Today we’d like to introduce you to Misty and Jarrod Dawsey.
Misty and Jarrod, let’s start with your story. We’d love to hear how you got started and how the journey has been so far.
My husband and I have always done everything early, we married at the age of 20 and 21. We both had our first Bachelors degrees at 19 and 21. So, it only seemed natural that we would pursue our business endeavors in the same way. Our first business together was actually a landscaping business, then my husband felt the call to Pastor at 20 and so we founded our church which he still Pastor’s today. Long story short, nine years ago we were both finished with our Master of Education degrees. I was teaching special education, working on my Doctorate in education, we had two kids, the church, and my husband was also working as a Longshoreman for the Port of Houston. We were extremely busy, but wanted to work in the field that we love, so, we took all of our savings at the time and begin caring for 3 children besides our own in our home. About 6 months after beginning, I was able to obtain all the permits and licenses necessary to open our own childcare facility.
Opening a childcare center was not just a good fit for us, it was a passion. We are both educators and have been our whole lives. I taught my first Sunday School class when I was about 11 years old and my husband preached his first sermon when he was 14 years old. We also love kids. Fast forward to today, I am a full-time director at our child care center and business admin for our church. We have four children now and Jarrod is still a longshoreman and Pastor for our church.
Great, so let’s dig a little deeper into the story – has it been an easy path overall and if not, what were the challenges you’ve had to overcome?
No! It has not been a smooth road by any means. I actually almost laughed out loud at the thought of all the struggles, hills, valleys, and just pure craziness of owning our own business. Every time I thought about giving up, I thought about all the times I have told others not to quit. We have made lots of mistakes, and have had bad things happen to us (some unbelievable) but have learned from every one of those mistakes/hardships. I believe the reason we have been able to bounce back from every setback is because we genuinely had “good intentions” like when we let employees borrow our vehicles, paid for a family’s night stay in a hotel, and not charging them their tuition until they could afford it, or other things like forgetting to pay the light bill… twice. Yes, it has been hard, and many times it has been a struggle, but both of us have worked hard our entire lives so on the days when my husband was at work and the gravel for the parking lot had to be spread at the daycare/church, I rolled up my sleeves, picked up a shovel, and went to work. On the days and times we couldn’t afford to pay someone to come and do the labor, we just did it ourselves. One of my favorite speakers, TD Jakes says it best “there is a danger in quitting or giving up too soon”. If you quit, it’s just over, if you keep going, there is a chance you will succeed. So, we keep going.
Alright – so let’s talk business. Tell us about Excellence Academy Child Care and Learning Center – what should we know?
I am most proud of our diversity in enrollment and the staff that we have who without their sincerity and love for children we would not have a “business” story to tell. They help to build our reputation and have been in the trenches with us. The staff of Excellence Academy make you feel like you are dropping your kids off at grandma’s house where you are going to get a good home cooked meal, love, education, wisdom, and discipline.
We specialize in Families! We are a Child Care and Learning Center. Emphasis on Learning! We are known for our family atmosphere, love, and warm inviting spirit.
What we do is educate and care for children. We also known for preparing our children for kindergarten and promoting an educational standard for our PreK students that is aligned with the Kindergarten Texas Education guidelines. It starts in our infant room and progresses through to our toddlers, two year olds, PreK3/4 and we also have a school age program for children ages 5-12 years old.
Is there a characteristic or quality that you feel is essential to success?
Adaptation, at the moment, is the most important. I, along with my husband and staff have to be able to move forward quickly, make changes, and adjustments despite our comfort level or ability in that moment.
Contact Info:
- Address: B.E.C. and Excellence Academy
3905 Deats Road,
Dickinson, TX 77539 - Website: www.excellenceacademy.org
- Phone: 281-614-5459
- Email: misty@excellenceacademy.org
- Instagram: @mistydawsey
Image Credit:
Jade Optics
Venture Watson
Tommilyn
Vickie Dawsey
Shetell Sanders
Yvette Dixie
Elise and Sheldon Issac
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