Today we’d like to introduce you to Will & Ruth Sharp.
Hi Will & Ruth, we’re thrilled to have a chance to learn your story today. So, before we get into specifics, maybe you can briefly walk us through how you got to where you are today?
Will and Ruth came from very different career backgrounds. Not only from their Little Treehouse Early Learning Center business, but from each other. As a teen, Ruth started in retail, she then moved into finance and higher education for nearly her entire working life. Will also started in retail, an IGA grocery store specifically. Will had an aptitude for things mechanical and went into the automotive industry. Then he started his own IT business during the heyday of personal computer advancement, working with small to medium sized businesses. When Ruth and Will fell in love, Will left his clients in good hands and moved 500 miles to be with Ruth. What followed was several years in the heavy equipment industry for Will. Both of their careers were far from early education and child care, or so they thought.
“As the time drew closer for Ruth to retire, we discussed our options. We knew we wanted to be in San Antonio as it was near our older family members, our children, and many friends. We also decided that we weren’t ready to sit on the porch sipping sweet tea just yet. So we started looking for businesses that were for sale. After signing many NDA’s and communicating with several business brokers, we connected with Brad. He had a listing for an automotive business that looked appealing.” Will says.
Ruth continues “We started yet another round of due diligence, quietly inspecting the property and meeting with the seller. It looked exactly like what we wanted, I could do the books and Will would run the shop. We handed off the package to our financial advisor who went through it with a fine-tooth comb.”
“Well, this looks OK” our advisor told us on a conference call, “if you want to pay $500,000 to buy both of yourselves full-time jobs that will return the pay of one full-time job.” We liked her brutal honesty, but this was a bit disheartening. She could hear it in our response. But she then said something that would change our outlook, and lives.
“But another business came across my desk just today. I haven’t finished vetting it yet, but on the surface it looks decent.” Our advisor took a moment to allow us to ask for details, “Well, I know you wanted something in automotive, and this is… different. This is a child care business. Little Treehouse Early Learning Center.”
“Ruth and I asked for more details, and as it turned out Little Treehouse was listed by our broker, Brad. He never presented it to us as it was not the type of business we had expressed an interest in.” Will paused for a moment before continuing “We took some time to prayerfully consider the possibility of taking on not one, but four early learning centers. At first we thought ‘We have absolutely no experience in this industry. No way we can make this work.'”
“What we had not previously thought about is that Ruth had spent 5 years on the board of a premier early learning center, guiding decisions in staffing, leadership, and facilities. We both had gone through careers in Scouting with our son and daughter, We had volunteered for Vacation Bible School at our churches. Volunteered as parent helpers in our children’s schools. We actually did have relevant experience. So we began the process to purchase the business in the late fall of 2019” Will said.
Ruth picks up the story “We closed on the business in February of 2020. Does anyone remember what happened in March of 2020? That’s right, we were open for a couple of weeks. Then COVID hit and we were closed. Our story was almost over before it ever started. To say we were concerned would be a massive understatement. It took some time, more prayerful consideration, and hard work. But we re-opened with enrollment at 5% of our licensed capacity. Thanks to the federal Paycheck Protection Program (PPP) we were able to retain all of our original staff that wanted to work.”
So they began the rebuilding process.
“Ruth decided that it was a good time to explore accreditation programs, as the sellers had never achieved that level for the centers. Ruth initially reached out and started our centers toward Texas School Ready, or TSR. It was a great program and taught us a lot about what it takes to earn accreditation. Our centers became part of TSR.” Will paused for a moment before continuing “Soon, though, Ruth heard about a program called Texas Rising Star, or TRS. With Ruth driving the initiative, our center on Culebra Rd. was one of the early Texas Rising Star centers. Using the experience gained from that achievement, and the invaluable input of our TRS mentor Miss Jocelyn, Ruth worked with each of our center directors in turn. 2 Star and 3 Star ratings came first. Then more hard work by Ruth, our mentor and our team of directors and teachers led to 4 Star ratings.”
Ruth smiles and says “Will doesn’t just sit around, though. He takes care of facilities, vehicles, IT issues and more. Will & I split the paperwork duties, and we both sit in at centers to help cover when needed. There is always something needing to be done.” Ruths brow furrowed as she considered her next words “Will also writes to our congressmen and senators advocating for childcare and early learning. Something we should all be doing. Insurance for childcare centers is crippling, lease costs go up every year, salaries for teachers are better than they were in 2020 but not nearly what they should be. Utilities, vehicle maintenance, fuel, and more. It adds up fast.”
Wills hands clap, signaling a shift in the conversation, “Ruth wanted me to mention our mission statement that we hold dear – Developing an Early Joy For Learning! We both know from experience, and also from studies conducted by people that know more than we do, that children who have a joyful experience in early learning have much better outcomes in their academic careers. We want children to experience the wonder of learning new things. To feel that itch” his hand goes up to his temple and the fingers wiggle “in their minds that can only be scratched by absorbing information. We make it clear to parents that we use TRS approved curriculum based learning and are not just babysitting. This means that teachers and children have the tools to foster that curiosity and development.”
Ruth adds “One more thing, we like to help parents find resources for helping to pay for their childrens early learning. We accept many different subsidy programs including the brand new Texas Education Freedom Account (TEFA), and happily assist families in connecting with those programs. Early learning is our passion, and we want families and children to have the best experience possible. It is a benefit for everyone!”
As we conduct this interview, Little Treehouse Early Learning Center is ramping up for their Summer Program. Every year the program is themed. Last year was ‘Space is The Place’ that included visits to the Scobee Space Center and the planetarium among others. This year Ruth is putting together ‘Exploring Route 66’ where every week the program attendees will explore one of the states along Route 66. Ruth is the driving force, the creative executive director, the organizer of field trips, all of it. With input from Will and staff members of course.
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?
Well, COVID came out of nowhere just as we took over the business. Going from 80% of licensed capacity enrollment to 5% was jarring.
COVID brought other surprises, such as a surge in “work from home’, which caused issues in finding quality staff and prevented enrollment from growing back to pre-COVID levels.
February of 2021 came along too soon and the polar vortex froze pipes in 3 centers, causing flooding and damage. We had to replace flooring, ceiling tiles, cabinetry, toys, tables, hundreds of books and more. Insurance covered a fraction of our losses.
We’ve had catalytic converters stolen from all of our Ford vans over the years. That cost us about $1800 per vehicle to remedy.
The economic roller coaster that the world has been riding for 6 years since COVID has been tough. Interest rates were really good when we bought Little Treehouse Early Learning Center, but they have gone up over 300% in the intervening years. It makes paying loans very difficult.
But through it all we are still here. We believe in our mission to help families, especially since so many children did not have the opportunity to develop socialization skills during the past 6 years.
We’ve been impressed with Little Treehouse Early Learning Center, but for folks who might not be as familiar, what can you share with them about what you do and what sets you apart from others?
Little Treehouse Early Learning Center is a licensed childcare facility with 4 locations in San Antonio and we welcome children from the ages of newborn to 12 years old. We provide a TRS approved creative curriculum to develop an early joy for learning, because children who enjoy learning will be more successful in their academic careers.
We offer full-time, part-time and drop-in care options. For our school age students we offer before-school and after-school care during the academic year that includes transportation to and from the schools we service. Over summer break we have our summer camp program for all-day enrichment. Of course meals and snacks are included in our USDA approved menu. We also accept many subsidy programs to help parents pay for care, including CCS, Our City Cares, WageWorks, TEFA, United Way and Child Care Aware for military families.
Why Little Treehouse Early Learning Center is different:
ALL of our centers are Texas Rising Star.
We are family owned and operated.
Tuition covers meals, snacks, curriculum, supplies and transportation. No hidden fees.
All of our teachers participate in free Texas Rising Star trainings.
Our employees accrue paid time off and we offer other benefits including health, dental and vision insurance.
Employees seeking full time employment are scheduled for a full 40 hours per week.
Families and employees looking for more information may visit our web site www.littletreehouseelc.com
Do you any memories from childhood that you can share with us?
Ruth: Being in Mrs. Monroe’s first grade art class and learning about clay. The State Fair was coming up and I wanted to make a piggy to enter into the contest. Mrs. Monroe guided me in creating shapes. She taught me how to assemble them into the piggy. I painted him pink with black spots! Although his legs were a bit stout and uneven I was overjoyed when we went to the fair and I found out my piggy earned a blue ribbon in his class. The joy I felt kneading the clay through my fingers and shaping it into something recognizable using a raw material has stuck with me to this day.
Will: When I think back to my early childhood the memories that bring me the most joy are the times spent out in nature with my parents. We lived way out in the country, 20 miles from the nearest “city” of about 15,000 people. My dad would wake me at 3AM to go hunting or fishing. We would drive further into the country, to the river or woods. The smell of damp vegetation, the fog laying on the ground reaching to my chest. The quiet stillness before the animals start to stir. Just sitting there on a fallen log with dad, watching the sky get lighter and the fog dissipate. Those are the moments that have stuck with me.
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