Perseverance, Passion, Love: Southern Virginia Women Redefining Childcare and Entrepreneurship
At the March Grapevine Virtual Meetup for Entrepreneurs, something really honest happened.
A group of women came together to talk about childcare, not just as a service, but as a business, a responsibility, and a calling.
What unfolded was a conversation about purpose, pressure, and the reality of building something that your entire community depends on.
Childcare is not just about watching kids. It determines wheather people can go to work, keep a job, or grow a business.
Meet the Women Behind the Work
Three women led the conversation, each deeply connected to the families they serve:
Different paths brought them here, but their purpose is shared: creating safe, supportive environments where children can grow.
Childcare is Not Just a Business
Across Southern Virginia, childcare demand exceeds supply. Shannon stepped into that gap to help meet a growing need, not compete with others already doing the work.
Miss Pat’s journey began after seeing employees struggle to keep jobs without reliable childcare. Her response was to create something rooted in access, structure, and care.
Lakeisha added a broader perspective. The first 2,000 days of a child’s life are critical to development, making childcare foundational to:
- Early learning
- Social and emotional growth
- Long-term community well-being
Childcare providers are not just business owners. They are educators, workforce enablers, and a key part of the region’s economic infrastructure.
Without childcare, people cannot consistently show up to work or build businesses.
“We are not in competition. We are part of a team.“
-Shannon
“It wasn’t about the money. It was about the children.”
-Miss Pat
Where Are the Gaps?
Two challenges clearly stood out.
Infant and toddler care is difficult to sustain due to staffing ratios, higher costs, and lower margins.
Rural access creates additional barriers, with long travel distances, limited providers, and fewer available seats.
In many areas, this results in what providers describe as a childcare desert.
The Reality Behind the Scenes
Running a childcare business requires more than passion.
Staffing means finding people who are engaged, trained, and committed, not just available.
Licensing requires constant navigation and strong relationships with regulators.
And at the center of it all is a financial tension:
“We can’t charge what we should, and parents can’t pay what it costs.” – Lakeisha
Families are stretched. Providers are constrained. Staff wages remain difficult to raise.
The system, as it stands, does not fully work.
Finding Ways Forward
Even with these challenges, providers are adapting.
Shannon is working to launch a nonprofit alongside her childcare center to expand support for families and other providers.
Lakeisha highlighted shared services models that help reduce costs and improve operations.
Across the board, providers are leveraging partnerships, grants, and creative approaches to keep moving forward.
What Families Need Most
At its core, childcare is about trust.
Families are looking for safe, consistent environments where their children are cared for and supported.
Parents are asking more questions and expecting higher standards, and providers are stepping up to meet that responsibility.
“A child may not remember everything you teach them, but they will always remember how you made them feel.” -Miss Pat
WHY THIS MATTERS
When childcare works:
Parents can work.
Businesses can hire.
Entrepreneurs can grow.
Ecosystem updates and events you should know about
One of the best parts of RISE Grapevine is hearing what is happening across Southern Virginia and beyond. Here are a few highlights shared during announcements:
____________________
CIC Spring 2026 Business Resource Fair & Finance Your Business
Wednesday, March 25, 2026
Averett University North Campus | 3:00 – 7:00pm
CIC’s Spring 2026 Business Resource Fair offers entrepreneurs free, one-on-one consultations with experts in lending, bookkeeping, marketing, HR, and more. Hosted alongside the first Finance Your Business (FYB) session, the fair provides practical guidance, clear next steps, and strategies to support business growth. Registration is required to reserve appointments.
https://cicville.org/southern-virginia-resource-fair/
____________________
Applying Project Management for Founders, Entrepreneurs, and Businesses
April 22, April 29, May 13 and May 20, 2026
Zoom | 12:00 – 1:30pm
The RISE Applying Project Management Workshop Series is a four-part virtual training for founders, entrepreneurs, and businesses focused on building structure, clarity, and execution. Led by Nikouri Brown of Creative PM Solutions, sessions provide practical tools to translate ideas into plans, manage risk and resources, and track progress for growth.
https://sovarise.com/training/applying-project-management/
___________________
Save the date: Next Grapevine
Our next RISE Grapevine Monthly Virtual Meetup is Thursday, April 16, 2026, featuring a discussion on financial literacy.
Register here: https://us02web.zoom.us/meeting/register/vYfp4QAgQKKXL-cmSLc33w#/
____________________
Southern Virginia Entrepreneur Workshop: Spring Cohort and Fall Applications
CIC also shared updates on its current Southern Virginia Entrepreneur Workshop cohort, plus a heads-up that the Fall 2026 application window opens May 4 through July 3.
https://cicville.org/southern-virginia-entrepreneur-workshop/
____________________
Save the date: RISE Summit 2026
The RISE Summit is scheduled for October 16, 2026. Bring someone with you. This is an ecosystem event built for connection, learning, and next-step momentum.
Get your ticket here: https://www.eventbrite.com/e/fall-2026-rise-summit-innovation-summit-tickets-1949316501129?aff=oddtdtcreator
If someone asks where you got the ideas, the resources, and the connections, you can honestly say: you heard it through the Grapevine.
We hope you will join us next month and keep building alongside entrepreneurs and ecosystem partners across Southern Virginia.