Center Name: Little Swans Child Care | Location: Klamath Falls, Oregon
THE CHALLENGE
For all the hours she was putting into professional development, Vanessa Brown didn’t feel like she was growing as an educator. Instead, she found herself learning the same things over and over again.
Vanessa is the owner and director of Little Swans Child Care in Klamath Falls, Oregon, a home-based childcare where the children grow to become more like a family. Vanessa has owned and operated her licensed childcare program for 7 years, and she’s completed her required 15 hours of professional development every year. But after 7 years and 105 hours of courses and seminars, Vanessa felt stuck. “I wasn’t expanding my knowledge, I was not getting better because the content available to me wasn’t changing”
THE SOLUTION
Find a one-stop-shop for innovative and affordable professional development courses
For a director as committed to professional growth as Vanessa, taking a variation of the same course over and over again was not going to cut it. She needed an easier way to access innovative courses that met her professional goals. She also wanted to stop having to search for those courses, and (ideally) reduce her overall costs.
During Vanessa’s most recent check-in call with her HiMama Account Manager, she learned about HiMama Academy. She found out she could access ALL the professional development courses within the platform for just $20/month. “I used to pay anywhere from $10-60 per professional development course,” she said. ”If I wanted to access the advanced or higher quality courses I was looking closer to that $60 dollar mark–and we need 15 hours of PD per year–so that could add up to $900 a year.” With HiMama Academy offering unlimited courses at $20/month, Vanessa could be saving over $600 each year on professional development! “Once you dive into HiMama Academy you realize you are getting access to more courses than you would for that same price anywhere else”
After exploring the 65+ hours of IACET accredited courses, all developed by experts in their respective fields, she was sold. Vanessa was finally done losing money to courses that had little to no impact on her personal and professional growth. She was ready to invest in her future.
“There are courses on anything and everything you want to learn about, including all the required courses for my state regulations here in Oregon. They have all the courses you need, but the learning goes beyond the basics and they even offer training in subjects I haven’t yet had the chance to learn about.”
Vanessa Brown
As a busy child care professional, Vanessa also had to think about her time and when she could fulfill her hours. Prior to HiMama Academy, Vanessa was at the whim of the schedules set by her local agencies, which meant her schedule had to accommodate the course calendar. With HiMama Academy, all courses are recorded and can be accessed by educators on-demand. Vanessa can start her course during nap time, pause it if the children wake up, and pick it up again the next day. She has more agency over her learning and can fulfill her hours whenever it works best for her.
THE RESULT
Flexible professional development you can afford
When it comes to professional development, the last thing you want is to feel like you’re stuck in a rut. Children’s needs are constantly changing and so is the information you need to effectively support them. Vanesa was hungry for this information, but she didn’t know how to access it.
Since bringing HiMama Academy into her childcare program, Vanessa has found all the courses she was searching for, she’s reduced her professional development costs, and she’s seeing an increase in the professionalism and quality of her childcare program.
Professional development isn’t just about becoming an expert. It’s about continuous growth: opening your mind to new ideas and new strategies and constantly working to offer the highest quality care. HiMama Academy, takes you out of your rut in professional development and creates the space for genuine growth in your career, and it might just save you money at the same time!
“The biggest piece of value HiMama Academy has brought to me is that I see the potential for actual growth within myself. This is what professional development should be.”
Vanessa Brown
Little Swans Child Care is one of many HiMama customers who have improved their professional development and enhanced the learning in their classrooms with HiMama Academy.
