Today we’d like to introduce you to Erika Flores.
Erika, let’s start with your story. We’d love to hear how you got started and how the journey has been so far.
Ever since I was a young girl, I knew I wanted to help improve the lives of children. I was born in Chicago to parents who had immigrated to the U.S. from Mexico. They were determined to give their children the best lives possible and knew that education was key.
They were committed to helping my siblings, and I get an excellent education. Even though we were growing up under many “risk” factors, we were able to overcome them through quality educational experiences and the love of our family. I wanted to help other children reach their highest potential too, even if they were born under hard circumstances.
Therefore, I took the road of Psychology and Early Childhood Education to help children build a strong foundation in the early years of their development. I founded an organization named ChildrenFlow. Our mission is to empower young children’s development by improving the quality of early childhood education.
We’re always bombarded by how great it is to pursue your passion, etc. – but we’ve spoken with enough people to know that it’s not always easy. Overall, would you say things have been easy for you?
It has been a wonderful journey that has definitely required lots of efforts. Challenges can become one of the most powerful learning tools available. Whenever a problem arouses, I turn it into a question, which leads to finding answers and solutions. That is one of the key ways to build resiliency. And resiliency is one of the most important skills that young children can develop through quality early education.
So let’s switch gears a bit and go into the ChildrenFlow story. Tell us more about the business.
ChildrenFlow helps educational organizations increase the quality of services they provide to children and families.
We do this by providing professional consultation, training, coaching, assessment and content development in areas of high and urgent need. For example, right now in the U.S. almost 1/3 of children are born into families where English is not the main language.
Early childhood educators need more specialized training on how to support this growing segment. Therefore, ChildrenFlow created an evidence-based model named “Integrated Dual Language Learners.” This model helps teachers develop the skills to support the learning and development of emerging bilingual children from a holistic approach.
Another area of need brain and cognitive development of young children. We offer teacher trainings that weave in quality teacher-child interactions that enhance cognition and connect it to Science, Technology, Engineering, Art, Literacy, and Math in the early years. It’s really exciting and impactful work!
Our main office is based out of Houston. However, we provide services nationwide.
Has luck played a meaningful role in your life and business?
I think luck is actually a mental attitude we can develop and cultivate. When I am able to appreciate and be grateful of all that has supported my work, including the challenges, then I can see how lucky I actually am.
I do believe that each one of us has a mission in life, and the more we focus and align with that mission, we become stronger and “luckier.”
Contact Info:
- Address: 9002 Chimney Rock Rd, Suite G # 323 Houston TX 77096
- Website: www.childrenflow.com
- Phone: 773-480-4205
- Email: erika@childrenflow.com
- Facebook: https://www.facebook.com/ChildrenFlow-1907660376177089/?ref=bookmarks
- Twitter: https://twitter.com/ChildrenFlow
- Other: https://www.linkedin.com/company/childrenflow/
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