Sarah Morrow, owner of Little Leaders Preschool in Glenhills, was recently placed second out of 400 other contestants in the VW Lionesses of Africa Women in Business Competition! Sarah Mackintosh chatted to her about this wonderful accomplishment.
Sarah started teaching 19 years ago after graduating from Embury College and bought Little Leaders in 2005. “I have not looked back since – it’s been a journey of discovery and learning, and still is,” she says.
“I bought the school because I couldn’t find a preschool for my son when I was looking almost 20 years ago. I bought the school with the aim of creating a place that would allow children of all backgrounds to enjoy a holistic and excellent standard of education, where parents from all walks of life were welcome. Above all, I wanted to make the school fees affordable. I was a single mom, my pennies needed to work hard!”
“We have a wonderful ethos of inclusivity at Little Leaders. We pride ourselves on a positive and uplifting space, encouraging our children to accept each other and their differences and embrace each person for who they are. We have affirmations all over our school and we believe in the value of a person’s character over their academic abilities,” explains Sarah.
What is Lionesses of Africa?
“Lionesses of Africa is an association of businesswomen who strongly believe in development of businesswomen across the African continent. They are a fantastic support for start-up businesses, offering advice, access to resources, access to information, and access to each other to collaborate and grow.”
What inspired you to enter the Lioness of Africa competition?
“My sister tagged me in a post on Facebook. So we read the criteria and we ticked the boxes. We took a gamble did the pitch and it paid off!”
Did you expect to do so well?
“No! We knew the competition would be stiff and we recorded the pitch, submitted and forgot about it. When I got the email telling me we were in the top 12, my heart nearly stopped. The moment they announced us as second place, we were whooping and screaming in the office and we forgot to mute our microphone on Zoom! It was a great day!”
What have you have won, and what does it mean for your school?
“We won a R50 000 capital cash injection for our school. We will use this to set up and facilitate the start of our autistic academy here at Little Leaders. We want to be the first mainstream preschool to offer therapy-based education to autistic preschoolers at an affordable rate for parents. Often Autistic children are left out of the schooling system as many preschools refuse to accommodate their needs. We want to change that,” concludes Sarah.
For more information on Little Leaders Preschool, visit www.littleleaderspreschool.co.za.