Today we’d like to introduce you to Betsy de Vega.
Betsy, let’s start with your story. We’d love to hear how you got started and how the journey has been so far.
I was born in Cuba and raised in America. At the age of 2, I was put on an airplane, with the care of a stewardess, in order to be able to claim my family to come to live in the United States. I grew up in the Bellaire area and am a Bellaire graduate. I attended both St. Thomas University and the University of Houston, where I received my Bachelors of Art in Psychology. I began my career in education working at one of the oldest and biggest Montessori schools in Houston – Southampton Montessori. After graduating, I took a position as a Bilingual Case Manager for the Infant Program of MHMRA-Harris County. Two years later, I returned to Southampton Montessori and became the Administrator of the Elementary School.
In 2005, after 15 years of school leadship, I made the decision to start my own business and opened up the first LearningRX franchise in the Houston area. LearningRx was a cognitive skills training center for students in need of enhancing their learning potential. At a brain symposium that I put on in 2008, I met a colleague who had opened up non-conventional private schools in places like homes and dojos (martial arts centers). We talked and she convinced me to open one up at our center, this is where KnILE began. I opened KnILE in the spring of 2008 with three students and sold my franchise that summer. From the moment of conception, KnILE has been a divine thing for me. I was not looking to change what I was doing nor was I in the business of owning a school, but the doors continued to open in that direction and KnILE became a reality. I moved KnILE to my home with four students, and within one semester was blessed to meet a friend who was opening a gym for youth in the same neighborhood. He needed assistance with marketing and I needed a location, so he opened his heart and his backroom to my little school. That back room was no bigger than a 10×10 room, but we made it work. We outgrew that room and moved into the front of his gym.
We eventually outgrew that and moved into a house a couple of miles down that was old, but was on an amazing piece of land and had lots of potentials. We made that little old house our own and the students loved it. We lasted there three years and outgrew it. While looking for a new location, I received a call from my current landlord. She offered a bus service for one of our students at the time and her center was located just down the street. I went to visit her, thinking she wanted to discuss our student, but to my surprise, she actually was offering me and my little school a new home. We moved in that summer and have been there ever since. A couple of years into this partnership, my landlord was gracious enough to build me a dedicated wing for our school and our school has continued to grow and thrive. I have always had a very special love for working with resource children. These are children that can normally be in a regular classroom, but tend to fall through the cracks or may get bullied and such because they learn differently.
Some of the struggles these kiddos face include dyslexia, ADHD, sensory issues, and anxiety. I am not sure if my love for working with this population is because of my own struggles in school or because of the struggles I saw in my own daughter. Either way, this is why my school is set up differently than many other schools you will visit. Although KnILE was originally established to help middle schoolers learn, after 11 years in business… KnILE has evolved into a sanctuary of sorts for students who want a more personalized approach to learning. We are a school dedicated to helping bring the love back into learning and strengthen a child’s ability to see his or her potential for life. We work on the entire child, not just academics.
Many schools are focused on the end result and publish how their children get into the best schools and how well their test scores are. At our school, the primary goal is to ensure a child is happy and enjoying learning. Our motto is that if a child can see their fullest potential, then there are no limits to what a child can accomplish. I wanted to offer a safe haven for students to learn and thrive, be happy and enjoy what they do. Our students look forward to going to school. Our students learn at their pace and at their capacity. If a child is dyslexic and struggles with conventional testing, then we will establish a program that will enhance his or her strengths and give the student the opportunity to learn and grow without the stresses of having to keep up with “the Jones’s”. We offer 1 – 12th grades and our classes are blended and multi-sensory. Ratios are low and we work on each aspect of the child’s development, not just the academics.
At our school, you do not just get graded on academics, but on your character as well. Our students learn skills like mindfulness, appropriate socio-emotional development, independence, grit, critical thinking, and empathy. We offer several program options to meet our students’ needs from homeschool to homeschool collaborative programs for student athletes, actors, etc., to a hybrid program to a full-time private school to an afterschool support program for students who need our services as a support to their public schooling. We even offer parent workshops that touch on such topics as anxiety, depression in youth, sensory and other learning and behavioral concerns and the like. This spring, we will host a workshop on adulting101 – what teens need to know after graduation. I am surrounded by incredible staff, who go out of their way to ensure that our students get all they need to succeed. Three years ago, I was diagnosed with Young Onset Parkinsons. I was devastated, but I was quickly reminded by my students and staff how to take this diagnosis and turn it into a blessing. At our school, we all have our differences, from me all the way down, but we embrace and praise each other.
On February 21st, we will celebrate our 2nd annual fundraiser called Havana Nights – Carnaval. 100% of the proceeds raised at this celebratory fundraiser will go to Houston Area Parkinsons Society and KnILE Parent Group (our non-profit group) for student scholarships. A couple of years ago, one of our parents coined the phrase “the KnILE Effect” to describe the impact KnILE has had on its students. I always knew that I wanted to run my own business and that I wanted to service children, but never in my wildest dreams did I expect this little vision to evolve into what KnILE has become today. In the words of Denzel Washington, I wanted to not just “making a living, but aspire to make a difference” and this is something I get to do daily at KnILE. In this day and age, where anxiety is the highest mental health issue in our youth and school safety is in crisis, our school offers a calling.
Overall, has it been relatively smooth? If not, what were some of the struggles along the way?
For the most part, my journey at KnILE has been a godsend and smooth road. Whenever doors have closed, it has been because it was not the best fit for us and a better option has presented itself. These past three years have been the biggest challenges due to my diagnosis and growing pains. Due to my Parkinsons, three years ago, I let go of the reigns some but quickly realized that this is where my life needs to be. KnILE not only impacts my students, but it has truly impacted me and I am grateful for the hills and the valleys that KnILE has brought me. No matter what obstacles we have been dealt with, we have been able to overcome them, learn and become even better mentors, individuals, and guides for our students.
Please tell us about KnILE Center.
I am the Founder and Head of School at KnILE Center, LLC. KnILE Center is home to a boutique style 1st – 12th-grade private school, a homeschool collaborative program for student athletes, actors, dancers, and the like, an after school academic and support program for school-aged children, and a resource center for families in need of assistance helping their child find the right fit for learning. We also offer programs like mindfulness, socio-emotional support, theater and parent workshops. We are a one-stop educational resource center. Our center is designed differently to meet each child’s individual needs. From the moment you walk in, you will feel a warm, inviting, home like environment. I carefully designed the aesthetics of our school to give students a calming, nurturing and loving environment. From the colors of the walls to the lighting, to the soft music playing in the background, our school is meant to be a sanctuary and safe haven for our students where they can be who they are and are embraced for their uniqueness.
Although, we are set up to work with students learning concerns, and students in need of a smaller, more intimate, more flexible environment, we have a big population of students that come to us because they struggle with anxiety and/or depression and are looking for an environment where they don’t have to fit a mold. They can be themselves and we embrace and celebrate their uniqueness’s. Although there are many resource schools in and around the Houston area, our approach is what sets us apart from others. I am the most proud of the impact my little school and vision has been able to make in the lives of our precious students and their families. A parent coined the term “KnILE Effect” for the impact KnILE has had on so many. I am forever grateful to have been given this gift.
If you had to go back in time and start over, would you have done anything differently?
The only thing I would have done differently would be to be even more involved on the business/ financial side of the business, so I could be more aware of any opportunities/ monies lost in the business. I have a vision of what I want my dream campus to look like and I think I could have attained this sooner if I had more knowledge in this area.
Contact Info:
- Address: KnILE Center, LLC
5419 FM 762
Richmond, TX
77469 - Website: www.knilecenter.com
- Phone: 281.761.6610
- Email: bdevega@knilecenter.com
- Instagram: @knilecenter
- Facebook: @knilecenter
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