Director
Lil’ Bebe Academy originated from pure needs, it would be easy to say I wanted it but no, I needed this. In August 2007 we signed a contract on this single family home and before the closing we found out, we were pregnant. In March 2008 our baby girl graced this earth and in June 2008 I decided to open a home daycare. The process took some months and in January 2009, I got my license from DCFS and Lil’ Bebe Academy began it’s journey. While operating the daycare, I decided to go back to school to develop the skills to operate a high quality, mixed age home based preschool. It took almost five years of sacrifice and intense dedication and in 2014, I received my degree in Child Development Psychology with a Toddler & Preschool Concentration. Who was I before Lil’ Bebe Academy?
I am and remain Suzette Salmon (I am yet to use my married name). I am hard working, dedicated and very passionate about my adventures. I strive to be the best at anything I do..sometimes to a fault. The children sees me as a teacher, comedian, doctor, community advocate, psychologist and ultimately lover of children. I have a passion for interior decorating and is always doing projects around the house. My biggest and most enjoyable achievement is being a mom and wife. I am blessed to have a wonderful family support near and far.
What I did prior to opening Lil’ Bebe Academy? I migrated from Jamaica in 1998. I graduated with honors from a CUNY college in New York. I was Vice President of Phi Theta Kappa. While attending college I worked in Manhattan as a nanny for affluent families. After college I was a Mortgage Consultant for 7 years, I worked with several institutions including Countrywide. When the economy went ker-plop and I lost several investments, I decided to change gears (some may call this jumping ship) I call it common sense.
Fast Forward to 2014 and I will tell you I love what I do. I am happy that I have invested time in my own children (I had a boy in 2011). My daughter started Kindergarten and is loving it. I am happy that I am impacting young minds. I am overjoyed to teach foundation skills. I understand not all moms can do as I did and stay home with their children. A lot of sacrifice is involved in making a decision like that. As in our case there were moments when our home remained empty of adult furniture but, filled with toys and lots of love. My husband worked tirelessly even during his vacation just to help me follow this childcare dream. Now that I have been in operation for years he doesn’t have to work that hard. Andrew thanks for being there!
Our program is unique because :
- We understand families that have to sacrifice one thing for the other.
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- We build and cement relationship with families who chose Li’ Bebe Academy.
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- We are attentive to children individual needs.
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- Children that attend our preschool are hugged and loved.
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- We teach children without hesitation.
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- We know children are sponges and can absorb as much as you teach them.
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- We encourage discovery learning and exploration.
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- Each day is a new day filled with many activities.
Our bi-annual assessments and annotations demonstrates that our teaching methods work. Parents are usually very happy with the results of their children learned skills, growth and development.
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* My desire is to own a commercial space and operate a preschool by 2015.
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Regards
Suzette / Sue / Aunt Sue / Miss Sue / Miss Suzette
