Jiany Lopez dropped out of high school during a turbulent time in her life. She came to our Learning to Work program a few years ago, looking to finish high school and figure out her next steps. Learning to Work is embedded at the Edward A. Reynolds Transfer High School. It helps students overcome barriers to learning, gain work experience, and graduate with a plan.
Lopez felt supported by the Learning to Work staff. “They were awesome,” she recalled. “They were with me every step of the way, they never left my side. They gave me great feedback. I’m forever grateful.”
Since she wanted to work with children, she was placed in a two-month paid internship at our Lincoln Square Early Childhood Center: “I was helping the teachers in the classroom with the kids—serving food, playing with them, going to the playground, putting them to sleep for nap time.” She loved it and learned a lot—about the childcare business and about herself. “Being in a job, it helps you grow as a person—your ability, your skills, your knowledge,” she said. “I learned things about myself by just paying attention and asking questions.”
Her managers noticed. When she finished the internship, they offered her a job as a receptionist. After three years in that role she was promoted to administrative assistant. “It’s more responsibility,” she said, “which I’m okay with because I’m learning and growing, and that’s what matters.”
But Lopez has her eyes on bigger things—and that will require going back to school. “I want to get my degree in business and Early Childhood,” she said. “And if I get my business certification, I’m hoping to open my own daycare.”
These days, she says, just knowing how to take care of children is not enough. “You have to deal with the Department of Health, the Board of Education, inspections, all of that stuff,” she explained. “I have to have my own license and I need somebody else to have the same license as well, in case I’m not there.”
While she’s clear-eyed about the business angle, what motivates her is the children.
“I like to see them grow. I like to watch their personality blossom,” she said. “I like caring for them and watching them learn. I have the patience for it, too!” If her patient planning works out, she’ll be poised to help a lot of children get a strong start in life from their earliest days.