As the 25th anniversary of Little Sprouts Child Enrichment Centers approaches, founder and CEO Susan Leger Ferraro says she never imagined that the business she began at age 17 would evolve into the award-winning, nationally renowned enterprise that it is today.
“It’s a really cool experience to go out seeking investment to expand and have people offering us multi-millions for the company that I started in a duplex,” she laughs. “Looking back, it feels like a dream.” But now, her dream has manifested itself into a lucrative, socially responsible education model that is entertaining bids from venture capitalists throughout the country.
Seven Little Sprouts sites currently exist in Massachusetts (Andover, Methuen, Lowell, Lawrence, Haverhill, Westford, and Roxbury), and Leger Ferraro says the company will be expanding nationally by building two to five centers a year over the next five years. The enrichment centers provide a continuum of education and care for those one-month-old to 24-years-old; it is comprised of infant groups, toddler groups, preschool, kindergarten, before and after school programs, summer camps, and at-risk teen programs, including GED programs and leadership development.
Leger Ferraro says the business quickly progressed from Susan’s Playpen, the original name given in 1982, to Little Sprouts, the name reassigned to her business in 1985 to reflect her holistic lifestyle and the idea that “we’re all evolving beings.” Leger Ferraro has always loved kids and knew early on she wanted to be a teacher. “I think that children really encompass what life is all about,” she explains. “They’re whimsical and everything is magical and they’re just intrigued by the entire universe.”
One of Leger Ferraro’s main objectives was, in fact, to make children aware of the expansiveness of the universe and to make it feel a little smaller by enabling them to learn and experience things that may be unfamiliar or outside their immediate environment. Through her early experiences working with children, Leger Ferraro says she learned the value and importance of diversity, and of acceptance and recognition of cultural and socioeconomic differences. It was these ideals that she predicated her business on.
“My goal was to bring at-risk to moderate to high income families together and really create that diversity,” she says. “Children need those experiences to really accept each other.” This objective, which Leger Ferraro says was radical at the time but one she felt strongly about, was realized with the anti-bias policy, which is intended to celebrate and acknowledge differences. She believes the ability to serve a diverse group gives the child an extra advantage of being a citizen of the world.
With the motto “Making a difference, one child at a time,” Leger Ferraro says Little Sprouts also embraces the uniqueness and individuality of each child. As a result of this ideology and method of teaching she calls “systematic and explicit,” children are going into school with great expressive language and social skills.
“I’ve always been very into acknowledging feelings and creating an environment in which children can express themselves and be free and feel like they belong and that their uniqueness really does matter in the world,” Leger Ferraro enthusiastically explains. Her philosophy is so successful that last year a South African delegation came to observe Little Sprouts’ early literature program with the intention of implementing strategies for their own early childhood programs back in Africa. This kind of international acclaim allows Little Sprouts to live up to and surpass its national recognition as a Preschool Center of Excellence.
According to Leger Ferraro, the company’s success with grant procurement helped them earn this designation. Little Sprouts received the Early Reading First grant from the U.S. Department of Education in 2003, for $1.5 million, and again in 2006—this time for $3.94 million. Their application scored number one in the entire nation, and it was the only school in Massachusetts to receive this honor.
She says that most children in at-risk communities are in about the fortieth to fiftieth percentile, but in 2006, they scored in the top ten percent of the nation, which was a major accomplishment not only for the 300 preschoolers, but also for the 187 employees of Little Sprouts.
Leger Ferraro’s contribution to improving the lives of children does not stop with Little Sprouts. She also founded the Leadership and Literacy Foundation, a “sister” company to Little Sprouts, and Imajine That, an indoor interactive education playspace located in Lawrence, for children ages one to nine. Much of her success can be attributed to her fearlessness, which she claims has always been one of her best traits as an entrepreneur.
And now, after twenty-five years of financing Little Sprouts and taking chances that allowed the company to become the exemplar of child care centers, she is excited to release the financial burden to the venture capitalists. With a big smile, she says she is ready to enjoy the ride.
Little Sprouts
Photo by Kate Harper
“It’s a really cool experience to go out seeking investment to expand and have people offering us multi-millions for the company that I started in a duplex,” she laughs. “Looking back, it feels like a dream.” But now, her dream has manifested itself into a lucrative, socially responsible education model that is entertaining bids from venture capitalists throughout the country.
Seven Little Sprouts sites currently exist in Massachusetts (Andover, Methuen, Lowell, Lawrence, Haverhill, Westford, and Roxbury), and Leger Ferraro says the company will be expanding nationally by building two to five centers a year over the next five years. The enrichment centers provide a continuum of education and care for those one-month-old to 24-years-old; it is comprised of infant groups, toddler groups, preschool, kindergarten, before and after school programs, summer camps, and at-risk teen programs, including GED programs and leadership development.
Leger Ferraro says the business quickly progressed from Susan’s Playpen, the original name given in 1982, to Little Sprouts, the name reassigned to her business in 1985 to reflect her holistic lifestyle and the idea that “we’re all evolving beings.” Leger Ferraro has always loved kids and knew early on she wanted to be a teacher. “I think that children really encompass what life is all about,” she explains. “They’re whimsical and everything is magical and they’re just intrigued by the entire universe.”
One of Leger Ferraro’s main objectives was, in fact, to make children aware of the expansiveness of the universe and to make it feel a little smaller by enabling them to learn and experience things that may be unfamiliar or outside their immediate environment. Through her early experiences working with children, Leger Ferraro says she learned the value and importance of diversity, and of acceptance and recognition of cultural and socioeconomic differences. It was these ideals that she predicated her business on.
“My goal was to bring at-risk to moderate to high income families together and really create that diversity,” she says. “Children need those experiences to really accept each other.” This objective, which Leger Ferraro says was radical at the time but one she felt strongly about, was realized with the anti-bias policy, which is intended to celebrate and acknowledge differences. She believes the ability to serve a diverse group gives the child an extra advantage of being a citizen of the world.
With the motto “Making a difference, one child at a time,” Leger Ferraro says Little Sprouts also embraces the uniqueness and individuality of each child. As a result of this ideology and method of teaching she calls “systematic and explicit,” children are going into school with great expressive language and social skills.
“I’ve always been very into acknowledging feelings and creating an environment in which children can express themselves and be free and feel like they belong and that their uniqueness really does matter in the world,” Leger Ferraro enthusiastically explains. Her philosophy is so successful that last year a South African delegation came to observe Little Sprouts’ early literature program with the intention of implementing strategies for their own early childhood programs back in Africa. This kind of international acclaim allows Little Sprouts to live up to and surpass its national recognition as a Preschool Center of Excellence.
According to Leger Ferraro, the company’s success with grant procurement helped them earn this designation. Little Sprouts received the Early Reading First grant from the U.S. Department of Education in 2003, for $1.5 million, and again in 2006—this time for $3.94 million. Their application scored number one in the entire nation, and it was the only school in Massachusetts to receive this honor.
She says that most children in at-risk communities are in about the fortieth to fiftieth percentile, but in 2006, they scored in the top ten percent of the nation, which was a major accomplishment not only for the 300 preschoolers, but also for the 187 employees of Little Sprouts.
Leger Ferraro’s contribution to improving the lives of children does not stop with Little Sprouts. She also founded the Leadership and Literacy Foundation, a “sister” company to Little Sprouts, and Imajine That, an indoor interactive education playspace located in Lawrence, for children ages one to nine. Much of her success can be attributed to her fearlessness, which she claims has always been one of her best traits as an entrepreneur.
And now, after twenty-five years of financing Little Sprouts and taking chances that allowed the company to become the exemplar of child care centers, she is excited to release the financial burden to the venture capitalists. With a big smile, she says she is ready to enjoy the ride.