewarding. Plus, the parents constantly tell us they can go off to their work or busy day knowing that their children are safe, happy and being well cared for in our school. When we hear the sincerity of their praise and read the lovely notes they write us when the child moves on to public school, we feel we have accomplished our “mission”. :)

What’s the most innovative idea your employees or customers have had that you put into practice?
When we first opened in 1983, we only had programs for children up to 5 years old. Then they went to public kindergarten. So many parents asked us to start a kindergarten program because of the additional days we are open over the public schools and the educational program we offered (registered by the NYS Dept of Education) gives their children a superior program, we listened and applied for a kindergarten program.

How do you deal with difficult customers?
We usually don’t have “difficult” customers, per se. (or not that many over 31 years to give them that adjective). These may be parents that are stressed, have a hectic daily life and are balancing taking care of a family and working at the same time. We try to be flexible in our scheduling and payment plans to help parents as much as we can to relieve some of the concerns they have. Many parents have told us they feel “you are like family” and they are comfortable coming into the office or speaking with our Program Director, Vera Correa, to share their problems or to ask for help with a solution, especially if it involves decisions pertaining to their child’s education and developement.

How does your business give back or get involved in the community?
We have planted gardens by the YCCC building to help with the beautification, we have an annual toy around the holidays to give to needy children, in past years we have had clothing drives asking our families for “gently used” clothing to send to orphanages in Latvia, we donate to the YH PBA and Fire Company, we visit the Seniors in the YCCC building and our students make tray favors and pictures for them for Valentine and St. Patrick holidays and join them for children and senior events during the year. The YCCC truly is a “community building”!