Rosangela Valerio-Dyszkant is founder and director of Little Dreamers Early Childhood Center in Thousand Oaks. Born in Spain and fluent in four languages, Valerio started the preschool in 1997 after studying child development at UCLA and being a licensed marriage and family therapist.
What inspired you to start your business?
Back 25 years ago, a good amount of preschools were just a morning program. Or they were a full-day daycare, with children whose parents worked all day. I knew I wanted to start a school where children can have the preschool experience of a morning program transition into a full day. I wanted to serve families that are working, that would know that their children are getting the best of both worlds. My family and I moved out to Agoura Hills and I started looking for preschools, and of course, as I was looking for preschools, I got pickier and pickier. So, I came home one day, and I said, “Wait a minute, there’s not enough out here. If I don’t find what I’m looking for, what’s stopping me from not starting one?” It took two and a half years to be able to get that off the ground.
What’s the best aspect of running your own business?
I would say it’s when we can help families and make a difference for these children. My background is also in special education. It’s nice when we’re able to aid those children who need a little bit more help. And we’re here for them. Of course, we have to work as a team; it takes a village. It has been wonderful over the years to be able to have these families and children come through our doors and six months later, eight months later, a year later, you know, we see the results, and here they are graduating. It’s just a wonderful feeling to see. We can tell we’ve made a difference.
And the most difficult?
Working with the parents and reassuring them. A lot of that takes place, letting them know that its normal if their child is having a temper tantrum, that doesn’t mean that they’re not a good parent. There’s a lot of fear nowadays, the amount of fear and anxiety that parents have over being a parent is concerning, at least to me. I’m the one that works on calming everybody down. And then the staff. It’s a field that, unfortunately, people are getting into less and less these days. So finding quality staff who are like-minded, who believe in what I believe, definitely becomes more challenging.
How has your Hispanic heritage affected your business?
We’ve been able to serve families that are Spanish-speaking and we’ve actually had quite a few families that weren’t very comfortable speaking English. They were hesitant at first, (but) once they made the connection that I was able to speak Spanish, it was like, “Oh, this is wonderful.” We’re also very big on cultural experiences and traditions. We use November and December to learn all about where we come from, who’s in our family and where our ancestors come from. It’s always nice to be able to celebrate heritage with the children.
What’s the biggest challenge your business has faced? And how did you deal with it?
COVID. I had a lot of calls and emails from families that were first responders and they needed childcare in order for them to go to work. It broke my heart to hear that they didn’t have anywhere to go and the few places that they could take their children, the children were not happy. So, I felt that this is a time in where I can step up and fulfill that need. I’m always looking at being part of the solution and not staying focused on whatever the problem is. And perhaps that’s something that has helped me throughout my 34 years of being self-employed. I think that the biggest (challenge) is the amount of work. I don’t think I’ve ever worked 14-hour days, seven days a week in all these 34 years of being self-employed, but I have the past two years.
What advice would you give someone who wanted to start their own business?
Stay true to yourself and whatever it is that you’re after. Be passionate. Because if you’re passionate about what you’re doing, the reward is right there. You don’t have to go out looking for it. Also, it’s not about the money. Find a place where you’re happy, where you’re content with how things work and stay there. More doesn’t necessarily mean better.