My Story of Why

                         I remember my first interview at a childcare center, I was a young 18 with not a clue as to what I wanted to do. Upon entering that building in Goffstown, NH I was extremely nervous yet so excited. The sounds of a baby crying, toddlers laughing and older children singing, and the aroma of sunscreen and children’s paint filled the air. I walked upstairs with the director and chatted for awhile before making my way onto the playground. Upon entering the playground all my nerves went away, the kids wanted to play with me, the next 30 minutes were spent building in the sand, playing tag and repeating my name almost 100 times since they couldn’t quiet say it correctly. By the end of my interview I knew this would be a fun job. This center was where I had my very first group of children in an infant classroom. I fostered some amazing relationships with the infants and their families. When it came close to the end of the school year an infant, I had taken care of since she was 8 weeks old was moving to another town. I had been apart of this child’s life everyday for almost an entire year. On her last day, my heart was so heavy, I cried all day long, and cried even harder when her mother came to pick her up. We hugged and cried together, and I knew from that moment on that making an impact in young children’s lives was exactly what I was meant to do. Often, I still think of her, her name was Zoey. I hope one day she finds the same joy in life as I did in her and creates an amazing life for herself.

                        Over the years I worked at a few different centers, ranging in sizes, outlooks on child development, and completely different schedules and procedures. There were some I liked, some that I felt were totally wrong and some well it was a middle of the line kind of thing. I felt there was a common piece as a teacher that I always saw was missing. An owner who was truly invested in the teachers and children just as much as they were the business side. However, all these experiences shaped me into who I am today as a teacher, director, and business owner. I am so thankful for all the experiences and adventures that I had over the years.

                      In 2015, this is when the planning began for The Learning Tree. It took about a year and a half to finalize the building being built, the handbooks, paperwork items, curriculum and attending MANY MANY yard sales in search of quality items to fill the center. What a roller coaster this was, I was not sure if I was going to make it out sane. I made it out, just not sure how sane I am anymore. Kidding! This center is my dream come true; I have wanted to have my own childcare center since about 2 years into my teaching career. I have dreamed about what it would look like, what the name would be, how I would prosper as a leader and so many other aspects. For me I wanted a center that truly focused on the children, building quality relationships with families, and a work environment for teachers to thrive and grow both personally and professionally.

                  At this moment, The Learning Tree has been open for 3 years and I could not be prouder of what it stands for today. The center achieved a Licensed Plus status with the State of New Hampshire, and we have been Eco-Healthy certified since opening. The program stands to create lifelong learning in children, to foster and support the teachers that dedicate their days to the center and children within it, and overall standing for a positive atmosphere for all who enter. Over the course of these past years have been some mistakes, some triumphs, and some great achievements. I look forward to continuing to strive to create an outstanding quality of care and hope to in the future expand our program!

                I would choose this career path of making a difference in children’s lives over and over again. The ability to help fellow teachers and fill the early education field with positive emotions is a true passion of mine. Thank you for taking your time to read my story of why.

Best Wishes,
Adair Koralski

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