Today we’d like to introduce you to Tiara Morrison.
Hi Tiara, thanks for sharing your story with us. To start, maybe you can tell our readers some of your backstory.
**Miss Tee – Early Childhood Educator & Child Care Professional**
Miss Tee has dedicated her career to early childhood education since 2012. She became a licensed Family Child Care Home operator in 2017 and, during the height of the pandemic, opened her first licensed child care facility in December 2020. She continued expanding her commitment to children and families, opening her third licensed facility in May 2023.
Miss Tee holds a bachelor’s degree in Business and is currently pursuing a degree in Early Childhood Education, combining her experience as an entrepreneur with her passion for providing high-quality early learning experiences. Since 2020, she has maintained a violation-free licensing record and is APPLE-accredited, operates a 4-Star Guiding Stars-rated program, and is a certified CPR/First Aid Instructor.
Her commitment extends well beyond the classroom. Miss Tee regularly gives back through community initiatives, including back-to-school drives, winter coat drives, and providing afternoon snacks to neighborhood children as they walk by the center after school.
For Miss Tee, child care is more than a profession—it is an opportunity to educate children, empower families, and strengthen the community she serves.
Alright, 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?
It has definitely not always been a smooth road. One of my biggest challenges was learning that being passionate about child care and knowing how to care for children did not automatically prepare me for the managerial and human resources sides of running a business.
In the beginning, I made plenty of mistakes. I didn’t have strong systems, policies, or procedures in place to help me navigate staffing, accountability, communication, and the day-to-day challenges that come with operating a child care program. A lot of lessons were learned through trial and error.
Over time, those experiences pushed me to become more intentional about how I operate my business. I learned the importance of creating clear policies, establishing systems, documenting processes, and setting expectations from the beginning. Some of my greatest lessons as a business owner have come from the mistakes I made along the way, and they have helped shape me into a stronger director, employer, and leader today.
Thanks for sharing that. So, maybe next you can tell us a bit more about your business?
Seasons of Learning Child Care Academy (SOLCCA) is an early childhood education program committed to helping children, families, and our community THRIVE. We provide quality early learning experiences in a nurturing environment while also recognizing that today’s families need child care that works with real life. One of the things that sets SOLCCA apart is our commitment to meeting families where they are, including offering nontraditional care options such as overnight and weekend care.
What I am most proud of, however, is that our impact does not stop at our doors. Community involvement has become an important part of the SOLCCA brand. We host annual back-to-school and winter coat drives and even provide afternoon snacks to children in the community who walk past our center after school. I believe that you do not have to be enrolled at SOLCCA for us to care about your well-being.
Quality and accountability are also extremely important to our brand. SOLCCA is APPLE-accredited and a 4-Star Guiding Stars-rated program. Since opening my first licensed facility in 2020, I have maintained a violation-free licensing record. Those accomplishments are especially meaningful to me because they represent the standards I have worked hard to establish for the children and families we serve.
Ultimately, I want people to know that SOLCCA is more than a child care center. We are a family-focused, community-minded early learning program. I am most proud that I have built a brand that reflects my belief that quality child care should educate children, support families, and positively impact the community around it.
In terms of your work and the industry, what are some of the changes you are expecting to see over the next five to ten years?
I believe the child care industry will continue to evolve beyond traditional care over the next five to ten years. Families are looking for programs that not only provide a safe place for their children but also offer quality education, flexibility, strong family partnerships, and resources that support the whole child. I also believe we will see a greater emphasis on early childhood programs preparing children for a successful transition into elementary school.
As the industry evolves, I want SOLCCA to evolve with it. I am not opposed to expanding the SOLCCA brand to include kindergarten in the future, allowing us to continue educating and supporting children beyond their preschool years. I would love to create an environment where families can begin their journey with us during their child’s earliest years and have the option to remain with a program and educators they already know and trust as they enter kindergarten.
I also see community involvement becoming an even larger part of my work. One of my long-term goals is to establish a nonprofit organization focused on serving underprivileged children and families throughout Jacksonville. Through my work in child care, I have seen firsthand that a child’s needs do not begin and end in the classroom. Families may need access to clothing, school supplies, food, educational resources, and other forms of support.
Ultimately, I see the future of early childhood education becoming more holistic, and I want SOLCCA to be part of that shift. My vision is bigger than operating child care centers. I want to build an organization that can educate children, support families, create opportunities, and make a lasting impact in the community.
Contact Info:
- Website: https://www.solcca.org
- Instagram: solccajax
