The Heart Behind Little Sprouts Learning Hub

Hello there, my name is Charley and 12 years ago while pregnant with my first baby, I decided I wanted to create a better learning environment for her to learn and grow. For me, that meant enrolling in a Masters of Early Childhood Education program to give me the tools I needed to do that job. At eight months pregnant, when my program required service hours where I physically had to go to various schools and programs, I decided to put the program on pause. My body said no – and I listened.

After she was born, I read everything I could find to teach me how to teach her and give me insights into different approaches to get the best results. We sang and listened to music most of the day, we read books every night and we played together.

At 6 months old, I had to physically return to work and that meant finding quality childcare to keep up what I had started. If it’s one thing I’m good at, it’s advocating for my kids. I spoke to everyone she encountered and got the best understanding of how they would contribute to her development. If they got frustrated with my questions, they weren’t the right fit. Kids are VERY curious and that requires patience. And I was paying for more than babysitting—I was paying for care, engagement, and growth.

Over the years, I spent a lot of time interviewing schools to find the right program for her. In 2019, she started a highly rated NYC public school where her teacher pointed out to me that she was different. She meant gifted. She took a test and COVID hit. She was home like all the other kids, trying to figure out how to use a computer and tablet because at 4, those devices weren’t well integrated into her daily life. She caught on quickly and so did I.

Once she figured out the technology, I noticed that she spent a lot of time just sitting there waiting. I often asked if she didn’t have work and she’d say “yea, i’m just waiting for everyone else to finish” or "I'm already done”. I was floored. School wasn’t sufficient and I don’t think they realized it. With us still being on lockdown, I did more. After school, I challenged the hell out of her. I reviewed her work and made it 2xs as hard, then 3xs until I was teaching her things in other grade levels.

Today, she's a full-scholarship student at a very prestigious NYC middle school with so many doors for her to walk through and I couldn't be more proud.

I don't tell you my story to brag but rather to show you how important it is to lay a good, strong foundation for your children. As parents, we have to be very intentional and involved. We’re an integral part of this process because our society is changing and so are people.

Not everyone will challenge your child or be interested in their growth so where the world creates walls, you need to create windows and doors for your children to climb through. Feed their curiosity, I know playing 20 questions as part of every conversation is not ideal and slightly annoying. But if you can answer half of those, your kid will be better for it, you'll gain some patience and they'll see you as a safe space where they can ask without being shut out which creates a greater bond between you.

The purpose of this blog is to provide you with all kinds of resources to help your child grow and develop. I will create resources for you as well because as parents, we always want to be better but there's so much we don't know or even where to start looking.

I'm back on the path of building another amazing kid who I have faith will contribute to society in a meaningful way, same as his sister has, he's 2 years old. I hope you'll join me here as we grow the next generation of Little Sprouts together – one curious mind at a time.