Sofia started her entrepreneurial journey as a home-based childcare after not finding childcare for her son, who is now 23. In 2012 she expanded her business to a group childcare, which gave her the ability to care for 12 children daily. As a group childcare owner for many years, Sofia started to see that Stamford needed more quality childcare. In 2021 she began looking into spaces for a center so she could increase the number of children in her care. In May 2023, she was able to open Cottontails Childcare and Learning Center, a new, state-of-the-art facility.
How Women's Business Development Council Helped
When Sofia started looking for spaces for Cottontails Childcare and Learning Center she realized she would have to prove to landlords and banks that she was knowledgeable enough to take on such a business and would be able to run it. That’s when she first turned to WBDC for support. In addition to classes and one-on-one business advising Sofia has received from WBDC Sofia has also received grants through the WBDC Child Care Business Opportunity Fund (provided in partnership with CT OEC). According to Sofia, “With the help of WBDC, who always believed in me, I created business plans, projections, and policies and was able to open Cottontails Childcare and Learning Center.”