At the time, an economic recession was financially straining my businesses and I could not even spare a few thousand dollars for a childcare management software. I decided to take matters into my own hands and used an Excel spread sheet to keep records of the children's attendance, financial bookkeeping of tuition, food billing and payroll.

After getting my third childcare business up and running, I finally had enough to invest in a quality childcare management software. I researched and compared around 20 softwares on the market. After searching in vain I found a couple that had potential, but all shared one or more problems:

• A High start-up cost or monthly fee;

• An out-dated interface;

• A narrow range of supported devices and platforms (iPad, iPhone & MAC);

• Costly updates for newer versions;

• Limited access for parents and employees to the system.

I was disappointed by these problems, but from the shadows of disappointment came an epiphany. I asked myself "why should something so essential cost so much?" My Excel spread sheet was easy to format and could match other softwares, yet it only cost me my spare time to create. I also feared that other childcare providers like myself were turning away from quality software because of the problems listed above. I wanted to help them. The childcare business is an incredibly competitive market and smaller childcare centers cannot experience and afford quality childcare management software. With my years of experience in the childcare business, my educational background and the love of computer technology, I believed I could create a software of my own. So after months of researching and pooling of resources,

I was able to create a software that would meet and surpass current products on the market.

I consulted my friend, a computer programmer, who helped advise me on how to make this software work. He told me that "anything and everything is possible, all it takes is a little time and money." After many weeks of late night debates and discussion, I decided to create a team of my own to take on this colossal task. I began thinking about integrating smart phones into the system for parents and providers to use and incorporating an accounting component to the program as well. By the end of the year, I found myself investing much of my time in this project because it was inspiring, fun and actually helped people. I decided to quit my PhD program to fully invest all of my resources to this project. By 2012, I had 14 programmers working full-time in all areas of my software. I fully believe that this is my life's calling and I will do whatever it takes to fulfil it.

I am a childcare owner who struggled with the management of my business at its inception, who made mistakes and learned from them,who used tools within my financial reach to simulate a childcare software to manage the business, who in socializing with other childcare owners, parents, and staff learned of their frustrations, and who had the vision, motivation, and fortitude to bring to reality a concept that was once on paper that will revolutionize the management and operations of the childcare business.