Today we’d like to introduce you to Erin Wackerhagen.
Hi Erin , thanks for sharing your story with us. To start, maybe you can tell our readers some of your backstory.
From as early as I can remember, I wanted to be an Educator. I was privileged to attend Clemson University and earn a degree in Secondary Education. I taught high school for nearly 10 years before Covid took me out of the public school environment and into my home as I helped my own children and my neighbor’s children navigate virtual learning. When they each began returning to school my husband asked me what I wanted to do. I vividly remember saying to him, “I think I’m going to focus on building my photography business. I just know I don’t want to work for anyone else.” About a week later my husband called me and told me that our former childcare provider, Kiddie Academy was for sale. I knew he had been looking to reinvest the profits from a business we had sold a few years prior, so I responded, “Cool! I think we’d be really good at that.” The phone went quiet and I knew that he was already thinking about how to make it happen. Six months later we signed our franchise agreement and took over ownership of Kiddie Academy of Five Forks from owners who were retiring.
Over the last four years my team and I have worked hard to maintain the legacy of Kiddie Academy in the community as a high-quality educational childcare provider. We built a school culture that is focused on relationships and having a positive impact on children and families. I stress to our teaching team the importance of providing childcare that is safe, attentive and purposeful and we support them through opportunities for continuing education and practical training.
For my family and I, Kiddie Academy is our opportunity to leave a lasting impact on children and families in our area of the Upstate and we are grateful. My team, especially the leadership of my Director, Haylee Ehrie, is incredibly dedicated to the mission we’ve set before them. I cannot emphasize enough the critical role that each of them play in making our vision for Kiddie Academy a reality.
Can you talk to us a bit about the challenges and lessons you’ve learned along the way. Looking back would you say it’s been easy or smooth in retrospect?
We were very fortunate that many existing staff and families stayed with us during the transition to our ownership. The most significant struggle was, and remains, hiring teachers who are well-qualified and who share our vision for Kiddie Academy’s place in our community. We have had to revise our hiring and training processes along the way as we continue to grow our school and increase our quality of care. Education is not a high-paying profession and Early Childhood Education in the childcare setting is no different. Because of this, many teachers don’t stay in the profession long because they cannot afford to do so. One of our goals has been to lead the way in changing Early Childhood Educator compensation in our community. For us, compensation doesn’t just mean financial compensation. It means taking care of the whole person and creating a culture that draws people into a rewarding field and compels them to stay.
Appreciate you sharing that. What should we know about Kiddie Academy of Five Forks?
We are an educational childcare provider located in Simpsonville, SC. We specialize in providing high-quality childcare that focuses on learning through play using a developmentally appropriate curriculum that is aligned with South Carolina Early Learning Standards. We set ourselves apart by working to build relationships with children and families that create a strong foundation for learning and personal success. We are proud of the Kiddie Academy brand’s focus on values such as integrity, responsibility, relationships, curiosity, passion and impact. We believe that that the early years of a child’s life are critical for life-long success. Therefore, it is critically important that we support families and children during this season so that they come out on the other side stronger and more confident than when they started. For us, this work is deeply personal because we are parents ourselves and we know how quality experiences early in life have impacted our own children. We never take for granted that parents are choosing us to care for their most treasured gift.
We’d love to hear about any fond memories you have from when you were growing up?
As a child, I was always with my parents doing what they were doing. They always welcomed me to join them in whatever they were doing and my dad, in particular, would patiently teach me and answer all of my questions. It is hard for me to pinpoint a single childhood memory that stands out more than another because even what some would consider mundane tasks were an opportunity for me to learn and be included in their world.
Contact Info:
- Website: https://kiddieacademy.com/academies/five-forks/
- Facebook: https://www.facebook.com/kafiveforks
