Startup Story
In South Africa, for many parents finding a preschool for their children to attend that is both accessible and affordable can be a hugely challenging experience, often with little reward. But one passionate, impact driven woman entrepreneur is changing that reality. Sarah Morrow, owner of Little Leaders Preschool is making quality, affordable preschool education available to parents and their children from all walks of life.
LoA chatted to the dedicated Sarah Morrow this month to learn more about this incredible business and the lives it is changing daily.
Tell us about yourself
I am a teacher and passionate driver of change. Education to me is the single most important thing that we can use to change the world, as our beloved Madiba once said. But to me it goes further than just academics - it speaks to holistic, educationally valuable, inclusive learning experiences.
I am a mother to a son of almost 20, a stepmother to two young boys aged 10 and 12, and a wife to a husband who is a baker! I am a sports fanatic and an aspiring runner! More aspiring than actual running. I love the beach and spend many weekends soaking up the beautiful beaches that Durban has to offer. I love the outdoors and find peace in nature. Travel is essential to my soul and I have seen our whole country from end to end and plan to see the whole world with a bit of luck and planning!
“Education to me is the single most important thing that we can use to change the world, as our beloved Madiba once said.”
“We have developed a preschool program that ensures holistic and inclusive education for all preschool aged children with a special focus on integrating autistic children into our program.”
What inspired you to start your company?
I became a mother at a young age and was a single mom for most of my son, Chris's life. It was an immense challenge finding a preschool that was affordable for me, as well as not having to make the heart-breaking choice to compromise on quality for my son. Being a student myself at the time, as well as working presented me with challenge of needing a safe and secure place for Chris to spend the day as well as getting a good educational foundation with the little money we had. In 2005 I was given the opportunity to buy Little Leaders Preschool and turn it into a preschool for children that was not only educationally valuable, but affordable and accessible to parents from all walks of life. Little Leaders Preschool is an owner managed preschool catering to children from birth to Grade R. We have developed a preschool program that ensures holistic and inclusive education for all preschool aged children with a special focus on integrating autistic children into our program. We offer a homework club to children from Grade 1 to Grade 3. Holiday club is available during the school holidays.
What makes your business, service or product special?
We look at the individual needs of each family - from the parents to their children. We are not a "one size fits all" preschool and our approach ensures that the educational journey for both the child and the parent is sustainable, enjoyable and fruitful. We offer small classes, with programs that looks to develop the whole child - emotional, psychological, social, physical and spiritual, focusing on core values and an ethos of inclusivity and equality. We firmly believe that the affordability of the parent should never impact on the access to excellent education for their children. We cater to children who are on the autism spectrum and partner with therapists to offer a therapy based learning experience, whilst integrating them into our mainstream preschool for the development of social and emotional skills. This unique approach to the learning experience for children with Autism has proven exceptional results and we plan to continue to expand this program to allow more children to be enrolled.
“We are not a "one size fits all" preschool and our approach ensures that the educational journey for both the child and the parent is sustainable, enjoyable and fruitful.”
Tell us a little about your team.
My team consists of 14 women who make up the backbone of Little Leaders Preschool. We have been together for 16 years and each of these women is a leader in her own right. 7 make up the teaching staff and the rest are in supportive roles throughout the school staff organogram. The teachers are incredibly dedicated – and go the extra mile for the children in their classes. Kind but firm they produce results daily with a diverse group of children from all different backgrounds, that at times astounds me still.
When I bought the school in 2005 none of the teachers were further educated than matric. Through sheer determination and perseverance, each of the 7 teachers has qualified with a diploma in Early Childhood Development, additional certificates in curriculum development, and various other short course certificates through the Woman’s Development Program that I started shortly after buying the school. It is essential to mention that these women did this whilst working full time for the school. Our assistant staff have all done first aid courses and short courses in early childhood development and play a vital role to the smooth running of the classrooms. To say that without their continued support and dedication not just to their classes and children they teach but to the school, Little Leaders would be a shell.
Share a little about your entrepreneurial journey. And, do you come from an entrepreneurial background?
I had no entrepreneurial experience when I bought Little Leaders and am still on a journey of learning and discovering every day and year on year. It is one thing to work as a teacher in a school – but it is quite another having to run a school as a business with the qualifications of a teacher! I continue to navigate the often unpredictable yet exciting and thrilling road that is being an entrepreneur, and a woman in business. 16 years has flown by and Little Leaders has grown into a school with deep community roots and a solid name and I hope that the next 60 years in business sees the realization of our expansion programs and plans.
What are your future plans and aspirations for your company?
We plan to expand the Autistic Academy in order to reach more children and families in desperate need of affordable, therapy-based learning experiences. We plan to acquire the property next to our current school building and convert it into a space that allows therapists to have satellite offices at the school in order to incorporate their costs into the school fees there by significantly reducing the financial pressure on parents. This allows the child in need to have access to the full bouquet of therapies they need without the need to leave the school property and still allows them to have the full, holistic mainstream preschool experience.
We plan to extend our current outreach programs and partner with more NGO's and community projects in our area offering our school to children and their parents who would not ever have had the opportunity before. We currently work with two wonderful NGO's and need to expand this program through further funding and growth.
We plan to start our own school transport company for children who attend our school. Many children use the taxi's and this is not only very costly for parents but unsafe and unsupervised once the child leaves their parents’ home. We are currently saving up for a school bus that will transport our children to and from school daily ensuring safe and affordable transport solutions. We hope to be in the position to acquire a bus soon and brand it with our logo. For years now we have seen the panic and agony of parents who call us daily to ensure their child has arrived at school safely. We hope to be a positive change here for parent and child.
We plan to expand Little Leaders past its Grade R year and incorporate a Grade 1 to Grade 7 option for parents. The market is desperate for affordable private schooling and every year we see our parents struggle against an outdated and often racial system of enrollment into a Grade 1 model C school. The schools base their criteria for enrollment spots on the area that children and their parents reside in and in turn this disadvantages children every single year by forcing them into schools that are not up to standard. By expanding the school to include a junior and senior primary phase, we can seamlessly move children from Grade R to Grade 1 and onwards without compromising on educational value or affordability for parents.
“This unique approach to the learning experience for children with Autism has proven exceptional results and we plan to continue to expand this program to allow more children to be enrolled.”
What gives you the most satisfaction being an entrepreneur?
Growth! Not only in the commercial sense but in the holistic sense of the word. Growth of people into their destinies. Development of ideas into reality. I get excited about the unknown and the unpredictable, it keeps the journey relevant.
What's the biggest piece of advice you can give to other women looking to start-up?
Believe in yourself and your abilities. Listen to advise – by no means take every piece offered but listen. Listening implies learning and from every situation presented to you find something to learn. Glean information – information is power and in the world of business it can be the difference between winning and losing, growing or staying stagnant. Be tough and strong yet kind and flexible. Do not become hard just because the business environment can be.
Your staff are your biggest asset. Look after them, invest in them and they will look after you and return the investment into your business.
Pay attention to detail – it is an integral part of both a service and commodities-based business and will stand any entrepreneur in good stead.
Do not be afraid of growth – in yourself as an entrepreneur or as a woman in business.
Contact or follow Little Leaders Preschool
WEBSITE | FACEBOOK | EMAIL littleleader@mweb.co.za
Why LoA loves it….
To give a child access to a good education is to give them access to opportunities in life. But all too often, children in South Africa never get the opportunity to fulfill their potential due to a lack of access to learning at a young age. Sarah Morrow is a mission-driven entrepreneur who is changing the lives of many young children by creating a pre-school that believes in holistic and genuinely inclusive education. Her work with autistic children is particularly inspirational, providing a safe, stimulating and inclusive environment where they can thrive and fulfill their potential. Sarah is an edupreneur to watch over the coming months and years. — Melanie Hawken, founder & ceo of Lionesses of Africa